Title: Blasl v. Peterson

State: north-dakota

Issuer: North Dakota Supreme Court

Document:

53 N.W.2d 856 (1952) BLASL et al. v. PETERSON. No. 7310. Supreme Court of North Dakota. June 5, 1952. *857 Wm. L. Paulson, Valley City, and Philip L. Scherer, Winthrop, Minn., for appellant. Roy K. Redetzke, Fargo, for respondent. CHRISTIANSON, Judge. This is an appeal from an order denying defendant's motion for leave to serve and file an amended answer. The action was brought in December 1946 to recover upon a certain check in the sum of $433.50 which it is alleged that the defendant executed and delivered to the plaintiff on August 2, 1946; and which check it is alleged was presented to the bank on which it was drawn on August 8, 1946, in due course of business for payment but was not paid and that due notice of such non-payment was given to the defendant but that the defendant has failed to pay the amount of the check or any part thereof. The defendant appeared by his attorney and interposed an answer wherein he admitted that the plaintiff is a sole trader doing business under the firm name and style of Farmers Supply Company but denied specifically all the other allegations of the complaint. On December 16, 1950, the defendant's attorney moved the court pursuant to notice for leave to amend his answer. The proposed amended answer admitted the execution and delivery of the check described in the complaint and alleged that the check was executed in payment of a certain piece of farm machinery sold by the plaintiff to the defendant, that it was represented and guaranteed that if the said machinery did not work satisfactorily that the defendant could return it and get his money back or the indebtedness would be cancelled; that in reliance upon such guarantee and representation, defendant took the machinery home and attempted to use it but found that it was defective and that it was not reasonably fit for the purpose for which it was purchased and that after about a day and a half's use he learned that the express and implied warranties were broken; that the defendant thereafter notified the plaintiff of the defects and asked him to correct the same but that plaintiff failed and refused to do so and that thereafter the defendant rescinded the purchase of the machinery and offered to return same to the plaintiff; that the plaintiff refused to accept the machinery and has failed to return and cancel the check. No showing by affidavit or otherwise was made in support of the application for leave to serve and file an amended answer. Defendant's counsel merely presented the proposed amended answer. The trial court after due consideration made an order denying defendant's application for leave to serve and file an amended answer, and filed a memorandum decision wherein he said, in part: Respondent's counsel has moved the court to dismiss the appeal on the ground that the order is not appealable. The motion must be denied. Under the rule heretofore announced by this court such order is appealable. See LaDuke v. E. W. Wylie & Co., 77 N.D. ___, 44 N.W.2d 204. See, also, County of Pembina v. Nord, N.D., 49 N.W.2d 665. Under the provisions of NDRC 1943, 28-0736, any pleading may be amended as a matter of course at any time within twenty days after it is served or at any time before the period for answering expires. But amendments to a pleading may not be made as a matter of right after the expiration of the time provided by such statute. White v. The Mayor, etc. of New York, 14 How.Prac. 495; Tripp v. City of Yankton, 10 S.D. 516, 74 N.W. 447. Applications for leave to serve and file and amended pleading are addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court. Loverin-Browne Co. v. Bank of Buffalo, 7 N.D. 569, 75 N.W. 923; Ennis v. Retail Merchants Ass'n Mutual Fire Ins. Co., 33 N.D. 20, 156 N.W. 234; Flamer v. Johnson, 36 N.D. 215, 162 N.W. 307; Beauchamp v. Retail Merchants Ass'n Mutual Fire Ins. Co., 38 N.D. 483, 496, 165 N.W. 545; 71 C.J.S., Pleading, § 282, pages 598-599; Unger v. Goldman, 12 Cal. App. 2d 129, 54 P.2d 1126, 1128. In Loverin-Browne Co. v. Bank of Buffalo, supra, this court said: Corpus Juris (4 C.J. 798-799) says: When a defendant interposes his answer he should set forth therein such matters of defense as are known to him. and which he intends to assert. In Beauchamp v. Retail Mechants Ass'n Mutual Fire Ins. Co., 38 N.D. 483, 498, 165 N.W. 545, 550, this court said: Unnecessary delay in applying for leave to amend may be a ground for the *859 court's refusing, in the exercise of discretion to allow an amendment. Corpus Juris Secundum, 71 C.J.S., Pleading, § 282, pages 598-599, says: In Corpus Juris (49 C.J. 535-536) it is said: See, also, Paulsen v. Modern Woodmen of America, 21 N.D. 235, 241, 130 N.W. 231, 233; Minneapolis Threshing Machine Co. v. Huncovsky, 49 N.D. 1086, 1091, 194 N.W. 830; Flamer v. Johnson, 36 N.D. at page 218, 162 N.W. at page 308. In this case the summons and complaint were served upon the defendant on December 31, 1946. Defendant's attorney interposed an answer in January, 1947. Defendant moved the court for leave to amend his answer on December 16, 1950, almost four years after he had interposed his original answer. During all the negotiations and transactions had between counsel for the respective parties concerning arrangements for the trial of the action nothing was said by defendant's counsel with respect to amending defendant's answer. The first reference to that was made in the motion for leave to amend dated November 29, 1950, and submitted to the court on December 16, 1950. According to the allegations in the proposed amended answer the defendant became aware of the alleged breach of warranty in August 1946 and had full knowledge thereof when the original answer was interposed. There is not even a suggestion of any excuse for failing to set forth in the original answer the new matter that defendant sets forth in his proposed amended answer or for the long delay in proposing the amendment. There is no showing by affidavit or otherwise of the facts alleged in the proposed amended answer and of the ability of the defendant to establish the same upon a trial. The answer was not verified by the defendant, it was verified by his counsel on information and belief. The application for leave to serve and file an amended answer was addressed to the discretion of the trial court. The defendant had the burden in the trial court to sustain the motion for leave to amend by an adequate showing, and he has the burden on this appeal to show that the trial court abused its discretion in denying his application. This he has failed to do. The order appealed from is affirmed. MORRIS, C. J., and SATHRE, BURKE and GRIMSON, JJ.