Title: Hawkins v. Kennedy

State: south-dakota

Issuer: South Dakota Supreme Court

Document:

107 N.W.2d 340 (1961) Frank R. HAWKINS and Florence R. Hawkins, Plaintiffs and Appellants, v. James H. KENNEDY, Defendant and Respondent. No. 9877. Supreme Court of South Dakota. February 7, 1961. T. R. Johnson, Sioux Falls, for plaintiffs and appellants. Christopherson & Bailin, Sioux Falls, for defendant and respondent. SMITH, Presiding Judge. In a complaint of two counts based on promissory notes of $2,500 each, plaintiffs failed to include a direct allegation that defendant's promises to them were made without any intention of performing them but did allege in part as follows: and did pray The defendant defaulted and a default judgment was entered on the 21st day of January 1960 which reads in part as follows: Thereafter, pursuant to SDC 1960 Supp. 33.0108, defendant made a motion to have the judgment vacated or opened to permit an answer and a trial of the issue of fraud. The ground upon which the motion was made was the mistake of defendant. The order of the trial court which opened the judgment as prayed found in favor of defendant on the issue of mistake, and also found Subsequently a trial of the issue of fraud was had, and the court found plaintiff had failed to prove defendant guilty of fraud. The issue of fraud was ordered dismissed and the money judgment stands. The first contention of plaintiffs is that the showing of defendant in support of his motion to vacate or open the judgment was merely a mistake of law, as distinguished from a mistake of fact, and therefore the trial court abused its discretion in opening the judgment. For us to consider this contention would be of no avail to plaintiffs. It is settled that, apart from SDC 1960 Supp. 33.0108, a trial court is vested with inherent power to correct its judgments entered by inadvertence. Purinton v. Purinton, 41 S.D. 125, 169 N.W. 236; Boshart v. National Benefit Association, Inc., 65 S.D. 260, 173 N.W. 7; Payton v. Rogers, 66 S.D. 486, 285 N.W. 873; and Moore v. Connecticut General Life Ins. Co., 71 S.D. 512, 26 N.W.2d 691. The trial court has stated in its order that its adjudication of fraud was entered by inadvertence, and has exercised its power to correct its judgment. A basis for a holding on our part that it erred in so doing is not revealed by the record. The remaining contention of plaintiffs is that the record does not support the court's finding that they failed to prove defendant guilty of fraud. The plaintiffs attempted to state a cause of action in each count of their complaint under SDC 10.0307 reading in part as follows: *342 Cf. Reitz v. Ampro Royalty Trust, 75 S.D. 167, 61 N.W.2d 201; and annotations 51 A.L.R. 46; 68 A.L.R. 635; 91 A.L.R. 1295; and 125 A.L.R. 879. We digress to observe that at bar defendant pointed to the absence of a direct allegation of the making of the promise without a present intention of performing it and contended that the trial court's conclusion should be affirmed for that reason. It is too late to raise such point after an issue has been tried by consent. SDC 1960 Supp. 33.0914. The evidence has received careful study. A complete statement of facts would serve no useful purpose. The parties were close friends and shared office space in conducting separate businesses. The promises of repayment from the proceeds of the sale of the described property were made and broken as alleged. The trial court had before it a letter of defendant written to plaintiffs wherein he explained at length the subsequent events and pressures which induced his action in favoring other creditors. It was aptly said by the North Dakota court in Foster v. Dwire, 51 N.D. 581, 199 N.W. 1017, 1021, 51 A.L.R. 21, at page 28, Whether plaintiffs' proof would have been sufficient to support a finding of fraud if the court had so viewed it, we need not decide. Our conclusion is that the clear weight of the evidence is not against the court's finding and therefore, we are not at liberty to disturb the ruling of the trial court. The judgment of the trial court is affirmed. All the Judges concur.