Opinion ID: 2191437
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: the trial court improperly granted summary judgment

Text: The doctrine of res judicata bars an attempt to relitigate a prior determined cause of action by the parties or one of the parties in privity to a party in the earlier suit. Merchants State Bank v. Light, 458 N.W.2d 792 (S.D.1990); Bank of Hoven v. Rausch, 449 N.W.2d 263, 266 (S.D.1989); Black Hills Jewelry Mfg. v. Felco Jewel Ind., 336 N.W.2d 153, 157 (S.D.1983); Melbourn v. Benham, 292 N.W.2d 335, 337 (S.D.1980). Res judicata precludes litigation of an issue actually litigated and issues which could have been properly raised and determined in a prior action. Merchants State Bank, supra ; Bank of Hoven, supra ; Black Hills Jewelry, supra . The test for determining if both causes of action are the same is a query into whether the wrong sought to be redressed is the same in both actions. Merchants State Bank, supra ; Bank of Hoven, supra . If however the second action is based upon a different claim or demand, the prior judgment precludes further consideration only of those issues which were actually litigated and determined. Adam v. Adam, 254 N.W.2d 123 (S.D.1977). That a party could have raised an issue but failed to do so will not prevent the application of res judicata. Nelson v. Hawkeye Sec. Ins. Co. 369 N.W.2d 379 (S.D.1985). When a party fails to fully develop all of the issues and evidence available in a case, he is not justified in later trying the omitted issues or facts in a second action based upon the same claim. Crowley v. Spearfish Ind. School Dist., 445 N.W.2d 308 (S.D.1989). This court held, in Boos v. Claude, 69 S.D. 254, 258-259, 9 N.W.2d 262, 264 (1943): [I]t is the majority rule that a single wrongful or negligent act causing an injury to both the person and the property of the same individual, constitutes but one cause of action with separate items of damages and that a recovery of a judgment for either item of damage may be pleaded in bar of an action to recover for the other item of damage. However, this rule has certain well-defined exceptionsone of which is that where it appears that the plaintiff had no knowledge or means of knowledge of the omitted items in his first suit, his ignorance will excuse him and the judgment in the first action will not bar a subsequent action to recover on the omitted items. See also, Gaither Corporation v. Skinner, 241 N.C. 532, 85 S.E.2d 909 (1955); Hyyti v. Smith, 67 N.D. 425, 272 N.W. 747 (1937); Annotation, Application of rule against splitting cause of action, or of doctrine of res judicata, to item of single cause of action omitted from issues through ignorance, mistake, or fraud, 142 A.L.R. 905 (1943). A former recovery will not bar claims of which the plaintiff was ignorant, even if those claims existed at the time suit was commenced in the former recovery and could have been joined, unless plaintiff's ignorance was due to his own negligence. Bolte v. Aits, Inc., 60 Haw. 58, 587 P.2d 810, 814 (1978); 50 C.J.S. Judgments § 667 (1947). Clearly, Du-Al's claims in this lawsuit existed at the time the prior lawsuit was commenced. However, under the rule of Boos, supra, Du-Al's claims in this wall lawsuit would not be barred if, prior to the dismissal of the roof lawsuit, Du-Al was without knowledge or means of knowledge of the facts which give rise to these claims. Thus, the entry of summary judgment against Du-Al based on res judicata would not be appropriate if there exists a genuine issue of material fact concerning when Du-Al knew or should have known of the construction wall defects. In moving for summary judgment, SFC had the burden of showing that Du-Al knew, or could have known by the exercise of ordinary care, of the hidden or latent construction wall defects before the roof lawsuit was dismissed. Du-Al claims it did not have knowledge of these wall defects until the spring of 1989 when Swift began its repair work. By way of deposition, the engineers involved asserted that these conditions were hidden and could not be observed until the repair work was in progress and the fascia was removed to expose the condition. In resisting the motion for summary judgment, Du-Al did present specific facts which demonstrate a genuine, material issue for trial. As non-moving party, the evidence must be viewed most favorably to Du-Al, and reasonable doubts should be resolved in its favor. A question of fact exists whether Du-Al by the exercise of ordinary care knew or should have known that there were construction wall defects and thus could have sought such damages in the roof lawsuit. Before res judicata as a matter of law could apply to bar Du-Al's construction wall defects lawsuit, the factual question as to when Du-Al knew or could have known with the exercise of ordinary care of the existence of the wall defects needs to be determined. This is an issue for the finder of fact to decide. [] We therefore hold it was improper for the trial court to grant summary judgment when a genuine issue of material fact exists as to when Du-Al knew or should have known about the construction wall defects. We reverse and remand this case to the trial court for further proceedings. MILLER, C.J., and WUEST, HENDERSON and SABERS, JJ., concur. AMUNDSON, J., disqualified.