Opinion ID: 2094596
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the equities

Text: Even if procedurally relief were available in some circumstances it would not afford a basis for relief here. The facts demonstrate delay after the knowledge of the judgment was brought home to the exceptant during a period in which a 30-day extension of time could have been applied for (former Rule 1:7-9, as amended January 1, 1953, supra ). In the present case the trial judge's opinion was filed April 2, 1953; on May 15, 1953 the trial judge held a hearing to settle the form of the judgment which hearing was attended by the exceptant's counsel; exceptant's counsel on or before May 25, 1953 submitted the form of judgment to the trial court and except for deletion of the last paragraph this appears to have been the judgment entered on June 17, 1953. The exceptant on August 22, 1953 had received a statement of account containing reference to the entry of the judgment on 6/17/53 and at that time (August 22) he still had at least a week within which to apply for a 30-day extension of time to take his appeal under a broad application of former Rule 1:7-9, as amended January 1, 1953, supra. In writing to the trustee on August 22, 1953 the exceptant expressly noted and did not disapprove the allowances to the trustee and its counsel made in the judgment and adverted to in the statement of account. Further, the affidavit of the exceptant's counsel shows that at 10:00 A.M. on August 31, 1953 exceptant's counsel had knowledge of the judgment and immediately confirmed this by a call to the Surrogate's office. However, he did not file a notice of appeal until the next day (76 days after the entry of the judgment). In passing it is observed that former Rule 1:7-9, as amended January 1, 1953, supra, required a clear showing of good cause. Cf. R.R. 1:1-9, supra. This requires more than a mere indication of a valid excuse for delay in serving and filing a notice of appeal. It requires a demonstration that there is a substantial and meritorious question involved in the appeal. Compare former Rule 1:5-4 (now R.R. 1:10-9). The exceptant asserts he had no access to the record and exhibits and could not frame any questions involved. This is without merit. The history of the entry of judgment, briefly recited, ante, demonstrates that the exceptant had knowledge of the opinion of the trial court (filed April 2, 1953  see In re Nuese's Estate, supra, 25 N.J. Super., at page 406), and had knowledge of the probable form of the judgment. He suggested no good cause for appeal as to any matter of substance. In respect to commissions and counsel fee exceptant raises no question and he asserted no objection in his letter to the trustee, dated August 22, 1953, ante. The allowance to counsel was considerable, but the estate corpus appears to have exceeded $300,000 and the exceptions raised seem to have required extensive pretrial and trial effort and industry on the part of the trustee's attorneys. Judge Conlon, in his opinion in the Essex County Court, stated: All of the losses now complained of occurred some 15 or 20 years ago. Consequently the reconstruction of the details of the many transactions inquired into presented considerable difficulty. (25 N.J. Super., at page 409) There is no indication that the trial court abused its discretion in the matter of allowances. Cf. Litcher v. Trust Co. of New Jersey, 11 N.J. 64, 81-82 (1952); Ditmars v. Camden Trust Co., supra (10 N.J., at page 499). In summary, we find that the Superior Court, Appellate Division, correctly determined that it lacked the power in this case to extend the time within which to appeal beyond the period limited by former Rules 1:2-5 and 1:7-9, as amended, supra, under former Rule 4:1-10, supra. For the reasons expressed in this opinion the order of the Superior Court, Appellate Division, dismissing the exceptant's appeal from the judgment of the Essex County Court and denying exceptant's motion for enlargement of time to appeal, is affirmed. For affirmance  Chief Justice VANDERBILT, and Justices OLIPHANT, WACHENFELD, BURLING, JACOBS and BRENNAN  6. For reversal  Justice HEHER  1.