Opinion ID: 2101101
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Renewal of Motion to Dismiss

Text: Before we address the merits of this appeal, we must address an issue raised by the court of appeals in its certification to us. The Arkansas Court of Appeals certified this case to us pursuant to Ark. Sup.Ct. R. 1-2(b)(5) because it perceived an apparent conflict in our case law regarding whether, following a civil bench trial, a person may challenge the sufficiency of the evidence on appeal if he did not renew his motion to dismiss on sufficiency at the close of the evidence. In a long line of cases, we have ruled that, in a non-jury trial, a party who does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence does not waive the right to do so on appeal. See Oates v. Oates, 340 Ark. 431, 435, 10 S.W.3d 861, 864 (2000); Firstbank of Arkansas v. Keeling, 312 Ark. 441, 445, 850 S.W.2d 310, 313 (1993); Bass v. Koller, 276 Ark. 93, 96, 632 S.W.2d 410, 412 (1982). However, in $735 in U.S. Currency v. State, 364 Ark. 526, 222 S.W.3d 209 (2006), an appeal from a civil bench trial, we held that the appellant's argument regarding sufficiency of the evidence was not preserved for appeal where we could not determine whether or not [she] renewed her motion for directed verdict at the close of all of the evidence. Id. Here, appellants moved at the close of the State's case to dismiss the petition for forfeiture for lack of sufficient evidence. The circuit court denied the motion, and appellants proceeded with their case. Appellants did not renew their motion to dismiss at the close of all of the evidence, and the circuit court granted the petition for forfeiture. Appellants' point on appeal is that the evidence at trial was insufficient to prove the statutory elements necessary for forfeiture. Therefore, the issue raised by the certification is whether appellants' sufficiency-of-the-evidence argument was preserved for appeal where they did not renew their motion to dismiss at the close of all of the evidence. We hold that it was. Ark. R. Civ. P. 50(e) states as follows: (e) Appellate Review. When there has been a trial by jury, the failure of a party to move for a directed verdict at the conclusion of all the evidence, because of insufficiency of the evidence will constitute a waiver of any question pertaining to the sufficiency of the evidence to support the jury verdict. If for any reason the motion is not ruled upon, it is deemed denied for purposes of obtaining appellate review on the question of the sufficiency of the evidence. Emphasis added. In Bass v. Koller, 276 Ark. 93, 96, 632 S.W.2d 410, 412 (1982), we held that Rule 50(e) did not apply to non-jury trials. [1] Our holding in Bass is still the law. See Oates v. Oates, 340 Ark. 431, 435, 10 S.W.3d 861, 864 (2000); Firstbank of Arkansas v. Keeling, 312 Ark. 441, 445, 850 S.W.2d 310, 313 (1993). We clarify that our recent decision in $735 in U.S. Currency, supra, concerned an insufficient record for review. The critical issue in that case was not whether a motion for directed verdict had been made at the close of the evidence, but whether the appellant had provided an adequate record for us to review in order to determine her point on appeal. The appellant in that case moved for a directed verdict after the direct testimony of Officer Marx. Id. The motion was denied. The transcript then stated: (Cross examination conducted . . . at this time.) Id. However, the record contained no transcript of Officer Marx's cross-examination or of the subsequent testimony of appellant or her husband. We stated that we could not determine whether the circuit court's decision to grant the petition for forfeiture was clearly erroneous, because to do so required a review of the entire record, which we did not have. Id. However, our statement that the appellant's argument regarding sufficiency of the evidence was not preserved for appeal where we could not determine whether or not [she] renewed her motion for directed verdict at the close of all of the evidence, id., is error. Thus, to the extent that statement in $735 in U.S. Currency conflicts with Bass, supra , we overrule it.