Opinion ID: 6471225
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Affidavits of Disqualification

Text: On May 1,1981, Plaintiffs filed their complaint. On May 21, 1981, upon motions and after a hearing in which both parties appeared and argued, Judge Madrid stayed further proceedings in Cause # 81-03139, pending arbitration. A stay of proceedings is defined as a “temporary suspension of the regular order of proceedings in a cause, by direction or order of the court, usually to await the action of one of the parties in regard to some omitted step or some act which the court has required him to perform as incidental to the suit.    ” BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY 1267 (5th ed. 1979); see Rossiter v. Aetna Life Ins. Co. of Hartford, Conn., 96 Wis. 466, 71 N.W. 898 (1897). A stay of proceedings is not a dismissal of a suit. Solarana v. Industrial Electronics, Inc., 50 Haw. 22, 428 P.2d 411 (1967). On October 30, 1981, after the arbitrator’s award was granted, Defendant filed a motion in Cause # 81-03139 for confirmation of the arbitrator’s award. On November 6, 1981, Plaintiffs filed an affidavit of disqualification directed at Judge Madrid. An affidavit of disqualification of a district judge must be filed before a party has called upon the court to act judicially. State v. Chavez, 45 N.M. 161, 113 P.2d 179 (1941). On May 21, 1981, there was a hearing and the parties presented arguments before Judge Madrid concerning whether the parties were required to arbitrate. Judge Madrid acted judicially by granting the motion to require arbitration. Therefore, Plaintiffs’ affidavit was not timely filed. On November 9, 1981, Plaintiffs filed a second cause of action for the modification, correction, clarification and vacation of the arbitrator’s award. On November 24, 1981, Judge Madrid consolidated the first cause of action and this second cause of action “on the court’s own motion”. N.M.R.Civ.P. 42(a), N.M.S.A.1978 (Repl. Pamp.1980), states: When actions involving a common question of law or fact are pending before the court, it may order a joint hearing or trial of any or all the matters in issue in the actions; it may order all the actions consolidated; and it may make such orders concerning proceedings therein as may tend to avoid unnecessary costs or delay. [Emphasis added.] The consolidation of causes of action is a matter vested solely within the discretion of the trial court. We will not disturb the trial court’s decision unless there is a clear abuse of that discretion. Hanratty v. Middle Rio Grande Conservancy Dist., 82 N.M. 275, 480 P.2d 165 (1970), cert. denied, 404 U.S. 841, 92 S.Ct. 135, 30 L.Ed.2d 75 (1971). Because the two causes of action are so closely related, we find no abuse of the trial court’s discretion in consolidating the two cases. Concerning the second cause of action, Plaintiffs again submitted an affidavit for disqualification of Judge Madrid, which she refused to honor. We hold that Plaintiffs cannot disqualify Judge Madrid by filing a new lawsuit and a new affidavit of disqualification because both causes of action involved the same parties and issues and because Plaintiffs had previously invoked the jurisdiction of the court before attempting to disqualify Judge Madrid in Cause # 81-03139. See State v. Ericksen, 94 N.M. 128, 607 P.2d 666 (Ct.App.1980). Therefore, Judge Madrid properly denied the second affidavit of disqualification.