Opinion ID: 2082309
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Vicnire v. Ford Life and Ford Credit

Text: During the course of this litigation, plaintiff requested and received a continuance in excess of 30 days. The final issue in this case involves a determination of the effect of the continuance of the pre-judgment interest to be received by plaintiff. At the time plaintiff filed his complaint on April 28, 1975, 14 M.R.S.A. § 1602 provided that a successful party would receive interest from the time of filing of the complaint, unless he requested and received a continuance in excess of 30 days. In that event he forfeited all right to pre-judgment interest. [5] Before entry of judgment in the instant case on May 16, 1978, section 1602 was modified to provide, effective October 24, 1977, that a party who requested and received a continuance in excess of 30 days lost interest only for the duration of the continuance. [6] The presiding justice ruled that the amended version of section 1602 applied. Both defendants appeal that ruling. We deny the appeals. The judgment on which interest is being computed was entered well after the effective date of the amendment to section 1602. As a matter of policy, the legislature concluded, effective October 24, 1977, that a plaintiff should recover pre-judgment interest for the entire period from the filing of his complaint except during any period he was not diligently pursuing his claim. The legislature by its amendment of section 1602 declared that forfeiture of all pre-judgment interest was too harsh a penalty to impose for obtaining a continuance. We can think of no logical reason why the legislature would not want its newly declared policy to apply to all judgments entered after the effective date of the amendment. Accordingly, the judgments in this action properly included interest from the date the complaint was filed in court, April 28, 1975, to the date of the judgments, May 16, 1978, excluding the duration of the continuance obtained by plaintiff. The entry is: Cross-appeal of plaintiff denied. Appeal of defendant Ford Life denied. Appeal of defendant Ford Credit denied in part and sustained in part; judgment for plaintiff against defendant Ford Credit affirmed except that portion awarding $10,000 exemplary or punitive damages, which is reversed. That judgment modified to read as follows: JUDGMENT is ordered for plaintiff Peter Vicnire and against defendant Ford Motor Credit Company in an amount of $1,850.00 and interest and costs. WERNICK and NICHOLS, JJ., did not sit.