Opinion ID: 2369942
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Alliance

Text: With respect to Alliance, summary judgment was entered in its favor on July 25, 1989. On that same day, final judgment was also entered under Rule 54(b). Thus plaintiffs' twenty-day appeal period under Rule 4(a) began on July 25 and ended on August 14. At the end of August plaintiffs moved for a thirty-day extension to file an appeal, as allowed under Rule 4(a). Thirty days from August 14 is September 13. The basis of plaintiffs' Rule 4(a) motion to extend was that lead counsel had sudden, unexpected medical problems beginning on or about July 23 and ending August 28. Surgery occurred on August 18. A Superior Court justice granted a thirty-day extension on September 12 after finding excusable neglect by plaintiffs' counsel. The plaintiffs appealed the same day. This court will review the Superior Court's excusable-neglect determination for abuse of discretion. See Cuevas v. Reading & Bates Corp., 770 F.2d 1371, 1377 (5th Cir.1985); Meza v. Washington State Dept of Social and Health Services, 683 F.2d 314, 315 (9th Cir.1982). In the instant case it was abuse of discretion to grant an extension. The plaintiffs' lead counsel is not licensed to practice law in Rhode Island. She never made a Superior Court motion to practice as a nonresident attorney (that is, a pro hac vice motion) under Rule 40 of the Supreme Court Rules. Under Rule 40 a member of the Rhode Island bar must sign all papers filed with the court and assume full responsibility for them and for the conduct of the cause and of the attorney to whom such privilege is accorded. Although many of the papers filed in this case bear the typewritten names of lead counsel and a Rhode Island attorney in her firm, lead counsel signed most of the papers. In any event, even if we assume that lead counsel complied with Rule 40, that Rule clearly states that the Rhode Island attorney with whom lead counsel had associated herself bears full responsibility for the conduct of this appeal. Whatever may be the medical disability of lead counsel, the Rhode Island attorney was in good health. There is no evidence on the record to indicate excusable neglect for the Rhode Island attorney's not timely filing the appeal. Accordingly the trial justice abused his discretion in finding excusable neglect. The plaintiffs' appeal is denied and dismissed as untimely. The papers of the case are remanded to the Superior Court.