Opinion ID: 878932
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: intervention by the partnership

Text: Charles Glass & Sons moved to intervene following trial and decision by the District Court, pursuant to Rule 24, M.R.Civ.P. The partnership's primary contention was that the trial judge had overvalued the partnership. It sought to present new evidence concerning the value of the partnership's land holdings and cow/calf pairings. Further, it contended that the trial judge had improperly treated gifts given to Neil and Eloise by their families. These same arguments were presented to the trial judge in Neil Glass's post-trial motions. Rule 24, M.R.Civ.P., requires that an application to intervene be timely. The trial judge dismissed the partnership's motion, stating that a motion to intervene filed after a judgment is not timely. We cannot agree. Although not often granted, motions to intervene made after judgment are not per se untimely. 3B Moore's Federal Practice ¶ 24.13, at 24-154  24-157. (2d ed. 1984) A determining factor in granting a post-judgment motion to intervene is whether the motion seeks to reopen or relitigate an issue already determined. McDonald v. E.J. Lavino Co. (5th Cir.1970), 430 F.2d 1065, 1072. Here, the entire purpose of the motion is to reopen litigation in order to permit the partnership to present new evidence on the value of the partnership. Further, Rule 24, M.R.Civ.P. is a discretionary, judicial efficiency rule. It is used to avoid delay, circuity and multiplicity of actions. Grenfell v. Duffy (1982), 198 Mont. 90, 95, 643 P.2d 1184, 1187. If the partnership were allowed to intervene, it would seek only to relitigate issues about which the parties have had every opportunity to present evidence at trial. Therefore, we affirm the denial by the trial court of the partnership's motion to intervene.