Opinion ID: 2616682
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: District Court Commissioners

Text: The husband argues that the referral of the hearing to a district court commissioner on his motion to vacate a void judgment denied him the right to have a full hearing and resulted in an improper summary judgment being granted against him. He takes issue with a number of the commissioner's findings. The husband also contends that the transcript of the hearing which was held before the commissioner had not been prepared before the district court ruled on the wife's motion for a summary judgment. No error occurred in the proceedings. The husband was not prejudiced by the commissioner hearing his motion to vacate a void judgment. Article 5, section 14 of the Wyoming Constitution authorizes the Legislature to enact laws which allow district courts to appoint commissioners. The constitutional provision states that the commissioners shall have authority to perform such chamber business in the absence of the district judge from the county. WYO. CONST. ART. 5, § 14. The Legislature has articulated the law which is applicable to commissioners. WYO.STAT. §§ 5-3-301 to -312 (1992 & Supp. 1993). Section 5-3-307(a)(v) sets out the commissioners' powers: (a) Each district court commissioner shall have the powers in respect to every suit or proceeding pending in the district court of the county for which he was appointed, as follows: . . . . . . (v) To take evidence and make findings, and report the same to the district court[.] In Foster v. Foster, 768 P.2d 1038 (Wyo. 1989), and Gaines v. Doby, 773 P.2d 442 (Wyo.1989), appeal after remand, 794 P.2d 566 (Wyo.1990), we clarified the commissioners' powers and duties. We held that the district court must conduct an independent review of the evidence and the commissioner's findings when it is making its decision. Foster, 768 P.2d at 1042; Gaines, 773 P.2d at 444-45. The Court indicated that, in order to conduct its review: We would expect that, in most instances, the district court would require a transcript of the evidentiary hearing. Foster, 768 P.2d at 1042. In both Foster and Gaines, this Court ruled that the procedures which had been employed by the district courts when they reviewed the commissioners' findings were inadequate. Foster, 768 P.2d at 1041; Gaines, 773 P.2d at 445. This case is significantly different from Foster and Gaines. Here, the commissioner specified in his findings which he presented to the district court that the district judge was absent when the hearing was held. The commissioner provided a fairly substantial review to the district court of the parties' arguments. Additionally, the district court considered essentially the same arguments when it ruled on the motion for a summary judgment. The district court's order indicates that, in reaching its decision, the district court reviewed the extensive materials which the husband had submitted. The district court properly examined the evidence and the commissioner's findings in reaching its decision.