Opinion ID: 197393
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Fraud Upon the Court

Text: 41 Rule 60(b), after delineating the six bases of a motion, goes on to state that the power of a court to set aside a judgment for fraud upon the court is not limited by the rule. It is an explicit recognition of the traditional inherent power of a court to protect its own essential functioning and integrity. It is, however, a power rarely to be used. 42 We recently had occasion to review the scope of fraud upon the court in connection with the parallel provision of the rule allowing a court to entertain an independent action to relieve a party from a judgment for fraud upon the court. Geo. P. Reintjes Co. v. Riley Stoker Corp., 71 F.3d 44, 46-49 (1st Cir.1995). In that opinion, we noted the effect of Hazel-Atlas Glass Co. v. Hartford-Empire Co., 322 U.S. 238, 64 S.Ct. 997, 88 L.Ed. 1250 (1944), overruled on other grounds, Standard Oil Co. of Cal. v. United States, 429 U.S. 17, 97 S.Ct. 31, 50 L.Ed.2d 21 (1976), in expanding the range of fraud not subject to the one-year limitation to include fraud committed by 'officers of the court.'  Id. at 47-48. We also characterized our concept of fraud upon the court in Aoude v. Mobil Oil Corp., 892 F.2d 1115, 1118 (1st Cir.1989), as consisting of an  'unconscionable scheme calculated to interfere with the judicial system's ability impartially to adjudicate a matter' involving an officer of the court. Reintjes, 71 F.3d at 48 n. 5. We noted a sharp demarcation, saying, In sum, perjury alone, absent allegation of involvement by an officer of the court ... has never been sufficient. Id. at 49. 43 In the case at bar, nothing has been suggested or even insinuated that takes this case beyond allegations of garden variety deceit and fraud by a party. As a matter of law, appellant's allegations do not rise to the level of a Rule 60(b)(6) claim or to fraud upon the court. The district court did not err in denying the motion for relief. 44 Affirmed.