Opinion ID: 2502019
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Dismissal While Motion to Disqualify Was Pending

Text: Mr. Tabb's final argument is that the circuit court erred when it dismissed the second appeal (No. 11-0701) while a motion to disqualify the circuit judge was pending. The second case in this consolidated appeal concerns the corporation's appeal from the board of equalization and review's decision approving the assessor's valuation of the subject property for the year 2011. Mr. Tabb filed a petition for appeal and a motion to disqualify Judge Sanders with the circuit court on March 18, 2011. Before this Court ruled on the motion to disqualify, Judge Sanders dismissed the 2011 appeal by order entered on March 23, 2011. The dismissal order states, [a] corporation may not represent itself pro se in the circuit court. It appearing to the Court that an attorney has not filed a notice of appearance on behalf of the Plaintiff Corporation, this matter is hereby DISMISSED, sua sponte. No further action will be taken by this Court since the appeal has not been properly filed. This Court denied the corporation's motion to disqualify Judge Sanders by administrative order entered on April 6, 2011. Pursuant to Trial Court Rule 17.01, Judge Sanders should not have taken any action in the case until the motion to disqualify was resolved. However, we find that this error was harmless and did not affect the outcome of the case. Rule 61 of the West Virginia Rules of Civil Procedure states: No error in either the admission or the exclusion of evidence and no error or defect in any ruling or order or in anything done or omitted by the court or by any of the parties is ground for granting a new trial or for setting aside a verdict or for vacating, modifying or otherwise disturbing a judgment or order, unless refusal to take such action appears to the court inconsistent with substantial justice. The court at every stage of the proceeding must disregard any error or defect in the proceeding which does not affect the substantial rights of the parties. In Syllabus Point 2 of Boggs v. Settle, 150 W.Va. 330, 145 S.E.2d 446 (1965), we held, [o]n appeal of a case involving an action covered by the Rules of Civil Procedure, this Court will disregard and regard as harmless any error, defect or irregularity in the proceedings in the trial court which does not affect the substantial rights of the parties. In the case sub judice, Mr. Tabb was not prejudiced by the circuit court's failure to stay the proceedings until the motion to disqualify was resolved. This Court determined that there was insufficient evidence to warrant the circuit judge's disqualification. Had the circuit court stayed the proceedings until April 6, 2011 (the date the motion to disqualify was denied), the circuit court's analysis of the legal issue before it would not have changed. We conclude that the circuit court's failure to stay the proceedings until the motion to disqualify was resolved was harmless error.