Opinion ID: 867406
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Re-opening the Judgment

Text: ¶ 15 Jones also argues that the trial court erred in granting Moreno's motion to re-open the judgment under Rule 60(c)(3). This rule allows a trial judge to re-open a judgment due to fraud ..., misrepresentation or other misconduct of an adverse party if the motion is made within a reasonable time and no more than six months from entry of the order or judgment. We review a trial judge's decision to grant a Rule 60(c) motion for an abuse of discretion. City of Phoenix v. Geyler, 144 Ariz. 323, 328, 697 P.2d 1073, 1078 (1985). ¶ 16 Although A.R.S. § 16-351(A) provides short time limits for challenges to nomination petitions, the statute does not categorically preclude the filing of a Rule 60(c) motion. Moreno filed his motion on July 7, just two days after the trial judge entered his initial order denying relief and well within Moreno's five-day deadline under A.R.S. § 16-351(A) to appeal the decision. The trial court's prompt disposition of the motion did not impede this court in deciding the related appeals in advance of the deadlines for preparing the ballot. Even within the constrained time limits of A.R.S. § 16-351(A), we find that Moreno filed his motion within a reasonable time. Ariz. R. Civ. P. 60(c). ¶ 17 Jones also argues that the trial court erred in granting Moreno's Rule 60(c) motion because Jones did not substantially impair or interfere with Moreno's ability to present his case. Instead, Jones argues, Moreno simply failed to timely discover evidence that was available before trial. We reject this argument. Although evidence regarding Jones' legislative attendance on May 1 and May 2 was available before the July 3 trial, Moreno did not make his Rule 60(c) motion simply to introduce evidence he had failed to uncover earlier. Moreno instead sought to prove that Jones had made misrepresentations to the court in his July 3 testimony. The false testimony that Jones had personally obtained all the signatures he verified other than those dated April 17 clearly influenced the trial court's initial ruling. In these circumstances, the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in re-opening the judgment pursuant to Rule 60(c) or, having done so, in granting a new trial pursuant to Rule 59(b).