Opinion ID: 1939198
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: was the chancellor's refusal to reopen the case reversible error?

Text: The chancellor refused to reopen the case to hear testimony of three witnesses overlooked by Kelly's trial counsel but granted leave to take their depositions which are included in the record on appeal. It is well settled that a chancery court has the authority to reopen a case for additional proof. Hamilton v. McGill, 352 So.2d 825, 830 (Miss. 1977). In Griffith, Mississippi Chancery Practice, § 595, pp. 631-32 (2d Ed. 1950), cited in Hamilton, it is said: ... it has long been the settled rule in our courts of equity that where on a final hearing or even after submission it is clearly perceived that some material point is either left unproved or the explanation of it is insufficient the chancellor has the discretion in the interest of justice and merits to remand it to the docket for further proof. In Griffith, supra, § 632, p. 690, it is stated: It is the earnest desire of courts, and especially of courts of equity, to render decision only upon a full and fair exposition of all the pertinent material facts, and the court will always be interested in any presentation that discloses any material fact not theretofore brought into the case. Nevertheless the law requires diligence from suitors, and when a trial has been had the question is not always whether justice has been done but whether the party complaining could, by the exercise of proper diligence, have produced a different result. The right of a litigant to have a case reopened for additional testimony must necessarily be left largely to the sound judicial discretion of the chancellor. Euclid-Mississippi v. Western Casualty and Surety Company, 249 Miss. 779, 163 So.2d 904, 908 (1964). The chancellor's decision should reflect a proper balance between administering full justice in an individual case and maintaining a prompt, efficient and orderly administration of justice, free from inexcusable negligence by the parties. See Griffith, supra, § 632 at 691. In this case, appellants had over three years to complete the discovery and the trial lasted for five days during two court terms. Kelly called fifteen witnesses to substantiate his claim. His motion to reopen the case came three weeks after the court rendered a bench decree adverse to him but before entry of the final decree. The question is whether the chancellor abused his discretion in denying appellant's motion to reopen the case. When the litigation in a will contest is so protracted as in the case at bar, considerable deference should be given to a chancellor's exercise of discretion not to reopen the case. Having had three years of discovery and a five-day trial, it would appear that the equities favor enforcing a prompt, efficient and orderly administration of justice. Moreover, the testimony of the three witnesses that Mr. and Mrs. Windham expressed their desire to have Kelly inherit their estate conforms to testimony already offered by other witnesses for Kelly during the trial. A motion to reopen the case to receive newly discovered evidence may be denied when the new evidence is merely cumulative. Allman v. Gulf and S.I.R. Co., 149 Miss. 489, 506, 115 So. 594 (1928). We, therefore, conclude that the chancellor reasonably exercised his discretion in refusing to re-open the case to hear the witnesses' testimony because the lengthy discovery and trial period point in favor of a prompt, orderly, and efficient administration of justice. Moreover, we find that no reversible error resulted from excluding their testimony because it was cumulative.