Opinion ID: 880343
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Memorandum of Costs

Text: Did the District Court err in rejecting the American Cancer Society's memorandum of costs as not timely filed? The pertinent Montana statute provides that: The party in whose favor judgment is rendered and who claims his costs must deliver to the clerk and serve upon the adverse party, within 5 days after the verdict or notice of the decision of the court or referee or, if the entry of the judgment on the verdict or decision be stayed, then before such entry is made, a memorandum of the items of his costs.... Section 25-10-501, MCA (1987). The case law on the timing of memoranda of costs has been a slow and sometimes meandering evolution. In McDonnell v. Huffine, we held that the five-day statutory time period begins to run when the District Court signs and files its findings of fact and conclusions of law and not when the court orally announces its decision. Huffine (1912), 44 Mont. 411, 428, 120 P. 792, 797. In contrast, in Miles v. Miles we held that the notice under the statute indicated knowledge of the court's decision and that formal notification was not necessary. Miles (1926), 76 Mont. 375, 382-83, 247 P. 328, 331. In the present case, the respondent makes an alternative argument that the five days begins to run on the date of entry of judgment. This is not necessarily true. Whether the date of entry will be the trigger date depends on when the District Court's decision is final. In Ballenger v. Tillman, we upheld a memorandum of costs filed within five days after the District Court rendered its final decision. Ballenger (1958), 133 Mont. 369, 382, 324 P.2d 1045, 1052. We rejected the date of the court's findings of fact and conclusions of law as an appropriate trigger because the court allowed the parties to file exceptions to the findings and conclusions effectively staying the final decision. In Davis v. Trobough we interpreted Ballenger as holding that the date of entry of judgment was the appropriate trigger. Davis (1961), 139 Mont. 322, 326-27, 363 P.2d 727, 729-30. Two subsequent cases followed this decision in rejecting the date of the jury verdict. By relying on the date of entry of judgment, these courts postponed filing and serving the memorandum of costs until after the parties completed all post-trial motions. Poeppel v. Fisher (1977), 175 Mont. 136, 142, 572 P.2d 912, 915; Funk v. Robbin (1984), 212 Mont. 437, 448, 689 P.2d 1215, 1221. In State v. Helehan post-trial proceedings were not an issue and we returned to the plain language of the statute. Helehan (1980), 189 Mont. 339, 342-43, 615 P.2d 925, 927-28. The statute provides that the time period begins with the verdict or notice of the decision. We held that the date of the jury verdict triggered the time limitation. We also applied Rule 6 of the Montana Rules of Civil Procedure extending the deadline by correctly excluding intervening Saturdays and Sundays, but, because of the jury verdict, incorrectly allowing three additional days for mailing. Helehan, 189 Mont. at 343, 615 P.2d at 928. Mailing is not necessary in the case of a jury verdict, and the three-extra-days clause of Rule 6 does not apply. Like Helehan, our most recent decision on this issue followed the plain language of the statute in holding that the date of the jury's decision is the appropriate trigger. R.H. Grover, Inc. v. Flynn Ins. Co. (Mont. 1989), 777 P.2d 338, 344, 46 St.Rep. 1266, 1274. Rule 6, M.R.Civ.P., was not addressed in Grover; an extra three days for mailing and exclusion of weekends would not have affected the outcome of the decision. We also distinguished cases relying on the date of entry of judgment such as Poeppel and Funk, erroneously stating that they were bench trials. We reasoned that in a bench trial the District Court retains more latitude than juries as to when it will render its decision. Grover, 777 P.2d at 344, 46 St.Rep. at 1274. In the present case we agree with the respondent's argument that Rule 6, M.R.Civ.P. brings ACS's memorandum of costs within the five-day limitation. Because no jury was involved, the issue here is one of notice under the statute rather than one of verdict. The District Court mailed its memorandum decision to the parties on Monday, February 6, thereby beginning the five-day limitation. The day of notice is not counted, Rule 6(a), M.R.Civ.P.; section 1-1-306, MCA (1987), leaving Tuesday, February 7 as day one. Since the statutory period in question is less than eleven days, intermediate Saturdays and Sundays are excluded by Rule 6(a), M.R.Civ.P. Saturday, February 11, and Sunday, February 12, are eliminated. Monday, February 13, thereby becomes the fifth day. A party receiving notice by mail, as in this case, has an additional three days in which to act. Rule 6(e), M.R.Civ.P. The three additional days, and the limitation on ACS's memorandum of costs, ended on February 16. ACS filed its memorandum in the District Court on February 15 and served the appellant on February 16. We therefore hold that the respondent's memorandum of costs was timely filed and reverse the District Court's decision. Summary judgment for the respondent affirmed. Dismissal of respondent's memorandum of costs reversed. HARRISON, WEBER, McDONOUGH and GULBRANDSON, JJ., concur.