Opinion ID: 1969450
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Civil Case

Text: After the criminal case was commenced, defendant moved in the family court to strike the abuse prevention action, asserting that the denial of fundamental constitutional rights to a hearing voided the final order. The motion was denied without hearing. On appeal, defendant argues that the motion was really one to reopen or set aside a judgment under V.R.C.P. 60(b), and the court should not have ruled on it without a hearing. Further, he argues that the motion should have been granted under the policy of liberally reopening default judgments. But see Donley v. Donley, ___ Vt. ___, ___, 686 A.2d 943, 945 (1996) (not permissible to use Rule 60(b) to remedy failure to appeal abuse-prevention order). Defendant's real point in these arguments is to have the order set aside so that it could not serve as a basis of the criminal conviction. As we have discussed above, however, defendant is not entitled to challenge the order by violating it. We have ruled that defendant had no valid jurisdictional defense that could be raised by collateral attack. Even if we were to rule that the abuse prevention action should have been stricken because of procedural errors in its formulation, or that the order should be reopened under Rule 60(b), this action would have no impact on defendant's criminal conviction. The family court order has long since expired of its own terms. A case becomes moot when the issues presented are no longer live and the parties lack a legally cognizable interest in the outcome. See Doria v. University of Vermont, 156 Vt. 114, 117, 589 A.2d 317, 319 (1991). Since the abuse prevention order being challenged is no longer in effect, and the relief requested would not help defendant in his challenge to his criminal conviction, we conclude that this controversy is moot. Affirmed.