Opinion ID: 1166970
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: New Trial on the Basis of Newly Discovered Evidence of Fraud

Text: Six months after final judgment was entered, the state filed a motion for relief from judgment and for a new trial on the grounds of newly discovered evidence, pursuant to Civil Rule 60(b). [21] This motion was denied. The newly discovered evidence concerned Richard Follett, one of the landowners' appraisers whose testimony the trial court had in part relied upon in its judgment. The evidence consisted of Follett's testimony in a subsequent case, approximately one month after the final judgment in this case, in which Follett admitted to selecting comparable sales in the high end of the market spectrum in arriving at a value for just compensation in his condemnation appraisals, because the landowner was not a willing seller in such a transaction. Such an approach to condemnation appraisals is contrary to the law in Alaska that fair market value, or the price a willing buyer would pay a willing seller for property, is the appropriate measure of just compensation. State v. 7.026 Acres, 466 P.2d 364, 365 (Alaska 1970). The state argues that this evidence shows that Follett committed fraud on the court under Civil Rule 60(b) because he must also have ignored lower-priced comparable sales in his appraisals for this case, yet certified in his appraisals that they represented market value and reflected no personal bias. We disagree. The alleged fraud by Follett cannot be characterized as fraud upon the court. Even if Follett's conduct falls within the guidelines of statutory perjury as the state contends, where perjury by a witness is unassisted by the party in interest or by counsel, the general rule is that the misconduct does not amount to fraud upon the court. [22] While perjury by a witness is always a cause for concern, we do not believe, even if we were to accept the state's argument that Follett committed perjury, that in this case it would rise to the level of the most egregious conduct involving a corruption of the judicial process itself, that we have required for a finding of fraud upon the court in past cases. Allen v. Bussell, 558 P.2d 496, 500 (Alaska 1976). [23] We question whether the state's motion, as a motion based on Civil Rule 60(b)(2) or 60(b)(3), was timely. Civil Rule 60(b) requires that motions for relief from judgment based on newly discovered evidence or the fraud of an adverse party be made within a reasonable time, and not more than one year after judgment. Whether the state's five month delay in making it motion, after discovering the evidence, was within a reasonable time is questionable, since the state has offered no reason for the delay. [24] Concerning motions for a new trial based on newly discovered evidence, the evidence must be such as would probably change the result of the trial. National Bank of Alaska v. McHugh, 416 P.2d 239, 244 (Alaska 1966). Evidence which merely impeaches a witness's testimony is not usually sufficient to warrant the grant of a new trial. Id. at 244-45. This court will not reverse the trial court's denial of a Civil Rule 60(b) motion unless the denial is shown to be an abuse of discretion. Nordin Construction Co. v. City of Nome, 489 P.2d 455, 472 (Alaska 1971). In our opinion, the newly discovered evidence offered by the state in this case has no value beyond impeachment of Follett's testimony. Evidence that Follett relied only upon high comparable sales in his appraisals in another condemnation case does not prove that he slanted his appraisals in the case at bar. No evidence was developed in this case, by cross-examination or otherwise, that Follett selected and relied on certain comparisons to the exclusion of others in his appraisals. Follett's appraisals, like the other appraisals submitted by the landowner, incorporate comparable sales which are of higher value than several of those used by the state's appraisers, but this case is characterized by a lack of closely comparable sales to the subject property because of the uncertain market at the time of the taking. Moreover, counsel could have cross-examined Follett pertaining to comparable sales. Follett could have been questioned as to whether he considered certain sales of a lower value. If he indicated that he had not considered those sales, inquiry could well have led to discovery of Follett's alleged theory of considering only higher appraisals. Thus, the matter that is now presented as grounds for a new trial could very likely have been discovered by effective cross-examination. Accordingly, it appears that the requirement of Alaska Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b)(2), that the newly discovered evidence could not have been discovered by due diligence in time to move for a new trial under Rule 59(b), has not been met. The additional evidence was unlikely to change the result in this trial, even though it might have discredited Follett's testimony. The per acre figure for parcel four which the court adopted from Follett's appraisal in its opinion was a little over half what was paid for the properties listed as comparable sales in that appraisal, and also less than the other appraisals submitted by the landowners. For parcel seven, the court adopted a per acre figure from another appraisal submitted by the landowner, $5,000 per acre lower than that of Follett's appraisal. The court accepted Follett's total figure of $30,000 for damages to the remainder of parcel seven, which was higher than other appraisals of that damage by several thousand dollars. As the landowners point out, however, the court's award covered damage both from loss of access and loss of river frontage, while Follett's appraisal figure only accounted for the loss of access. For parcel one, the court stated it relied on all the testimony presented, and awarded an amount less than two-thirds of that estimated as just compensation by Follett. We therefore hold that the superior court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion for new trial.