Opinion ID: 1403311
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: 1a Question: Did the trial court abuse its discretion in denying the motion to dismiss plaintiffs' amended complaint?

Text: No. (2) Under section 583, subdivision (a), of the Code of Civil Procedure, the trial court, in its discretion, may dismiss an action for want of prosecution if it is not brought to trial within two years after it was filed. The statute places no restrictions on the exercise of the trial court's discretion, and in particular there is no requirement that the motion to dismiss must be granted unless opposed by an adequate showing of diligence or excuse for delay. (Language to the contrary in Breckenridge v. Mason, 256 Cal. App.2d 121, 127 [4] [64 Cal. Rptr. 201]; Black Bros. Co. v. Superior Court, 265 Cal. App.2d 501, 507 [6b] [71 Cal. Rptr. 344]; City of Los Angeles v. Superior Court, 271 Cal. App.2d 292, 298 [76 Cal. Rptr. 256]; Market-Front Co. v. Superior Court, 271 Cal. App.2d 505, 506 [1a]-507 [1b] [76 Cal. Rptr. 526]; Paul W. Speer, Inc. v. Superior Court, 272 Cal. App.2d 32, 36, 37 [5] [77 Cal. Rptr. 152]; and Carnation Co. v. Superior Court, 1 Cal. App.3d 891, 895 [2] [82 Cal. Rptr. 98], is disapproved.) [2] (3) The exercise of the trial court's discretion will be disturbed only for clear abuse ( Weeks v. Roberts, 68 Cal.2d 802, 806 [69 Cal. Rptr. 305, 442 P.2d 361]); and if there is any basis upon which its action can be sustained, and it appears that no injustice will result therefrom, a refusal to dismiss should be upheld (cf. Bried v. Superior Court, 11 Cal.2d 351, 355 [79 P.2d 1091]). As stated by this court in Hayashi v. Lorenz, 42 Cal.2d 848, 851 [271 P.2d 18], The discretion is that of the trial court and it will be disturbed only in cases of manifest abuse. Furthermore, in Pacific Greyhound Lines v. Superior Court, 28 Cal.2d 61, 68 [8] [168 P.2d 665], this court said: As declared for this court by Mr. Justice Shenk in Charles L. Donohoe Co. v. Superior Court (1927) 202 Cal. 15, 18 ... `It is only when there is an entire absence of any showing constituting good cause presented in the Superior Court upon the hearing of the motion to dismiss that a writ of mandate to compel the dismissal of the action may properly issue.' (See also Paul W. Speer, Inc. v. Superior Court, supra, 272 Cal. App.2d 32, 36 [2, 3].) (4) In the present case, as will hereinafter appear, there was not an entire absence of any showing constituting good cause presented in [respondent court] upon the hearing of the motion to dismiss. Accordingly, the petition for writ of mandate should be denied. (1b) The affidavit filed by plaintiffs' attorney did not set forth any facts showing an excuse for the delay in bringing plaintiffs' action to trial; and the record in respondent court does not reflect what showing was made orally at the hearing on the motion to dismiss, the proceedings at the hearing not having been recorded. However, it is settled that: A judgment or order of the lower court is presumed correct. All intendments and presumptions are indulged to support it on matters as to which the record is silent, and error must be affirmatively shown. This is not only a general principle of appellate practice but an ingredient of the constitutional doctrine of reversible error. (3 Witkin, Cal.Procedure (1954) Appeal, § 79, pp. 2238-2239; Minardi v. Collopy, 49 Cal.2d 348, 353 [7] [316 P.2d 952]; Coleman v. Farwell, 206 Cal. 740, 742 [2] [276 P. 335].) Thus, it will be presumed that, as alleged in the declarations and points and authorities in opposition to defendant Denham's petition for writ of mandate, plaintiffs' present attorney informed the commissioner conducting the hearing that there had been the various changes in attorneys and in the law firm representing plaintiffs. In addition, it will be presumed that the commissioner took judicial notice under section 452, subdivision (g), of the Evidence Code [3] of such changes, particularly inasmuch as two of them resulted from the appointment of a member of the firm as commissioner or judge of the Los Angeles Municipal Court. As pointed out by Mr. Witkin in his work on Evidence, Sometimes `common knowledge' is merely that of the particular professional group which administers the judicial processes, i.e., the bench and bar. (Witkin, Cal. Evidence (2d ed. 1966) Judicial Notice, § 175, subd. (6), p. 162; cf. People v. Adamson, 34 Cal.2d 320, 333 [16] [210 P.2d 13]; Estate of Loud, 70 Cal. App.2d 399, 403 [161 P.2d 49].) Innumerable pleadings were filed by the parties to the action, as reflected by the voluminous court file. It has been held with respect to the five-year mandatory period that such fact, in itself, does not constitute sufficient excuse for the delay. ( Hayutin v. Rudnick, 158 Cal. App.2d 593, 595 [1] [322 P.2d 1023].) The present case, however, involves the two-year discretionary period, and the fact that innumerable pleadings were filed is a factor which, together with the frequent changes in plaintiffs' attorneys' law firm and the resultant pressure on the attorneys remaining in the office, may be considered in determining whether plaintiffs have shown that the delay was excusable. It will be observed that although plaintiffs' certificate of readiness was filed November 28, 1967, it was not until November 29, 1968, that respondent court assigned a pretrial hearing date. The pretrial hearing was set for February 13, 1969, at which time the case was set for trial April 21, 1969, well within the mandatory five-year period. [4] Defendant Denham suggests that because plaintiffs did not take any steps, after filing their certificate of readiness, to obtain an accelerated trial date, they have shown no excuse for the year's delay in obtaining a trial date. Respondent court, however, must be deemed to have knowledge of the condition of its own calendar. (Evid. Code, § 452; see Stuart v. Hollywood Turf Club, 146 Cal. App.2d 261, 263 [303 P.2d 897].) According to reports filed by respondent court with the Judicial Council, of which reports this court may take judicial notice (see Whittaker v. Superior Court, 68 Cal.2d 357, 362, fn. 4 [66 Cal. Rptr. 710, 438 P.2d 358]), in October 1967 there were pending in the central branch of respondent court over 7,500 civil cases which were at issue and in which certificates of readiness were filed. Of these, approximately 3,900 has been set for future contested trial. In December 1968, there were 17,296 civil cases which were at issue and in which certificates of readiness had been filed, and only 1,700 of them had been set for future contested trial. By November 1969, the backlog of civil cases awaiting trial setting had mounted to more than 18,000. Under the circumstances, it would have been useless for plaintiffs to attempt to obtain an accelerated trial date. (5) As indicated above, a reviewing court should not disturb the exercise of a trial court's discretion unless it appears that there has been a miscarriage of justice. Thus, in Loomis v. Loomis, 181 Cal. App.2d 345, 348-349 [4-6] [5 Cal. Rptr. 550], it was said: It is fairly deducible from the cases that one of the essential attributes of abuse of discretion is that it must clearly appear to effect injustice. [Citations.] Discretion is abused whenever, in its exercise, the court exceeds the bounds of reason, all of the circumstances before it being considered. The burden is on the party complaining to establish an abuse of discretion, and unless a clear case of abuse is shown and unless there has been a miscarriage of justice a reviewing court will not substitute its opinion and thereby divest the trial court of its discretionary power. (See also City of Los Angeles v. Superior Court, 271 Cal. App.2d 292, 294 [1] [76 Cal. Rptr. 256]; Ordway v. Arata, 150 Cal. App.2d 71, 78 [309 P.2d 919]; Estate of Hart, 119 Cal. App.2d 310, 318 [12] [259 P.2d 703].) (1c) In the present case, the result of respondent court's denying the motion to dismiss will be to have a trial on the merits of an action which both parties announced they were ready to try. (6) Although a defendant is entitled to the weight of the policy underlying the dismissal statute, which seeks to prevent unreasonable delays in litigation, the policy is less powerful than that which seeks to dispose of litigation on the merits rather than on procedural grounds. ( Daley v. County of Butte, 227 Cal. App.2d 380, 390 [7] [38 Cal. Rptr. 693].) The alternative writ of mandamus is discharged, and the petition for a peremptory writ is denied.