Opinion ID: 1791040
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: plaintiff's case against relatives.

Text: On January 14, 1974, the trial court dismissed relatives as party defendants in this action, based on appellant's failure to prove the allegations of her bill of complaint against them. The appeal was not filed on this judgment until March 26, 1975, over fourteen months after the judgment was rendered. The statute sets a limit of six months. Tit. 7, § 788, Code. This suit was filed prior to the effective date of ARCP. Most of the proceedings took place after that date. The parties appear to be in doubt as to whether the former rules or ARCP apply. It is not necessary to address that question. If ARCP applies, the judgment was not appealable. The decree of the court on January 14, 1974 did not follow the language of ARCP 54(b) and was not appealable. The appeal is due to be dismissed because it was not a final judgment. Cates v. Bush, 293 Ala. 535, 307 So.2d 6; Cherokee County Hospital Board v. Retail, W. & Dept. St. Union, 294 Ala. 151, 313 So.2d 514. If the former rules applied, it was undoubtedly a final judgment. An appeal could have been taken within six months, but it was not taken within that time and it is due to be dismissed. There can be no question but that the trial court's intention was to dismiss the case against the relatives. Apart from the question of dismissal, the trial court found that appellant failed to reasonably prove to the satisfaction of the Court the material allegations of her Bill as against the [relatives]   . The trial court, sitting without a jury, heard the oral testimony, and the usual presumption prevails that we will not disturb the decree or judgment on appeal unless plainly erroneous or manifestly unjust. Morris v. Morris, 290 Ala. 41, 273 So.2d 203; Morgan v. Larde, 282 Ala. 426, 212 So.2d 594. We cannot say that the judgment was either plainly wrong or unjust.