Opinion ID: 1953390
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: kizzier realty's lien

Text: Mack Trucks next claims that there was no competent evidence establishing Kizzier Realty's lien. The promissory note and mortgage were received into evidence, and pursuant to Kizzier Realty's request, the district court took judicial notice of a previous case involving the same parties as are involved in the instant case. In that case, the county sought to foreclose on two tax sale certificates on the same real estate as is involved here. In the course thereof, Kizzier Realty claimed an interest by virtue of the same promissory note and upon which mortgage it now relies. The trial court in the previous case found that Kizzier Realty had a second priority lien in the total amount of $1,236,082.19. Although Mack Trucks states in its brief that it objected to the district court's taking judicial notice of the previous case, it does not argue that taking such notice was error, or at least it does not base this assignment of error on such a claim. Instead, Mack Trucks contends that [r]egardless of what was decided in [the previous case], it does not prove the existence sor amount of a current lien held by Kizzier Realty on the subject property. Brief for appellant at 19. But irrespective of either contention, it was not error for the district court to have taken judicial notice of the prior case. The applicable rule is that when cases are interwoven and interdependent, and the controversy involved has already been considered and determined by the court in former proceedings involving one of the parties now before it, the court has the right to examine its own records and take judicial notice of its own proceedings and judgment in the former action. Association of Commonwealth Claimants v. Moylan, 246 Neb. 88, 517 N.W.2d 94 (1994); Goeke v. National Farms, Inc., 245 Neb. 262, 512 N.W.2d 626 (1994); Gottsch v. Bank of Stapleton, 235 Neb. 816, 458 N.W.2d 443 (1990). Contrary to Mack Trucks' position, producing the promissory note and mortgage upon which the present claimed lien is based and having the district court take judicial notice of the fact that it has previously determined the existence of a lien based on those documents are perhaps the best, if not the only, ways to prove the existence of the lien. As for the amount thereof, Kizzier Realty introduced into evidence a document showing the principal amount of the note, the interest thereon, the credit received as payment from the previous case, and the total amount outstanding. As an action to detennine the priority of liens, this case is grounded in equity. Mackiewicz v. J.J. & Associates, 245 Neb. 568, 514 N.W.2d 613 (1994). In an appeal of an equity action, an appellate court tries factual questions de novo on the record and reaches a conclusion independent of the findings of the trial court; provided, however, that where credible evidence is in conflict on a material issue of fact, the appellate court considers and may give weight to the fact that the trial judge heard and observed the witnesses and accepted one version of the facts rather than another. Whitten v. Malcolm, 249 Neb. 48, 541 N.W.2d 45 (1995); Engelhaupt v. Village of Butte, 248 Neb. 827, 539 N.W.2d 430 (1995); Gas'N Shop v. City of Kearney, 248 Neb. 747, 539 N.W.2d 423 (1995). We, on our de novo review of the evidence relating to the issues presented by this assignment of error, independently conclude that Kizzier Realty proved the existence of a lien in its favor and the amount thereof as determined by the district court.