Opinion ID: 1960158
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Appellants Have Admitted the Essential Facts Relative to the Allegations in the City's Complaint, and the Evidence Is Sufficient to Support the Trial Court's Decision Declaring the City's Entitlement to the Rights-of-Way and Enjoining Appellants Relative Thereto.

Text: As noted above, during the discovery phase of these proceedings, the city served certain requests for admissions upon appellants that appellants failed to answer. The requests pertained to the boundaries of the disputed property, and the requests were admitted into evidence at trial. On appeal, appellants challenge the sufficiency of the evidence. In its brief in response, the city argues that appellants' failure to answer the requests for admissions resulted in admitted facts that along with other evidence, are sufficient to support the district court's decision in this case. We agree with the city. [9] We have held that a party's failure to make a timely and appropriate response to a request for admission constitutes an admission of the subject matter of the request, which matter is conclusively established unless, on motion, the court permits withdrawal of the admission. Schwarz v. Platte Valley Exterminating, 258 Neb. 841, 606 N.W.2d 85 (2000); Wibbels v. Unick, 229 Neb. 184, 426 N.W.2d 244 (1988). We have recognized that rule 36 is self-enforcing, without the necessity of judicial action to effect an admission which results from a party's failure to answer or object to a request for admission. Id. ; Mason State Bank v. Sekutera, 236 Neb. 361, 461 N.W.2d 517 (1990). We have noted, however, that rule 36 is not self-executing. Thus, a party that seeks to claim another party's admission, as a result of that party's failure to respond properly to a request for admission, must prove service of the request for admission and the served party's failure to answer or object to the request and must also offer the request for admission as evidence. Schwarz v. Platte Valley Exterminating, supra ; Wibbels v. Unick, supra . If the necessary foundational requirements are met and no motion is sustained to withdraw an admission, a trial court is obligated to give effect to the provisions of rule 36. Schwarz v. Platte Valley Exterminating, supra . The city followed the indicated procedures in this case. The record reflects that the city's First Set of Requests for Admissions to appellants was served on April 12, 2004, and that appellants failed to respond within the time period specified in rule 36. Appellants' failure to make a timely and appropriate response to the requests for admissions constituted an admission of the subject matter of the requests. See Schwarz v. Platte Valley Exterminating, supra . Appellants sought leave to withdraw their admissions or file responses; but the district court denied their motion, and appellants make no assignment of error relative to this ruling. The record reflects that at trial, the city offered into evidence a copy of the requests for admissions and also offered evidence of service of the requests upon appellants and appellants' failure to respond. This evidence was received. Accordingly, the city is entitled to claim appellants' admission of the requests included within the First Set of Requests for Admissions as a result of appellants' failure to respond to those requests. See id. Given the content of the requests for admissions, appellants admitted, inter alia, that Exhibit 14 accurately describes the boundary lines for appellants' property and accurately describes the boundary lines for Fir Street and Dennis Dean Road. Other evidence in the record showed that the rights-of-way claimed by the city had been acquired by the city in 1871. This evidence and the admissions resolved the facts in controversy in the city's declaratory judgment case. Relying in part upon Exhibit 14, the accuracy of which was admitted by appellants, the district court declared the existence of the Fir Street and Dennis Dean Road rights-of-way as they abutted the southeast corner of appellants' property, declared the boundaries of appellants' property and those of the city's rights-of-way, and enjoined appellants from any inappropriate use of the rights-of-way. We have reviewed the record de novo, see Gast v. Peters, 267 Neb. 18, 671 N.W.2d 758 (2003), and we determine the district court did not err in entering judgment in favor of the city on the evidence before it. The district court's decision is affirmed.