Opinion ID: 1181664
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Motion to dismiss appeal from judgment.

Text: This motion is based upon the proposition that the appeal was not taken within the period of six months provided by law. Judgment was entered in writing on June 23, 1950, following a jury verdict rendered June 22, 1950. The appeal was taken August 20, 1951. Appellant contends, however, that the time for perfecting her appeal has never yet started to run. In this respect she asserts that due to the manner in which the verdict was rendered and judgment entered thereon, there was in effect no judgment at all from which the time to appeal might start to run. Further, she asserts that since the judgment as entered in writing makes no provision for costs and the suit is equitable in character, the judgment is not final. She contends, in this respect, that she may consistently: (1) accept that the judgment sufficiently exists and is sufficiently final to support an appeal; and (2) contend simultaneously that it is not sufficiently existent nor final to start running the time for perfecting that appeal. In support of her position she cites Dillon v. Dillon, 67 Nev. 428, 220 P.2d 213. In that case neither the oral pronouncement of judgment nor the written judgment thereafter filed made any express provision for costs. This court there held that the suit, being for divorce, was equitable in character and that the judgment in order to be regarded as final should determine the costs under Magee v. Whitacre, 60 Nev. 202, 96 P.2d 201, 203, 106 P.2d 751 (appearing in 96 P.2d 201 under its original title of Magee v. Lothrop). Appellant appears to construe the holding in that case to be that time had therefore not started to run either from the oral pronouncement or from the written judgment. Such was not the holding. This court held only that the oral pronouncement was not final, pointing out that until the formal written judgment was filed, Discretion to award costs was still in the court. [67 Nev. 435, 220 P.2d 216.] Clearly the written judgment was regarded as final, the court stating: The statutory period of six months within which to appeal did not commence to run until    rendition of the formal judgment. In cases other than those where costs are allowed as a matter of course the statutory provision is that costs may be allowed or not. (Sec. 8927, N.C.L. 1929.) The formal written judgment, making no provision for costs, could only be interpreted as an exercise of judicial discretion not to allow costs to either party. Nothing, then, remained to be done. We must, then, regard appellant's contentions as to the existence and finality of the judgment as not available to her on this appeal. If a judgment is sufficiently existent and final to support an appeal it is sufficiently existent and final to start running the time for the taking of that appeal. The appeal, then, was not timely taken and the motion to dismiss must be granted.