Opinion ID: 2635336
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Motion to dismiss Oklahoma defendants' amended petition in error regarding sanctions

Text: ¶ 54 After judgment was entered on December 17, 2004, the plaintiff filed its omnibus application for attorney fees on January 11, 2005, asking that he be awarded attorney fees as a sanction. The application for sanctions was based on defendants' discovery abuses and on their assertion of frivolous defenses in bad faith. The plaintiff did not attach any documentation of costs or attorney fees to his application. Instead, he asked that the court make a ruling on his entitlement to sanctions and that the parties be ordered to mediation or that a special master be appointed to hear unresolved issues. ¶ 55 Then on January 12, 2005, the plaintiff filed a separate application for $40,437.69 in costs under title 12, sections 928 and 942. On February 15, 2005, the trial court heard arguments on the plaintiff's application for attorney fees as sanctions and continued the issue of taxable costs. On April 7, 2005, and without any supporting documentation as to amounts, the trial court ordered the four Spartanburg defendants to pay $10,000.00 each in sanctions under title 23, section 103. The Spartanburg defendants timely filed an amended petition in error in the present appeal attacking the trial court's April 7, 2005 order. ¶ 56 On June 3, 2005, the plaintiff filed a supplement to its omnibus application addressing issues relating to the Oklahoma defendants. On July 29, 2005, the trial court again heard arguments on plaintiff's pretrial motion for relief, on plaintiff's omnibus application for attorney fees, and on plaintiff's application to tax costs. On September 27, 2005, the trial court entered an order against the Oklahoma defendants for sanctions in the form of attorney fees in the sum of $40,000.00 jointly and severally. The trial court awarded post-judgment interest from the date of the order. The trial court refused to award any additional monetary sanction against the Spartanburg defendants. ¶ 57 On October 6, 2005, the Oklahoma defendants filed an unopposed motion to amend their petition in error to include the September 27, 2005 order. On October 18, 2005, this Court granted the motion and ordered the amended completion of record to be filed by November 17, 2005. ¶ 58 The Oklahoma defendants filed the amended petition in error on November 7, 2005, more than thirty days after the order from which they were appealing was filed. The plaintiff filed a motion to dismiss the amended petition in error as untimely under title 12, section 990A(A), [100] as well as under other rules. The Oklahoma defendants then filed a motion asking this Court to either accept the untimely filing of the amended petition in error or grant leave to withdraw the amended petition in error as prematurely filed to be re-filed on entry of a final order. ¶ 59 Plaintiff's omnibus application was an application for sanctions: it was not seeking reimbursement of attorney fees and costs as prevailing party. The September 27, 2005 order determined all the issues raised by plaintiff's omnibus applicationthe imposition of sanctions and the amount. There were no remaining issues raised by the omnibus application to be determined. Although the taxable costs had yet to be determined, those were raised in a separate application, are statutory, and are unrelated to the application for sanctions or the award imposing sanctions in the form of attorney fees. Therefore, the September 27, 2005 order was a final order. [101] ¶ 60 Title 12, section 990A(A) requires that an appeal from a final order must be commenced within thirty days after it is filed. The appeal of the September 27, 2005 order was commenced more than thirty days after the final order was filed. Timely filing of the petition in error commencing the appeal is jurisdictional, and [f]ailure to file an appeal within the statutory time is fatal. [102] This Court is without jurisdiction to address the issues raised in the Oklahoma defendants amended petition in error, regarding sanctions, and it is dismissed.