Court Opinion

ID: 9652632
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 17:29:06.504791+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:12:53.143641
License: Public Domain

On Petition for Rehearing.
HEALY, Circuit Judge.
Appellant has petitioned for rehearing. The chief proposition urged in support of the petition is that the court lacked power to treat the complaint as amended to conform to the proof. Petitioner says that the governing rule is contained in § 3456, Compiled Laws of Alaska, 1933,1 and that this statute requires that the amendment be made before submission of the case.
Rule 15(b) of the Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A. following section 723c, provides in part: “When issues not raised by the pleadings are tried by express or implied consent of the parties, they shall be *600treated in all respects as if they had been raised in the pleadings. Such amendment of the pleadings as may be necessary to cause them to conform to the evidence -and to raise these issues may be made upon motion of any party at any'time, even after judgment; but failure so to amend does not affect the result of the trial of these issues.”
Whether the federal rules are applicable to trials in Alaska we need not inquire. This particular rule is merely an application of the principle prevailing generally in the states and territories having systems of code pleading. The Alaska statutes, as found in chapter 78, sections 3451 et seq. of the 1933 Code, are in the main identical with those of the code states. Section 3451 provides: “No variance between the allegation in a pleading and the proof shall be deemed- material, unless it shall have actually misled the adverse party to his prejudice in maintaining his action or defense upon the merits * * * Section 3452 states “When the variance is not material, as provided in the last section, the court may direct the fact to be found according to the evidence, or may order an immediate amendment, without costs.” And § 3461 provides that “The court shall, in every stage of an action, disregard any error or defect in the pleadings or proceedings which shall not affect the substantial rights of the adverse party.”
The view here expressed is fully supported by Black v. Teeter, 1 Alaska 561, at pages 564, 565.
Rehearing denied.
MATHEWS, Circuit Judge, dissents.

 “The Court may, at any time before trial, in furtherance of justice, and upon such terms as may be proper, allow any pleading or proceeding to be amended by adding the name of a party, or other allegation material to the cause, and in like manner and for like reason it may, at any time before the cause is submitted, allow such pleading or proceeding to be amended by striking out the name of any party, or by correcting a mistake in any other respect, or when the amendment does not substantially change the cause of action or defense, by conforming the pleading or proceeding to the facts proved.”