Court Opinion

ID: 9794480
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 03:06:50.090045+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:16:42.459677
License: Public Domain

MOISE, Justice (dissenting). The majority opinion is to my mind a repetition of the type of error into which this court fell in Hayes v. Hagemeier, 75 N.M. 70, 400 P.2d 945, in which I felt called upon to dissent. As in that case, the majority here undertake to support the conclusion reached by avoiding the true issue presented by taking refuge behind a rule of procedure. I cannot agree to such a technical approach. .Not only was 'appellant right in its legal position but, as I see it, the 'rule denying review embraced by the majority is not correctly applied, ., ; In appellee’s third cause of action damages were sought for a claimed failure on the part of the City to provide an adequate outlet for sewage, thereby causing the backup and resulting damage to appellee. It was conceded that if these allegations were supported by substantial evidence presented at the trial, the City was responsible even though not otherwise proven negligent. At the trial plaintiffs dismissed their third cause of action, evidently conceding that they were not relying on any theory of an adequate outlet, or any right to recover, absent negligence of the City which proximately caused the damage. Nevertheless, instructions 17 and 18 were given to the jury whereby they were told that if the evidence satisfied them that the outlet for sewage was inadequate, the City was liable. The pleadings, after the third cause of action was dismissed, did not assert such a claim; there was no proof to support such a claim; yet, the majority “find no difficulty in disposing of this point.” I find it not only difficult, but impossible, to dispose of it as they have done. This court has consistently held that the injecting of a false issue in the instructions is prejudicial error and requires a reversal. See Pitner v. Loya, 67 N.M. 1, 350 P.2d 230, in which the situation is strikingly similar to that here present. After ruling that the statute dealing with crosswalks was not properly .in the case, the court “inadvertently” instructed on the’ law dealing with crosswalks) We held this to be reversible error. Here, after dismissing the third cause' of action; the court gave an instruction covering the cause of action previously dismissed. The rule in Pitner v. Loya, supra, is applicable. See also, Even v. Martinez, 75 N.M. 132, 401 P.2d 310, decided April 19, 1965 — just a few weeks ago — a case which we reversed for the identical reason. • . The majority also state that “the objection was not enough to alert the mind of the trial court to the specific vice now claimed in the instruction” and that a party “will not be permitted to change his theory of the case on appeal.” These statements, though legally correct, have no application here. In the first place, I give the trial judge credit for being more perceptive than do the majority. Rather, I attribute the error to inadvertence as was done" in Pitner v. Loya, supra. In the second place, the City’s objection to the instruction, as stated and quoted in the majority opinion, is the identical argument advanced here on appeal. The contention is that the third cause of action had been dismissed because there was no evidence supporting a theory of inadequate outlet resulting from design or construction; yet instruction 17 told the jury that if they believed plaintiff’s injury to have been from such cause, the defendant was negligent and liable. Not even under the strictest and most technical rule can it be concluded that’ defendant’s objection was not adequately stated or that" it has changed its theory. To assert otherwise merely results in avoiding consideration of the error so patently present. I am firmly convinced that the objection, as stated in the record, was clear, understandable and meritorious. The trial court erred in its ruling and in instructing as it did. The case should be reversed and remanded for a new trial, free from such error. I dissent from the contrary conclusion reached by the majority.