Court Opinion

ID: 9692430
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 15:53:55.367676+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:19:34.460062
License: Public Domain

V. J. Brennan, P. J.
(dissenting). The facts in this matter are as follows: Plaintiffs sought appeal from an order of Wayne County Judge Harry Dingeman, Jr., dated March 19, 1976, denying the reinstatement of their cause of action, which had been dismissed for lack of progress on October 15, 1974. The case arose originally from an action for negligence concerning an auto accident and was commenced on behalf of plaintiffs by the law firm *566of Ripple and Chambers on November 2, 1971. Defendant answered November 19, 1971. Attorney Joseph Mancini was substituted as counsel for plaintiffs on January 17, 1972. On October 10, 1972, the cause was dismissed for lack of progress, though the record shows an at issue praecipe filed on October 5, 1972. Nonetheless, the cause was reinstated September 21, 1973. Shortly thereafter, on October 10, 1973, attorney Edward A. Alice filed an appearance as attorney for plaintiffs. This appearance was followed on November 8, 1973, by a notice of substitution of present counsel, Paul A. Longton, for attorney Alice.
Pursuant to Wayne County Circuit Court Rule 17, the Wayne County court placed this cause on the no progress calendar for October, 1974, which was published in the Detroit Legal News on September 30, 1974. The published notice listed plaintiffs’ counsel as Joseph Maneine (sic). Subsequently, on October 15, 1974, Judge Dingeman ordered the cause dismissed for lack of progress.
Counsel for plaintiffs filed a motion to reinstate the cause March 1, 1976, alleging that although notice of its placement on the no progress docket was published in the Detroit Legal News, the wrong name was published as plaintiffs’ attorney. Defendant filed an objection to the motion for reinstatement, answering that Longton’s name was not published as plaintiffs’ attorney because of his failure to notify the assignment clerk of his substitution as required by Wayne County Circuit Court Rule 9.10.
Judge Dingeman denied the motion for reinstatement by order dated March 19, 1976. Plaintiffs thereupon attempted to file a claim of appeal in this Court, which was rejected by the clerk’s office on the ground that the motion to reinstate *567had not been filed within 20 days of the order dismissing for lack of progress as required by GCR 1963, 803.1. We granted plaintiffs’ motion for delayed appeal.
Plaintiffs contend that the trial court, in presently denying reinstatement, erred because the case had been dismissed erroneously in October, 1972 and because the no progress notice published on September 30, 1974 had not correctly listed the name of plaintiffs’ attorney. Defendant contends the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in refusing to grant reinstatement, where the request was made almost 18 months after the order of dismissal.
I might note at the outset that some confusion exists in the record regarding the actual date of filing the at issue praecipe of October, 1972. However, I find the case was subsequently reinstated on September 25, 1973, thereby minimizing any prejudice as to the present appeal. Further, though plaintiffs’ point seems arguable concerning the misnaming of their attorney in the September 30, 1974, publication notice, I cannot characterize the court’s decision as an abuse of discretion.
Our scope of review on appeal is limited in such cases to a simple determination of whether any justification for the lower court’s decision existed. Heaney v Verson Allsteel Press Co, Inc, 64 Mich App 597, 598-599; 236 NW2d 155 (1975). I am convinced there was justification for the trial court’s ruling to deny reinstatement.
I would contend that the length of time between the dismissal of October 15, 1974, and the motion to reinstate on March 1, 1976, is sufficient justification alone for the trial court’s denial of reinstatement, even recognizing that GCR 1963, 528 does not place a time limitation on when a judge may *568order reinstatement of a cause dismissed for lack of progress. I feel such motions should be timely brought, and I cannot fault the trial judge for believing this motion untimely made. Lud v Sammons, 391 Mich 416, 417-418; 216 NW2d 778 (1974). Furthermore, I would argue that some justification existed for finding prejudice to defendant’s case in this matter. Defendant noted in his objection to plaintiff’s motion for reinstatement:
"Witnesses will have died or moved, medical records will have been destroyed or lost, memories will have become distant and in general the defendant has been put at a definite disadvantage by this incredible delay all accomplished due to the plaintiif [s’] misfeasance.” See Lud v Sammons, supra at 417-418.
Consequently, while some of the factors mentioned in Heaney fall on plaintiff's’ side of this case, I also find evidence distinguishing this case from Heaney. Certainly, enough ascertainable facts exist that plaintiffs’ delay was without justification to sustain the trial court’s decision to deny reinstatement.
I would affirm.