Court Opinion

ID: 9665865
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 00:58:30.750283+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:15:19.611318
License: Public Domain

*201Carlson,D.J.,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent.
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-1335 (Reissue 1985) presents the trial court with three options: (1) “refuse the application for judgment”; (2) “order a continuance to permit affidavits to be obtained or depositions to be taken or discovery to be had”; or (3) “make such other order as is just.” None of these options were exercised by the court, and the motion for summary judgment was summarily sustained.
Although discretionary, I do not believe the decision by the trial court or the majority is in the “spirit of liberality” prescribed in Wachtel v. Beer, 229 Neb. 392, 427 N.W.2d 56 (1988). Except as a last resort, lawsuits should not be decided by the defendant’s self-serving affidavit. The trial court’s failure to first utilize one of the statutory options was an abuse of discretion.
I am mindful that Wachtel requires the party opposing the summary judgment to provide an affidavit containing “a reasonable excuse or good cause.” See Wachtel v. Beer, supra at 402, 427 N.W.2d at 63.1 find that plaintiff’s initial affidavit did just that, and it was unreasonable and unjust to precipitously terminate this case. In regard to plaintiff’s submitted affidavit, the trial court reluctantly received same into evidence by stating that “I’m not going to give any weight to it.”
There must be an end to litigation, but even an arguably dilatory party should have one chance to correct the error of his ways. This is especially true when the statutes grant this chance.
Sustaining the motion for summary judgment was improper, and I would reverse and remand for further proceedings.