Court Opinion

ID: 9514923
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-06 22:52:31.005489+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:06:22.763948
License: Public Domain

AMUNDSON, Justice
(concurring in part and dissenting in part).
[¶ 33.] The circuit court originally granted BNRR’s motion to amend its complaint so it could potentially recover a refund for the first half of its 1994 taxes. The court then reversed field and denied BNRR’s motion to amend without explanation. The general rule is that a motion to amend is freely granted and a circuit court should do so unless it will somehow prejudice the adverse party. See SDCL 15 — 6— 15(a); Kjerstad v. Ravellette Publications, Inc., 517 N.W.2d 419, 423 (S.D.1994).
[¶ 34.] Without evidence of the trial court’s rationale for denying BNRR’s motion, however, this Court cannot conduct a meaningful appellate review. See e.g., Watson-Wojewski v. Wojewski, 2000 SD 132, 617 N.W.2d 666; Michlitsch v. Meyer, 1999 SD 69, 594 N.W.2d 731; In re W.Y.B., 515 N.W.2d 453 (S.D.1994). On this record, we cannot review whether Fall River would have been prejudiced if BNRR was allowed to amend its pleadings. Nor can we review whether the amended portion sought by BNRR is time-barred. Without any articulation from the trial court as to why it decided to deny BNRR’s motion to amend, we simply cannot do our job. As stated by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, “[w]e cannot meaningfully review the district court’s exercise of discretion, however, absent the benefit of a full statement of reasons explaining why the district court denied the motion.” Teamsters Nat. Freight Industry Neg. Comm. v. MME, Inc., 104 F.3d 364 (8thCir.l996) (unpublished opinion). Therefore, the matter should be remanded to allow BNRR to freely amend its complaint in accordance with the well-established precedent to allow same in this state.