Court Opinion

ID: 9856108
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 06:38:19.186778+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:26:02.955271
License: Public Domain

BROTHERTON, Justice,
dissenting:
The purpose of W.Va. Code § 3-5-7 [1985] was to require all candidates who elect to mail their certificates of candidacy for nomination to do so before midnight on the first Saturday of February. It is undisputed that Tracy Hylton complied with this directive. All the evidence shows that the letter was mailed at 10:30 Saturday morning. Unfortunately, through no fault of Hylton’s, the post office did not postmark the letter until the next day. The letter of the law required a postmark on the correct date.
The letter and spirit, therefore, conflicted in this case. In the past we have consistently applied the spirit of the law over the letter to do justice. See, e.g., State ex rel. Lawhead v. Kanawha County Court, 129 W.Va. 167, 172, 38 S.E.2d 897, 900 (1946). Being late has quite often been forgiven by this Court where strict compliance would create an injustice. See Tabler v. Weller, 176 W.Va. 267, 342 S.E.2d 234 (1986) (fiduciary accounting filed late); Graley v. Graley, 174 W.Va. 396, 327 S.E.2d 158 (1985) (failure to attend hearing); Bailey v. State Workers’ Comp. Comm., 170 W.Va. 771, 296 S.E.2d 901 (1982) (workers’ compensation claim filed late); Parsons v. Consolidated Gas Supply Corp., 163 W.Va. 464, 256 S.E.2d 758 (1979) (answer filed late); State ex rel. Bratcher v. Cooke, 155 W.Va. *575850, 188 S.E.2d 769 (1972) (late appeal); Chandos, Inc. v. Samson, 150 W.Va. 428, 146 S.E.2d 837 (1966) (failure to attend deposition); State ex rel. Smith v. Kelly, 149 W.Va. 381, 141 S.E.2d 142 (1965) (late publishing constitutional amendment); State ex rel. Chambers v. County Court of Logan, 145 W.Va. 581, 116 S.E.2d 125 (1960) (voter’s ballots delivered late). Unfortunately, the majority overlooked the fact that Hylton had done everything he could. Ignoring the concept of “substantial compliance” which we have applied so often in the past, the majority blindly followed the technical letter of the law and failed to uphold the spirit of the law, thereby allowing an injustice.
I,therefore, respectfully dissent.