Court Opinion

ID: 9845824
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 03:28:59.561242+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:16:22.969267
License: Public Domain

CARMODY, Chief Justice (dissenting). My disagreement with the majority is not as to the final result reached, but relates to the construction given to § 21-9-1, N.M.S.A.1953. The pertinent part of the above section reads as follows: “ * * * Final judgments and decrees, entered by district courts in all cases tried pursuant to the provisions of this section shall remain under the control of such courts for a period of thirty [30] days after the entry thereof, and for such further time as may be necessary to enable the court to pass upon and dispose of any motion which may have been filed within such period, directed against', such judgment; Provided, that if the court shall fail to rule upon such motion within thirty [30] days after the filing thereof, such failure to rule shall be deemed a denial thereof; and, Provided further, that the provisions of this section shall not be construed to amend, change, alter or repeal, the provisions of sections 4227 or 4230, Code 1915.” (Emphasis added.) The majority states that even though the motion in this case was filed within thirty days, “it stands to reason that the thirty-day limitation for the court to rule has no application.” How it can be said that “it stands to reason” is completely beyond my comprehension. The statute is plain that if any motion directed against the judgment is filed within the thirty-day period, it shall be deemed denied if the court fails to rule within thirty days after the filing of the motion. The final proviso of this section admittedly now applies to Rules 60(b) and 55 (c) ; but requiring a ruling of the court within thirty days after the-filing of the motion, if the motion is filed within thirty days of the judgment, does not operate to amend, change, alter or repeal anything said in either of the above rules. If the construction placed by the majority upon the section quoted is to stand, we will have a hiatus in procedures after judgment, because some motions must be ruled upon within thirty days after filing and in others there will be no limitation of time as to a ruling. This is the result of the majority’s construction, which, to me, is not actually a construction, hut a'misconstruction and reading into the section something that is not there. By so doing, the court is today ignoring the implication and plain reasoning of the court in King v. McElroy, 1933, 37 N.M. 238, 21 P.2d 80; Garcia v. Anderson, 1937, 41 N.M. 517, 71 P.2d 686; Fairchild v. United Service Corporation, 1948, 52 N.M. 289, 197 P.2d 875; and National American Life Insurance Co. v. Baxter, 1963, 73 N.M. 94, 385 P.2d 956. I would point out that the result which I would reach in this case is ultimately the same as that reached by the majority, because the motion having been filed on February 20, 1963, would be deemed denied thirty days thereafter, and defendant’s appeal not having been timely taken under Supreme Court Rule 5, this court would have no jurisdiction to consider the same. It would follow that I would dismiss the appeal for lack of jurisdiction, rather than affirming the judgment as has been done by the majority. I dissent.