Court Opinion

ID: 9710921
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 04:20:43.117974+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:01.103799
License: Public Domain

Morse, J.,
dissenting. The trial court granted plaintiff’s motion for default because defendants repeatedly failed to comply with discovery orders and to provide a factual basis for their affirmative defenses. The majority reverses and remands for findings of fact. I do not believe findings are necessary because the facts are not in dispute. Therefore, I respectfully dissent, and would affirm the court’s order, finalizing a long-overdue judgment for plaintiff.
This lawsuit began in November of 1985. What started as a straight-forward collection of a promissory note has become mired in nearly 200 docket entries in a contest obviously spurred by dilatory tactics. Even defendants’ counsel candidly admitted at oral argument that the awaited responses to plaintiff’s discovery requests would not substantiate the defenses to plaintiff’s claim. Yet this Court now requires a remand so that the trial court can make findings to point out what is patently obvious, namely, that defendants have no defense.
To date, the record discloses no dispute of material fact, and those facts in the record mandate that plaintiff prevail as a matter of law. Nevertheless, the majority posits that some sanction short of default might be appropriate, such as striking the affirmative defenses. That, of course, would be tantamount to judgment for plaintiff because the affirmative defenses are all there is to defeat plaintiff’s recovery.
John v. Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, Inc. does not require findings of fact unless “the record does not reveal what factors guided the court’s discretion.” 136 Vt. 517, 519, 394 A.2d 1134, 1135 (1978). Here, the record revealed that the trial court entered default because defendants did not come forth with discovery responses and, without some disputed factual basis to go to trial, there was no reasonable alterative to entering a default or summary judgment order. John dealt with “bad faith or deliberate and willful disregard for the court’s orders” and the prejudice occasioned thereby. Id. Here, the record discloses no excuse for allowing more time to defendants to provide a basis for defending the lawsuit.*
*609In short, the only purpose served by today’s decision is to delay judgment and make the lower court perform the following ritual: (1) take the undisputed information from the record (which is in the majority’s opinion) and label it “findings of fact”; and (2) determine that the facts warrant a default, or skip the sanction of default and enter summary judgment in favor of plaintiff for the amount owed on the note. This ritual would apparently obviate the need “to speculate as to the basis upon which the trial court reached its decision.” Harman v. Rogers, 147 Vt. 11, 19, 510 A.2d 161, 166 (1986). I believe it would be more sensible to stop the charade now and affirm. Justice Dooley joins in this dissent.

 The unsworn answers to discovery from nine of the defendants revealed no factual basis for the affirmative defenses.