Court Opinion

ID: 9791421
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 02:10:38.878472+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:36.184223
License: Public Domain

WADE, Justice
(dissenting).
I think it obviously an abuse of discretion for the trial court to refuse to set aside this default. The purpose of courts is to decide questions of law and facts on their merit after a fair and impartial trial, and promote justice under the law. Decisions on procedural defects should not be encouraged. Here the defendants were served with summons, they were not lawyers and obviously did not understand that the effect of their failure to answer the complaint would be to deprive them of an opportunity to present their side of the case to the court and have the issues litigated. As I understand the facts the trial court did set the judgment aside as against the wife and she will be allowed to have a hearing on the merits although the property in question is owned as joint tenants by the husband and wife. To me it seems that the court in making this kind of a decision went a long way to prevent a trial on the merits against a layman who obviously did not appreciate the effect of his failure to consult a lawyer and file an answer. For the same issues as to the wife’s interest must be tried, although the interests of the husband and wife are generally so closely connected that the failure to vacate the judgment as against the husband must seriously affect the interests of the wife in this property.