Court Opinion

ID: 9825640
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-01 13:50:26.090572+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:19:03.038180
License: Public Domain

ON REHEARING McIIaney, J. It is earnestly insisted on rehearing that since the record discloses the motion for a new trial was not filed within three days after the verdict or decision was rendered, the court should have stricken same on the motion of appellee, which would prevent a consideration of the bill of exceptions on appeal, and necessarily result in’an affirmance of the judgment. Section 1539, Pope’s Digest, provides that the application for a new trial must be made at the same term and within three days after the verdict, “unless unavoidably prevented.” The motion for a new trial was filed on the fifth day after the ve’rdict was rendered, and the court found, after a hearing on the reason for the delay in filing the motion, “that due to the conditions above set forth and set out and contained in the second so called motion for a new trial were, in fact, true and correct, and that the delay referred to, in truth and in fact, was on account of said unavoidable conditions.” We think it unnecessary to detail the unavoidable conditions that necessarily delayed the filing of the motion, further than to say that counsel for appellant entered upon the trial of another case for appellant immediately following this; that the court stenographer was so engaged to the extent that it was a physical impossibility for him to give to counsel for appellant the exceptions on which he relied sooner than he did; and that the court noted on the judges ’ docket the filing of an oral motion for a new trial on the third day, which was to be reduced to writing and contain the assignments of error noted during the progress of the trial. We think the trial court was not only justified in holding that counsel for appellant was “unavoidably prevented” from filing the motion within three days, but that a contrary holding would have been arbitrary and an abuse of discretion. The petition for a rehearing will be denied.