Court Opinion

ID: 9866336
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-26 04:08:06.391416+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:20:35.390976
License: Public Domain

ON MOTION FOR REHEARING.
NIXON, P. J.
At the oral argument of this cause on the merits, respondent’s attorney made the oral contention before taking up his argument of the *212merits that appellant’s brief was not drawn in compliance with onr Enle No. 18. [156 Mo. App. 16, 122 S. W. 7.] The two paragraphs of that rule which are material in this connection are as follows:
“All briefs shall be printed in not less than ten point (long primer) type, and shall contain separate and apart .from the argument or discussion of authorities, a statement, in numerical order, of the points relied on, together with a citation of authorities appropriate under each point. Any brief failing to comply with this rule may be disregarded by the court.”
“The brief filed by appellant shall distinctly and separately allege the errors committed by the trial court, and no reference will be permitted at the argument to the errors not thus specified, unless for good cause shown this court shall otherwise direct.”
It will be noticed that each of these paragraphs carries a penalty. There are two other paragraphs in the same rule, neither of which carry a penalty.
Rule 21 (156 Mo. App. 16, 122 S. W. 7), is as follows: “Penalty for failure to comply with rules 12, 14, 15, 16 and 18. — If any appellant in any civil cause shall fail to comply with the provisions of Rules 12, 14, 15, 16 or 18, the court, when the cause is called for hearing, will dismiss the appeal, or writ of error, or, at the option of the respondent, continue the cause at the cost of the party in default. No oral argument will be heard from any counsel failing to comply with the provisions of Eule 18', unless said counsel is prevented from doing so by failure of opposing counsel.”
The oral arguments. were heard it appearing to the court upon a hurried examination of appellant’s brief that it was in substantial compliance with the rule, but as we remember, it was understood that we would consider the matter later as to whether the appellant’s brief should receive consideration. After the oral argument, respondent’s attorney filed “written objections to appellant’s brief,” reciting that such *213objections had been orally made and that the respondent’s attorney had obtained leave of the court at said time to put his objections in writing and file the same with the clerk, and asking, for the reason specified, that the judgment he affirmed. The written objections filed by respondent’s attorney do not ask the court to disregard the appellant’s brief, as contemplated by the first of the two paragraphs quoted from Rule 18, and do not ask for a dismissal of the appeal, as contemplated by Rule 21. In that paper the respondent’s attorney merely “objects to this court considering any of the alleged errors of the trial court for the reason that appellant’s statement, brief and argument contains no assignment of errors, as required by Rule 18, ’ ’ stating that appellant had shown no cause whatever for the omission. He evidently had the second of the two paragraphs (quoted above) in mind. That paragraph provides that “no reference will be permitted at the argument of errors not thus specified.” Respondent’s attorney did not ask to have the appeal dismissed as contemplated by Rule 21, but asked the court in his written objections to affirm the judgment. Neither Rule 18 nor Rule 21 permits such a course. If respondent’s attorney desired to file a motion to affirm the judgment, he should, have given the adverse party five days’ notice in writing of his intention to file such motion and accompanied the notice with a copy of said motion. [Rule 25, 156 Mo. App. 17, 122 S. W. 8.]
' The appellant’s attorney was permitted to argue this case because it appeared, prima facie, that his brief was very carefully drawn and the arrangement and discussion so planned as to cause the respondent’s attorney and the court the least possible trouble in turning to any given phase of the case. This court has established for itself the practice of hearing the arguments on motions to dismiss and motions to affirm along with the arguments on the merits, where *214briefs on the merits have been filed, and taking the whole matter under advisement at the same time. So, in this case, it not appearing that appellant had been guilty of a palpable violation of Rule 18, the court permitted the learned attorney for the appellant to make his argument, and took the question of the defectiveness of the brief under advisement along with the merits, with the idea if respondent’s attorney were right in his contention and we should so find upon a more- careful examination of the brief, the appeal would be dismissed as contemplated by Rule 21. We did examine the appellant’s brief with that end in view and found that the brief was prepared in substantial compliance with our rules. We found in appellant’s brief first a very complete statement of the substance of the pleadings, the issues finally evolved, the provisions of the indemnity policy, the evidence material for our consideration,- and the history of the litigation, — each step preceded by a topical heading for the convenience of the respondent and the court. On page 36 we find the following statement: “Appellant urges as grounds for reversal, and presents to this court, the following: Points and Authorities.” Under this is, “I. The Constitutional Question.” Then, in black-face type, appear in numerical order the points relied on for reversal under that general heading, with authorities beneath. And so of the other points relied on for reversal. We have no rule which requires an “assignment of errors” in the sense used in appellant’s objections. Rule 18 simply requires that briefs, contain separate and apart from the argument and discussion of authorities, a statement, in numerical order, of the points relied on, together with a citation of authorities under each point. In appellant’s brief, the argument and discussion of authorities begins on page 55 under the heading in large type: “Appellant’s Argument.” The conclusion of the brief is as follows: “We respectfully con*215tend that, because of the errors pointed out above, the judgment in plaintiff’s favor should be reversed.”
The primary object of the rule requiring appellant’s attorney to present order and not chaos in his brief is to assist the respondent in making an intelligent reply and to assist the court in ferreting out the questions to be decided. It is intended more as a protection to the court than to the respondent’s attorney because he is presumed to be well acquainted with the various phases of the case, while the court knows absolutely nothing about it on first presentation and must find out everything about it in order to intelligently pass upon the errors complained of. If the appellant’s attorney was permitted in his brief to commingle points relied on for reversal, and statement of facts, and argument, and citation and discussion of authorities, at will, the appellate court in making its way through the tangled mass would be put to no end of trouble. No such condition exists in this case. The brief is skilfully prepared and carefully arranged with the obvious end in view of assisting the court in its investigation of the merits of the appeal.
As stated in the opinion, heretofore filed in this case, this appeal was originally take to the Supreme Court on the theory that constitutional questions were involved. The printed abstract and the briefs of both parties are entitled, “In the Supreme Court of Missouri,” and bear the file mark of the clerk of the Supreme Court. Later, the Supreme Court certified the case to this court. These facts appearing, it may well be said that the attitude of the Supreme Court on such a question as we now have under consideration should have some weight in determining the sufficiency of the briefs. [Supreme Court Rule 15 (228 Mo. 3, 73 S. W. 6), contains the same provisions that we have quoted from our Rule 18. In the late case of Wallace v. Libby, 231 Mo. 341, 132 S. W. 665, respondent in a motion to dismiss the appeal or affirm the judgment *216set out as a fourth ground, the following: “Because appellant’s brief herein is not printed separate and apart from the argument or discussion of the authorities, and does not contain a statement, in numerical order, of the points relied on, together with a citation of authorities under each point, as required by Rule 15. Further, because appellant’s brief does not distinctly and separately allege the errors committed by the trial court as required by Rule 15.” In passing on this ground, the Supreme Court said: “The fourth ground of the motion is not well taken. Much latitude must, in the very nature of things, be permitted under Rule 15 of this court. Each brief and argument must depend largely upon the individuality of the person who prepared or makes them, and no fixed standard can be erected by which each and all briefs and arguments are to be measured or tested. Just so there is a substantial compliance with Rule 15, no objection can successfully be made to the form of the brief or the order of the argument.” This is the enlightened policy of the courts today. While the rules of appellate courts which are designed to establish uniformity to a reasonable extent and to carry out that end should be faithfully observed, the refinement contended for by appellant’s counsel is ultra technical. It is protection, not oppression, that appellate courts seek to attain by salutary rules of practice. From what has been said, the reason we did not advert to this matter in the opinion heretofore filed is apparent, and we do so now only because of the insistency of appellant’s counsel. The motion for rehearing is denied.
Cox, J., concurs. Gray, J., not sitting.