Court Opinion

ID: 9571006
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 20:28:23.827668+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:26:06.277826
License: Public Domain

Justice Compton,
dissenting.
The procedural posture of this appeal is most unusual. Ely violated rule 5:11(b) and failed properly to make the trial transcript a part of the record on appeal. Consequently, the Court sustained the Whitlocks’ motion to dismiss all assignments of error relating to the evidentiary hearing and the final judgment.
Under these circumstances, the final judgment must be deemed to be free of error. In other words, the judgment is presumed valid for all purposes as being based on legally sufficient causes of action supported fully by proof of facts sustaining the claims and warranting the relief afforded the plaintiffs.
The majority, however, goes behind the valid judgment to reach errors allegedly committed at an earlier stage of the trial proceedings. In my opinion, this cannot properly be accomplished.
The result I advocate can be supported by at least three principles: harmless error (argued by the plaintiffs), mootness, and waiver. Any mistake of the trial court in overruling the demurrers has been rendered not only harmless but moot by the errorless trial and subsequent unchallenged judgment. In failing to preserve error to the final judgment, Ely has waived any right to rely on error at the pleading stage of the case.
Accordingly, I would dismiss this appeal as improvidently awarded.