Alabama State Tenure Commission v. Singleton

475 So. 2d 186, 1985 Ala. LEXIS 4025
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedAugust 2, 1985
Docket84-437
StatusPublished

This text of 475 So. 2d 186 (Alabama State Tenure Commission v. Singleton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alabama State Tenure Commission v. Singleton, 475 So. 2d 186, 1985 Ala. LEXIS 4025 (Ala. 1985).

Opinion

BEATTY, Justice.

Petitioner Inez Singleton seeks a writ of mandamus to the Court of Civil Appeals, directing it to dismiss the appeal in the case Alabama State Tenure Commission v. Singleton, 475 So.2d 185 (Ala.Civ.App.1984), because that court lacked jurisdiction. The writ is denied.

The following facts led to the filing of this petition:

Singleton was employed by the Greene County Board of Education (Board) as an assistant superintendent and as Federal Programs Coordinator. In May 1983, the Board abolished these two positions and transferred her to another position. After a Board hearing affirming the transfer, Singleton appealed to the Alabama State Tenure Commission (Commission), which upheld the Board’s decision. Next, Singleton petitioned the Greene County Circuit Court for a writ of mandamus directing the Commission to vacate its decision. The circuit court granted the writ on June 5, 1984.

Forty-one days after the entry of judgment by the circuit court, a notice of appeal was filed in the Court of Civil Appeals. This notice, filed on July 16,1984, designated the Board as the appealing party. On August 21, 1984, Singleton filed a motion to strike the notice of appeal or to dismiss the appeal on the ground that the Board was not a party to the judgment of the circuit court and thus could not take an appeal therefrom. In response to Singleton’s motion, the Commission filed a motion to correct the notice of appeal, claiming that the designation of the Board as the party appealing resulted from a clerical error.

Singleton filed a reply to the Commission’s motion in which she claimed that the notice “clearly and unequivocally” shows that it was the Board, and not the Commission, that intended to appeal. She points to the fact that the chairman of the Board, Carol Zippert, signed the notice, which is part of the security for costs, as the “appellant-principal,” whereas the Commission is [188]*188not required, as a matter of law, to post bond or otherwise give security for costs for an appeal taken by it. Following Singleton’s reply to its motion, the Commission filed another motion requesting a suspension of the rules so as to allow a substitution of parties on the notice of appeal.

The Court of Civil Appeals granted the Commission’s motion to substitute named appellants and denied Singleton’s motion to dismiss the appeal. It was not until after both parties had submitted briefs on the merits and the Court of Civil Appeals had issued an opinion reversing the circuit court’s judgment that Singleton filed this petition for a writ of mandamus to the Court of Civil Appeals. By an order issued February 21, 1985, this Court instructed “[t]hat the respondents, Hon. L. Charles Wright, Hon. Robert P. Bradley, Hon. Richard L. Holmes and the Alabama State Tenure Commission, file with the Clerk of this Court their answers to the said petition on the question of whether or not the Court of Civil Appeals obtained jurisdiction to make a substitution of the parties after 42 days from the entry of judgment, with briefs in support of said answers, within fourteen (14) days from the date of this order.” These answers, as well as petitioner’s reply thereto, were duly filed.

The first issue presented by this petition is whether this Court should grant Singleton’s motion to compel discovery of facts which are set out. in her brief to this Court in support of her petition but which were not before the Court of Civil Appeals. It is well settled in Alabama that:

“[Tjhis court is bound by the record and cannot consider a statement or evidence in brief that was not before the [court below]. Wilson v. Crosby Lumber Co., 386 So.2d 1173 (Ala.Civ.App.1980); King v. Smith, 288 Ala. 215, 259 So.2d 244 (1972). On review by mandamus, we must look at only those facts before the [court below]. See Ex parte Harrington Mfg. Co., 414 So.2d 74 (Ala.1982).” Ex parte Baker, 459 So.2d 873 (Ala.1984).

Accordingly, an order at this level compelling discovery of facts not presented below would be improper.

The primary issue on this appeal is whether or not the Court of Civil Appeals obtained jurisdiction, allowing that court to permit a substitution of the named appellant more than 42 days from the entry of judgment. Singleton contends that the court never obtained jurisdiction of the appeal because the appealing party, the Board, was not a party to the judgment. She cites Evers v. Link Enterprises, Inc., 386 So.2d 1177, 1180 (Ala.Civ.App.1980), where that court held that “[o]nly parties to a judgment may appeal from it.” Singleton further contends that because the Commission did not act to correct the notice of appeal within the prescribed period for filing, proper notice under Rule 3(c), A.R.A.P., was not filed. Rule 3(c) provides:

“The notice of appeal shall specify the party or parties taking the appeal; shall designate the judgment, order or part thereof appealed from; and shall name the court to which the appeal is taken. Such designation of judgment or order shall not, however, limit the scope of appellate review.”

Rule 3 further provides:

“If the notice of appeal names the wrong appellate court to which the appeal is taken, such designation shall be treated as a clerical mistake and corrected accordingly. The necessary clerical steps shall be taken to docket the appeal and to file the record and briefs in the appropriate appellate court.”

The Commission concedes that the Board was not the proper party to appeal, but contends, as it did before the Court of Civil Appeals, that the designation of the Board resulted from clerical error. In support of this contention, counsel for the Commission points out that, prior to being appointed to represent the Commission in the circuit court, he had also represented the Board against the petitioner in her appeal to the Commission. He further claims that he instructed a secretary to complete the paperwork necessary to appeal the writ [189]*189of mandamus issued to the Commission by the circuit court and that the secretary mistakenly appealed in the name of the Board. The Commission argues that despite this clerical error the timely filing of the notice of appeal was sufficient to invoke the jurisdiction of the Court of Civil Appeals. We agree.

Pursuant to the order of this Court, the Court of Civil Appeals filed the following answer to this petition for writ of mandamus, which this Court agrees with and adopts:

“It is our position that the filing of the Notice of Appeal within forty-two days, as provided by Rule 4, A.R.A.P., established the jurisdiction of this court. It is further our position that having jurisdiction, and being informed by motion that there had been, through clerical error in the office of counsel, a mistake in the designation of the appealing party, it was within the power of the court to permit correction nunc pro tunc by substitution of the real party appealing. It was the judgment of the court that our action was within the parameters of Rule 2(b), A.R.A.P., and certainly within the stated intent of Rule 1.
“It was clear to the court that the only party to the action below against whom judgment was entered and which had a right of appeal was the Alabama Tenure Commission. That body was the only party in interest. There was no way the interest of the opposing party could be adversely affected by permitting the correction of the record as to the real party appealing.

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Related

King v. Smith
259 So. 2d 244 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1972)
Wilson v. Crosby Lumber Co.
386 So. 2d 1173 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1980)
Evers v. Link Enterprises, Inc.
386 So. 2d 1177 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1980)
Ex Parte Baker
459 So. 2d 873 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1984)
Ex Parte Jim Skinner Ford, Inc.
435 So. 2d 1235 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1983)
ALA. STATE TENURE COM'N v. Singleton
475 So. 2d 185 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1984)
Tuscaloosa City Bd. of Educ. v. Roberts
440 So. 2d 1058 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1983)
Board of Water and Sewer Commissioners of City of Mobile v. McDonald
322 So. 2d 722 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1975)
BOARD OF WATER AND SEWER COM'RS OF CITY OF MOBILE v. McDonald
322 So. 2d 717 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1975)
Manning v. Zapata
350 So. 2d 1045 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1977)

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Bluebook (online)
475 So. 2d 186, 1985 Ala. LEXIS 4025, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alabama-state-tenure-commission-v-singleton-ala-1985.