Crooks v. Pay Less Drug Stores Northwest, Inc.

592 P.2d 196, 285 Or. 481, 1979 Ore. LEXIS 945
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 20, 1979
Docket76-6677, SC 25457
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 592 P.2d 196 (Crooks v. Pay Less Drug Stores Northwest, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Crooks v. Pay Less Drug Stores Northwest, Inc., 592 P.2d 196, 285 Or. 481, 1979 Ore. LEXIS 945 (Or. 1979).

Opinions

[483]*483DENECKE, C. J.

The defendant appeals from a judgment entered on a verdict against it in a damage action.

The plaintiff contends the appeal should be dismissed because the defendant failed to timely file its notice of appeal. The notice was not filed within 30 days after the entry of the judgment appealed from, but it was filed within 30 days from the date of the order denying a motion by defendant captioned, "Motion for Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict.” ORS 19.026(2) provides:

"Where any party has served and filed a motion for a new trial or a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, the notice of appeal of any party shall be served and filed within 30 days from the earlier of the following dates:
"(a) The date of entry of the order disposing of the motion.
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The plaintiff contends that the motion filed by defendant was not a motion for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict (nov) because it was not and could not be granted upon any of the grounds provided in ORS 18.140(1). ORS 18.140(1) provides:

"When it appears from the pleadings that the court has no jurisdiction of the subject of the action or the person of the defendant, or that the facts stated in the pleadings of the plaintiff or defendant, as the case may be, do not constitute a cause of action or defense thereto, or when a motion for a directed verdict which should have been granted has been refused and a verdict is rendered against the applicant, the court may, on motion, render a judgment notwithstanding the verdict, or set aside any judgment which may have been entered and render another judgment, as the case may require.”

The motion filed by defendant states the ground: "The trial court erred in denying defendant’s Motion to Strike punitive damages allegations from plaintiff’s Complaint and in instructing the jury on punitive [484]*484damages.” Defendant made the motion at the end of the evidence. The plaintiff contends that it is not "a motion for a directed verdict” as that phrase is used in ORS 18.140(1). We will assume without deciding that in order for the filing of a motion for a judgment nov to extend the time for filing the notice of appeal, the motion must be upon a ground specified in ORS 18.140(1).

A motion for a directed verdict is not defined by statute. This court has not defined a motion for directed verdict as that phrase is used in ORS 18.140. Our decisions hold that a motion is one for a directed verdict although the motion does not request the trial court to instruct the jury that it must find on all issues either for or against a party; that is, our decisions recognize that a motion for a directed verdict can encompass a directed verdict on some but not all of the issues.

"When a cause is finally submitted, if it appears from the evidence received that one of the parties is entitled, as a matter of law, to a particular finding of fact, it is incumbent upon the court when so requested to direct a verdict to that effect: * * Treadgold v. Willard, 81 Or 658, 669, 160 P 803 (1916).

Sleep v. Morrill, 199 Or 128, 260 P2d 487 (1953), was an action for trespass. Plaintiff moved for a directed verdict on liability, leaving the issue of damages to the jury. Quoting Treadgold, as above quoted, the court stated:

"Under defendant’s own admissions and the undisputed evidence in the case, plaintiff was entitled to a verdict in her favor. The only question in dispute was the amount of the damage. The motion made by the plaintiff upon completion of the testimony was a clear request to the court for a peremptory instruction to that effect. Such an instruction should have been given.” 199 Or at 131.

We have approved the use of a motion for a directed verdict when the motion was directed to a counter[485]*485claim, leaving the issues framed by the complaint and answer to the jury. McCargar v. Wiley, 112 Or 215, 222, 229 P 665 (1924); Western Feed Co. v. Heidloff, 230 Or 324, 331, 370 P2d 612 (1962).

We also have approved the use of a motion for a directed verdict when the moving party moved against only one of several causes of action. Becker v. Pearson, 241 Or 215, 222, 405 P2d 534 (1965).

We have also held that a "requested instruction which directs the jury to return a certain verdict is tantamount to a motion for a directed verdict and an assignment of the trial court’s refusal to give such a requested instruction as error is proper. Eitel v. Times, Inc., 221 Or 585, 588, 352 P2d 485 (I960).” Becker v. Pearson, supra (241 Or at 222). Remington v. Landolt, 273 Or 297, 301, 541 P2d 472 (1975), cites cases limiting the quoted statement. Hall v. Work, 223 Or 347, 354 P2d 837, 366 P2d 533 (1960), involved trial procedures almost identical to those in the present case. It was an action for conversion in which plaintiff sought punitive damages.

"* * * After both parties had rested the defendant moved the court to withdraw from the jury the issue of punitive damages. The court was of the opinion that the motion should be allowed but at the request of the plaintiff, pursuant to ORS 18.140 (2),1 submitted the issue to the jury. * * * ” 223 Or at 349.

The footnote states:

"In any case where, in the opinion of the court, a motion for a directed verdict ought to be granted, it may nevertheless, at the request of the adverse party, submit the case to the jury with leave to the moving party to move for judgment in his favor if the verdict is otherwise than as would have been directed.” 223 Or at 349.

The jury returned a verdict for general and punitive damages. "Thereafter the court, on motion of the defendant, entered a judgment notwithstanding the verdict which set aside the judgment for punitive damages and entered judgment for plaintiff for the [486]*486general damages only.” 223 Or at 349. We held that the trial court did not err in setting aside the judgment for punitive damages. We did not discuss whether the defendant’s motions amounted to a motion for directed verdict and for judgment nov but treated them as such.

Stark v. Henneman, 250 Or 34, 440 P2d 364 (1968), was another conversion case in which plaintiff sought punitive damages. At the close of plaintiff’s case, defendant moved the court to take the issue of punitive damages from the case. This was denied.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
592 P.2d 196, 285 Or. 481, 1979 Ore. LEXIS 945, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/crooks-v-pay-less-drug-stores-northwest-inc-or-1979.