Davis v. Wadsworth Construction Co.

27 F.R.D. 1, 4 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1017, 1961 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5226
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedFebruary 24, 1961
DocketCiv. A. No. 14761
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 27 F.R.D. 1 (Davis v. Wadsworth Construction Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. Wadsworth Construction Co., 27 F.R.D. 1, 4 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1017, 1961 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5226 (E.D. Pa. 1961).

Opinion

LORD, District Judge.

This Motion is the aftermath of an action for personal injuries tried on the merits before a jury in this Court on March 21, 1956, which resulted in a directed verdict for the defendant, Wads-worth Construction Company, upon which judgment was entered.

Plaintiff contends that in the jury trial he was represented by unqualified counsel. Speaking through present counsel, plaintiff now says that the foregoing asserted circumstance requires that the judgment heretofore entered should be set aside, submitting that

“* * * justice requires that plaintiff be given an opportunity to properly present his case on the [2]*2merits and that the judgment now in effect be set aside under Rule 60(b) (6).”

Defendant argues that Rule 60(b) (6), Fed.R.Civ.P. 28 U.S.C. which merely requires that the motion shall be made within a reasonable time, is inapplicable. Only in cases not provided for by those stated in the preceding parts of Rule 60(b) may it be invoked. The pertinent parts of the rule are:

“Rule 60. Relief from Judgment or Order
*****
“(b) Mistakes; Inadvertence; Excusable Neglect; Newly Discovered Evidence; Fraud, etc. On motion and upon such terms as are just, the court may relieve a party or his legal representative from a final judgment, order, or proceeding for the following reasons: (1) mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect; (2) newly discovered evidence which by due diligence could not have been discovered in time to move for a new trial under Rule 59(b); (3) fraud (whether heretofore denominated intrinsic or extrinsic), misrepresentation, or other misconduct of an adverse party; (4) the judgment is void; (5) the judgment has been satisfied, released, or discharged, or a prior judgment upon which it is based has been reversed or otherwise vacated, or it is no longer equitable that the judgment should have prospective application; or (6) any other reason justifying relief from the operation of the judgment. The motion shall be made within a reasonable time, and for reasons (1), (2), and (3) not more than one year after the judgment, order, or proceeding was entered or taken. * * * ”

(Emphasis supplied.)

The following comment appears in 7 Moore’s Federal Practice 295:

“It is important to note, however, that clause (6) contains two very important internal qualifications to its application: first, the motion must be based upon some reason other than those stated in clauses (l)-(5); and second, the other reason urged for relief must be such as to justify relief.
“ * * * the maximum time limitation of one year that applies to clauses (1), (2) and (3) would be meaningless, if after the year period had run the movant could be granted relief under clause (6) for reasons covered by clauses (1), (2) and (3).”

Indeed, there seems, under the cases, no room for argument on the proposition as quoted from Moore. Clause 6 cannot be invoked where the reasons for the motion are covered in clauses (1), (2) and (3). Klapprott v. United States, 1949, 335 U.S. 601, 614, 69 S.Ct. 384, 93 L.Ed. 266; United States v. Karahalias, 2 Cir., 1953, 205 F.2d 331, 335; Federal Deposit Ins. Corp., to Use of Secretary of Banking v. Alker, 3 Cir., 1956, 234 F.2d 113, 116.

It is clear that if the allegations of plaintiff’s motion spell out mistake, inadvertence and neglect, the very grounds of Rule 60(b) (1), this Court is without power to set aside its 1956 judgment under the present motion which was filed November 11, 1960. The time limitations for motions under 60(b), designed to foster finality of judgments, cannot be avoided if — regardless of terminology and choice of appellation — the circumstance from which a party seeks relief comes under the heading of the grounds listed in parts (1) to (3). The force of this rule is recognized when one notes that, after one year, there may be no relief even in cases of fraud or misrepresentation.

Stephen J. Kovrak appeared as counsel for the plaintiff at the trial in 1956. His name then appeared on the roster of attorneys entitled to practice before this Court, having been enrolled October 15, 1943. Prior to the date last mentioned, he had been admitted to the Bar of the [3]*3District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia.

In Ginsburg v. Kovrak, 1957, 11 Pa. Dist. & Co.R.2d 615 he was enjoined from practicing law in Philadelphia County, affirmed per curiam in Ginsburg v. Kovrak, 392 Pa. 143, 139 A.2d 889, March 24,1958 (two justices dissenting), certiorari denied 1958, 358 U.S. 52, 79 S.Ct. 95, 3 L.Ed.2d 46.

The ground of the Pennsylvania Court’s injunction was that his license to practice before the federal court did not justify his Philadelphia county activities, despite defendant’s insistence that he confined himself to federal practice.

Meanwhile, as the dissenting opinion in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court pointed out, on December 6,1943, Kovrak was admitted to the Bar of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and — on March 17, 1947— to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States.

On October 23, 1959, it was ordered that the name of Stephen J. Kovrak be stricken from the roll of attorneys of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Kovrak v. Ginsburg, D.C.E.D.Pa.1959, 177 F.Supp. 614; 179 F.Supp. 156, affirmed 3 Cir., 1960, 280 F.2d 209, 211.

The opinion last cited set forth that at the time of Kovrak’s 1943 admission there was in force the rule of this Court that:

“No person shall be admitted to practice as counsel or attorney of this court, unless he shall have previously been admitted in the Supreme Court of a State, or the Supreme Court of the United States * * *»

Since Kovrak was not admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States until 1947, it was an undisputed fact that he was not qualified for admission before this Court in 1943.

In Kovrak v. Ginsburg, D.C., 177 F.Supp. 614, 616, we found that:

“ * * * Petitioner’s admission to practice, his taking of the oath and signing the roll of attorneys in this Court, was based upon an improper certification of his sponsor as to his eligibility, was invalid and of no effect. The Court, therefore, will direct that the name of Stephen J. Kovrak be stricken from the Roll of Attorneys of this Court and will enter an order dismissing the petition for a declaratory judgment.”

In the opinion on appeal, this statement is to be found. Kovrak v. Ginsburg, 3 Cir., 1960, 280 F.2d 209, 210:

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27 F.R.D. 1, 4 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1017, 1961 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5226, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-wadsworth-construction-co-paed-1961.