Dupont v. Southern Pacific Co.

231 F. Supp. 601, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6645
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Louisiana
DecidedJune 12, 1964
DocketCiv. A. Nos. 8896, 9113, 9114, 9124
StatusPublished

This text of 231 F. Supp. 601 (Dupont v. Southern Pacific Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dupont v. Southern Pacific Co., 231 F. Supp. 601, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6645 (W.D. La. 1964).

Opinion

PUTNAM, District Judge.

Plaintiffs, having lost these suits by verdicts returned by a jury in favor of defendants, have now made application-to the Court for permission to proseeutetheir appeals in forma pauperis, pursuant to Rule 75 (m), F.R.Civ.P., 28 U.S.C.A., and Title 28 U.S.C.A. § 1915 and' § 753.

Under § 1915 the Court is required to make a determination that the appeals are taken in good faith, and under § 753-before payment for the stenographic transcript can be made the Court must, certify that the appeals are not frivolous but present substantial questions for determination.

The affidavits on file with the motion seem to establish the qualifications of movants as paupers with the possible exception of Lucy Dupont Alleman, but they are deficient under the terms, of § 1915(a) in that they do not state the “nature of the * * * appeal and affiant’s belief that he is entitled to redress.”

In other words, a person desiring to appeal in forma pauperis must state in his affidavit the grounds relied upon-for his appeal in order that the district, court may make the necessary determina[603]*603tions and execute the required certificate. 28 U.S.C.A. § 1915(a), (b); Moore’s Federal Practice, Vol. 6, p. 1332, §§ 54, 74; Vol. 35B C.J.S. Federal Civil Procedure § 1281, p. 729 et seq.; Kinney v. Plymouth Rock Squab Co., 236 U.S. 43, 35 S.Ct. 236, 59 L.Ed. 457 (1915); Gilbert v. United States, 278 F.2d 61 (9 Cir. 1960); Yager v. Raisor, 221 F.Supp. 551 (S.D.Ind.1962). Moreover, Rule 75 (m), 28 U.S.C.A., F.R.Civ.P. provides that the Court may specify some different and more economical manner by which the record on appeal may be prepared and settled. See Sejeck v. Singer Mfg. Co., 113 F.Supp. 281 (D.C.N.J.1953) ; Moore’s Federal Practice, Vol. 7, p. 3677, § 75.21(3).

This Court, in a memorandum opinion 'handed down in September, 1963, Martin v. Gulf States Utilities Company, .221 F.Supp. 757, went into considerable ■ detail as to the requirements of these provisions of the statutes and the policy ■of the Court in such cases. Leading ■counsel for the plaintiffs in suits No. :3896, 9113, and 9114 in the present instance was counsel for the plaintiff therein, and should be fully aware of these ■prerequisites.

In the motions for new trial filed in these cases counsel advanced three grounds for the relief sought. As stated ■at the time these motions were denied, the grounds advanced in the first two paragraphs were devoid of merit. In the ■other grounds advanced, there was no specific error of law called to the Court's attention on any matter of evidence, nor was any specific error in the instructions given to the jury mentioned. No briefs were filed with these motions as required by Rule 4 of this court from which the ■Court could ascertain any specific grounds of error, which may be relied •upon on appeal.

Under these circumstances, the applications now before us cannot be sustained. To so rule, however, would have the •effect of preventing plaintiffs from properly presenting their application by reason of lack of diligence or inexperience •of their attorneys.

Counsel can, by reference to their notes and memory, specify the issues to be raised on appeal with sufficient detail to enable us to consider the merits thereof. Reference can be had to the court reporter’s sound recordings of the testimony and rulings of the Court, by appointment with her and the Deputy Clerk of Court if necessary, and the errors claimed listed.

The Court is informed by the Court Reporter that cost of transcribing the evidence alone will approximate $700.00. Cost of printing and other work involved in preparing the record for appeal will require a total outlay of funds by the government of from $1500.00 to $2000.-00. In order to intelligently discharge its duties, the Court must be fully informed of what the plaintiffs’ claims are.

We therefore order that the affidavits of movants and appellants be supplemented as required by law and the specific grounds or issues to be raised on appeal set forth with particularity, with reference to each error claimed in the Court’s rulings on the evidence or instructions to the jury at the trial, or such other errors as may be relied upon in rulings on motions prior to the trial.

The matter will be held open until Friday, June 26, 1964, at twelve o’clock noon to permit compliance. The Court reserves the right to specify the manner in which the record may be made up pursuant to Rule 75 (m), F.R.C.P., 28 U.S.C.A. after compliance if plaintiffs elect to supplement the affidavits as ordered above.

SUPPLEMENTAL OPINION

Following the memorandum opinion rendered on the original application to appeal in forma pauperis, plaintiffs in these consolidated cases have furnished additional affidavits stating the “nature of the * * * appeal” as required by 28 U.S.C.A. § 1915. Seven grounds of error are advanced. Those listed under “Error Two”, “Error Three”, and “Error Seven” are not sufficiently specific to permit the Court to form an intelligent opinion as to whether or not they are [604]*604frivolous,1 which we must do to issue the certificate required by 28 U.S.C.A. § 753, before payment of the cost of transcribing the testimony will be made by the government. Alleged “Errors Two” and “Seven” present nothing whatsoever for us to consider, while alleged “Error Three” leaves the Court at a loss to know what testimony and what rulings were objected to during the trial and could possibly form a basis therefor.

We dismiss the application on these three alleged grounds as being insufficient under § 1915, referred to above. Kinney v. Plymouth Rock Squab Co., 236 U.S. 43, 35 S.Ct. 236, 59 L.Ed. 457 (1915); Gilbert v. United States, 278 F.2d 61 (9 Cir. 1960); Bartlett v. Duty, 271 F.2d 264 (6 Cir. 1959); Yager v. Raisor, 211 F.Supp. 551 (S.D.Ind. 1962); Moore’s Federal Practice, Vol. 6, p. 1332, §§ 54, 74; 35B C.J.S. Federal Civil Procedure § 1287, p. 749 et seq.

The grounds alleged in “Error One ”, “Error Four”, “Error Five”, and “Error Six”, however, are sufficient to meet the requirements of the statute. We do not feel that they are so lacking in substance as to require the Court to conclude that they are not made in “good faith”, or that they are frivolous. The test is not whether we consider the applicants to have shown that the appeal has merit, but merely whether or not we can fairly conclude that they might make a rational argument on the law or facts when the matter is presented on appeal. Ellis v. United States, 356 U.S. 674, 78 S.Ct. 974, 2 L.Ed.2d 1060 (1958) ; Coppedge v. United States, 369 U.S. 438, 82 S.Ct. 917, 8 L.Ed.2d 21 (1962); John v. Gibson, 270 F.2d 36 (9 Cir. 1959); Ragan v. Cox, 305 F.2d 58 (10 Cir.

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Related

Kinney v. Plymouth Rock Squab Co.
236 U.S. 43 (Supreme Court, 1915)
Ellis v. United States
356 U.S. 674 (Supreme Court, 1958)
Coppedge v. United States
369 U.S. 438 (Supreme Court, 1962)
Walker v. Loop Fish & Oyster Co.
211 F.2d 777 (Fifth Circuit, 1954)
Kelsey D. Bartlett v. Dr. Joseph Duty
271 F.2d 264 (Sixth Circuit, 1959)
Weitort v. AH Bull & Company
192 F. Supp. 165 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1961)
Glisson v. Missouri Pacific Railroad Company
158 So. 2d 875 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1964)
Hymel v. Texas & New Orleans Railroad Company
145 So. 2d 138 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1962)
Smith v. New Orleans & Northeastern Railroad Co.
153 So. 2d 533 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1963)
Bertrand v. Missouri Pacific Railroad Company
160 So. 2d 19 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1964)
Sejeck v. Singer Mfg. Co.
113 F. Supp. 281 (D. New Jersey, 1953)
Poulson v. Louisiana, Arkansas & Texas Transp. Co.
7 F.R.D. 484 (W.D. Louisiana, 1947)
Miller v. Sammarco
9 F.R.D. 215 (N.D. Ohio, 1949)
John v. Gibson
270 F.2d 36 (Ninth Circuit, 1959)
Yager v. Raisor
211 F. Supp. 551 (S.D. Indiana, 1962)
Martin v. Gulf States Utilities Co.
221 F. Supp. 757 (W.D. Louisiana, 1963)
Gaines v. Racenet
11 F.R.D. 109 (S.D. New York, 1950)

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Bluebook (online)
231 F. Supp. 601, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6645, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dupont-v-southern-pacific-co-lawd-1964.