Ferguson-Steere Motor Co. v. State Corp. Commission

292 P.2d 333, 60 N.M. 464
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 11, 1956
DocketNo. 6003
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 292 P.2d 333 (Ferguson-Steere Motor Co. v. State Corp. Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ferguson-Steere Motor Co. v. State Corp. Commission, 292 P.2d 333, 60 N.M. 464 (N.M. 1956).

Opinion

SADLER, Justice.

The question before us for decision on this appeal is whether the appellants (plain- • tiffs) seasonably applied for an appeal from the order sought to be reviewed.

It will contribute to a clearer itnderstanding of the facts of this case if the reader ' examine our opinion on the former case of Ferguson-Steere Motor Company v. State Corporation Commission, 59 N.M. 220, 282 P.2d 705. It was between the same parties as those before us on the present appeal, except that Western Transport, Inc., a defendant in the present case has succeeded to the rights of C. R. Scott, doing business as ‘ C. R. Scott Oil Company, who was a party to the former cause and appeal. The present plaintiffs who were appellees on the former appeal, were unsuccessful in defending the judgment rendered in their favor by the trial court and it was reversed and the cause was remanded for further proceedings.

While the cause out of which the appeal in above mentioned case arose was still pending in the district court of Santa Fe County and prior to the determination by us of the appeal from the judgment rendered therein, the State Corporation Commission, a defendant in both the former and the present case, unknown to the other defendants herein, entered an order under its Docket No. 2645, under date of November 12, 1953. This order reinstated the authority held by C. R. Scott, doing business as C. R. Scott Oil Company under Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity No. 885-1, prior to the Commission’s order dated May 14, 1951, which had substantially altered and limited the scope of the earlier order. This change, it is said, was made on the Commission’s own motion and without notice or hearing. The above mentioned Certificate No. 885-1 was involved in the former case reviewed by us on the appeal mentioned.

On November 19, 1952, the defendant Commission also entered a further order relating to the Scott authority, likewise without notice or a public hearing and upon its own motion, it is said, effecting the transfer of the authority then held by Scott under the same Certificate No. 885-1 to the defendant, Western Transport, Inc. From the orders entered by defendant Commission on November 12, 1953, and on November 19, 1953, plaintiffs filed their complaint in the district court of Santa Fe County seeking to set aside and vacate both of said orders on the grounds of unreasonableness and unlawfulness.

The appellees (defendants) by motion and answer challenged sufficiency of the complaint to state facts upon which relief could be granted. Thereafter, on August 11, 1954, the court entered its order sustaining the motion, reading as follows:

“Order
“This matter coming on to be heard August 2, 1954 upon the motion of defendant C. R. Scott to dismiss the complaint heretofore filed herein for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted, in which motion defendant Western Transport, Inc., joined, the plaintiffs appearing by their attorneys Donovan N. Hoover and H. A. Kiker, and the defendant C. R. Scott appearing by his attorney William C. Briggs, and the defendant Western Transport, Inc., appearing by his attorneys Jason W. Kellahin and M. W. Hamilton and defendant State Corporation Commission of New Mexico making, no appearance.
“And the Court having heard the argument of Counsel, and being fully advised in the premises, finds that the motion to dismiss the complaint filed herein for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted should be, and the same hereby is granted, and the complaint filed herein is hereby ordered dismissed.
sgd. David W. Carmody District Judge”

On September 1, 1954, the plaintiffs (appellants) filed a motion asking the trial court to set aside its order aforesaid dismissing plaintiffs’ complaint, stating various grounds concerned primarily with a claimed misunderstanding and misapprehension touching the record of proceedings before State Corporation Commission. Subsequently, and on March 5, 1955, the attorneys for the defendant Scott filed a motion in the cause, seeking to have made a part of the record in said cause, a certain order of State Corporation Commission, dated May 14, 1951, canceling Certificate No. 885-1, held by C. R. Scott, dated August 1, 1947, of which order the defendants had no knowledge when their motion to dismiss was presented and sustained. In addition the motion sought to have made a part of the record in the cause the application of defendant, C. R. Scott, d/b/a Scott Oil Co., filed with State Corporation Commission, it having been assumed until this time said application was already a part of the record. Copies of the order mentioned and the application were attached to the motion.

On April 7, 1955, the trial court signed and filed an order in the cause granting the motion last mentioned in so far as it related to the order of State Corporation Commission, dated May 14, 1951, making said order a part of the record and denying the motion in so far as it asked that the application mentioned in the motion be made a part of the record.

On April 12, 1955, there came on for hearing before the court the motion filed by plaintiffs on September 1, 1954, to set aside the order dismissing their complaint, as aforesaid, and to grant them a further hearing on the motion to dismiss. After argument and consideration of the motion, the court entered an order denying the motion upon conclusion of the hearing.

Two days later, April 14, 1955, the court granted a motion for an appeal to the Supreme Court from the order of August 11, 1954, dismissing the plaintiffs’ complaint and the order of April 12, 1955, declining to set aside the order of dismissal.

The foregoing order allowing an appeal to the Supreme Court was followed on April 21, 1955, by a motion filed by all defendants in the case asking the court to set aside the order granting an appeal to the Supreme Court, as aforesaid, upon the following ground, to-wit:

“That neither the motion for allowance of appeal from the order of this Court entered August 11, 1954 dismissing plaintiffs' complaint nor the motion for allowance for appeal from the order of this Court entered on April 12, 1955 denying plaintiffs’ motion to set aside said order dismissing plaintiffs’ complaint were timely filed.”

After hearing and consideration by the •court and on May 4, 1955, an order was •entered granting said motion, reading as follows:

^ * * * #
“And the Court considering the order of August 11, 1954, as a final judgment, and the order of April 12, 1955, as being an order denying a motion for a rehearing;
“And it appearing to the Court that the motion filed by the defendants herein on the 5th- day of March, 1955, was not signed by the attorney for the defendant State Corporation Commission of New Mexico; that the attorney for said defendant was present in Court at the time said motion was presented and argued, but did not participate in the argument or presentation .

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Related

Ferguson-Steere Motor Co. v. State Corporation Com'n
306 P.2d 637 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1957)

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Bluebook (online)
292 P.2d 333, 60 N.M. 464, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ferguson-steere-motor-co-v-state-corp-commission-nm-1956.