Honer v. Wisniewski

720 N.E.2d 38, 48 Mass. App. Ct. 291, 1999 Mass. App. LEXIS 1292
CourtMassachusetts Appeals Court
DecidedNovember 30, 1999
DocketNo. 98-P-546
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 720 N.E.2d 38 (Honer v. Wisniewski) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Appeals Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Honer v. Wisniewski, 720 N.E.2d 38, 48 Mass. App. Ct. 291, 1999 Mass. App. LEXIS 1292 (Mass. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

Gelinas, J.

This appeal challenges a District Court judge’s allowance of the defendant’s motion, styled “motion for relief from judgment and for equitable relief.” On appeal to the Appellate Division of the District Court (second appeal), the judge’s order on the motion was affirmed.1 As the motion was not timely filed, we reverse.

Hazel Honer and Sandra Wisniewski, mother and daughter, respectively, lived together in Wisniewski’s house for about five years, from 1985 to 1990. During those years Honer periodically provided Wisniewski with funds. The money, determined at trial to be $31,500, was used by Wisniewski to make improvements to the home and for personal expenses. Honer had the [292]*292use of a small apartment on the property; she paid only for her utilities. The arrangement came to an end in July of 1990, when Wisniewski contracted to sell the property and told Honer that she would have to vacate the apartment. Apparently no other suitable living arrangement was suggested for Honer as she filed suit against Wisniewski the following month, claiming that the amounts she had paid were loans and not gifts. Wisniewski counterclaimed, seeking the rental value of the apartment, which the judge, at trial, determined also to be $31,500. In connection with the suit, Honer placed an attachment on Wisniewski’s house.

In order that conveyance of Wisniewski’s house might take place, Honer agreed to release the attachment if $10,000 were placed in escrow, securing any judgment that Honer might obtain. The money was placed with Honer’s attorney.2 No written conditions of the escrow appear on record. Honor’s attorney had sole control of the funds.

In February of 1994, after trial, the judge entered two judgments, each in the amount of $31,500, with neither bearing prejudgment interest or costs. One judgment favored. Honer on her claim and one judgment favored Wisniewski on her counterclaim; according to comments he made in later proceedings, the judge intended that “the judgments be a wash,” and that executions obtained, thereon “would not be worth ten cents.” Various appeals, proceedings, and maneuvers by Honer’s counsel followed.

After entry of the judgments, Honer claimed a timely report to the Appellate Division of the District Court (first appeal), of Wisniewski’s judgment against her, seeking redress of certain claimed errors at trial not relevant here. Wisniewski did not appeal Honer’s judgment.

While Honer’s first appeal was pending in the Appellate Division, each party filed a motion for entry, of separate and final judgment; Wisniewski further moved for release of the escrow funds. After hearing, before the decision of the Appellate Division was filed, the judge denied Wisniewski’s motions, as the judgment in her favor was under appeal, but allowed Honer’s motion, ordering the entry of a separate and final judgment for Honer against Wisniewski. The judge provided in his order that no execution was to be issued thereon “until counterclaims [293]*293[are] heard,” ostensibly delaying execution until Honer’s appeal of the Wisniewski judgment was resolved.

The Appellate Division affirmed Wisniewski’s judgment; the decision and order were entered in the District Court on February 2, 1995. At that point, Wisniewski’s attorney called Honer’s attorney to inquire what the next step might be. Honer’s attorney indicated that he planned a further appeal of the Wisniewski judgment. Instead, shortly after this conversation, he sought and obtained an execution on Honor’s judgment against Wisniewski. Within the week he returned the execution to court marked, “satisfied in part in the amount of $11,201,”3 4having levied on the escrow that he alone held. Part of the funds were paid to Honer; a larger part he paid to himself in satisfaction of his charges to Honer for legal services in the case. Approximately two weeks later, upon learning of the levy, Wisniewski filed a motion for release of the escrow funds; the judge denied the motion. Wisniewski’s attorney never sought an execution on the judgment against Honer and never appealed the judgment or any of the orders entered against her.

The motion for relief from judgment and for equitable relief, filed twenty-nine months after the original entry of judgments and some eighteen months after entry of the Appellate Division’s affirmance of Wisniewski’s judgment against Honer, made the following “Demands: A. That the Court order Defense [ric] Counsel . . . pay to Plaintiff’s [sic] Counsel the sum of $11,120 plus interest within 30 days[4]; and B. That the Court mark both executions ‘Satisfied in Full’ or, in the alternative; C. That the Court amend the Judgment to reflect zero damages to either party by right of set-off.” The judge, who was the trial judge, endorsed the motion, “Motion Allowed as to Demands A & B — $11,120 to be returned to Defendant and both Executions to be marked ‘Satisfied in Full.’ ”

Wisniewski’s motion claims redress solely because Honer’s attorney (1) misrepresented to her attorney the next course that he would pursue in the litigation, and (2) then wrongfully obtained a writ of execution and wrongfully levied on Wisniewski’s funds which he held in escrow.

The motion was, by its preamble, filed “pursuant to [Mass. [294]*294R.Civ.P.] 60 and 69, [365 Mass. 828, 836 (1974)].”5 As no subsection of rule 60 was specified, we examine the motion and the underlying claims made therein to determine if there is any section of the rule which might provide relief. No claim appears pursuant to rule 60(a) (clerical mistake), and we confine our analysis to the possibility of relief afforded by rule 60(b).

Failure to classify the appropriate section of rule 60(b) in a motion for relief of judgment is not fatal. Courts may determine whether and under what section relief might be granted; the label attached to the motion is not dispositive. See King v. Allen, 9 Mass. App. Ct. 821 (1980) (motion brought under Mass.R.Civ.P. 59[e], 365 Mass. 828 [1974], susceptible of treatment as a motion for relief from judgment under rule 60[b][6]); Bowers v. Board of Appeals of Marshfield, 16 Mass. App. Ct. 29, 33 (1983) (moving party’s failure to classify motion as rule 60[b][6] motion not dispositive; relief appropriate under that section); Freitas v. Freitas, 26 Mass. App. Ct. 196, 199 (1988) (motion filed under Mass.R.Dom.Rel.P. 60(b) inappropriate, but relief granted deemed appropriate on other grounds).

Statements concerning Honer’s intent to appeal and then obtaining an execution and levying thereon (Wisniewski’s sole claim in her motion for relief from judgment, and not denied by Honer’s attorney at any of the hearings) might be found to constitute the “fraud . . . , misrepresentation, or other misconduct of an adverse party” contemplated by rule 60(b)(3). Relief is availáble for a party suffering this type of behavior, but the relief must be sought within one year of the entry of judgment. Tibbitts v. Wisniewski, 27 Mass. App. Ct. 729, 731 (1989).6 That time period had long elapsed, especially as the action might be seen as seeking relief from Honor’s judgment against Wisniewski, entered some twenty-nine months prior to the motion.

Addressing the second part of Wisniewski’s claim for relief, that execution had issued and levy made, there was nothing [295]

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Bluebook (online)
720 N.E.2d 38, 48 Mass. App. Ct. 291, 1999 Mass. App. LEXIS 1292, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/honer-v-wisniewski-massappct-1999.