Jones v. HARRIS NEWS, INC.

2010 NMCA 088, 241 P.3d 613, 148 N.M. 612
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 8, 2009
Docket29,269
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 2010 NMCA 088 (Jones v. HARRIS NEWS, INC.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jones v. HARRIS NEWS, INC., 2010 NMCA 088, 241 P.3d 613, 148 N.M. 612 (N.M. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

OPINION

WECHSLER, Judge.

{1} We address again in this appeal the differences between Rule 1-062(D) NMRA and NMSA 1978, Section 39-3-22(A) (2007) with regard to obtaining a supersedeas bond and stay of a district court judgment pending appeal. On December 1, 2008, the district court entered judgment in favor of Plaintiff Terry Jones after a jury trial. It awarded compensatory damages of $380,000 and punitive damages of $895,000 against Defendant Harris News, Inc. and punitive damages of $5000 against Defendant Joshua Montoya. Defendants filed a timely notice of appeal. On February 23, 2009, after correspondence between the parties’ attorneys concerning the amount of a bond, Defendants filed a motion in the district court to set the amount of a supersedeas bond on appeal and to stay execution of the judgment pending the appeal. The district court denied the motion. Defendants then filed a motion with this Court to review the district court’s denial, as well as the denial of their motions concerning post-judgment interest and stay of Plaintiffs application for a writ of garnishment. We hold that the time restrictions of Section 39-3-22(A) for filing a supersedeas bond conflict with the time for taking action under Rule 1-062(D) and that, in this case, the restrictions in Section 39-3-22(A) should not be given effect to preclude Defendants from seeking a stay and approval of a supersedeas bond. As a result of our ruling on Defendants’ motion concerning the bond and stay, we do not address the other aspects of Defendants’ motion.

{2} Both Rule 1-062(D) and Section 39-3-22(A) address the procedure available to an appellant seeking a stay of a district court judgment pending appeal. Rule 1-062(D) is permissive in its language. It allows an appellant to obtain a stay at any time after filing a notice of appeal by giving a supersedeas bond that is approved by the district court sufficient to satisfy the judgment, interest, and costs, as well as other contingencies of the appeal. Rule 1-062(D) provides in pertinent part:

When an appeal is taken, the appellant by giving a supersedeas bond may obtain a stay---- The bond may be given at or after the time of filing the notice of appeal____ The stay is effective when the supersedeas bond is approved by the district court. The bond shall be conditioned for the satisfaction of and compliance with the judgment in full together with costs, interest and damages for delay if for any reason the appeal is dismissed or if the judgment is affirmed, and to satisfy in full such modification of the judgment and such costs, interest and damages as the appellate court may adjudge and award____ When the judgment is for the recovery of money, the amount of the bond shall be such sum as will cover the whole amount of the judgment remaining unsatisfied, plus costs, interest and damages for delay.

{3} Section 39-3-22(A), in contrast, is a limiting statute. It expressly restricts a supersedeas bond and stay of execution of a final judgment to cases in which an appellant has acted within sixty days of the entry of judgment to execute a bond in an amount double the amount of the judgment. Section 39-3-22(A) reads in pertinent part:

There shall be no supersedeas [bond] or stay of execution upon any final judgment or decision of the district court in any civil action in which an appeal has been taken ... unless the appellant or plaintiff in error, or some responsible person for [him], within sixty days from the entry of the judgment or decision, executes a bond to the adverse party in double the amount of the judgment complained of, with sufficient sureties, and approved by the clerk of the district court____ The bond shall be conditioned for the payment of the judgment and all costs that may be finally adjudged against [him] if the appeal ... is dismissed or the judgment or decision of the district court is affirmed. The district court, for good cause shown, may grant the appellant not to exceed thirty days[ ] additional time within which to file the bond____

{4} The district court ruled that Section 39-3-22(A) applied and denied Defendants’ motion to set a supersedeas bond and stay execution of the judgment because Defendants did not seek the bond within sixty days of the entry of the judgment. In their motion to this Court, Defendants contend that the rule, rather than the statute, applies and that because Rule 1-062(D) does not limit the time in which they could pursue a bond after they filed a notice of appeal, the district court erred in denying their motion. Plaintiff, on the other hand, argues that the district court correctly applied the statute. We review the district court’s decision under Rule 12-207(D) NMRA, setting it aside only if it “(1) is arbitrary, capricious or reflects an abuse of discretion; (2) is not supported by substantial evidence; or (3) is otherwise not in accordance with law.” Because our concern is the applicability of Section 39-3-22(A), we focus on the third aspect of Rule 12-207(D).

{5} We last addressed the tension between Rule 1-062(D) and Section 39-3-22(A) in Grassie v. Roswell Hospital Corp., 2008-NMCA-076, 144 N.M. 241, 185 P.3d 1091, cert. quashed, 2009-NMCERT-005, 146 N.M. 728, 214 P.3d 793, in which we considered the statute’s requirement that the bond amount be double the judgment, which is a requirement not included in the rule. We based our analysis in Grassie on our Supreme Court’s opinion in Albuquerque Rape Crisis Center v. Blackmer, 2005-NMSC-032, 138 N.M. 398, 120 P.3d 820. Blackmer acknowledges that although the Supreme Court has the ultimate authority to prescribe the rules of procedure for the courts of New Mexico, the Legislature may pass statutes that affect court practice and procedure provided they do not conflict with Supreme Court rules or impair “the essential functions of the Court.” Id. ¶¶ 5, 11. We thus concluded from Blackmer that “if a legislative rule affects arguably the same subject matter as a Supreme Court rule, courts must consider whether the purpose of the Legislature’s rule is consistent with the Supreme Court rule.” Grassie, 2008-NMCA-076, ¶ 10, 144 N.M. 241, 185 P.3d 1091 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). We sought to read the rule and the statute in a consistent manner unless there is a “clear indication from the Supreme Court” that the rule “was intended to supersede the statutory formula.” Id.

{6} We concluded in Grassie that Rule 1-062(D) and Section 39-3-22(A) do address the same subject matter of determining the amount of a supersedeas bond and that they have the same

underlying purpose of providing a means to ensure the status quo of the ease pending appeal — protecting the appellee from the risk of a later uncollectible judgment and compensating the appellee for any loss resulting from the stay, while at the same time allowing the appellant to exercise the right to be free from execution of the judgment during the appeal.

2008-NMCA-076, ¶ 11, 144 N.M. 241, 185 P.3d 1091.

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Bluebook (online)
2010 NMCA 088, 241 P.3d 613, 148 N.M. 612, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-harris-news-inc-nmctapp-2009.