Loretto Literary & Benevolent Society v. Garcia

18 N.M. 325
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 3, 1913
DocketNo. 1507
StatusPublished

This text of 18 N.M. 325 (Loretto Literary & Benevolent Society v. Garcia) 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
Loretto Literary & Benevolent Society v. Garcia, 18 N.M. 325 (N.M. 1913).

Opinion

OPINION ON REHEARING, ADHERING TO FORMER

OPINION.

ROBERTS, C. J. —

A rehearing was granted in this cause, because of appellee’s insistence, supported by a well prepared brief, that the Court had erred in its former opinion, in holding that the amendment was not permissible, as a trial amendment, because it • introduced a new cause of action, and a desire on the part of the Court toreinvestigate the question. By sub-section 96 of section 2685, C. L. 1897, the Court -is enjoined “so to construe the provisions of law relating to pleading and amending the same, and so to adapt the practice thereunder * * * * and to afford known, fixed and certain requirements in place of the discretion of the Court or the Judge thereof,” and mindful of this injunction, in the construction of sub-sec. 82, it is apparent we Should not adopt appellee’s construction, unless clearly warranted by the adjudications-of other Courts, or upon reason such construction appeared to be warranted by the language of the section. If the construction contended for were adopted, the only limitation upon the power of the trial Court to permit the amendment to be made would be, that it must not intro- - duce a new cause of action, not related or connected with the subject of action. In other words, a party by amendment might introduce any cause of action, which he might have originally united in the same complaint with that upon which the trial was proceeding, where they arose out of the same transaction or transactions connected with the subject of action, subject, of course, to the discretion of the trial Court to permit the amendment. In support of his contention, counsel for appellee has cited many authorities, which he contends support his contention, but a review of the cases will, we think, show that in the main they do not conflict with the former opinion in this case, but many of them tend rather to support the reasoning of the Court.

The first case relied upon is Steele v. Brazier, decided by the Springfield Circuit Court of Appeals, and reported in 123 S. W. 477. In that case, however, the amendment' was not made during the trial, but prior to the trial, and the statute there discussed was sec. 593, Rev. St. 1899 (Ann. St. 1906, p. 619), which is substantially the same as sub-sec. 33 of our Code of Civil Procedure, and relates solely to causes of action that may be united in the same petition. The Court uses the following language, which is quoted by appellee:

“The plaintiff cannot be allowed to introduce an entirely new cause of action, but may, by amendment, introduce such additional causes of action as under the provision of the statute could be united in- the same petition. Such is the general rule in those states that have adopted the modern codes of pleading-and practice.” The language of the Court is not entirely clear, but what it evidently intended to hold was that the plaintiff could not introduce an entirely new subject of action, but so long as the causes of action arose out of “the same transaction or' transactions connected with the same subject of action” there was no objection to their being brought in by amendment; necessarily, prior do trial, for that was the question under consideration, and not a trial amendment. The distinction between amendments made prior to trial and those made uppa the trial and after the evidence has been heard, or a portion of the evidence, is clearly pointed out by the St. Louis Court of Appeals, in the case of Robertson v. Springfield Ry. Co., 21 Mo. App. 633. There an amendment had been filed after a reversal of the cause on appeal and remand, which the trial Court, upon motion, struck from the files, for the reason that the plaintiff thereby sought to change the cause of action. The action of the lower Court was based upon a code provision identical, apparently, with sub-sec. 82 of our code, which the Court of Appeals held had no application to an amendment made prior to trial. The Court say:

“It is easily perceived that the limitation, ‘when the amendment does not change substantially the claim or defense’ applies exclusively to a ease of conforming the pleading or proceeding to the facts proved.’ Such a case can oiily exist after the evidence has been heard. * * * * The cases cited for the defendant have ,no application to an amendment made upon leave, before or pending the trial. In Parker v. Rodes, (79 Mo. 88), the evidence had been submitted and closed, when the amendment introduced a new and different cause of action. This of course was improper under the statute, and was so held.”

The case of Courtney v. Blackwell, 150 Mo. 245, is also cited and relied upon, but that was an amendment made prior to trial and the distinction pointed out by the Circuit Court of Appeals in the last case applies.

The case of Erskine v. Markham, 66 S. E. 286, supports appellee’s contention. There the amendment was made after considerable testimony had been taken and while the cause was still under reference, and complaint was made that the amendment entirely changed the original cause of action and substituted a new one. The Court say:

“As we cannot say the amendments were not in furtherance of justice, we must affirm the judgment of the Circuit Court. Since the case of Taylor v. Railroad Co., 81 S. C. 574, 62 S. E. 1113, it must be regarded as settled that even a new cause of action may be inserted by way of amendment, if it be done in furtherance of justice.”

The above quoted excerpt contains all that is said in the case on the subject, and it is evident that the Court based its decision entirely on the case cited. A study of the case referred to will disclose that no such doctrine was announced, but on the contrary, it was distinctly stated, “The limitation of the power of amendment to conform the pleadings to the facts proved that the amendment shall not change substantially the claim or defense is by its terms applicable only to amendments proposed while the Court is hearing the evidence, or after it has heard it, and hot before the trial.” The amendment there was made after the cause had been reversed on appeal and remanded for a new trial, and prior to the trial, and was not a trial amendment.

Another South Carolina case is also relied upon, (Booth v. Langley Co., 51 S. C. 412), but the Court in that case upheld the amendment upon the ground that it did not substantially change the claim of plaintiff. The Court say:

“The only question is, did the Circuit Judge have the power to grant the amendment during the progress of the trial? He seems to have supposed that the amendment would substantially change .the claim of plaintiff, or, to use his own language, would make ‘an entirely new case •and a new answer.’ If that were so then he would have been right, as he could not, during the progress of the trial, grant an amendment which would substantially ■change plaintiff’s claim.”

The Court then reviews the South Carolina cases, citing-many which support the views of this Court in the former ■opinion, all of which it approves.

In another South Carolina case, (Birt v. Southern Railway Co., 69 S. E.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Erskine v. Markham
66 S.E. 286 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 1909)
Birt v. Southern Ry.
69 S.E. 233 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 1910)
Taylor v. Atlantic Coast Line R. R.
62 S.E. 1113 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 1908)
Brown v. Seaboard Air Line Ry.
65 S.E. 1102 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 1909)
Pavlovski v. Klassing
68 S.E. 511 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1910)
Gannon v. Moore
104 S.W. 139 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1907)
Steele v. Brazier
123 S.W. 477 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1909)
Barnes v. Hekla Fire Insurance
39 N.W. 122 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1888)
Newman v. Covenant Mutual Insurance Ass'n
1 L.R.A. 659 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1888)
Hibbs v. Board of Directors of Adams
48 L.R.A. 535 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1900)
Hanson v. Cline
118 N.W. 754 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1908)
Adams Oil Co. v. Christmas Hughes
41 S.W. 545 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1897)
Majestic Collieries Co. v. Bradley
116 S.W. 738 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1909)
Parker v. Rodes
79 Mo. 88 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1883)
Courtney v. Blackwell
51 S.W. 668 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1899)
Robertson v. Springfield & Southern Railway Co.
21 Mo. App. 633 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1886)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
18 N.M. 325, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/loretto-literary-benevolent-society-v-garcia-nm-1913.