Manzer v. Sanchez

29 S.W.3d 380, 2000 Mo. App. LEXIS 1294, 2000 WL 1219405
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 29, 2000
DocketNo. ED 77310
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 29 S.W.3d 380 (Manzer v. Sanchez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Manzer v. Sanchez, 29 S.W.3d 380, 2000 Mo. App. LEXIS 1294, 2000 WL 1219405 (Mo. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

ROBERT G. DOWD, Jr., Presiding Judge.

Vince E. Manzer and Margaret F. Man-zer (collectively referred to as Appellants) appeal from the judgment of the trial court granting Manzer, Sanchez & Associates, Inc.’s (MSA), and Jorge M. Sanchez’s (Sanchez) motions to dismiss Appellants’ First Amended Petition and dismissing Appellants’ petition. Appellants contend the trial court erred in granting MSA’s and Sanchez’s motions to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action in light of the holding in Manzer v. Sanchez, 985 S.W.2d 936 (Mo.App. E.D.1999). We reverse and remand.

On May 9, 1996, Appellants filed a nine-count petition for injunctive and other relief against MSA, against Sanchez, and against Dan Ising (Ising) and Robert McIntyre (McIntyre). Specifically, Appellants alleged and/or sought an accounting (Count I); breach of fiduciary duty (Count II); misappropriation of corporate assets (Count III); a constructive trust (Count IV); conversion (Count V); fraud (Count VI); fraud committed by aiders and abettors (Count VII); injunctive- relief (Count VIII); and declaratory judgment (Count IX).

MSA, Sanchez, and Ising and McIntyre filed motions to dismiss Appellants’ petition for failure to state a claim for relief. Appellants filed a motion for leave to amend to file their proposed First Amended Petition. The trial court denied Appellants’ motion for leave to amend, and thereafter, the trial court granted MSA’s, Sanchez’s, and Ising and McIntyre’s motions to dismiss and dismissed Appellants’ petition with prejudice. Appellants appealed the trial court’s judgment. Manzer v. Sanchez, 985 S.W.2d 936 (Mo.App. E.D. 1999) (hereafter Manzer I).

On appeal, this court reversed the decision of the trial court, and held that the trial court abused its discretion in failing to grant Appellants leave to amend and file their proposed First Amended Petition. Id. at 941. This court analyzed each of the six counts in Appellants’ First Amended Petition and found each count directed against MSA and Sanchez did sufficiently state a cause of action. Id. at 940-941. Accordingly, the case was reversed and remanded to the trial court for further proceedings. Id. at 941.

On remand, Appellants were granted leave to amend and filed their First Amended Petition. Appellants’ First Amended Petition contained six counts alleging and/or requesting an accounting (Count I); fraud (Count II); conversion (Count III); fraud committed by aiders and abettors (Count IV); injunctive relief (Count V); and declaratory judgment (Count VI).

Thereafter, Ising and Mclntrye filed a motion to dismiss, which was granted by the trial court and is not at issue here. On July 15, 1999, MSA and Sanchez again filed motions to dismiss Appellants’ First Amended Petition for failure to state a cause of action asserting the same grounds as in their previous motions to dismiss.1 [383]*383In addition, Sanchez moved for dismissal on the ground that Appellants’ First Amended Petition was not verified as required by Rule 52.09. Thereafter, MSA filed a supplemental motion to dismiss Appellants’ First Amended Petition alleging Appellants’ petition was not verified in accordance with the requirements and mandates of Rule 52.09.

On December 9, 1999, the trial court granted MSA’s and Sanchez’s motions to dismiss Appellants’ First Amended Petition without prejudice and without stating the reason for the dismissal, and ruled all other motions moot. On December 13, 1999, the trial court, sua sponte, amended its Order to denominate it as “Judgment and Order.” This appeal follows.2

When reviewing the trial court’s dismissal of a petition, this court determines if the facts pleaded and the inferences reasonably drawn therefrom state any ground for relief. Wheelehan v. Dueker, 996 S.W.2d 780, 781 (Mo.App. E.D.1999). We treat all facts alleged as true and construe allegations liberally and favorably to the plaintiff. Id. When the trial court fails to specify its reason for dismissing the petition, we presume the trial court acted for one of the reasons stated in the motion to dismiss. Shores v. Express Lending Services, Inc., 998 S.W.2d 122, 125 (Mo.App. E.D.1999). Dismissal will be affirmed if it can be sustained on any ground supported by the motion, regardless of whether the trial court relied on that ground. Id. A petition will not be dismissed for failure to state a claim if any set of facts asserted which, if proved, would entitle the plaintiff to relief. Vickers v. Progressive Cas. Ins. Co., 979 S.W.2d 200, 202 (Mo.App. E.D.1998).

In their first point, Appellants contend the trial court erred in granting Sanchez’s motion to dismiss Appellants’ First Amended Petition for failure to state a claim. Appellants assert the decision in Manzer I holding Appellants’ First Amended Petition sufficiently stated a cause of action is the “law of the case,” and therefore, the trial court erred in dismissing the petition for failure to state a claim. In their second point, Appellants assert the same error of the trial court in granting MSA’s motion to dismiss. We address these two points together.

The “law of the case” doctrine governs successive appeals involving the same issues and facts. Bellon Wrecking & Salvage Co. v. David Orf, Inc., 983 S.W.2d 541, 546 (Mo.App. E.D.1998). The rule of the law of the case is that, in general, the decision of an appellate court is the law of the case on all points presented and decided and remains the law of the case throughout all subsequent proceedings, both in the trial and appellate courts, and no questions involved and decided on the first appeal will be considered on a second appeal. Id.; Kansas City v. Keene Corp., 855 S.W.2d 360, 366 (Mo. banc 1993). The law of the case rule also applies to issues which arose prior to the first appeal and which might have been presented at the time but were not. Lehnig v. Bornhop, 896 S.W.2d 714, 715 (Mo.App. E.D.1995).

This court addressed the issue of whether Appellants’ First Amended Petition stated a cause of action in Manzer I. See Manzer I, 985 S.W.2d at 940-941. In analyzing whether the trial court abused its discretion in failing to allow Appellants [384]*384leave to amend and file their First Amended Petition, this court determined whether the proposed amended petition would cure the inadequacy of the original petition. Id. at 939. In making that determination, this court found that each count in Appellants’ First Amended Petition sufficiently stated a cause of action. Id. at 939-941. In the present proceeding, the causes of action have not changed and there has been no new evidence. Accordingly, our ruling in Manzer I that Appellants’ First Amended Petition sufficiently stated a cause of action is the law of the case.

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Bluebook (online)
29 S.W.3d 380, 2000 Mo. App. LEXIS 1294, 2000 WL 1219405, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/manzer-v-sanchez-moctapp-2000.