Martin v. Martin

54 V.I. 379, 2010 WL 4962412, 2010 V.I. Supreme LEXIS 45
CourtSupreme Court of The Virgin Islands
DecidedSeptember 15, 2010
DocketS. Ct. Civ. No. 2007-0117
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 54 V.I. 379 (Martin v. Martin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of The Virgin Islands primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Martin v. Martin, 54 V.I. 379, 2010 WL 4962412, 2010 V.I. Supreme LEXIS 45 (virginislands 2010).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

(September 15, 2010)

Per Curiam.

Appellant Norman Henry Martin (hereafter “Norman”) challenges three Superior Court orders entered on October 23, 2002, September 7, 2007, and September 28, 2007. Specifically, Norman argues that the Superior Court erred when it: (1) granted partial summary judgment in favor of Appellee Alvina M. Martin (hereafter “Alvina”); (2) denied Norman’s motion for relief from judgment of the order granting partial summary judgment; (3) granted Alvina’s motion for partition; and (4) failed to grant Norman relief under an unjust enrichment theory. In addition, Alvina argues that Norman’s appeal from the October 23, 2002 [382]*382Order granting partial summary judgment is untimely. For the reasons that follow, this Court reverses the October 23, 2002 Order granting partial summary judgment, vacates the September 6, 2007 Order denying Norman’s motion for relief as moot, and vacates in part and affirms in part the September 28, 2007 Order.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Alvina and Norman were married on July 3, 1976. By quitclaim deed recorded on January 11, 1988, Norman’s father deeded several properties in St. Croix to Norman. Thereafter, Norman deeded the properties to himself and Alvina as tenants by the entireties by quitclaim deed recorded on November 15, 1988. In March 1997, the parties were granted a divorce, which automatically transformed their ownership of the properties into a tenancy in common. On September 3, 1999, Alvina filed suit against Norman in the Superior Court, seeking, inter alia, damages for conversion of the rent generated by the properties, damages for waste committed on the properties by Norman, and a constructive trust on the rent proceeds.

According to Norman — who reads at a fourth grade level — Alvina always prepared all important documents for him because he cannot read or comprehend such documents. Consequently, Norman states that he asked Alvina to draft a will that would ensure that his children received an interest in his properties when he dies. He claims that he was misled into believing that the document he signed in November 1988, which ultimately deeded a share of the properties to Alvina, was the will he had asked Alvina to prepare. Accordingly, he answered Alvina’s complaint and counterclaimed on March 28, 2001, alleging, inter alia, fraudulent inducement and misrepresentation and seeking damages, partition, and title quieted in his name.

A receiver was appointed on October 23, 2001 and, on September 23, 2002, Alvina moved for partial summary judgment on Norman’s fraudulent inducement and misrepresentation counterclaims. In support of her motion, Alvina argued that Norman had failed to specifically plead these counterclaims and that the statute of limitations had expired on them. In particular, she stated that because fraud is a tort, the two-year statute of limitations on those claims would have run by November 1, 1990 — two years after the date on which Norman signed the quitclaim deed — and that Norman thus raised those claims over ten years too late. [383]*383Norman’s counsel did not respond to the motion despite being granted several extensions of time.2

After realizing that the Superior Court judge presiding over the matter had served as counsel for both parties regarding the properties at issue, Alvina moved for the judge to recuse himself on October 17, 2002. A week later, Alvina moved to deem the motion for partial summary judgment conceded. That same day, Norman’s counsel filed a response to the motion to deem conceded in which he stated that “it was Counsel’s choice not to respond to the Motion For Partial Summary Judgment.” (J.A. at 331.) On October 23, 2002, while the motion for recusal remained pending, the Superior Court judge granted partial summary judgment in Alvina’s favor. The order noted that Norman had “failed to oppose said motion despite having been granted an extension of time.” (J.A. at 19.) The judge then granted the motion and dismissed the fraudulent inducement and misrepresentation claims summarily stating that he had “considered [Alvina’s] motion and the statement of material facts not in dispute submitted therewith and [was] satisfied with the premises contained therein ....” Id. Three and a half weeks later, on November 18, 2002, the judge recused himself from the case.

On February 5, 2003, Norman, now represented by a new attorney, filed an opposition to the motion for partial summary judgment and, on February 11, 2003, filed a corrected opposition.3 In his opposition, Norman argued that, while he agreed that the statute of limitations is two years, his counterclaims were not time-barred because the discovery rule applies to toll the start of the limitations period until Norman knew or should have known that Alvina fraudulently induced him into signing the quitclaim deed. Specifically, Norman alleged that he had no reason to know of Alvina’s fraud until Alvina filed suit against him in September 1999 alleging various claims based upon her co-ownership of the properties, and, since he counterclaimed in March 2001, his counterclaims were not time barred. Alvina moved to strike the [384]*384oppositions because the judge had already ruled upon the motion for partial summary judgment.

On April 28, 2003, Norman moved for relief from judgment pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 60(b)(1) and (6), arguing, respectively, that his prior counsel’s failure to file an opposition was excusable neglect and that the previous judge’s order granting partial summary judgment should be vacated because statutory law requires a judge to rule upon a motion for recusal before issuing any further orders in the case. The Superior Court ruled upon the motion for relief over four years later. By order dated September 6, 2007, the Superior Court denied Norman’s motion, holding that: (1) Norman’s prior counsel’s failure to oppose the motion for partial summary judgment does not warrant relief under Rule 60(b)(1); (2) the Superior Court judge’s failure to recuse himself before ruling on the motion for partial summary judgment is not an extraordinary circumstance warranting relief under Rule 60(b)(6); and (3) Norman has not demonstrated that he has a meritorious defense to the original motion for partial summary judgment, i.e. that the motion would have been decided differently if he had filed an opposition or if the judge had recused himself earlier.

After several hearings, the Superior Court ruled on all remaining claims and counterclaims in a September 28, 2007 Order, which dismissed Alvina’s accounting claim and request for a constructive trust as moot, dismissed her waste claim, and granted her partition claim. Additionally, the September 28, 2007 Order granted Norman’s counterclaim for compensatory damages, denied his request for treble and punitive damages, dismissed his quiet title and equitable lien claims, dismissed his partition claim per his request, and dismissed his claim for accounting as moot.

Norman filed his notice of appeal from the September 28, 2007 Order on October 26, 2007.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
54 V.I. 379, 2010 WL 4962412, 2010 V.I. Supreme LEXIS 45, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martin-v-martin-virginislands-2010.