Orban Lumber Co. v. Fearrien

240 Cal. App. 2d 853, 50 Cal. Rptr. 41
California Court of Appeal·Decided March 16, 1966·No. Civ. No. 22470·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

MOLINARI, J.

On this appeal by plaintiff corporation from an order denying its motion to modify the judgment so as to provide for an extension of the time during which plaintiff could cut and remove timber from defendants’ property it is urged that the trial court had the power to make such modification and that the evidence adduced by plaintiff justified such modification. We have concluded that the trial court’s determination that it did not have the power to modify was correct and that accordingly the order appealed from must be affirmed. The factual and procedural background of the case is as follows.

On April 4, 1951 plaintiff and defendants entered into a contract for the sale to and removal by plaintiff of certain types of timber from defendants’ property. Under this contract, plaintiff had the right to cut and remove the specified types of timber from defendants’ property for a period of 10 years from the date of the contract. As a result of various disputes which arose between the parties concerning the subject contract, defendants on June 3, 1959 obtained a preliminary injunction enjoining plaintiff from cutting or removing timber under 16 inches in diameter from defendants’ property. Subsequently the disputes between the parties were litigated and resulted in a judgment on June 13, 1962 which awarded plaintiff the following relief: ordered that the April 4, 1951 contract between the parties be extended and remain in full force and effect for a period of one year and 10 months from 10 days following the date of the judgment; ordered that plaintiff be allowed to cut and remove timber between 10 and 16 inches in diameter from defendants’ property during this period and that defendants be enjoined from preventing or interfering with plaintiff’s exercise of this right; ordered that defendants execute all documents and applications required by the State of California to enable plaintiff to conduct its logging operations on defendants’ property during [855] this one-year-and-10-mohíh period; and dissolved and terminated the June 3, 1959 injunction under which the court had enjoined plaintiff from cutting or removing timber under 16 inches in diameter from defendants’ property. In addition, the judgment contained the following provision upon the meaning and effect of which the instant litigation depends: “(4) This Court hereby, under its equitable powers, retains continuing jurisdiction of this action and its subject matter in order to provide any additional orders or modifications reasonable and necessary to carry the judgment into effect and to insure compliance with the judgment by each of the parties.”

On April 10, 1964 plaintiff noticed a motion in the trial court requesting the court to modify its judgment by extending the time during which plaintiff had the right to cut and remove timber from defendants’ property. In support of its motion plaintiff filed a declaration of Carvel Brown, the vice-president of plaintiff, which declaration set forth the following reasons for plaintiff’s inability to exercise its rights within the time authorized by the June 13, 1962 judgment: (1) Plaintiff was delayed until October 4, 1962 pending the execution by defendants of the documents necessary to obtain authorization for the subject logging from the State of California; and (2) certain rights-of-way over land adjoining defendants ’ property which plaintiff required in order to remove timber from defendants’ property had expired during the pendency of the action and plaintiff was unable to reacquire these rights-of-way until April 8, 1964. On April 28, 1964 a hearing on plaintiff’s motion was held before the judge who had rendered the original judgment in this action. At this hearing respective counsel presented argument to the court concerning its power to modify the June 13, 1962 judgment in the manner sought by plaintiff, and, in addition, both parties presented evidence in relation to the matters set forth in Brown’s declaration. Following the hearing the trial court entered its order denying plaintiff’s motion on the basis that “the judgment as entered permitted supervision but not revision.”

It is urged before us that the trial court had the power to modify its judgment on the basis of the rule that a court which renders an equitable decree may appropriately reserve jurisdiction to take steps to carry it into effect and, to that end, may make changes in procedural provisions of the decree. (See Los Angeles Auto Tractor Co. v. Superior Court, 94 Cal.App. [856]*856433 [271 P. 363]; Leslie v. Federal Finance Co., Inc., 14 Cal.2d 73 [92 P.2d 906]; Gibson v. River Farms Co., 49 Cal.App.2d 278 [121 P.2d 504]; and Lesser & Son v. Seymour, 35 Cal.2d 494 [218 P.2d 536]; Stafford v. Groff, 99 Cal.App.2d 67 [221 P.2d 246].) A perusal of the eases which have applied this rule to varying factual situations discloses that its application turns on whether the modification sought involves a change in mere procedural provisions or whether it entails a material adjudication of substantial issues. In the former situation the trial court acts within its authority in modifying the judgment; in the latter, it does not have the power to modify. Accordingly, it has been held that when a decree or judgment reserves jurisdiction to change or modify mere procedural provisions, as distinguished from material adjudications of substantial issues, it is not an abuse of discretion for the court to extend the time limit in accord with equity to enable a party to the action to fulfill the specified terms of the judgment or decree. (Gibson v. River Farms Co., supra, p. 284; Leslie v. Federal Finance Co., Inc., supra, p. 81; Los Angeles Auto Tractor Co. v. Superior Court, supra, p. 440.) Thus the rule has been applied to the granting of a limited time within which payments of alimony, delinquent taxes and deferred purchase money may be made. (See Gibson v. River Farms Co., supra, p. 284.)

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Orban Lumber Co. v. Fearrien, 240 Cal. App. 2d 853, 50 Cal. Rptr. 41 (Cal. Ct. App. 1966).

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