Reeves v. Thompson

490 S.W.2d 525, 1973 Tenn. LEXIS 525
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 5, 1973
StatusPublished

This text of 490 S.W.2d 525 (Reeves v. Thompson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Reeves v. Thompson, 490 S.W.2d 525, 1973 Tenn. LEXIS 525 (Tenn. 1973).

Opinion

OPINION

JOHN W. WILSON, Special Justice.

The parties will be designated as below; Ronald Reeves as plaintiff and Esteline B. Thompson and Chester O. Thompson as defendants. The plaintiff filed this action in the Circuit Court of Davidson County, Tennessee, on the 7th day of January, 1972, seeking damages from the defendants, allegedly resulting from the negligence of the defendant Esteline B. Thompson, while driving an automobile owned by her husband, Chester O. Thompson.

It was alleged in the complaint filed simultaneously with the summons that the suit was filed by the plaintiff within one year’s time from the dismissal of a former action filed by the plaintiff, not concluded on its merits.

The former suit filed by the plaintiff in the Circuit Court of Davidson County, Tennessee, is identified by Docket No. B-5549, in which an order of nonsuit was entered on February 24, 1972.

On February 18, 1972, the defendants filed an answer in this cause, setting up a number of defenses, among which defenses we quote from the answer, as follows:

“9. Say that this cause of action is barred by the statute of limitations in that the complaint indicates that the accident arose on November 14, 1969; suit was filed in this Court under Docket No. B-5549 on November 12, 1970, and although there was no execution of the summons, alias process was not issued from term to term and the action was not recommenced within one year after failure to execute, thereby barring this suit.
10. Defendants further state that as Davidson County Circuit Court No. B-5549 has not been dismissed or non-suited but is still pending, the cause of action is barred and should be dismissed as a result of prior suit pending for the same cause of action.”

Thereafter, on March 20, 1972, the defendant filed a motion for summary judgment for dismissal of this action on the ground it was barred by the statute of limitation of one year, the affidavit of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Davidson County being offered as an exhibit to the motion. The trial court heard this motion on March 24, 1972, and on March 30, 1972, an order was entered sustaining the motion for summary judgment and dismissing the plaintiff’s action on the ground it was barred by the statute of limitation of one year.

The plaintiff excepted and prayed an appeal, which was granted to the Court of Appeals of the Middle District of Tennessee. We observe, however, that the appeal bond filed in the cause was conditioned to abide by the judgment of the Supreme Court.

The order sustaining the motion for summary judgment is as follows:

“This cause came on to be heard on the 24th day of March, 1972, before the Honorable John Uhlian, Judge, on the defendant’s motion for a summary judgment, alleging the statute of limitations barred the action, exhibit to the motion, statement of counsel, from all of which the Court is of the opinion that this action is barred by the statute of limita[527]*527tions and that, accordingly, the case should be dismissed.
Accordingly, it is ORDERED that this case be and the same is hereby dismissed, with the costs taxed to the plaintiff, for which execution may issue if necessary.
To the foregoing action of the Court the plaintiff duly excepted, prayed, and is granted an appeal to the Court of Appeals for the Middle District of Tennessee.”

We notice in'the transcript the following stipulation of facts:

“The parties stipulate the following facts:
1. The September, 1970 term of Court commenced on September 14, 1970 and ended January 10, 1971.
2. The January, 1971 term of Court commenced on January 11, 1971.
3. On February 24, 1972 the plaintiff entered a voluntary non-suit in Case No. B-5549 in the Circuit Court of Davidson County, Tennessee.
4. The record in Case No. B-5549 in the Circuit Court of Davidson County, Tennessee may be made a part of the record for the appeal in this case.
This stipulation was submitted by counsel on April 25, 1972 after the case had been heard & decided by me.
/s/ JOHN L. UHLIAN JOHN UHLIAN, Judge
Enter This 25th Day of April, 1972.”
(The part which is underscored is in the handwriting of the trial judge.)

It will be observed that the stipulation appearing immediately above was signed by the trial judge on April 25, 1972, and the court inserted in the body of the order, in his own handwriting, that “This stipulation was submitted by counsel on April 25, 1972 after the case had been heard & decided by me.”

If this stipulation presents any new fact which was not presented to the court at the time it heard the motion, or for which the court was not charged with knowledge of, then this Court cannot give any consideration to the stipulation, for the trial court cannot be charged with error for something which was not before him at the time he heard the motion for summary judgment.

It is noted from the order sustaining the motion for summary judgment, which is copied hereinabove, that the court had before it the “exhibit to the motion, statement of counsel.” The exhibit to the motion was the affidavit of the Clerk, but, what the statement of counsel was we have no way of knowing. In substance, the affidavit of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Davidson County, Tennessee, that a review of the records of his office indicated that on November 12, 1970, a summons issued in Case No. B-5549, styled Ronald W. Reeves vs. Esteline B. Thompson and Chester O. Thompson, directed the Sheriff to summon the named defendants to appear before the Judges of the Circuit Courts, Tenth Judicial Circuit, Davidson County, on the first Monday of December next, to answer Ronald W. Reeves in an action for personal injuries by reason of negligence in operating an automobile at the intersection of 42nd Avenue and Utah Avenue, on November 14, 1969. That further review of his record indicated a return of “Not to be found” was made on November 16, 1970. That a further review of records indicated an alias was issued on January 7, 1972, and was returned on January 10, 1972, “Not to be found in my County.” Further review of the records of his office indicated that a lawsuit styled Ronald Reeves vs. Esteline B. Thompson and Chester O. Thompson was filed under Docket No. B-7934 and summons issued on January 7, 1972.

[528]*528The only assignment of error is that the trial court erred in sustaining the defendant’s motion for summary judgment.

The defendants rely upon T.C.A. § 28-304 and T.C.A. § 28-105.

T.C.A. § 28-304 provides as follows:

“Actions . . . for injuries to the person . . . shall be commenced within one (1) year after cause of action accrued.”

T.C.A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
490 S.W.2d 525, 1973 Tenn. LEXIS 525, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reeves-v-thompson-tenn-1973.