Reuter v. City of Oskaloosa

113 N.W.2d 716, 253 Iowa 768, 1962 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 631
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMarch 6, 1962
Docket50444
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 113 N.W.2d 716 (Reuter v. City of Oskaloosa) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Reuter v. City of Oskaloosa, 113 N.W.2d 716, 253 Iowa 768, 1962 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 631 (iowa 1962).

Opinions

Peterson, J.

This is an action for damages against the City of Oskaloosa, and Benjamin J. Bernstein as owner of the property abutting the sidewalk on which plaintiff fell. Plaintiff alleges he suffered permanent injury in the form of a double fractured wrist.

Defendant Benjamin J. Bernstein filed a motion to dismiss, which was sustained a year before the trial.

At the close of all the evidence defendant City of Oskaloosa moved to direct a verdict in its favor, which was sustained. Plaintiff appeals.

[770]*770At about 10:15 p.m., on the evening of February 9, 1959, plaintiff was proceeding along what is known as North C Street in the City of Oskaloosa. A sleet storm had occurred about an hour before, and the sidewalk was exceedingly slippery. Plaintiff’s petition consists of two divisions. In the first division he alleges negligence against both defendants as to the slippery and unsafe condition of the sidewalk. Under the evidence there is no liability as to this division as against either defendant. Plaintiff does not pursue his claim under this division.

Under Division II he alleges defendants were negligent in permitting a ramp which was from seven to nine inches in height and about 15 feet in length, to extend approximately 30 inches out from the building onto the sidewalk. There was a door leading into defendant Bernstein’s property. This ramp constituted the driveway across the sidewalk, and into the building. Plaintiff alleges in his petition that he slipped on the rounded surface of the ramp, and suffered his injury in a fall upon the sidewalk immediately adjacent to the ramp.

Outside of the doctor’s testimony the only evidence offered on behalf of plaintiff was his own testimony.

Plaintiff claims there was sufficient evidence before the court so that considering his evidence in the light most favorable to him, he was entitled to have the question of negligence submitted to the jury. The theory that we must consider the evidence in the light most favorable to plaintiff has been established in a long line of decisions. We will cite only a few. Mescher v. Brogan, 223 Iowa 573, 272 N.W. 645; Hebert v. Allen, 241 Iowa 684, 41 N.W.2d 240; Schneider v. Parish, 242 Iowa 1147, 49 N.W.2d 535; Mealey v. Scott, 242 Iowa 787, 48 N.W.2d 262.

I. The first question to consider is that defendant Bernstein claims we have no jurisdiction over him, since the motion to dismiss as to him was sustained by the trial court long before the case was tried and appealed. He has filed a motion to dismiss this appeal.

Plaintiff was not bound to appeal from this ruling within 30 days from the entry thereof and may now assign the ruling as error upon this appeal from the final judgment.

Rule 331(b) expressly gives plaintiff the right just referred [771]*771to. It provides: “On appeal from the final judgment, there maybe assigned as error * * * any final adjudication in the trial court under rule 86 from which no appeal has been taken, where such * * * final adjudication is shown to have substantially affected the rights of the complaining party.” It is obvious the sustaining of Bernstein’s motion to dismiss substantially affected plaintiff’s rights.

It is significant that under both rules 86 and 331(b) the ruling on Bernstein’s motion is deemed a “final adjudication in the trial court”, not in the appellate court.

It is apparent the question here is whether an order dismissing a case as to one of two defendants becomes a final judgment or decision from which appeal must be taken within 30 days, without waiting for disposition of the case as to the other defendant. In Forte v. Schlick, 248 Iowa 1327, 1330, 1331, 85 N.W.2d 549, 551, plaintiff pleaded two causes of action. The trial court sustained a motion to dismiss one of these. Plaintiff appealed, as from a final judgment. This court considered R. C. P. 331(a) and (b) and R. C. P. 332 and dismissed the appeal on the ground the order of the trial court was not a final judgment from which an appeal may be taken under R. C. P. 86, without grant of permission. It quotes from Goldstein v. Brandmeyer, 243 Iowa 679, 684, 685, 53 N.W.2d 268, 271, 272:

“Rule 86 does not relate to appellate but only to trial procedure. When it provides ‘on such election, the ruling shall be deemed a final adjudication in the trial court’ that means the particular point or question is settled so far as the trial court is concerned. It cannot be again raised there although the case remains open for the trial of any issues ‘which remain undisposed of by such ruling and election.’
“If the ruling be one to strike certain allegations of a pleading leaving other allegations to be tried, clearly the ‘final adjudication’ does not dispose of the entire ease in the trial court and the ruling is therefore interlocutory.”

At pages 12 and 13 of Volume 4, Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure, (Rev. Ed.) Cook, the authors state:

“This difficult question of finality [of a decision or order] is important both as to when an appeal may be taken, and when it must be taken. * * *.
[772]*772“In 1945, the court amended Rules 331 and 332 to make one exception to the foregoing dilemma. This involves one who stands on his pleadings under Rule 86, thus suffering a ‘final adjudication’. If such adjudication involves the merits or materially affects the final decision, he may choose between appealing from it as a matter of right; or later assigning it as error on appeal from the later judgment. He has this choice, whether the ruling is ‘final’ or not. He thus escapes the difficulties of ‘finality’.
“But as to such adjudications under Rule 86, this amendment revives the former difficulties of when an order ‘affected the merits’ or the decision, which were abolished by the original Rules. The party affected by Rule 86 must now wrestle with them if he appeals at once under Rule 331(a). He can avoid them by postponing his appeal. This is because Rules 331(b) and 332 always allow this adjudication to be assigned as error on appeal from a later judgment; regardless of whether Rule 86 has produced finality, or has affected the merits. Rule 86 adjudications are, then, reviewable on appeal from the later final judgment.”

In this connection it will be observed the pleaded ground was against both defendants, as follows: “* * * Bernstein with the consent and knowledge of the City * * * negligently permitted a driveway ramp to extend outward * * * into the public sidewalk * * * plaintiff * * * slipped on the rounded surface of said ramp * * *.”

The general policy of the law is against piecemeal appeals. The text in Volume 4, C. J. S., Appeal and Error, section 104, page 287, states:

“As a general rule, an appeal or writ of error will not lie unless there has been a final disposition of the case, not only as to all of the issues * * * but also as to all of the parties to the suit, * * *”

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Reuter v. City of Oskaloosa
113 N.W.2d 716 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1962)

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Bluebook (online)
113 N.W.2d 716, 253 Iowa 768, 1962 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 631, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reuter-v-city-of-oskaloosa-iowa-1962.