State ex rel. Amsterdam Lumber, Inc. v. District Court of Eighteenth Judicial District ex rel. County of Gallatin

516 P.2d 378, 163 Mont. 182, 1973 Mont. LEXIS 456
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 27, 1973
DocketNo. 12626
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 516 P.2d 378 (State ex rel. Amsterdam Lumber, Inc. v. District Court of Eighteenth Judicial District ex rel. County of Gallatin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Amsterdam Lumber, Inc. v. District Court of Eighteenth Judicial District ex rel. County of Gallatin, 516 P.2d 378, 163 Mont. 182, 1973 Mont. LEXIS 456 (Mo. 1973).

Opinion

MR. JUSTICE HASWELL

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

This is an original proceeding wherein petitioner seeks a writ of mandate or other appropriate writ to compel a district judge to relinquish jurisdiction pursuant to an affidavit of disqualification filed against him in civil cause #20055 in the district court of Gallatin County and to stay further proceedings therein until a new judge assumes jurisdiction.

Petitioner is Amsterdam Lumber, Inc., the defendant in civil cause #20055 entitled “Kamp Implement Company, a corporation, Thomas J. Kamp and Fenna H. Kamp v. Amsterdam Lumber, Inc.” in the district court of Gallatin County. This action seeks to set aside a default judgment secured by petitioner against Kamp Implement Company, a corporation, Thomas J. Kamp and Fenna H. Kamp in civil cause #19818 in the same court.

The Hon. W. W. Lessley was the original judge in jurisdiction in cause #20055. Judge Lessley was disqualified and the Hon. Jack D. Shanstrom thereafter assumed jurisdiction. Judge Shanstrom heard the case without a jury, the respective parties submitted proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law, and Judge Shanstrom thereafter entered findings of fact and conclusions of law identical to those submitted by plaintiffs Kamp Implement Company, a corporation, et al., but added the additional phrase “LET JUDGMENT ENTER ACCORDINGLY”. These were signed by Judge Shanstrom on June 27, 1973 and filed with the clerk of court on June 29, 1973.

Subsequently on July 11, Judge Shanstrom entered an order none pro tunc reciting that he had made a clerical error in signing the findings of fact and conclusions of law submitted [184]*184by plaintiffs, voided tbe same, and entered findings of fact and conclusions of law identical to those originally proposed by defendant Amsterdam Lumber, Inc. with the additional phrase “Let the Attorney for the Defendant prepare the appropriate Judgment.”

On July 18, plaintiffs Kamp Implement Company, et al. filed exceptions to the order none pro tunc and the amended findings of fact and conclusions of law, together with a motion to annul the same.

On July 25, Judge Shanstrom entered judgment in conformity with the substituted findings of fact and conclusions of law.

Thereafter Judge Shanstrom disqualified himself and the Hon. Frank E. Blair assumed jurisdiction.

Judge Blair held a hearing on plaintiffs’ motion of July 18. On September 21, Judge Blair entered an order (1) voiding Judge Shanstrom’s nunc pro tune order, (2) voiding Judge Shanstrom’s substituted findings of fact and conclusions of law, (3) voiding the judgment in conformity with the substituted findings, and (4) reinstating the original findings of fact and conclusions of law proposed by plaintiffs, Kamp Implement Company, et al. Judge Blair filed an extensive opinion with his order, the substance of which was that any error that may have been made in the original findings and conclusions was a judicial error rather than a clerical error, precluding the subsequent entry of the order nunc pro tunc and the substituted findings and conclusions.

On October 1, Judge Blair entered judgment in conformity with Judge Shanstrom’s original findings of fact and conclusions of law.

On October 2, plaintiffs filed and served a notice of entry of judgment and tender of payment of the amount owed by plaintiffs to defendant under the judgment of the previous day by depositing $8,948.97 in a Bozeman bank pursuant to section 58-423, R.C.M. 1947.

On October 11, defendant Amsterdam Lumber, Inc. filed a [185]*185motion to alter or vacate the order and judgment entered by-Judge Blair, or in the alternative for a new trial. On the same day defendant filed an affidavit of disqualification of Judge Blair.

On October 18, plaintiffs Kamp Implement Company, et al. filed a motion to strike the affidavit of disqualification of Judge Blair.

On October 19, Judge Blair granted plaintiffs’ motion to strike the disqualification affidavit and overruled defendant’s motion to continue the cause on the ground that Judge Blair did not have jurisdiction. Judge Blair proceeded to hear defendant’s motion to alter or vacate his previous order and judgment or in the alternative for a new trial and took the matter under advisement.

On October 25, petitioner Amsterdam Lumber, Inc. filed the instant original proceeding in this Court seeking a writ of mandate or other appropriate writ to compel Judge Blair to honor the affidavit of disqualification and relinquish jurisdiction in cause #20055. On the same day petitioner was heard ex parte and this Court issued an order setting the matter for adversary hearing.

Service of process in the instant proceeding was made on Judge Blair on October 26. Judge Blair acknowledged service and appended the following notation thereon:

“Decision has been made in all matters presented to me by counsel and mailed to the clerk of court for filing.
“Dated October 26, 1973 at 2:25 p.m. o’clock.
“/s/Frank E. Blair ‘ ‘ Judge presiding. ’ ’

Judge Blair’s order denying the motion of Amsterdam Lumber, Inc. to alter or vacate his previous order and judgment or in the alternative for a new trial was dated October 26 and received by the clerk of court for filing on October 29.

Judge Blair filed an extensive opinion with his order of denial. The gist of this opinion gave three reasons for his deci[186]*186sion: (1) the presiding judge cannot be disqualified by a litigant after judgment and prior to hearing a motion for new trial, (2) Judge Shanstrom’s order nunc pro tunc and substitution of findings was invalid because a judicial error rather than a clerical error was involved, and (3) the issues raised by Amsterdam Lumber, Inc.’s motion are moot as the judgment has been paid in full.

The adversary hearing was held before this Court in the instant original proceeding on November 8. Immediately prior thereto respondents filed a motion to dismiss on three grounds. (1) that a writ of mandate is not an available remedy, (2) that the issnes were moot, and (3) that the affidavit of disqualification was defective.

The matter before us presents a procedural tangle of considerable proportions. Our approach is to promptly unsnarl this, procedural morass to enable the trial court to finally resolve the substantive rights of the parties on the merits of the litigation.

This brings us to the first issue: Is a writ of mandate or other-appropriate writ available as a remedy? We need not limit ourselves to consideration of the circumstances under which a. writ of mandate may issue, but instead expand our inquiry to include any original or remedial writ. Petitioner seeks relief by writ of mandate or other appropriate writ. Rule 17(a), Rules of Appellate Civil Procedure provides:

“When Accepted. The Supreme Court is an appellate court but it is empowered by the Constitution of Montana to hear and determine such original and remedial writs as may be necessary or proper to the complete exercise of its jurisdiction.

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Related

In re the Marriage of Gahr
689 P.2d 257 (Montana Supreme Court, 1984)
Marriage of Gahr
Montana Supreme Court, 1984
Kamp Implement Co. v. Amsterdam Lumber, Inc.
533 P.2d 1072 (Montana Supreme Court, 1975)

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Bluebook (online)
516 P.2d 378, 163 Mont. 182, 1973 Mont. LEXIS 456, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-amsterdam-lumber-inc-v-district-court-of-eighteenth-mont-1973.