State Ex Rel. Symms v. VI OIL COMPANY

490 P.2d 323, 94 Idaho 456, 1971 Ida. LEXIS 359
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 4, 1971
Docket10580, 10829
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 490 P.2d 323 (State Ex Rel. Symms v. VI OIL COMPANY) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho 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. Symms v. VI OIL COMPANY, 490 P.2d 323, 94 Idaho 456, 1971 Ida. LEXIS 359 (Idaho 1971).

Opinion

SHEPARD, Justice.

This appeal results from a jury trial and verdict and a judgment thereon in an eminent domain action for the condemnation of real property for highway construction. The land consists of slightly less than one-quarter of an acre and had been used for many years as the site of an independent retail gas station. The jury returned a verdict for $90,060. Plaintiff’s motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict was denied, judgment was entered and this appeal resulted. For reasons stated herein, we reverse the judgment of the district court and remand the case for new trial.

The tract of land in question herein is owned by defendant-respondent which in turn appears to be almost solely owned and is managed by one Sam Bennion. The entire thrust of appellant’s assignments of error involves the testimony of Bennion regarding alleged profits derived from the operation of the gas station during years preceding the condemnation action and the utilization of the alleged profit figures by expert testimony to arrive at a so-called market value.

During the course of the trial plaintiff objected to, or moved that there be stricken, the testimony of defense witnesses on the grounds that the testimony included elements which were not compensable under the law of eminent domain. All of said objections or motions were denied by the district court. The testimony was thus before the jury and, we must conclude, influenced the verdict. In addition to other testimony Bennion specifically stated that the net profit of the gas station during the previous five years had been between $1200 and $1600 per month and that the profit for the previous two years had been in excess of $18,000 per year. Bennion also represented that there had been “gas wars” for only a small percentage of time during the previous years and that the station was returning a good stable figure on his investment. As stated, a jury verdict was returned, judgment entered and this appeal was commenced.

During the pendency of the appeal, plaintiff-appellant learned that in 1968, approximately one year prior to the trial in the instant case, the defendant-respondent had filed an action in the Federal Court in the State of Utah against Phillips Petroleum Company alleging improper competition under the Sherman and Robinson-Patman Acts. In connection with that case the deposition of Bennion was taken wherein he stated (supported by profit and loss statements) that the same gas station site involved herein had incurred substantial losses ranging between $5,000 and $8,000 per year and also that “gas wars” had been in existence between 80 and 90% of the time during the period involved. Upon the discovery of these facts plaintiff-appellant herein moved to remand jurisdiction of the cause to the district court. This court granted that motion. Following the remand, a motion was made in the district court to vacate the judgment and grant a new trial. That motion was denied by the district court and the case was returned to this court. Plaintiff-appellant also assigns as error the denial of its motion for vacation of judgment and for a new trial.

Rule 60(b) I.R.C.P. states:

“On motion and upon such terms as are just, the court may relieve a party or his *458 legal representative from a final judgment, order, or proceeding for the following reasons: * * *
“(3) fraud (whether heretofore denominated intrinsic or extrinsic), misrepresentation, or other misconduct of an adverse party; * *

Since adoption of this rule in 1958 this court has considered that subsection only in Willis v. Willis, 93 Idaho 261, 460 P.2d 396 (1969). In Willis it was sought to vacate a judgment in a divorce case on the grounds of perjury. We held therein that the party seeking the vacation of the judgment had not shown by clear and convincing proof that perjury had occurred in the trial and also that the moving party had in the interim accepted the benefits of the divorce decree. We hold that the “clear and convincing” standard set forth in Willis has been satisfied in the case at bar.

In Peacock Records, Inc. v. Checker Records, Inc., 365 F.2d 145 (7th Cir. 1966), the court stated:

“We hold that where it appears that perjured testimony may have played some part in influencing the court to render a judgment, the perjury will not be weighed, on a motion to set aside the judgment. This seems self-evident. The factual question which the district court failed to answer is, Was the judgment obtained in part by the use of perjury?’ [Citations omitted] If it was, then it was clearly the duty of the district court to set aside the judgment, because poison had permeated the fountain of justice. Thus, in that event, this taint had affected the entire proceeding in the court below, although we find no indication that any counsel herein was a party to any wrongdoing.” 365 F.2d 145, 147. (Emphasis in original.)

The court then quoted with approval from Parker v. Checker Taxi Company, 238 F.2d 241 (7th Cir. 1956):

“The inherent right of the court to vacate a judgment for fraud, as stated above, is strengthened by Rule 60(b), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 28 U. S.C.A., which provides that on motion the court may relieve a party from a final judgment or order for fraud, misrepresentation, or other misconduct of an adverse party.” 238 F.2d 241, 243.

The court in Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Co. v. Barrett, 246 F.2d 846 (9th Cir. 1957), stated:

“Judgments obtained through fraud, misrepresentation or other misconduct should be vacated, by use of Rule 60(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. That rule is remedial and should be liberally construed. Where perjury has played some part in influencing the court or jury to render a judgment, the effect of the perjury will not be weighed on a motion to set aside the judgment.” 246 F.2d 846, 849.

We find the analysis and language of said courts to be persuasive herein. See also 3 Barron & Holtzoff, Federal Practice & Procedure, § 1326, p. 408. An analysis of the case at bar can lead only to the conclusion that a new trial must be had on the issue of damages. The testimony of Bennion in either the Idaho or the Utah case was obviously and uncontrovertedly false and in the case at bar can only be assumed to have been given intentionally for the purpose of affecting the jury verdict.

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Bluebook (online)
490 P.2d 323, 94 Idaho 456, 1971 Ida. LEXIS 359, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-symms-v-vi-oil-company-idaho-1971.