US Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. United States

• Decision Date: 12 May 1945
• Citation: 1945 AM C. 747,63 F. Supp. 114
• Parties: UNITED STATES FIDELITY & GUARANTY CO., for Use of WALSH v. UNITED STATES et al.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York

63 F. Supp. 114

1945 AM C. 747

UNITED STATES FIDELITY & GUARANTY CO., for Use of WALSH v. UNITED STATES et al.

District Court, S. D. New York.

May 12, 1945.

Simone N. Gazan, of New York City, for libelant.

John F. X. McGohey, U. S. Atty., of New York City (Corydon B. Dunham, of New York City, of counsel), for respondents.

HULBERT, District Judge.

This suit in admiralty was commenced January 31, 1944.

Libelant, an Insurance Company, seeks under the Suits in Admiralty Act of 1920, C. 95, 41 Stat. 525, 46 U.S.C.A. § 741 et seq., indemnity for compensation paid by it to Charles H. Walsh, an employee of its insured, and medical expenses, libelant claiming to have been subrogated to the rights of Walsh.

The respondents first challenged the jurisdiction of this court, which was denied adversely to it in an opinion by Judge Bright dated March 31, 1944, D.C., 56 F. Supp. 452, and then joined issue by the service of its answer on April 18, 1944.

On September 25, 1944, the respondents moved for an order directing that the above case be marked off the calendar and that the trial thereof be deferred until six months have elapsed after the termination of World War No. II.

This motion was denied by Judge Knox, who, however, adjourned the case to January, 1945, Admiralty Term of this court.

On the application of proctor for the libelant, Judge Knox, on March 12, 1945, set this case at the head of the calendar for trial on April 30, 1945, to follow any unfinished case.

On April 20, 1945, the respondents moved for an order directing that the trial be adjourned for a period of six months. This application came on before Judge Goddard, Acting Senior District Judge in the absence of Judge Knox who was presiding at a trial in the District of New Jersey, and was set for trial May 14, 1945, — head of day calendar, to follow any unfinished case.

On April 24, 1945, the respondents served interrogatories to be propounded to Charles H. Walsh, and libelant promptly served exceptions and notice of argument returnable before me on May 4, 1945, and argument was had on that day.

The first contention made by the libelant is that respondents have been guilty of gross laches in waiting until the case is on the verge of trial, after having been at issue for some fifteen months.

There is now no rule in Admiralty of which this Court is aware, no authority has been cited by either Advocate, and the Court has been unable to find any limitation within which interrogatories may be served. Prior to 1844, Local Rule 99 of this Court required the service of interrogatories within four days of the putting in of the claim or answer, or other pleading. The Edwin Baxter, D.C., 32 F. 296, Brown, J. When the United States Supreme Court adopted Rules of Practice pursuant to the Act of August 23, 1842, 5 Stat. 516, a limitation was embodied in Rule 23, adopted in 1844, and it then became the practice to attach interrogatories to the libel or answer. But, since the Rules in Admiralty were revised in 1924, no limitation is now to be found in Rule 31, 28 U.S. C.A. following section 723, or elsewhere, and thus, it would seem, to rest in the exercise of the sound discretion of the court, depending upon the facts in each case.

Respondents assert that they never had any intention to examine libelant or Walsh upon interrogatories until the service by libelant, on April 19, 1945, of a notice that application would be made upon the...