People By and Through Dept. of Public Works v. Malone

• Decision Date: 25 February 1965
• Citation: 232 Cal.App.2d 531,42 Cal.Rptr. 888
• Court: California Court of Appeals Court of Appeals
• Parties: The PEOPLE of the State of California, acting by and through the DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. M. Carroll MALONE and Paul T. Malone, Defendants and Appellants. Civ. 433.

Page 888

42 Cal.Rptr. 888

232 Cal.App.2d 531

The PEOPLE of the State of California, acting by and through the DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. M. Carroll MALONE and Paul T. Malone, Defendants and Appellants.

Civ. 433.

District Court of Appeal, Fifth District, California.

Feb. 25, 1965.

M. Carroll Malone, in pro. per.

Willedd Andrews, Los Angeles, for Paul T. Malone.

Harry S. Fenton, Sacramento, R. B. Pegram, Joseph A. Montoya, Philip F. Lanzafame and Robert W. Vidor, Los Angeles, for respondent.

CONLEY, Presiding Justice.

A leading question here is: Can an agent, by virtue of a special power of attorney, participate in litigation on behalf of his principal and stipulate to a judgment in the place and stead of an attorney at law? The answer, which should be obvious at least to every judge and attorney familiar with the State Bar Act (Bus. & Prof.Code, div. 3, ch. 4), is a positive 'No.'

Desiring to construct a freeway through a portion of Riverside County, the Department of Public Works, brought a condemnation suit against the owners of the land along the proposed right of way, including the brothers Malone, who are appellants herein. M. Carroll Malone was an engineer and Paul T. Malone was acting as a sergeant in the air force. Personal service of the complaint and summons was made upon Carroll Malone and, at an air force installation in Merced County, upon Paul Malone. As Paul Malone expected to be absent on duty during the pendency of the suit, he executed a special power of attorney in favor of his brother, Carroll; the exact terms of the document are not available as it was lost; but it is conceded by all parties that such a power of attorney was in fact executed.

Although never an attorney at law, Carroll Malone purported to carry on the litigation for his brother as well as himself. He filed an answer which at the usual place for subscription contained the typewritten names of both brothers and his own personal signature. Although the law presupposes attendance upon the pretrial conference of an individual defendant who is not represented by an attorney, Carroll Malone purported to represent his brother there as well as himself, and, when the case was thereafter called for trial, he alone appeared for the two brothers and helped toward the selection of a jury; he then attended a conference in the chambers of the trial judge, and at that tme agreed to a settlement of the case on behalf of his brother and himself.

Following is the reporter's transcript of what took place:

'THE COURT: Let the record show these proceedings are being had in chambers outside the presence of the jury. The Curt has conferred with Mr. Malone, on behalf of the two defendants in this matter, and with Mr. Lanzafame, counsel for the plaintiff, and a definite offer to compromise and amicably settle the matter has been made and has been accepted. Will you state the terms of the offer, Mr. Lanzafame, please?

'MR. LANZAFAME: Yes, Your Honor: The plaintiff offers the amount of $12,700 as the total compensation for the taking of Parcel 1 as described in the Complaint on file herein and for all damages of any kind and whatsoever nature suffered by the defendants who have an interest in Parcel 1 by reason of the taking of Parcel 1 and the construction of the improvement in the manner proposed by the plaintiff.

'THE COURT: Is that offer agreeable to you?

'MR. MALONE: Yes.

'THE COURT: Both on your own behalf and on behalf of Paul Malone?

'MR. MALONE: My brother is named as co-defendant. I have a special Power of Attorney to represent him.

'THE COURT: It is necessary for you to answer the question. You are accepting both on your own behalf and on behalf of Paul Malone?

'MR. MALONE: Yes.

'THE COURT: The compromise settlement is hereby approved by the Court and judgment in accordance therewith is hereby ordered entered.

(Discussion off record.)

'THE COURT: For the record, gentlemen, it has occurred to the Court here that since Mr. M. Carroll Malone is not an attorney and is appearing In Propria Persona that proof of joinder in the settlement by the co-defendant, Paul T. Malone, should be placed in the record. I suggest to you gentlemen that the approval of the settlement and the entry of the judgment in accordance therewith be made conditional upon the presentation to the Court in the form of an appropriate document or documents of the concurrence in settlement, and the acceptance of the offer by Mr. Paul T. Malone as well as Mr. M. Carroll Malone. Is that agreeable?

'MR. LANZAFAME: That is agreeable on behalf of the plaintiff.

'THE COURT: And is that agreeable to you, Mr. Malone?

'MR. MALONE: Yes, Your Honor.

'THE COURT: As soon as such proof is presented to the Court, judgement [sic] in accordance therewith is ordered entered.'

Court and counsel and Carroll Malone then returned to the courtroom and the judge told the jury that he thought that '* * * the most satisfactory way to resolve litigation is by amicable stipulation rather than the controversial methods we employ in the courtroom, * * *' and that the parties had reached a settlement, whereupon he dismissed the jury.

In the interval between the proceedings just mentioned and the later motion of plaintiff to enter a judgment in the case, Carroll advised Paul of what had occurred and Paul, from his military base in Texas, told his brother in unmistakable terms that he did not approve the purported settlement and would not execute a new power of attorney in place of the one which had been lost; he also specifically withdrew whatever authorization to proceed with the case he had previously given his brother.

On June 4, 1963, respondent moved the court for the entry of a judgment based on the purported compromise against the two Malone brothers. Then, for the first time, an attorney at law appeared for Paul T. Malone and, with Carroll Malone, opposed the entry of such a judgment. However, the trial judge acceded to the idea that a judgment should be filed, and, thereafter, on the 6th day of August, 1963, he signed findings of fact and conclusions of law and a judgment, although there never had been a trial of the case; a jury was never selected; no evidence was introduced. The findings of fact and conclusions of law recite that 'M. Carroll Malone appeared [at the time of trial] in propria persona; Paul T. Malone did not appear in person and was not represented by counsel.'

The document continues:

'The parties proceeded in the selection of a jury, but prior to the impanelment of a jury to try the cause the parties entered into stipulations for the disposition of the matter; * * *.'

The court thereupon made 15 paragraphs of findings followed by conclusions of law, although there was no evidence and only a conditional stipulation in open court by the attorney for the Department of Public Works and Carroll Malone that the brothers would take $12,700 for their interest in the land if Paul Malone approved the stipulation. In the findings, the court refers to '* * * the answers of defendants M. Carroll Malone and Paul T. Malone, * * *' and denies that the allegations of value contained therein are true, being in excess of 'what is herein found to be the fact.' Paragraph X states:

'The Court finds that defendants M. Carroll Malone and Paul T. Malone have generally appeared in the above-entitled action in propria persona by answer to plaintiff's complaint, and by participation in the conduct of the proceedings subsequent to the filing of their answer.'

Is not this equivalent to a conclusion that M. Carroll Malone properly 'participated' in the place and stead of an attorney at law on behalf of Paul T. Malone?

Paragraph XII continues:

'The Court finds that at all times from the commencement of the action, to wit, March 26, 1962, to the calling of the cause for trial on March 4, 1963, defendant M. Carroll Malone has appeared in propria persona and that defendant Paul T. Malone has not personally appeared nor been represented by counsel, but that defendant Paul T. Malone has been represented by defendant M....