Western Timber Products Co. v. W. S. Ranch Co.

• Decision Date: 23 August 1961
• Docket Number: No. 6859,6859
• Citation: 69 N.M. 108,1961 NMSC 124,364 P.2d 361
• Parties: WESTERN TIMBER PRODUCTS COMPANY, a corporation, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. W. S. RANCH COMPANY, a corporation, Defendant-Appellee.
• Court: New Mexico Supreme Court

Page 361

364 P.2d 361

69 N.M. 108

WESTERN TIMBER PRODUCTS COMPANY, a corporation Plaintiff-Appellant, v. W. S. RANCH COMPANY, a corporation, Defendant-Appellee.

No. 6859.

Supreme Court of New Mexico.

Aug. 23, 1961.

Wright & Kastler, Raton, for appellant.

Robertson & Skinner, Raton, Seth, Montgomery, Federici & Andrews, Santa Fe, for appellee.

CHAVEZ, Justice.

This is an appeal from a judgment of dismissal entered by the trial court upon defendant's motion filed pursuant to Rule 41(e), Sec. 21-1-1(41)(e), N.M.S.A., 1953 Comp.

Plaintiff's (appellant's) complaint was filed on December 6, 1957, in the district court of Colfax County. Defendant (appellee) filed its answer on January 6, 1958. On January 7, 1958, appellant filed demand for jury trial. Interrogatories by appellant to appellee were filed on January 15, 1958, and appellee's answers to said interrogatories were filed on January 23, 1958. On March 26, 1958, appellee filed interrogatories to be answered by appellant. Appellant filed answers to said interrogatories on January 11, 1960. On April 22, 1958, the resident judge filed an order of recusation. On November 12, 1958, the clerk of the district court filed a certificate of mailing to the Supreme Court that more than seven days had elapsed since the filing of the order of recusation and counsel had failed to agree upon a judge to try said cause. On December 11, 1958, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court designated another judge. On January 14, 1960, appellee filed its motion to dismiss, and on June 16, 1960, the trial court, after considering the files in the case, including affidavits, interrogatories and answers thereto, and after hearing evidence on behalf of appellee, found the issues for the appellee and rendered judgment dismissing appellant's complaint with prejudice, for the reason that appellant had failed to take any action to bring the cause to a final determination for a period of two years after the filing of the action.

Appellant submits two points upon which they rely for reversal: (1) That during the period from April 22, 1958, to December 11, 1958, there was no presiding judge in the case; and (2) that no district court jury was called or empaneled in Colfax County subsequent to April 17, 1959, and prior to the filing of the motion dismiss on January 14, 1960.

It is shown by the record that a period of seven months and nineteen days elapsed, between the time the resident judge recused himself and the time that another judge was designated. It is also true that during the period commencing with the date of the filing of the complaint on December 6, 1957, to January 14, 1960, the date of the appellee's motion to dismiss, a period of time elapsed during which there was no district court jury called or empaneled to hear cases in Colfax County. A jury was empaneled in Colfax County on April 17, 1959.

Appellant contends that the two circumstances mentioned above should toll the running of the statutory two-year period.

The record discloses that even though the resident judge recused himself on April 22, 1958, no action was taken by counsel as to the designation of another judge until November 12, 1958, when the clerk of the district court mailed his certificate to the Supreme Court, and this notwithstanding that there had been some correspondence between counsel as to the designation of another judge.

The record is also clear that appellee filed interrogatories to be answered by appellant on March 26, 1958, and that appellant filed answers to said interrogatories on January 11, 1960, and this despite the fact that appellee had advised appellant that the answers to said interrogatories were necessary in order for appellee to prepare the case for trial and possibly have depositions taken.

The record contains correspondence between counsel, and between counsel and the designated trial judge, relative to the failure of appellant to answer appellee's requested interrogatories. In letter dated December 26, 1958, addressed to all counsel, the designated judge stated he would give appellant fifteen days within which to file answers or response to appellee's interrogatories. The designated judge, in said letter, also advised that he had written the resident judge as to when a jury would be available to try the case. Reference is made in letter dated November 9, 1959, between counsel, as to the possibility of appellee stipulating that the two-year statutory period be waived. Suffice it to say that in spite of the correspondence and suggestion, no written stipulation waiving the two-year statute was filed.

We must affirm the judgment of dismissal of the district court on two grounds.

First, the judgment contains a general finding of fact finding the issues for appellee. No specific findings of fact were requested or tendered by appellant. Thus, appellant cannot invoke a review of the evidence to ascertain whether it supports the general finding or judgment. Damon v. Carmean, 44 N.M. 458, 104 P.2d 735; Scuderi v. Moore, 59 N.M. 352, 284 P.2d 672.

Secondly, the two circumstances relied upon by appellant, to-wit: That there was no resident judge for a certain period, and that no jury was empaneled in Colfax County until April 17, 1959, do not meet the requirements of the rule and our interpretation thereof, that for some good reason a plaintiff is unable, for cause beyond his control, to bring the case to trial. We do not known and the trial court, even though he inquired, did not know the reason why a long period of time elapsed between the recusal of the resident...