Piersma v. Seitz
Piersma v. Seitz
Opinion of the Court
delivered the majority opinion of the Court. Orth, J., dissents. Dissenting opinion by Orth, J., at page 444 infra.
On April 19, 1965, the motor vehicles driven by appellant and appellee were involved in a collision in Prince George’s County, as a result of which appellee on April 18, 1968 — one day before the statute of limitations would have barred the action — sued appellant for personal injuries in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County. The summons issued for appellant was returned non est (moved) on April 25, 1968. By letter dated May 17, 1968, the Clerk of the Court so notified appellee’s counsel and requested that he “issue written instructions to this office for purposes of re-issue and service by the Sheriff.” Appellee’s counsel did not respond to the Clerk’s letter and the summons was not reissued. On November 14, 1968, the case was placed on the stet docket. Subsequently, in March of 1969, appellee located appellant living in Pennsylvania and service was effected upon her. Appellant pleaded limitations. That defense was held without merit and the case was eventually tried before a jury which awarded appellee judgment in the amount of $15,-000.
Appellant claims on appeal that while the suit was filed within the statutory period of limitations, the action was discontinued as barred by limitations because the appellee did not obtain two successive returns of non est before allowing the summons to lie dormant. He relies on Neel v. Webb Fly Screen Mfg. Co., 187 Md. 34; Mary
It is well settled that for the purpose of preventing the running of the statute of limitations the impetration of the original writ is deemed the commencement of the suit. Logan v. State, Use of Nesbitt, 39 Md. 177. At common law, where the party instituted the suit within the period of limitations but the summons proved ineffectual to bring the defendant into court, it was necessary, in order to keep the suit alive, that such summons be regularly renewed from term to term until the defendant was served; and the omission so to renew operated as a discontinuance of the action. Hazlehurst v. Morris, 28 Md. 67. Statutes declaratory of the common law were enacted in 1864, 1886, and 1888; “they merely established more frequent — and finally monthly — ‘return days’ in lieu of the thrice yearly ‘term days.’ ” Renewal of Process and the Statute of Limitations, 9 M.L.R. 74, 76. Subsequently, by Chapter 180 of the Acts of 1894, it was provided that in the courts of the City of Baltimore, where summons had been returned not executed, “the same may be renewed,” and that “after two returns of any original writ not executed at the two succeeding return days after the writ is first issued, the same shall be permitted to lie dormant, * * Substantially identical provisions were subsequently enacted for the various Circuit Courts of the counties by Chapter 240 of the Acts of 1914.
In Neel v. Webb Fly Screen Mfg. Co., supra, decided in 1946, the Court of Appeals, in interpreting these statutes modifying the common law rule, held that after two ineffective issues of the summons (at two successive return days) the suit was kept alive and not barred by limitations for failure thereafter to renew the summons. The statutes interpreted in Neel were repealed by Chapter 399 of the Acts of 1957; they were in effect superseded by Maryland Rule 112 entitled “Renewal of Process — Dormant Process,” which reads as follows:
“a. Once as of Course, by Clerk.
Upon the return of the summons to a party*442 endorsed non est, the same shall be renewed by the Clerk as a matter of course, returnable to the next return day.
b. After Two Non Ests, to Lie Dormant.
After two returns of non est, the summons to a party shall be permitted to lie dormant, renewable only on the written order of the plaintiff to such future return day as’ the plaintiff may direct.
c. Further Renewal.
Thereafter, upon a further return of non est, said summons shall again be permitted to lie dormant, renewable only as aforesaid, the said plaintiff having the right to renew said summons to as many subsequent return days, under the same mode of procedure as may be deemed proper, until the same is executed.”
The requirement that the Clerk renew the summons “as a matter of course” imposes upon him, as a matter of law, a non-discretionary, wholly automatic duty, to reissue the summons so returned non est, returnable to the next return day. The Rule can bear no other interpretation; the Clerk’s duty is not, as appellant suggests, dependent upon a request of the party seeking service of the summons.
Rule 108 of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, under which the Clerk acted in asking appellee’s counsel to provide written instructions for reissuance of the summons, reads:
“The Sheriff shall promptly make his return to the Clerk of the Court. If process has not been served, the return shall state the reason why and the Clerk of Court shall forthwith notify counsel accordingly.”
We see no inconsistency between the local Rule and Mary
The thrust of appellant’s claim is that appellee’s action “was barred by the statute of limitations when, under the Rules of Court, he did not as a matter of course request a reissue in response to the Clerk’s letter of May 17, 1968.” Since the reissuance was not dependent upon counsel’s request therefor, and since the statute of limitations would have remained tolled had the Clerk followed the
Judgment affirmed; appellant to pay costs.
. Were there such an inconsistency, the local Rule would yield. Maryland Rule If.
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting.
In Lewis v. Germantown Insurance Company, 251 Md. 535, 536 the Court of Appeals wondered “if the bar ever reflects upon the reasons why we have adopted and promulgated rules of practice and procedure.” In Isen et ux v. Phoenix Assurance Company of New York, 259 Md. , it spelled out the reasons by reminding “* * * all hands that [the rules] are not guides to the practice of law but precise rubrics ‘established to promote the orderly and efficient administration of justice and [that they] are to be read and followed.’ Brown v. Fraley, 222 Md. 480, 483 (I960).” Maryland Rule 112 b provides inter alia: “After two returns of non est, the summons to a party shall be permitted to lie dormant * *
An action at law shall be commenced by filing a decla
At the common law the writ of summons had to be renewed uninterruptedly and without omission to each succeeding return day. If it was, then when it was finally executed it related back to the original asking, and if that had been within the limitation period, the bar of limitations did not lie. The Court so stated in Logan v. State, Use of Nesbitt, supra, at 190:
“It is well settled that for the purpose of preventing the running of the Statute of Limitations the impetration of the original writ is deemed the commencement of the suit, and if that proves ineffectual to bring the defendant into court and is returned by the sheriff, the suit may be kept alive by writs of summons regularly and uninterruptedly renewed from term to term until the defendant is taken.”
And it said in Hazlehwrst v. Morris, 28 Md. 67 (1868), at 75, explaining its unreported case of Dennison v. Trull (1823) :
“The regular renewal of the writ from term to term, without any omissions, kept the action alive and prevented the bar of limitations * * *. When the plaintiff, after the first return, had his writ regularly renewed, he did all that was in his power to do, and all that was required of him by law* * *.”
On the other hand, if one renewal of the writ of summons
“Where a party institutes a suit and the summons proves ineffectual to bring the defendant into court and is returned by the Sheriff, in order to keep the suit alive, the summons must be regularly renewed from term to term until the defendant is taken. The omission so to renew it operates a discontinuance of the action.”2
“Statutory enactments in 1864, 1886 and 1888 did not change the common law in this respect; they merely established more frequent — and finally monthly — ‘return days’ in lieu of the thrice yearly ‘term days.’ ” Renetoal of Process and the Statute of Limitations, 9 M.L.R. 74, 76. See Rule 102. Until 1894 there was no option for a plaintiff to skip a renewal day without suffering a discontinuance and opening the way for limitations again to run. In 1894, however, the General Assembly enacted a public local law applicable to Baltimore City. Acts 1894, Ch. 180, codified as § 160 of Art. 4 of the Code of Public Local Laws of Maryland, provided:
“On the return of an original writ, not executed in either of said Courts [the law courts of the Supreme Bench], the same may be renewed, returnable to the next return day thereafter, and after two returns of any original writ not executed at the two succeeding return days*447 after the writ is first issued, the same shall be permitted to lie dormant, renewable only on the written order of the plaintiff or his attorney of record to such future return day as the said plaintiff or his attorney may elect, and upon a further return of not executed, said writ shall be again permitted to lie, renewable only as aforesaid, the said plaintiff or his attorney having the right to renew said writ to as many subsequent return days, under the same mode of procedure as may be deemed proper, until the same is executed.”3
By Ch. 240, Acts 1914, later codified in the 1951 Code as Art. 75, § 155, identical provisions were enacted applicable “to any of the Circuit Courts of the State.”
In Neel v. Webb Fly Screen Mfg. Co., 187 Md. 34 (1946) the Court was presented with the effect of these statutes on the common law rule. The original writ was issued and returned non est to the first rule day after the action was commenced. It was renewed to the next three succeeding rule days and returned non est each time. The suit lay dormant for over 3 years when the plaintiff applied for a renewal of the writ which was issued and served. The limitation period had then elapsed and the defendant pleaded limitations. The lower court found that if a writ is allowed to become dormant by the failure to renew after two non ests as provided by the statute, there was a discontinuance of the action. Therefore the request for renewal of the writ subsequent to the action becoming dormant was the equivalent to commencement of a new suit. Limitations in the meantime having intervened, the defendant could plead limitations to bar the action. The Court of Appeals did not agree. It recognized that the rule in this State, until 1894 as to Baltimore City and un
Although it seemed to the Editor that no change from the statute was intended by Rule 112, there is a distinction between the statute and the Rule. Each of the public local and the general statute provided that on the return of the original writ
Here the action at law in tort was commenced by the filing of a declaration in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County by William L. Seitz, appellee-plaintiff, one day before it would have been barred by the statute of limitations.
“The Sheriff shall promptly make his return to the Clerk of the Court. If process has not been served, the return shall state the reason why and the Clerk of Court shall forthwith notify counsel accordingly.”
The Clerk did not renew the summons but notified appellee’s counsel by letter dated 17 May that process had not been served and informed him why it had not been served. He stated in the letter: “You will please issue written instructions to this office for purpose of reissue and service by the Sheriff.” But there were no written instructions to the Clerk or request to reissue the summons until 18 March 1969. Then for the first time, appellee’s counsel, by letter, requested the Clerk to “reissue service on Pricilla R. Crosby, also known as Pricilla R. Crosby Piersma, at new address: 606 Gulph Road, Apt. 108, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. She is now married to Dr. Bernard J. Piersma.” The Clerk issued a writ of summons to the Sheriff of Anne Arundel County on 20 March 1969 for service on the Secretary of State, Code, Art. 66§ 115, and it was served on that official.
Nor do I believe that the Rule can be construed in terms of assessment of blame for failure to comply with its provisions. And if degree of blame is to be considered, certainly appellant in no way contributed to the failure to obtain two non ests or to the failure to serve her. There is nothing in the record to indicate that she was attempting to evade service, or, in fact, that she had any knowledge of the proceedings until service was had through the Secretary of State in March 1969. On the other hand appellee not only brought the action one day before it would have been barred but knew that the original summons had been returned unexecuted and ignored a specific request to give the Clerk instructions for its reissuance which he could have done and obtained compliance with the Rule. I note that Rule 103 d provides: “Upon request of the plaintiff an additional summons shall issue against any defendant,” and so appellee had authority to request an additional summons. I simply cannot read into the Rule under the circumstances in this case the sanction imposed by the majority.
The general purpose of a statute of limitations is to insure prompt assertion of a claim. Many states have saving statutes to prevent perversion of the policy and purpose of a statute of limitations. These statutes provide that if an action is “commenced” within good time but is dismissed by some technicality unrelated to the merits, for example, that the venue was improper or the court lacked jurisdiction, “a new action may be brought within a certain specified time, usually six months or a year, and that the second action is to be treated as a continuation of the first, the effect being that the original statute of limitations is tolled by the first suit, ineffectual to avoid dismissal as it was.” Bertonazzi v. Hillman, Admx.,
Mr. Poe was not unaware of the possibility of the Clerk not renewing- an unexecuted writ. Although he did not consider the matter in the light of a provision that the Clerk reissue the summons “as a matter of course,” he did consider it with the idea that it was perhaps the duty of the. Clerk to renew the writ without instructions from plaintiff’s attorney. He felt: “[I]t is obviously also encumbent upon the attorney of the plaintiff to see that such duty is performed, in order to guard against the possibility of its being neglected, and the consequent injury
The majority have no need to consider the other reasons advanced by appellee as to why his action should not be barred by limitations. I have considered them and find them without merit.
1) The Amendment of the Declaration
It is correct that as the period of limitations had not elapsed when the action was commenced, the amendment of the declaration with respect to appellant’s name would not warrant the filing of a plea of limitations even though the statutory period intervened between the time the cause of action accrued and the time of making the amendment, for the amendment did not change the cause of action. See Lichtenberg v. Joyce, 183 Md. 689. But appellee could not resurrect an action that had died, as this one had, by amending the declaration as to the name of the defendant. That is to say, although the amendment may ordinarily have related back to the original declaration, at the time the amendment was prayed and ordered there had already been a discontinuance of the action. In that circumstance the amendment could not prevent “the defense of the statute of limitations from being a bar to the suit.”
According to the docket entries the case was stetted about six months after the original summons had been returned non est. Upon petition of appellee it was ordered removed from the “stet docket” on 26 March 1969. Appellee claims that the order reinstating the case for disposition prevented a valid plea of limitations. But in my opinion there had been a discontinuance of the action before the case was stetted and neither the placing of the case on the stet docket nor the removing it therefrom could resurrect it or isolate it from the effect of the statute of limitations.
3) The Filing of the Suit within the Limitations Period
Appellee urges that the mere filing of the suit within the period of limitations was all that was required to prevent forever the effect of the statute of limitations-The majority and I are in accord that this was not the common law rule and is not now the rule in this jurisdiction. While the commencement of an action within the applicable period of limitations tolls the statute, see Vincent v. Palmer, 179 Md. 365, 374, when there is a discontinuance of the action, the statute again runs and may serve as a bar to a new action brought.
4) The Absconding Debtor Statute
Code, Art. 57, § 4 provides in pertinent part that no' person shall have the benefit of any limitation of action who absents himself from Maryland “after any debt contracted whereby the creditor may be at an uncertainty of finding out such person or his effects.” Appellee argues that this statute prevented appellant from pleading limitations. The statute is not applicable. There was no debt, here contracted. And see Mason v. Union Mills Paper Mfg. Co., 81 Md. 446.
5) The Failure to Take an Immediate Appeal from the Denial of the Motion for Summary Judgment
Appellant did not lose her right to appellate review of
I would hold that the lower court erred in denying appellant’s motion for summary judgment and réverse the judgment in favor of appellee.
I agree with the majority that Rule 108 of the Seventh Judicial Circuit is not inconsistent with Maryland Rule 112. And I would emphatically suggest that henceforth the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, not only comply with the Seventh Judicial Circuit’s Rule 108 but also with Maryland Rule 112a so that when the original summons issued by him is returned non est, he renew it, returnable to the next return day, “as a matter of course”, without the necessity of any prayer therefor, or request or instruction or otherwise from the plaintiff or the plaintiff’s attorney. And if the clerks of the other Circuit Courts of Maryland and the clerks of the various courts of the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City are not now complying with Rule 112a, it is suggested that they do so forthwith.
. It is then “renewable only on the written order of the plaintiff to such future return day as the plaintiff may direct.” Id. “Thereafter, upon a further return of non est, said summons shall again be permitted to lie dormant, renewable only as aforesaid, the said plaintiff having the right to renew said summons to as many subsequent return days, under the same mode of procedure as may he deemed proper, until the same is executed.” Rule 112 c.
. In Hazlehurst the Court expressly rejected the practice generally followed under English and American Law that did not require the issuance of successive writs between the original and final writ, but allowed them to be connected by continuances, that is entries of the award of fictitious writs. “We know of no such practice in this State, as applicable to either suits or executions, and are of the opinion that this court announced the only practice when it stated that a judgment might be kept alive for an indefinite time, by issuing a writ of fieri facias and having it returned, and then regularly renewing it from term to term.” At 73-74.
. For a discussion of “original writs”, the mode of commencing actions in the ancient days in England, the development of modern forms of actions and the effect of Maryland legislation upon the old forms of pleading see Poe on Practice (5th Ed. 1925) §§ 54-58.
. The “two non ests” statute was among the causes for buildup of docket load found in a 1954 survey. See Judicial Administration in Maryland, by Frederick W. Brune, 16 M.L.R. 93, 130.
. However, Art. 4, § 160 of the Code of Public Local Laws has not been expressly repealed. It appears, as enacted in 1894, as § 22-64 Code of Public Local Laws of Baltimore City, Everstine (1969).
. The present rules provide as to the issuance of the original writ:
“When an action is commenced, the clerk shall forthwith issue as of course a summons thereon against each defendant in the State without the necessity of any prayer therefor, and deliver it to the sheriff for service. Rule 103 b. “The summons shall be made returnable at the first return day after its issuance, or if the plaintiff so directs, at the second return day after its issuance.” Rule 103 c.
. It was after the two returns of any original writ not executed that it was permitted to lie dormant.
. As the suit was a claim of damages for personal injuries arising from alleged negligent acts, the limitation period was three years. “All actions * !|! * on the case * * * shall be commenced, sued or issued within three years from the time the cause of action accrued * * *.” Code, Art. 57, § 1. According to the allegations in the declaration filed 18 April 1968 the cause of action accrued on 19 April 1965 when an automobile driven in negligent manner by appellant struck an automobile driven with due care by appellee.
. On 4 November 1968 the case had been placed on the stet docket. Upon petition of appellee filed 26 March 1969 and order the same date, it was removed from the stet docket and appellant’s name was amended to read “Priscilla R. Crosby Also Known As Priscilla R. Piersma.”
. We note that appellant raised the point below that the action was barred by the statute of limitations by pleading it specially, Rule 342, c, 2 (a), by making it the basis of a motion for summary judgment, and by asserting it as a ground for a motion for a directed verdict at trial on the general issue, all to no avail.
It seems that the Court of Appeals in Gore v. Jarrett, 192 Md. 513, 516, determined that an appeal was timely taken because of what a clerk in fact did rather than what he was supposed to do and in fact neglected to do.
. The Court of Appeals in Bertonazzi, at 370-371, said that the fourth section of the English limitation act, 21 Jac. 1 c. 16, § 4, became part of the law of Maryland. “Kilty, in his Report of English Statutes 238 (1811), classified it as ‘applicable and proper to be incorporated’ into the law of the State, as did 2 Alexander’s British Statutes 600 (2 ed. 1912).” It did not hold that the statute controlled or was applicable to the case before it but felt that it followed its spirit. I feel that in its factual posture the instant case does not fall within the literal terms of § 4, or as it was liberally construed by the English Courts, nor, since it is readily _ distinguishable factually from Bertonazzi is it within the spirit of § 4.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Priscilla R. Piersma v. William L. Seitz
- Cited By
- 9 cases
- Status
- Published