The plaintiff, a mechanic’s lien holder and assignee of a second position trust deed, filed a complaint with the federal bankruptcy court asking the court to stay a
In the district court, the defendant requested summary judgment, arguing that the bankruptcy court’s dismissal was res judicata and that the plaintiff was therefore barred from bringing any further action. In response to the defendant’s motion for summary judgment, the plaintiff’s attorney filed an affidavit summarizing the proceedings of the bankruptcy court. That affidavit showed that the bankruptcy court had dismissed the complaint for lack of jurisdiction and hence had never made a judgment on the merits that could serve as the basis for res judicata. The district court denied the motion for summary judgment and, after trial, found for the plaintiff. We affirm.
The defendant argues that the affidavit from the plaintiff’s attorney was hearsay and should not have been accepted by the district court. The defendant failed, however, to interpose any objection to the use of the affidavit below and has raised this issue for the first time on appeal. We have consistently held that an issue not raised in the trial court may not be raised on appeal. Turtle Management, Inc. v. Haggis Management, Inc., Utah,
This Court will not consider on appeal issues which were not submitted to the trial court and concerning which the trial court did not have the opportunity to make any findings of fact or law.
See also Henderson v. Osguthorpe, Utah,
The affidavit of the plaintiff’s attorney
In Krofcheck v. Downey State Bank, Utah,
A judgment is not on the merits if it represents a judicial decision upon some point other than the issues of law and fact which must be disposed of in order to determine whether the parties have good claims or defenses under the applicable substantive law.
A finding that the court does not have jurisdiction is clearly not the sort of adjudication that can serve as the basis for res judicata on the merits. In Rhoades v. Wright, Utah,
The affidavit filed by the plaintiffs attorney is accurate in asserting that the bankruptcy court did not make an adjudication on the merits. The bankruptcy court’s dismissal was not, therefore, res judicata for purposes of the Utah district court action. Although the affidavit was probably hearsay, the defendant’s failure to object to its admission in the trial court precludes consideration of that issue on appeal.
Affirmed. Costs and attorney fees on appeal awarded to respondent.
Notes
. The plaintiff filed in this Court, as a supplement to his reply brief on the issue of attorney fees, a copy of the transcript of the bankruptcy court hearing. We note that a comparison of the affidavit and the contents of the transcript shows that the affidavit is accurate in its description of what occurred at the bankruptcy hearing.
