278 N.W. 153 | Minn. | 1938
An appeal may be taken from an order granting a new trial after verdict only when the order granting a new trial is based exclusively on errors of law occurring at the trial, and the court expressly states in its order or memorandum the reasons for and the ground upon which such new trial is granted. L. 1931, c. 252, 3 Mason Minn. St. 1936 Supp. § 9498(4). The statute does not purport to permit an appeal from an order granting a new trial after verdict except in the instance stated. In order to render the order granting a new trial appealable, the order or the memorandum must expressly state that the new trial is granted exclusively for errors of law occurring at the trial, and the alleged errors of law upon which the order is based must be expressly stated therein. Spicer v. Stebbins,
The first order does not come within the rule stated because it does not state that the new trial was granted because of errors of law occurring at the trial. The basis of the order — the failure of plaintiff to prove that he was administrator — is insufficiency of the evidence to sustain the verdict, which is not an error of law occurring at the trial. Backstrom v. New York L. Ins. Co. and Kelly v. Bowman, supra. The second order does not specify any error of law occurring at the trial. It recanted the grounds stated in the first order. It appears inferentially that the reason for granting a new trial was that the court was not altogether satisfied with the *320 verdict. This is not an error of law occurring at the trial, but is the exercise of a trial court's discretion to grant new trials. The order is not appealable, and the appeal should be dismissed. The defendants Backstrom and Midness dismissed their appeal in open court, thus leaving for consideration only plaintiff's appeal.
Plaintiff's appeal is dismissed.
MR. JUSTICE STONE, because of illness, took no part in the consideration or decision of this case.