Appeal and Error--appealability--grant of partial summary judgment--interlocutory order-
-no substantial right
Respondents' appeal from the trial court's order granting partial summary judgment in
favor of petitioners in a special proceeding to establish a cartway under N.C.G.S. §§ 136-68 and
136-69 is dismissed since the order is interlocutory and not immediately appealable, because: (1)
it does not affect a substantial right that will be lost, prejudiced, or less than adequately protected
absent immediate appeal; and (2) N.C.G.S. § 136-68 expressly provides that appeals to superior
court are available upon a final order or judgment, and that all issues may be addressed on appeal.
Mullinax & Alexander, by William M. Alexander Jr., for
petitioners-appellees.
Jackson & Jackson, by Phillip T. Jackson, and Stepp, Groce &
Associates, by Edwin R. Groce, and Howe, Waters & Carpenter,
P.A., by Walter C. Carpenter, and Samuel H. Fritschner, for
respondents-appellants.
Sue Ballard Gilliam, Guardian Ad Litem, for unknown
respondents.
SMITH, Judge.
On 25 June 1997 petitioners instituted a special proceeding
before the Clerk of Superior Court for Henderson County to
establish a cartway across the property of respondents pursuant to
N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 136-68 and 136-69 (1999). Respondents filed
answers raising two issues: (1) respondents claimed petitionerswere not landowners within the context of the pertinent statutes;
and (2) respondents counterclaimed for trespass. The Clerk entered
an order on 27 August 1998 transferring these two issues to the
Superior Court civil docket of Henderson County for trial.
We note in passing that the 27 August 1998 order cites N.C.
Gen. Stat. § 1-399 (1996) (repealed effective 1 January 2000) as
authority. Although this statute was in effect at that time, this
citation appears to be incorrect, as G.S. § 1-399 required the
transfer of an entire cause of action to the civil issue docket
where a party in a special proceeding plead[s] any equitable or
other defense, or ask[s] any equitable or other relief in the
pleadings. G.S. § 1-399. In fact, the order should have cited
N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 1-273 and 1-276 (1996) (repealed effective 1January 2000). N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-273 provided that i
f issues of
law and of fact, or of fact only, are raised before the clerk, the
clerk shall transfer the case to the civil issue docket for trial
of the issues. G.S. § 1-273 (emphasis added). N.C. Gen. Stat. §
1-276 further provided that when a special proceeding is
transferred to the superior court for any reason, the judge may
either determine the entire controversy or remand the cause to the
clerk for further proceedings. See G.S. § 1-276.
Respondents timely appealed the Clerk's 27 August 1998 order.
The order was affirmed on appeal by the Superior Court on 10
February 1999, and respondents entered written exceptions to this
order. On a motion of petitioners, the Superior Court entered an
order on 3 May 1999 granting partial summary judgment in favor of
petitioners on the first of the two issues, declaring that
petitioners are owners of marketable fee simple title to the
property at issue.
Respondents purport to appeal from the 3 May 1999 order of the
Superior Court granting partial summary judgment. Respondents also
purport to appeal from the 10 February 1999 order of the SuperiorCourt, affirming the 27 August 1998 order of the Clerk which
transferred the two issues to the Superior Court docket.
Petitioners have filed a motion to dismiss respondents' appeal as
interlocutory. We conclude that respondents' appeal is
interlocutory and must be dismissed.
An interlocutory order is one made during the pendency of an
action, which does not dispose of the case, but leaves it for
further action by the trial court in order to settle and determine
the entire controversy. Veazey v. Durham, 231 N.C. 357, 362, 57
S.E.2d 377, 381 (1950) (citation omitted). Respondents acknowledge
the interlocutory nature of this appeal. However, respondents
argue that the Superior Court's order granting partial summary
judgment in favor of petitioners is properly before us because it
affects a substantial right. We disagree.
An otherwise interlocutory order may be appealed where the
order affects a substantial right, and where, absent immediate
appeal, the enforcement of the substantial right [will] be lost,
prejudiced or be less than adequately protected by exception to
entry of the interlocutory order. J & B Slurry Seal Co. v.
Mid-South Aviation, Inc., 88 N.C. App. 1, 6, 362 S.E.2d 812, 815
(1987) (citations omitted). Determination of whether this standard
has been satisfied requires consideration of the particular factsof the case and the procedural context in which the order was
entered. See Waters v. Personnel, Inc., 294 N.C. 200, 208, 240
S.E.2d 338, 343 (1978).
The present case involves a special proceeding to establish a
cartway pursuant to G.S. §§ 136-68 and 136-69. The appropriate
procedure for an appeal in a cartway proceeding is set forth in
G.S. § 136-68, which provides that
[f]rom any final order or judgment in [a
special proceeding to establish a cartway],
any interested party may appeal to the
superior court for a jury trial de novo on all
issues including the right to relief, the
location of a cartway, tramway or railway, and
the assessment of damages.
(Emphasis added).
A careful reading of this language leads us to conclude that
dismissal of this appeal will not ultimately preclude respondents
from addressing the issue of whether petitioners are landowners
within the context of G.S. §§ 136-68 and 136-69. If petitioners
are granted the cartway they seek, respondents would be permitted
to appeal to the Superior Court for a jury trial de novo on all the
issues, and from a final judgment of the Superior Court respondents
would be entitled to appeal to this Court. In the course of that
appeal, respondents would be entitled to set forth their present
argument that petitioners do not have a right to relief becausethey are not landowners within the context of G.S. &
#167;§ 136-68 and
136-69. See Davis v. Forsyth County, 117 N.C. App. 725, 453 S.E.2d
231 (on appeal to Superior Court from Clerk's final order in
cartway proceeding, respondents entitled to move for dismissal
pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) on grounds that County is not other
person within context of G.S. § 136-69),disc. review denied, 340
N.C. 110, 456 S.E.2d 313 (1995). Therefore, the Superior Court's
interlocutory order may not be appealed because it does not affect
a substantial right that will be lost, prejudiced, or less than
adequately protected absent immediate appeal.
Respondents argue that the holding in Highway Commission v.
Nuckles, 271 N.C. 1, 155 S.E.2d 772 (1967), controls the outcome in
this case. We disagree. Nuckles involved a condemnation
proceeding brought by the North Carolina State Highway Commission.
Within the context of a condemnation proceeding, N.C. Gen. Stat.
§ 136-108 (1999) provides for a hearing to determine any and all
issues raised by the pleadings other than the issue of damages,
including, but not limited to, if controverted, questions of
necessary and proper parties, title to the land, interest taken,
and area taken. G.S. ' 136-108. One of the purposes of this
statute is to resolve any issues concerning title or area taken
prior to the jury trial on the issue of damages, which is why theCourt in Nuckles determined that interlocutory orders from a
condemnation hearing concerning title or area taken must be
immediately appealed. See Nuckles, 271 N.C. at 14, 155 S.E.2d at
784. The result in Nuckles was simply a pragmatic means of
ensuring that the specific objectives of G.S. § 136-108 would not
be undermined.
The case at bar involves a cartway proceeding, not a
condemnation proceeding. The statutes governing cartway
proceedings, G.S. §§ 136-68 and 136-69, do not include a provision
similar to G.S. § 136-108 requiring a hearing to determine issues
raised by the pleadings other than the issue of damages. Instead,
G.S. § 136-68 expressly provides that appeals to Superior Court are
available upon a final order or judgment and that all issues may be
addressed on appeal. G.S. § 136-68.
Appeal dismissed.
Judges Greene and Edmunds concur.
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