Legal Opinion
Pritchard v. Halliburton Services
New Mexico Court of Appeals
Decided February 18, 1986No. 8410PublishedCited by 11 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
OPINION
BIVINS, Judge.
This appeal raises the question of whether a successor judge may sign and file findings of fact and conclusions of law prepared by the predecessor judge who heard the case but who left the bench before signing and entering a decision. We hold that he may not, and remand for a new trial.
In this worker’s compensation case, Judge Ann Steinmetz commenced hearing the case on its merits on August 21, 1984, continued on September 25, 1984, and completed the trial on December 11, 1984. On that last date, Judge Steinmetz announced she would be leaving the bench on December…
2Cases cited15 opinions
- Matter of WhisnantCourt of Appeals of North Carolina · 1984
- Trujillo v. TanuzNew Mexico Court of Appeals · 1973
- Cardenas v. United Nuclear Homestake PartnersNew Mexico Court of Appeals · 1981
- State v. DiazNew Mexico Supreme Court · 1983
- Scott v. Transwestern Tankers, Inc.New Mexico Supreme Court · 1963
10 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by11 opinions
- Romero v. Mervyn'sNew Mexico Supreme Court · 1989
- Lenz v. ChalamidasNew Mexico Supreme Court · 1989
- Grudzina v. New Mexico Youth Diagnostic & Development CenterNew Mexico Court of Appeals · 1986
- Apodaca v. Payroll Express, Inc.New Mexico Court of Appeals · 1993
- Charter Services, Inc. v. Principal Mutual Life InsuranceNew Mexico Court of Appeals · 1994
6 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.