FOR PUBLICATION
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT: ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEE:
PHILIP E. HESCH JAMES P. HAYES
Hesch, Rosenberg & Roberts Holmes, Hayes & Walter
Bremen, Indiana Plymouth, Indiana
KEVIN MCINTYRE, )
)
Appellant-Defendant, )
)
vs. ) No. 50A03-9706-CV-202
)
DONALD D. BAKER AND BETTY L. BAKER, )
GERALD C. HALL AND ELIZABETH Y. HALL, )
RICHARD L. HANKEMEIER AND BARBARA )
HANKEMEIER, NANCY A. HIPSKIND AND )
JAMES P. HIPSKIND, MR. AND MRS. JAMES )
H. KURTZ, OWEN C. MUIR AND BONNIE H. )
MUIR, BETTY J. SNYDER AND PERRY M. )
SNYDER, )
)
Appellees-Plaintiffs. )
RUCKER, Judge
Marshall County Recorder's Office a document entitled "Amendment To Restriction in
Bonnie Neys Subdivision." The document, which contained the signatures of a number of
McIntyre's neighbors, modified the language of the covenant thereby allowing McIntyre to
maintain his manufactured home on the property.See footnote
1
On December 6, 1996, armed with the
amendment, McIntyre filed a motion for relief from judgment. A hearing was conducted
which revealed that some of the lot owners who had signed the amendment at McIntyre's
request had recorded a petition wherein they withdrew or attempted to withdraw their names
from the document. They did so because certain information either was not accurately given
to them or was withheld from them. The trial court thus determined that McIntyre lacked the
requisite number of signatures to amend the covenant. Denying McIntyre's motion the trial
court concluded that the restrictions on the Bonnie Neys Subdivision remained in full force
and effect. This appeal followed.
McIntyre raises a single issue for our review framing it in terms of trial court error in
"rescind[ing] the amendment absent any false statements by Mr. McIntyre." Brief of
Appellant at 4. First, we see the issue as whether the trial court properly denied McIntyre's
motion for relief from judgment. Our scope of review for the grant or denial of a T.R. 60(B)
motion is limited to whether the trial court abused its discretion. Lake County Trust v.
Highland Plan Comm'n, 674 N.E.2d 626, 628 (Ind. Ct. App. 1996) trans. denied. An abuse
of discretion occurs where the trial court's judgment is clearly against the logic and effect of
the facts and inferences supporting the judgment for relief. Id. Second, where as here the
trial court enters a general judgment, we will affirm on any theory supported by the evidence
of record. Catellier v. Depco, Inc., 696 N.E.2d 75, 77 (Ind. Ct. App. 1998).
McIntyre's motion was filed under the provisions of T.R. 60(B)(2), (7), and (8).
Attaching the Amendment to the motion he claimed "there has been a material change in
circumstances since the entry of the Order herein described in that new evidence has
occurred and new circumstances have developed by the filing of Amendments . . . ." R. at
168. The burden is on the movant to establish the grounds for T.R. 60(B) relief. Summit
Account & Computer v. Hogge, 608 N.E.2d 1003, 1006 (Ind. Ct. App. 1993). It is clear that
newly discovered evidence is a ground for relief under T.R. 60(B)(2). The movant has the
burden of demonstrating that such evidence "by due diligence could not have been
discovered in time to move for a motion to correct errors under Rule 59." Id. at 1005. Under
Ind. Trial Rule 59 a motion to correct errors must be filed not later than thirty days after
judgment. In this case McIntyre does not explain what evidence he contends is "new
evidence" justifying relief under the rule. It is not clear, for example, whether the "new
evidence" is the purported Amendment filed with the County Recorder's Office, the
knowledge of the provision allowing an amendment, or the cooperation of McIntyre's
neighbors in affixing their signatures to the Amendment. In any event McIntyre filed his
motion for relief from judgment on December 6, 1996. He has not demonstrated or even
alleged that the "new evidence" by due diligence could not have been discovered by August
24, 1996, which was thirty days after entry of judgment. McIntyre is entitled to no relief
under T.R. 60(B)(2).
A party may obtain relief from judgment under T. R. 60(B)(7) where:
[T]he judgment has been satisfied, released, or discharged, or a prior judgment
upon which it is based has been reversed or otherwise vacated, or it is no
longer equitable that the judgment should have prospective application.
The only provision applicable here is that "it is no longer equitable that the judgment should
have prospective application." Id. McIntyre's argument on this point appears to be that the
judgment of the trial court ordering him to remove the manufactured home was based upon
a restrictive covenant. The argument appears to continue that because the restriction has
been removed by reason of the Amendment, the underlying rationale for the judgment no
longer exists.
To establish that it is no longer equitable for a final judgment to have prospective
application the movant must show that there has been a change of circumstances since the
entry of the original judgment and that the change of circumstances was not reasonably
foreseeable at the time of entry of the original judgment. State v. Martinsville Development
Co., Inc., 174 Ind. App. 157, 366 N.E.2d 681, 684 (1977). The change of circumstances here
is that the purported Amendment would have allowed McIntyre's manufactured home to
remain on his lot. However the trial court determined that the Amendment was of no effect
because McIntyre did not have the required number of signatures. More specifically the trial
court found and the record reveals that McIntyre did not provide his neighbors with complete
and accurate information when he asked them to sign a petition supporting the Amendment.
One neighbor in particular, Mr. Pomroy, testified by way of deposition that the only reason
he agreed to sign the petition was that McIntyre informed him that "he wasn't told prior to
having everything finished that there were restrictions on the lot . . . ." S.R.See footnote
2
at 19. This was
an inaccurate representation. The question of McIntyre's prior notice of the restrictions was
determined by the trial court sometime in 1994 and affirmed by this court on appeal in 1996.
Once Mr. Pomroy learned the truth, he attempted to withdraw his name from the
Amendment.
Contrary to McIntyre's contention we need not examine whether his representations
amounted to fraud. Similarly, we need not explore whether Mr. Pomroy or other signatories
could in fact withdraw their names and thereby revoke the Amendment. Rather, our focus
is more narrow: Has McIntyre carried his burden establishing the grounds for T.R. 60(B)
relief? The alleged change in circumstances here was improperly manufactured by McIntyre
himself. More importantly McIntyre has failed to show or even argue that the purported
Amendment was not reasonably foreseeable at the time of entry of the original judgment.
Martinsville, 366 N.E.2d at 684. Stated more accurately McIntyre has failed to show that it
was not reasonably foreseeable on July 24, 1996, that a number of his neighbors would agree
to sign a petition supporting his amendment to the restrictive covenants.
AccordinglyMcIntyre has not carried his burden of showing that he is entitled to relief under
T.R. 60(B)(7).
Converted from WP6.1 by the Access Indiana Information Network