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230 Ind. 533

105 N.E.2d 508

Barrett v. State

Indiana Supreme Court

Decided April 30, 1952

Indiana Supreme Court · decided 1952-04-30

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

““It is necessary that an appellant show, through happenings or events which have no connection with the actual trial, and which have not been brought about by the fault of the litigant, that his time for filing such motion has expired, and that, because of the happenings or events, it was impossible for him to perfect the record for an appeal. * * * ” Barrett v. State, supra. [ 230 Ind. 533 , 105 N.E.2d 509 .]”

quoted by 2 later decisions, including State v. Hill, Langley v. State

““(A) Any defendant convicted after a trial or plea of guilty may petition the court of conviction for permission to file a belated motion for new trial, 1 where: “(1) no timely and adequate motion to correct error was filed for the defendant; “(2) the failure to file a timely motion to correct error was not due to the fault of the defendant; and “(3) the defendant has been diligent in requesting permission to file a belated motion to correct error under this rule. “The trial court shall not consider the merits of the motion, but shall determine whether there are grounds for allowing the belated motion to correct error to be filed. Any hearing on the petition shall be conducted according to Post-Conviction Remedy Rule 1 (E). “If the trial court finds such grounds, it shall permit the defendant to file the motion, and the motion shall then be treated for all purposes as a motion to correct error filed within the prescribed period. “If the trial court finds no such grounds, it shall deny defendant permission to file the motion. Defendant may appeal such a denial and the only assignment of error required is that the trial court ruling is contrary to law.””

quoted by 1 later decision, including Jones v. State

Relies on Irwin v. State · Walker Alias Walters v. State · State Ex Rel. Walker v. Youngblood

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1952-04-30

How this case has been cited

Cited by 8 later decisions — most recently August 1970

8 state decisions

40195219601970decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Jasper, J.

¶1 This is an appeal from the denial of a verified application for permission to file a belated motion for a new trial.

¶2 Appellant was convicted of first degree arson on February 19, 1951, after a trial by jury. He was represented in the trial by two attorneys. The time for 'filing motion for a new trial expired March 21, 1951. On October 18, 1951, appellant filed his verified petition for permission to file a belated motion for new trial. An answer was filed by the State of Indiana under our Rule 1-3. On December 13, 1951, appellant was ordered returned from the Indiana State Prison for the purpose of giving evidence on his petition. On January 8, 1952, the court heard the evidence and argument of counsel, after which the petition was denied.

¶3 The sole assignment of error properly before this court is the denial of appellant’s petition for permission to'file a belated motion for new trial.

¶4 Tlie evidence which was introduced on the petition was. conflicting, and shows, among other things, that immediately after the trial one of the attorneys talked *535 with appellant in regard to filing a motion for a new trial, and that ten days after judgment was entered a letter was sent to appellant by one of his attorneys, which was delivered to him on March 2, 1951. Appellant made no effort to contact his attorneys, the court, or the public defender, or to personally file a motion for a new trial.

¶5 Section 9-1903, Burns’ 1942 Replacement, requires that a motion for a new trial be filed within thirty days from the date of the verdict or finding. However, trial courts have an inherent right -to grant a new trial, where the ends of justice require, even though a motion for a new trial has not been filed within the statutory period. See State ex rel. Walker v. Youngblood (1947), 225 Ind. 375, 75 N. E. 2d 551; Walker alias Walters v. State (1948), 226 Ind. 552, 82 N. E. 2d 245; Joseph v. State (1951), 229 Ind. 496, 99 N. E. 2d 244. It is necessary that an appellant show, through happenings or events which have no connection with the actual trial, and which have not been brought about by the fault of the litigant, that his time for filing such motion has expired, and that, because of the happenings or events, it was impossible for him to perfect the record for an appeal. Joseph v. State, supra; Walker alias Walters v. State, supra. Whether or not appellant was diligent in attempting to file his motion for a new trial is a question of fact for the trial court. Irvin v. State (1942), 220 Ind. 228, 41 N. E. 2d 809. The determination of whether diligence has been established rests in the sound discretion of the trial court, subject to review by this court on appeal. State ex rel. McManamon v. Hancock Circuit Court (1950), 228 Ind. 90, 89 N. E. 2d 545. The burden of proof was appellant’s. He failed to sustain such burden.

¶6 *536 The trial court did not err in overruling appellant’s petition for permission to file a belated motion for a new trial.

¶7 Judgment affirmed.

¶8 Note.—Reported in 105 N. E. 2d 508.

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