Rule 2-703 NMRA
Rule 2-703. Relief from judgment or order.
A. Clerical mistakes. Clerical mistakes and errors in judgments, orders, or other
parts of the file arising from oversight or omission may be corrected by the magistrate at
any time of his own initiative or on the request of any party after such notice to the
opposing party, if any, as the magistrate orders. During the pendency of an appeal,
these mistakes may be so corrected before the transcript is filed in the district court, and
thereafter while the appeal is pending may be so corrected with leave of the district
court.
B. Mistakes; inadvertence; excusable neglect; fraud, etc. If the judgment has
not been filed in the district court, on motion and on such terms as are just, the court
may relieve a party or his legal representative from a final judgment, order or
proceeding for the following reasons:
(1)
mistake, inadvertence, surprise or excusable neglect;
(2)
fraud (whether heretofore denominated intrinsic or extrinsic),
misrepresentation or other misconduct of an adverse party;
(3)
the judgment is void;
(4)
the judgment has been satisfied, released or discharged, or a prior
judgment on which it is based has been reversed or otherwise vacated; or
(5)
any other reason justifying relief from the operation of a judgment,
including failure of a party who was subject to the provisions of Rule 2-201(E) NMRA to
comply with Rules 2-201(E)(1) and 2-401(D) NMRA, and to substantially comply with
Form 4-226 NMRA, or to comply with Rules 2-201(E)(2) and 2-401(D), and to
substantially comply with Form 4-226A NMRA.
A motion filed under Subparagraphs (1) or (2) of this paragraph shall be filed not
more than one (1) year after the judgment, order or proceeding was entered or taken. A
motion under this paragraph does not affect the finality of a judgment or suspend its
operation.
An order granting or denying relief from a final judgment under this rule may be
appealed to the district court in the same manner as other appeals from final judgments
of the magistrate court are taken.
C. Satisfied judgments. On the filing with the court of a motion for an order
declaring the judgment to be satisfied and notice to the opposing party, the court may
set a hearing to determine if the judgment has been satisfied, released or discharged.
The application shall be served on the judgment creditor in the manner prescribed by
Rule 2-202 NMRA for service of summons and complaint. A hearing on the application
shall be held within a reasonable time after the filing of the application. Notice of the
hearing shall be mailed to the parties by the clerk of the court. If the judgment creditor
fails to appear at the hearing, a default satisfaction of judgment may be entered on:
(1)
the filing of the return of service or an affidavit that after “diligent search”
the judgment creditor could not be located. For purposes of this subparagraph “diligent
search” includes, but shall not be limited to an affidavit that:
(a) the judgment creditor no longer has a business or residence at the
judgment creditor’s last known address as shown in the court file; and
(b) the judgment creditor could not be located through a search of telephone
and city directories in each county where the judgment creditor was known to have
resided or maintained a place of business in this state; and
(2)
proof of payment of the full amount of the judgment with interest thereon
to date of payment, plus post-judgment costs incurred by the judgment creditor which
can be determined from the court record or, if the judgment, including any interest and
costs has not been paid in full, payment into the court of a money order or cashier’s
check made payable to the administrative office of the courts. On receipt of a money
order or cashier’s check under this subparagraph, the administrative office of the courts
shall deposit the money order or cashier’s check in a suspense account in the state
treasury. Funds deposited in the account shall be disbursed in accordance with NMSA
1978, Section 39-1-6.2.
D. Filing in district courts. If the judgment has been filed in the district court under
Paragraph E of Rule 2-803, the motion for an order declaring the judgment satisfied
shall be filed in the district court.