WPC 44 0( 3w@;{ 0l{ 0D AQ+ 0D| 0@U@e@ 0JA 0D 0T# 0^ 0hGUB % 0r 0|i 0 0k 1u 0dp B D3 D/$ BS U6p B) DC AM U*_   v~Evzz!(3|x($ DDDDӀ((3$ !      0  (#$  0   (C<< C($$   1  ("$    `(ZapfCalligr BTTT2 0Indent123  (3$ !  2" 0Indent20 23  ԃLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 52, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  <6X9`(*Courier 12pt10cpiX2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23   ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)P 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X d$$$$'dxd**' dxdP Pd<  9p`(Courier New% Line 7 d,,,,7Border 1dd -C << G<  9p`(Arial  !  #d#+  "  +  / eee FILED/X /"US ,   !  /X CecilCrowson,Jr.   / eee AppellateCourtClerk   X  !#d#+   $       ݀+ԀTheRuleprovidesthatinnonjuryactions, [t]hecourtafter0 hearingmayadoptthereportormaymodifyitormayrejectitinwholeorinpartormayreceivefurtherevidenceormayrecommititwithinstructions. T.R.C.P.53.04(2).PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'hStyl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   h HD: Geneva  h HD: Geneva ! . +        \RA'\\RA'\7#XXdd7ћ ̀@ INTHECOURTOFAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE̜R.0-A1-j|[  `@Rߛ@ WESTERNSECTIONATJACKSON@ ________________________________ELVINL.BLANKENSHIP andwife,)HendersonCountyChancery MARYBLANKENSHIP, and WAYNE  )CourtNo.8635 BLANKENSHIP ,    )      ) PlaintiffsCounter  ) Defendants/Appellees, )      )v.      )C/ANO.02A019603CH00051      ) ALVISBLANKENSHIP andwife, ) DOROTHYBLANKENSHIP, and  ) CHARLESGOODMAN andwife, ) KATHYGOODMAN,     )      ) DefendantsCounter  ) Plaintiffs/Appellants. )______________________________________________________________FromtheChanceryCourtofHendersonCountyatLexington, HonorableJoeC.Morris,Judge MichaelL.Weinman TATUM&TATUM,Henderson,TennesseeAttorneyforAppellants DanielJ.Perky Lexington,TennesseeAttorneyforAppelleesOPINIONFILED: VACATEDANDREMANDED@ FRANKS,J.̜CRAWFORD,P.J.(W.S.): (Concurs) FARMER,J.: (Concurs)̜  InthisboundarylinedisputetheTrialCourtappointedasurveyorwhoestablishedaboundarylinebetweenthepartieswhichwasadoptedbytheTrialJudgeintheDecreeinthiscase.Defendantshaveappealed,assertingtheTrialCourterredinlimitingtheirproofandinadoptingtheboundaryestablishedbythesurveyor.  Attrial,theplaintiffsanddefendantssurveyorstestified,andtwobrothersoftheparties.Atapointnotreflectedintherecord,theCourtheldaconferencewiththeattorneysinchambers,andannouncedthataspecialmasterwouldbeappointedtoconductasurveyandreportbacktothecourt.  TheCourtappointedsurveyorasspecialmasterreportedtotheCourt,whereupontheCourtandbothpartiesexaminedthesurveyor.Beforeappellantsattorneyhadconcludedhisexamination,theCourtruledthatthemastersreportwouldbeadoptedinfull.  TrialCourtsaregivenwidediscretionintheconductofthetrial.Bradfordv.CityofClarksville,885S.W.2d78(Tenn.App.1994).Testimonywhichisrepetitiveorcumulativemaybeexcluded.Cordellv.WardSchoolBusMfg.,Inc.,597S.W.2d323(Tenn.App.1980).ACourtmay,intheinterestsofpreventingunduedelay,placereasonablelimitsontheamountoftimeeachsidemayusetopresentitscaseorthenumberofwitnesseswhomaytestify.Conleev.Taylor,285S.W.35,153Tenn.507(Tenn.1926).ButseeMcKnightv.GeneralMotorsCorp.,908F.2d104,115(7thCir.1990),cert.denied499U.S.919,111S.Ct.1306,113L.Ed.2d241( toimposearbitrarylimitations,enforcetheminflexibly,andbythesemeansturnafederaltrialintoarelayraceistosacrificetoomuchofonegoodaccuracyoffactualdeterminationtoobtainanotherminimizationofthetimeandexpenseoflitigation. )  Whilelimitationsmaybeproperlymadeonthepresentationofevidence,apartyshouldbeallowed fullopportunitytointroduceallevidencecompetentandrelevanttosupportthecaseallegedbyhim. 88C.J.S.Trial55(b)(1955);Houstonv.Houston,1985WL4121(Tenn.App.1985);McCarterv.McCarter,1996WL625798(Tenn.App.1996).Thedueprocessrighttoafullhearingbeforeacourtincludestherighttointroduceevidenceandhavejudicialfindingsbaseduponsuchevidence.Baltimore&O.R.Co.v.UnitedStates, 298U.S.349,368,56S.Ct.797,807,80L.Ed.1209(1936);alsoseeBurfordv.State,845S.W.2d204,208(Tenn.1992)(minimaldueprocessrequiresthatlitigantsbeprovidedanopportunityforthepresentationofclaimsatameaningfultimeandinameaningfulmanner).  Here,theCourtsuasponteappointedaspecialmasterbeforethepartieshadrestedtheircases. Whenannouncingthataspecialmasterwouldbeappointed,theCourtstatedthatwhentheindependentsurveyordeterminedaboundary, [t]hatsgoingtobewherethelineis...[a]ndthatsthatsthewayitsgoingtohavetobe,becauseIcantmakeheadsnortailsoutofthis.   Subsequently,thespecialmastertestifiedandthePlaintiffAppelleeacceptedthesurveyandagreedwiththespecialmastersdetermination.TheDefendantAppellantstated:    4   0 wefeelthesurveydonebyMr.BillingsleyisnotwhattheCourthadanticipatedbeingdone,thatitwasnotvalid,andwedaskthattheCourtordersomefurtherfurtheractiononthiscase,asinafurtherevidentiaryhearing. 0 Wedidnotwewerenotallowedtoputon0 allourevidenceatthepriorhearing.TheCourthadheardIbelievetwosurveyorsandpartofonewitnesswhentheCourtsaid, Well,thisiswhatIwanttodo. WestillhaveotherWestillhadatthatpointfourorfivewitnessestotestify.WehaveotherwitnesseswhoNotallthewitnessescouldbeheretodaybecausethiswasnotintendedtobeanevidentiaryhearing,itwasmyunderstanding. 4        Duringappellantsquestioningofthemaster,thejudgeinterrupted:0 0 Court:0 Imnotgoingtoletyouarguewithhim0 0 ...[h]esanindependentwitness.IfithadbeenagainsttheseBlankenships,thesurveywasgood,iftheshoewasontheotherfoot,Mr.Weinman.Thatswhyyouhavetohaveanindependentsurveyor.AndifIignoredMr.Billingsley,whoIdonotknow,Idhavetogetanotheroneandwedhavetocrossthissamestreameverytimeuntilitsatisfiedallparties,anditcantbedone.  0 Mr.Weinman:WellYourHonor,justfortherecord,Idliketosaytheresotherevidencewhichwefeelwouldbepertinenttoyourmaking  0 Court:Iknowthereis,andIhavenodoubtaboutit.ButIcalledMr.Billingsleyintosetthepropertylinesandnowthatswhathedid.Andifheswrong,hesjustwrongandyouhavearighttoappealit.ButImgoingtomarkthisreportasanexhibitandthatsthat.0 0 ...̀ 0 Mr.Weinman:Well,yourHonor,Iwanttomakearecord.Iobjecttothisbeingtheresolutionofthecase,justfortherecord.  Atrialcourtisentitledtoadoptaspecialmastersreportinfull.T.R.C.P.53.04(2) 1   .However,itwasincumbentupontheCourttoalsoheartheevidencepresentedandmakeitsownassessmentbaseduponthatevidence.LakesPropertyOwnersAssoc.Inc.v.Tollison,1994WL534480,*23(Tenn.App.1994)( Thecourtcannotabdicatetothemasteritsresponsibilitytomakeadecisionontheissueinquestion.Itmustdomorethanrubberstampwhatthemasterhasdone.Shoulditdecidetoconfirmthemastersreport,itmustbesatisfied,afterexercisingitsindependentjudgment,thatthemasteriscorrectinthedecisionhehasmade. ).  TheCourtmadenodeterminationthathearingfurtherevidencewouldbeduplicativeorcumulative,andithadnotpresetanylimitsontimeorthenumberofwitnessesthatcouldbepresented.TherecordshowstheCourtsimplydecidedtohandcompleteresponsibilityforfactfindingtothespecialmaster.Whentheroleofthemasteristodealwithcasesthatareunusuallycomplicated,theCourtisnotjustifiedinrefusingtohearandconsiderbothpartiesrelevant,competentevidenceontheissue.Conleeat510511.  Generally,theAppellantisrequiredtomakeanofferofproofwhentheexcludedevidenceconsistsoforaltestimony.Statev.Goad,707S.W.2d846,853(Tenn.1986).However,theprocedureemployedbytheTrialCourtwasirregular,andappellantdidobjecttonotbeingallowedtoofferevidence.Thefailuretoofferproofdoesnotnecessarilywaivetheissuewherethecourtsrefusaltoallowfurtherevidencemayaffectthefairnessofthejudicialproceeding.SeeFirstNationalBank&TrustCo.V.Hollingsworth,931F.2d1295,1305(8thCir.1991);alsoseeBaldwinv.Baldwin,1996WL87448(Tenn.App.1996).    Werecognizethatboundarydisputescanbevexatiousanddifficultofdetermination.However,thecourtshouldconsiderallrelevantevidenceofferedbythepartiespriortomakingadeterminationtoemployanexpertasaspecialmaster.Afteralltheevidenceispresentedandthecourtdeterminesthatasurveyorisnecessarytoestablishtheboundary,itismeetandproperforthecourttoselectasurveyorwithinstructionsfromthecourt,andproceedinaccordancewithT.R.C.P.53.04(2).  Weconcludethatunderthecircumstances,itisappropriatetovacatetheTrialCourtsjudgmentandtheCourtisdirectedtopermitthepartiestoofferfurtherevidenceontheissueofthelocationoftheboundary,beforemakingafinaldetermination.  TheorderoftheTrialCourtisvacated,andthecauseremandedwithcostoftheappealassessedonehalftoeachparty.      ________________________      HerschelP.Franks,J.CONCUR:___________________________WilliamF.Crawford,P.J.(W.S.)___________________________̜DavidR.Farmer,J.