WPC # VUNa % 0(w@4 1 UP@ 0l 0D 0J@ 0T 0^ 0h< 0r 0| 0 0 1u 0dU>U6B)DC AMaU* R D35 Bh` 0@v~%v AOv 0D D/ BHP LaserJet 4SiHPPCL5MS,,,,,,0nL(hH  Z 6Times New Roman RegularX($ VDDDVӀR"3|x&@FZ 8CaslonOpnface BT Regular((3$ !      0  (#$  0  2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  2@ 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<  9p`(&Times New Roman<  9p`(Courier New% Line 7 d$$$$7Border 1dd-%C << G<  9p`(Arial  !#d#"  ''   YYY FILED'X June5,1997CecilCrowson,Jr.'AppellateCourtClerk  H !#d#"   $       ##Themotionswereheardafewdaysshyofayearafterthecomplaintwasfiled,andapproximatelytwomonthsafterthelastmotionwasfiled.++++'dxd d V !#d#"   $       ##CounselstatesinhisaffidavitthathemistakenlywenttothecourthouseinJohnsonCity.ThehearinghadbeennoticedforandwasheldinElizabethton.("$    PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'hStyl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   h HD: Geneva  h HD: Geneva -C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   1  ' dxdP Pd ! . "  P \RA'\\RA'\7XXdd7#  R&(%A1-j|`  `@R @ INTHECOURTOFAPPEALSOFTENNESSEEMABELDONNELLY,   )C/ANO.03A019610CV00323      ) PlaintiffAppellant, )      )      )      )      )APPEALASOFRIGHTFROMTHEv.      )CARTERCOUNTYCIRCUITCOURT      )      )      )      )ROBERTE.WALTER,M.D.and )HERMITAGENURSINGHOME,  )      )HONORABLEG.RICHARDJOHNSON, DefendantsAppellees. )CHANCELLOR,ByInterchangeForAppellant     ForAppelleeWalterBOBMcDANIELGREEN    CHARLEST.HERNDON,IV   X JohnsonCity,Tennessee   Herndon,Coleman,Brading&McKee           JohnsonCity,Tennessee       ForAppelleeHermitage       NursingHome       N.R.COLEMAN,JR.       DANIELD.COUGHLIN       Milligan&Coleman       Greeneville,Tennessee@    OPINION##XAFFIRMEDANDREMANDED       Susano,J.  PlaintiffMabelDonnelly(Donnelly)appealedthetrialcourtsdenialofhermotiontoreconsideragrantofsummaryjudgmenttothedefendantsDr.RobertE.Walter(Dr.Walter)andHermitageNursingHome(Hermitage).Shepresentsforourreviewthequestionofwhetherthedenialofhermotiontoreconsiderwasanabuseofthetrialcourtsdiscretion.Fortheirpart,thedefendantscontendthatDonnellysappealshouldbedismissedbecauseofherfailuretoserveacopyofthenoticeofappealontheclerkofthiscourt.Weaffirm.@ I  DonnellyfiledsuitonDecember22,1994,torecoverdamagesforpersonalinjuriesallegedlycausedbythemalpracticeofDr.WalterandHermitage.Hermitagefiledamotionforsummaryjudgment,supportedbytheaffidavitofoneofitsnurses,DorothyHolsclaw,whohadattendedDonnellyduringthelattersstayatthenursinghome.Dr.Walteralsofiledamotionforsummaryjudgment,whichhesupportedwithhispersonalaffidavit.Donnellyfailedtosubmitanyopposingaffidavitsorotherproperlyverifiedmaterialinresponsetoeithermotion.@ II  DonnellyscounselreceivedanoticefromthedefendantscounseladvisinghimthattheywouldarguetheirmotionstothecourtonDecember18,1995.Thehearingtookplaceasscheduled,butneitherDonnellynorherattorneyattended.Intheirabsence,thetrialcourtgrantedsummaryjudgmenttobothdefendants.Twodayslater,Donnellyfiledamotiontoreconsider,askingthetrialcourttoreinstatehercaseonthedocketor,inthealternative,toallowhertotakeavoluntarynonsuit.ThetrialcourtdeniedDonnellysmotion,findingthathercounselhadreceivedadequatenoticeofthehearing.Thecourtalsonotedthattheplaintiffhadneglectedtosubmitanymaterialinoppositiontothedefendantsmotions. )   ׀ThecourtheldthatDonnellyhadfailedtodemonstratethatshewasentitledtoreliefunderRule60.02,Tenn.R.Civ.P.,byreasonofmistake,inadvertence,surpriseorexcusableneglect.@ III  WefirstaddresstheargumentofthedefendantsthatDonnellysfailuretoserveacopyofhernoticeofappealontheappellatecourtclerkinaccordancewithRule5(a),T.R.A.P,warrantsadismissalofthisappeal.  Sincethedefendantsfiledtheirbriefs,thisidenticalissuehasbeenaddressedbytheSupremeCourt,inthecaseof Cobbv.Beier ,___S.W.2d___,No.03S019610CV00106(Tenn.,filedApril28,1997,Drowota,J.)(forpublication).Inthe Cobb case,theSupremeCourtfoundthattodismissanappealforthisreasonalonewouldbetoelevateformoversubstance,thereby imped[ing]thesearchforjustice. Id. TheSupremeCourtstatedthat 8 allcasespresentlyonappealinwhichtheclerkoftheappellatecourtwasnottimelyservedacopyofthenoticeofappeal,shouldnotbedismissedforfailuretocomplywithRule5(a),T.R.A.P. Id. (Emphasisinoriginal).Relyingon Cobb ,weholdthatthedefendantsissuewithrespecttothenoticeofappealiswithoutmerit.@ IV  Donnellyraisesashersoleissuethequestionofwhetherthetrialcourtabuseditsdiscretionwhenitdeniedhermotiontoreconsiderthegrantofsummaryjudgment.Hercounseladmitsthathereceivedadequatenoticeofthehearingonthesummaryjudgmentmotions;hecontends,however,thathisfailuretoappearatthehearingwas inadvertentandduetoexcusableneglect. ,   ׀DonnellyalsoarguesthatthetrialcourterroneouslyviewedhermotiontoreconsiderasamotionforreliefunderRule60.02,Tenn.R.Civ.P.;shecontendsthathermotionshouldhavebeentreatedeitherasamotiontosetasideadefault,asaddressedinRule55.02,Tenn.R.Civ.P.,orasamotiontoalteroramendajudgment,inaccordancewithRule59.04,Tenn.R.Civ.P.  Webelieve,inthisinstance,thatanysuchdistinctionisimmaterial.Regardlessofthecategorytowhichthemotionisproperlyassigned,thequestionisthesame:Didthetrialcourtabuseitsdiscretion?Itisclearthat [t]hesettingasideof[a]summaryjudgment...lieswithinthesounddiscretionoftheTrialCourt. Marrv.MontgomeryElevatorCo. ,922S.W.2d526,528(Tenn.App.1995);seealso Hensonv.DiehlMachines,Inc. ,674S.W.2d307,310(Tenn.App.1984)( thesettingasideofajudgmentaddressesitselfandlieswithinthesounddiscretionofthecourt.); Keckv.NationwideSystems,Inc. ,499S.W.2d266,267(Tenn.App.1973).WedonotfinditnecessarytodeterminetheproperruleauthorityforDonnellysmotion.  Thecircumstancesofthiscasedonotdemonstrateanabuseofdiscretion.Assuming,solelyforthepurposeofargument,thatcounselsfailuretogotothecorrectcourthouseforthehearingwasexcusable,wecannotoverlookthefactthatDonnellyfailedtosupporthismotiontoreconsiderwithanyevidencemakingoutadisputedmaterialfactregardingthemeritsofthelawsuit.Therewasabsolutelynoreasontosetasidethesummaryjudgmentsintheabsenceofsomeindicationthattheplaintiffhadaresponsetothedefendantsproperlysupportedmotions.  Itiswellestablishedthat amotionforsummaryjudgmentgoesdirectlytothemeritsofthelitigation,andapartyfacedwithsuchamotionmayneitherignoreitnortreatitlightly. Byrdv.Hall ,847S.W.2d208,210(Tenn.1993); Fowlerv.HappyGoodmanFamily ,575S.W.2d496,498(Tenn.1978).ThefactsofthiscaseshowthatDonnellyutterlyfailedtosatisfyherburdentorespondtothedefendantsproperlysupportedmotions.  Donnellyreliesonthecaseof Campbellv.Archer ,555S.W.2d110(Tenn.1977),forthepropositionthatatrialcourtmaygrantrelieffromajudgmentinthissituation,ifthefailuretoappearisnotwillful.Wefindthat Campbell isdistinguishablefromtheinstantcase.In Campbell ,apartysnewattorneyarrivedafterthecommencementoftheproceedingsbecausehehadnotbeennotifiedofthetrialdatebyhisclientspriorcounsel.Initsopinion,theSupremeCourtassignedmostoftheblametotheformercounsel,ratherthanthenewattorney,whohadnotreceivedanynoticeofthetrial. Campbell thuspresentsadifferentscenariofromtheinstantcase,sinceDonnellysattorneyhadreceivedsufficientnoticeofthetimeandplaceoftrial.Furthermore,theinstantcaseinvolvesanotherdistinguishingfeaturethefailureofDonnellytosubmitaffidavitsorothermaterialidentifiedinRule56.03,Tenn.R.Civ.P.,inoppositiontothemotionsforsummaryjudgment. Campbell doesnotsupportDonnellysrequestforreliefinthiscase.   Thejudgmentofthetrialcourtisaffirmed.Costsonappealareassessedtotheappellantandhersurety.Thiscaseisremandedtothetrialcourtforcollectionofcostsassessedthere,pursuanttoapplicablelaw.       __________________________       CharlesD.Susano,Jr.,J.CONCUR:_________________________HoustonM.Goddard,P.J._________________________WilliamH.Inman,Sr.J.