W. Va. Code § 56-6-37

Current through 2024 First Special Session
Section 56-6-37 - How certificate of trial judge or bills of exceptions to be considered; instructions in transcript all presumed to be given by court

The appellate court in reviewing, upon a writ of error or supersedeas to a final judgment, or upon an appeal from a final decree, of an inferior court in a cause, any question arising upon the record in such cause, shall in every instance, wherever necessary to a decision of such question, consider any exception, the evidence or any part thereof introduced on the trial or hearing of the cause, or any other matter preserved of record in such cause by the certificate of the trial judge or by bill of exceptions as provided by the two preceding sections, or by the signature of the trial judge as provided by section twenty of this article; nor in the determination of any such question shall it be necessary to enable the appellate court to consider any other exception, or the evidence or any part thereof introduced at the trial or hearing of the cause, or any other matter preserved of record in the cause by the certificate of the trial judge or by bill of exceptions as provided by the two preceding sections or by the signature of the trial judge as provided in section twenty of this article, that there shall be any express reference in the certificate or bill of exceptions or noted on any instruction under which such question may arise to the certificate or bill of any other exception, or of the evidence or any part thereof introduced at the trial or hearing, or of any other matter preserved of record in the cause as provided in the two preceding sections of this article, or to any instruction or notation thereon made a part of the record pursuant to section twenty of this article; but all such separate matters, however made a part of the record, shall be read and considered together as component parts of one entire record. Any instruction or instructions appearing in the transcript of the record certified by the clerk of the trial court as given shall be presumed to be the only instruction or instructions given; or if it shall not appear from such transcript that any instruction was given, it shall be presumed that none was given, unless, in either case, it shall affirmatively appear otherwise from such transcript, or upon a suggestion by any party, either to the trial court or to the appellate court, that an instruction or instructions given have been omitted from such transcript. But nothing in this or the previous section shall be construed as compelling the appellate court to notice or review any matter arising upon a specific exception noted in the transcript of the evidence and proceedings reported unless such exception be specifically pointed out in assignments of error, brief of counsel, or otherwise specifically brought to the attention of the court.

W. Va. Code § 56-6-37