Auen v. Alcoholic Beverages Division of Iowa Department of Commerce

679 N.W.2d 586, 2004 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 166, 2004 WL 1057851
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMay 12, 2004
Docket02-1762
StatusPublished
Cited by203 cases

This text of 679 N.W.2d 586 (Auen v. Alcoholic Beverages Division of Iowa Department of Commerce) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Auen v. Alcoholic Beverages Division of Iowa Department of Commerce, 679 N.W.2d 586, 2004 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 166, 2004 WL 1057851 (iowa 2004).

Opinion

WIGGINS, Justice.

The appellant, Iowa Wholesale Beer Distributors Association, is an association of more than forty beer distributors located in the State of Iowa. Appellant, Sheila Douglas, is Iowa Wholesale Beer Distributors Association’s executive director. The remaining appellants are Iowa wholesale beer distributors. (We will refer to all of the appellants as “Wholesalers.”) The Wholesalers sought judicial review of amended Iowa Administrative Code rule 185 — 16.2(2) (2000) issued by the Alcoholic Beverages Division of the Iowa Department of Commerce (ABD). The purpose of the amended rule was to further define the phrase “directly or indirectly be interested in the ownership” contained in Iowa Code section 123.45 (2001). 1 The Wholesalers claim the ABD did not have authority to issue amended rule 185 — 16.2(2), and if it did, the amended rule is inconsistent with the language and intent of Iowa Code section 123.45. The district court upheld the ABD’s exercise of its rulemaking power. Because we disagree with the district court, we reverse its decision and hold the amended rule is an illogical interpretation of section 123.45.

I. Background Facts and Proceedings.

Iowa Code section 123.45 provides in pertinent part:

A person engaged in the business of manufacturing, bottling, or wholesaling alcoholic beverages, wine, or beer, or any jobber, representative, broker, employee, or agent of such a person, shall not ... directly or indirectly be interest *588 ed in the ownership, conduct, or operation of the business of another licensee or permittee authorized under this chapter to sell at retail, nor -hold a retail liquor control license or retail wine or beer permit.

Iowa Code § 123.45.

The original rule promulgated by the ABD to implement section 123.45 provided:

185 — 16.2(123) Interest in a retail establishment.
16.2(1) An industry member is prohibited, directly or indirectly, from:
a. Acquiring or holding a partial or complete ownership interest in a retail establishment.
b. Acquiring or holding an interest in the real or personal property owned, occupied or used by the retailer in the conduct of the retail establishment.
c. Acquiring a mortgage on the real or personal property owned by the retailer.
d. Guaranteeing any loan or paying a financial obligation of the retailer, in-eluding, but not limited to, personal loans, home mortgages, car loans, operating capital obligations, or utilities.
e. Providing financial, legal, administrative or other assistance to a retailer to obtain a license or permit.

Iowa Admin. Code r. 185 — 16.2(1).

In August 2000, the ABD filed a notice of intended action indicating its intent to amend Iowa Administrative Code rule 185 — 16.2 to define “interest in the ownership” as contained in Iowa Code section 123.45 more narrowly and exclude remote corporate connections that do not affect the retail business directly or indirectly. In its notice, the ABD stated:

Over the past five years, numerous jurisdictions have examined this issue under similar statutory provisions and concluded that the corporate connection of a manufacturer, bottler, or wholesaler may be so remote that rigid application of the statutory prohibition to an applicant for a license or permit is unreasonable.

A public hearing was held to comment on the proposed rule in August 2000. Additional comments were taken at an administrative rules review committee meeting in September 2000. As a result of these meetings and comments, the proposed rule read as follows:

16.2(2) For the purposes of this rule, a subsidiary or an affiliate of an industry member shall not be considered to have any interest in the ownership, conduct or operation of a retailer provided all of the following conditions are satisfied:
a. The industry member and the retail establishment do not share any common officers or directors.
b. The industry member does not control the retail establishment.
c. The industry member is not involved, directly or indirectly, in the operation of the retail establishment.
d. The retail establishment is free from control or interference by the industry member with respect to the retailer’s ability to make choices as to the types, brands and quantities of alcoholic beverages purchased and sold.
e. The retail establishment sells brands of alcoholic beverages that are produced or distributed by competing industry members with no preference given to the industry member that holds a financial interest in the retailer.
f. There is no exclusion, in whole or in part, of alcoholic beverages sold or offered for sale by competing industry members that constitutes a substantial impairment of commerce.
g. The retail establishment shall not purchase more than 20 percent of the *589 total annual liquor sales, 20 percent of the total annual wine sales, and 20 percent of the total annual beer sales (measured by gallons) from the industry member.
h. The primary business of the retail establishment is not the sale of alcoholic beverages.
i All purchases of alcoholic beverages by the retail establishment are made pursuant to Iowa’s three-tier system as provided for in Iowa Code chapter 123.
16.2(3) A retail establishment shall file verification with the alcoholic beverages division that it is in compliance with the conditions set forth in this rule upon application, renewal or request of the agency.
16.2(4) This rule is not subject to waiver or variance in specific circumstances.
This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code sections 123.45 and 123.186.

Iowa Admin. Code r. 185 — 16.2(2), (3), (4).

In November 2000, the final amended rule was submitted to the administrative rules review committee, where a member of the committee made a motion to file an objection to the ABD’s revised rule on the grounds the rule exceeded the authority delegated to the ABD. On a vote of five votes in favor of the objection and five votes opposing the objection, the motion to file the objection to the rule failed to pass by operation of law. The amended rule interpreting Iowa Code section 123.45 became effective in December 2000.

The Wholesalers filed a petition for judicial review challenging the amended rule.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State of Iowa v. Kamie Jo Schiebout
Supreme Court of Iowa, 2020
Kaitlyn Johnson v. Humboldt County, Iowa
913 N.W.2d 256 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2018)
State of Iowa v. Michael Cory Kelso-Christy
911 N.W.2d 663 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2018)
State of Iowa v. Dale Dean Pettijohn Jr.
899 N.W.2d 1 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2017)
State of Iowa v. Deantay Darelle Williams
895 N.W.2d 856 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2017)
Upon the Petition of Judith Ann Chapman
890 N.W.2d 853 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2017)
Paula Segura and Ricardo Segura v. State of Iowa
889 N.W.2d 215 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2017)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
679 N.W.2d 586, 2004 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 166, 2004 WL 1057851, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/auen-v-alcoholic-beverages-division-of-iowa-department-of-commerce-iowa-2004.