Bennett v. Brownlow

90 P.3d 1245, 208 Ariz. 79
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedJune 16, 2004
Docket1 CA-CV 03-0233
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 90 P.3d 1245 (Bennett v. Brownlow) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bennett v. Brownlow, 90 P.3d 1245, 208 Ariz. 79 (Ark. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

OPINION

IRVINE, Judge.

¶ 1 Appellants, Tammie C. Bennett (“Bennett”) and her husband, James A. Bennett, appeal from an order granting summary judgment to Yavapai County (“County”). We find that the County violated the First Amendment to the United States Constitution by requiring that sponsors of events on the Courthouse Plaza be non-profit organizations. Therefore, we reverse the judgment and remand for further proceedings.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

¶ 2 The Yavapai County Courthouse, surrounded by grass lawns and large trees, occupies the central block of downtown Prescott. Over the years, the County Board of Supervisors (“Board”) has modified how it regulates commercial activities on what it refers to as the “Courthouse Plaza.” Regulations adopted in 1992 required anyone *82 seeking to hold an arts and crafts show or other large event on the Courthouse Plaza to first obtain a permit. The regulations also authorized the Board to set aside dates for reserved events and other dates for maintenance and preservation of the Courthouse Plaza.

¶ 3 Beginning in 1991, Bennett organized an arts and crafts show known as the Old Town Square Arts & Crafts Festival (“Festival”), which by 2000 included more than 170 exhibitors, selling a wide range of items such as stained glass, fine art, folk art, pottery, jewelry, bronze sculptures, and hand-painted clothing. In 1992, Bennett was informed that her event had been designated a county-reserved activity with certain days reserved for the event on the annual calendar. Each year a permit was issued for the Festival, listing the permittee as the “Old Town Square Arts & Crafts Festival” (or some variation of that name), and generally including Bennett’s name as well.

¶ 4 The Williamson Valley Volunteer Fire Department (“VFD”) was also involved in the Festival. In exchange for a portion of the profits, the VFD authorized Bennett to use its non-profit tax identification number to represent to the City of Prescott tax authorities that the VFD was co-sponsoring the event. This non-profit sponsorship allowed each exhibitor to submit a ten dollar fee in lieu of obtaining their own City Transient Sales Tax Permit and collecting City sales tax. The VFD was not listed on the County permits.

¶ 5 In 2000, the Board designated the Prescott Downtown Partnership as its representative to manage the Courthouse Plaza. Later that year, the Board approved a new ordinance (“Ordinance”) requiring all commercial events on the Courthouse Plaza to be sponsored by a non-profit organization recognized as such by the Internal Revenue Service. See Ordinance 2000-4, § 104(B). The Ordinance specified that “[t]he Sponsor may designate an Event Coordinator who shall serve as the Sponsors representative with respect to management of the Event.” Further, “[ijssuance of a [Courthouse Plaza] Use Permit shall not be construed to confer any preferential right or expectation upon the recipient with respect to any future use of the Courthouse [Plaza].”

¶ 6 While the Ordinance was under consideration, but before it was approved, Bennett and the VFD parted ways after they could not agree on terms for the sponsorship of the 2001 Festival. Attempting to satisfy the soon-to-be-adopted non-profit sponsor requirement, Bennett submitted an application for the “11th Annual Old Town Square Arts & Crafts Festival,” listing the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 67 (“FOP”), a non-profit organization, as the sponsor and Bennett as “sponsor agent” and “owner-event coordinator.” At the same time, Bennett notified the Prescott Downtown Partnership that the “Old Town Square Arts & Crafts Festival owned and operated by Tammie C. Bennett [intends] to take every legal avenue available to continue to apply for and operate the 10 year old festival which she founded in 1991.” She noted that other groups had changed their non-profit sponsors and expressed her intent to apply for a permit with a new sponsor. She also stated her “intent to prove that I am best qualified to promote this event as I have established in my past 10 years of owning and operating the event.”

¶ 7 After submitting the original application, Bennett was told that she would have to submit a second application because additional information was needed and inclusion of her name on the application as “owner/event coordinator” was inappropriate. Bennett then submitted an application showing the FOP as sponsor and Tammie C. Bennett as “sponsor agent.” The VFD also applied for a permit to hold an arts and crafts show on the same dates.

¶ 8 The Prescott Downtown Partnership awarded a permit to use the Courthouse Plaza on those dates to the VFD. Its letter stated, in part:

The Williamson Valley Volunteer Fire Department has sponsored the Old Town Square Arts and Crafts Fair for more than a decade. Thé PDP believes that, in order to revoke the Fire Department’s sponsorship of the event, a serious and overriding reason must be found. Revoking a sponsorship and awarding a major event to another sponsor is a very serious step that *83 must be taken carefully and thoughtfully. Such an action must be looked upon as a final and drastic step, not a first step. The fact that a sponsor has made a change in its festival management personnel is not a reason, in and of itself, to revoke an organization’s sponsorship. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the PDP that the Williamson Valley Volunteer Fire Department remain the sponsor for the event dates of July 21 and 22,2001.

Bennett, but not the FOP, appealed to the County Parks Director, who affirmed the decision. She then appealed to the Board, which declined to hold a hearing to review the administrative decision.

¶ 9 Bennett then filed this lawsuit, asserting a variety of state and federal claims against the County. She separately sued County Supervisor Gheral Brownlow for defamation and tortious interference, alleging that he had caused the split between Bennett and the VFD. The eases were consolidated.

¶ 10 The County moved for summary judgment on all claims against it and Bennett filed a cross-motion. The trial court granted the County’s motion, denied Bennett’s motion, and entered a judgment that allowed immediate appeal pursuant to Rule 54(b), Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure. Bennett filed a timely notice of appeal.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

¶ 11 Summary judgment is appropriate when there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Orme Sch. v. Reeves, 166 Ariz. 301, 305, 802 P.2d 1000, 1004 (1990). We review an order granting summary judgment de novo. Great Am. Mortgage, Inc. v. Statewide Ins. Co., 189 Ariz. 123, 125, 938 P.2d 1124, 1126 (App. 1997). We view the facts in the light most favorable to the party against whom summary judgment was entered. Id. at 124, 938 P.2d at 1125. The constitutionality of a statute or ordinance is reviewed de novo, and legislative enactments are presumed constitutional and a party seeking to challenge one bears a heavy burden to show otherwise. State ex rel. Napolitano v. Gravano,

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Related

Bennett v. Brownlow
119 P.3d 460 (Arizona Supreme Court, 2005)

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Bluebook (online)
90 P.3d 1245, 208 Ariz. 79, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bennett-v-brownlow-arizctapp-2004.