BLACK'S TITLE v. Utah State Ins. Dept.

1999 UT App 330, 991 P.2d 607, 382 Utah Adv. Rep. 8, 1999 Utah App. LEXIS 137, 1999 WL 1024006
CourtCourt of Appeals of Utah
DecidedNovember 12, 1999
Docket981479-CA
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 1999 UT App 330 (BLACK'S TITLE v. Utah State Ins. Dept.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
BLACK'S TITLE v. Utah State Ins. Dept., 1999 UT App 330, 991 P.2d 607, 382 Utah Adv. Rep. 8, 1999 Utah App. LEXIS 137, 1999 WL 1024006 (Utah Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

991 P.2d 607 (1999)
1999 Utah Ct. App. 330

BLACK'S TITLE, INC.; Ronald G. Black; and Kathi Black, Petitioners,
v.
UTAH STATE INSURANCE DEPARTMENT, Respondent.

No. 981479-CA.

Court of Appeals of Utah.

November 12, 1999.

*609 Kim R. Wilson, David L. Pinkston, Snow Christensen & Martineau, Salt Lake City, for Petitioners.

Jan Graham, Attorney General, Bryce H. Pettey, Assistant Attorney General, Salt Lake City, for Respondent.

Before WILKINS, P.J., GREENWOOD, Associate P.J., and DAVIS, J.

OPINION

DAVIS, Judge:

¶ 1 Petitioner Ronald G. Black seeks review of the Utah State Insurance Commissioner's (Commissioner) order denying his motion under Rule 60(b), Utah Rules of Civil Procedure, to set aside the default judgment revoking Black's insurance license. Because we conclude the Commissioner acted within his discretion, we deny Black's requested relief.

BACKGROUND

¶ 2 Black's Title, Inc. (Black's Title), a title insurance corporation located in Bountiful, Utah, was co-owned by Black, who also served as president, and his wife, Kathi Black, who served as vice president. Both were licensed title insurance agents and designated agents of Black's Title. Because Black was under a doctor's care and unable to work, during the fall of 1997 and thereafter, Kathi managed Black's Title. While suffering from ill health, Black resided away from his Bountiful home in another county and visited Black's Title on only a few occasions, each for only a few minutes. During this time, Kathi informed Black that the Utah State Insurance Department (Department) was investigating her, Black's Title, and Black, that Kathi was attempting to resolve any issues, and to that end she had retained an attorney, Mr. Diumenti. At some point, Black met with Diumenti to discuss the possible sale of Black's Title to another company.

¶ 3 On October 9, 1997, the Department initiated an adjudicative proceeding and mailed via certified mail a notice and copy of the complaint to Black, Kathi, and Black's Title at the business address on file with the Department. The mailing certificate indicates receipt at that address on October 10, 1997. The Department also mailed copies to Diumenti and to both Black and Kathi at their residential address on file with the Department. Notwithstanding these efforts by the Department to inform Black of the adjudicative proceeding, Black asserts he never received or saw the notice or complaint until after expiration of the thirty-day period in which he could respond.

¶ 4 Having received no response from Black, on November 12, 1997, the Department entered Black's default and revoked his insurance license. The following February, Black filed an answer to the complaint and moved to set aside the default and order *610 under Rules 55 and 60(b), Utah Rules of Civil Procedure. The motion was denied by the Department and Black sought agency review, arguing the default should be set aside under Rule 60(b)(1) and (6).[1] The Commissioner likewise refused to set aside the default on agency review. The Commissioner found that Black had knowledge that the Department had begun an investigation and that Kathi had retained Diumenti, but that Black took no action. The Commissioner further found, among other things, that although Black claimed to be under the care of a doctor and unable to work, he failed to "state the medical condition or reasons why he could not work or why it would prevent him from communicating with [Diumenti] by telephone or in person." The Commissioner concluded Black did not exercise due diligence, that "[h]is actions constitute[d] a failure to diligently defend and therefore his conduct and the failure of his attorney to respond on his behalf [wa]s not to be excused," and denied Black's request for review. Black now seeks review from this court.

ISSUES AND STANDARDS OF REVIEW

¶ 5 Black contends the default and license revocation order should have been set aside under Rule 60(b), Utah Rules of Civil Procedure, and we thus review the agency action under Rule 60(b) in accordance with established standards.[2] It is true that the law disfavors default judgments, see Wright v. Wright, 941 P.2d 646, 649 (Utah Ct.App.1997), and "`[t]he [Commissioner] should be generally indulgent toward setting a judgment aside where there is reasonable justification or excuse for [Black's] failure to answer and when timely application is made.'" Miller v. Martineau & Co., 983 P.2d 1107, 1112 (Utah Ct.App. 1999) (quoting Katz v. Pierce, 732 P.2d 92, 93 (Utah 1986)). Nonetheless, the Commissioner has "considerable discretion under Rule 60(b) in granting or denying a motion to set aside a [default] judgment" and for this court to interfere, "abuse of that discretion must be clearly shown." Katz, 732 P.2d at 93; accord Miller, 983 P.2d at 1112. That is, although "some basis may exist to set aside the default[, we will not conclude the Commissioner] abused [his] discretion in refusing to do so when facts and circumstances support the refusal." Katz, 732 P.2d at 93.[3] Further, we will not upset the Commissioner's factual findings when challenged as unsupported by sufficient evidence unless clearly erroneous. See ProMax Dev. Corp. v. Mattson, 943 P.2d 247, 255 (Utah Ct. App.), cert. denied, 953 P.2d 449 (Utah 1997).

ANALYSIS

¶ 6 To be relieved from the default, Black must show that his motion to set aside was timely, that he has a meritorious defense, and that the default occurred for a reason specified in Rule 60(b). See Erickson v. Schenkers Int'l Forwarders, Inc., 882 P.2d 1147, 1148 (Utah 1994). Because the parties do not dispute that Black made a timely motion and asserted a meritorious defense, our review focuses on whether the Commissioner erred in concluding that Black's default did not occur for reasons described in Rule 60(b).

¶ 7 We first address Black's contention that the Commissioner's factual findings upon which he based the denial were not supported by evidence. Black asserts that the Commissioner erroneously concluded Black was aware of the proceeding and his obligation to respond to the complaint. *611 However, a review of the Commissioner's order reveals that Black has mischaracterized these findings and, indeed, there is no conflict between the findings and the facts as Black describes. Moreover, the Commissioner's findings are supported by the evidence, including the affidavits of Black and Kathi.

¶ 8 For example, the Commissioner did not find that Black had received a copy of the complaint or obtained knowledge of the particular proceeding thereby initiated. Rather, the Commissioner found that Black was aware of the investigation.[4] Knowledge of a continuing investigation does not necessarily confer knowledge that a proceeding to revoke Black's insurance license has been initiated. It was from this factual finding that the Commissioner inferred that Black was "aware that he needed to defend himself and the company."[5]

¶ 9 The thrust of Black's argument is that he was unable to respond to the complaint because he lacked knowledge of it due to his being under a doctor's care.

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Bluebook (online)
1999 UT App 330, 991 P.2d 607, 382 Utah Adv. Rep. 8, 1999 Utah App. LEXIS 137, 1999 WL 1024006, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blacks-title-v-utah-state-ins-dept-utahctapp-1999.