Cyprus Bagdad Copper Corp. v. Arizona Department of Revenue

935 P.2d 923, 188 Ariz. 345, 233 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 40, 1997 Ariz. App. LEXIS 2
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedJanuary 9, 1997
DocketNo. 1 CA-TX 96-0006
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 935 P.2d 923 (Cyprus Bagdad Copper Corp. v. Arizona Department of Revenue) 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.

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Cyprus Bagdad Copper Corp. v. Arizona Department of Revenue, 935 P.2d 923, 188 Ariz. 345, 233 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 40, 1997 Ariz. App. LEXIS 2 (Ark. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

OPINION

TOCI, Judge.

Cyprus Bagdad Copper Corporation (“Cyprus”) prevailed after trial in a property tax valuation matter. Cyprus requested “fees and other expenses” pursuant to Ariz.Rev. Stat. Ann. (“A.R.S.”) section 12-348 (1990).1 The tax court ruled that Cyprus was not eligible for an award pursuant to subsection (A) of that statute but was only eligible for one pursuant to subsection (B). The tax court further ruled that the $20,000 cap in section 12-348(E)(5) on subsection (B) awards applied not only to attorney’s fees but to all other awardable expenses and taxable costs.

The tax court accordingly entered an order awarding Cyprus “a total of $20,000 for its fees, expenses and costs.” Cyprus timely appealed. We have jurisdiction pursuant to A.R.S. section 12-2101(C). The appeal is assigned to Department T of this court pursuant to A.R.S. sections 12-120.04(G) and 12-170(C).

On appeal, Cyprus contends that the tax court erred in (1) failing to award taxable costs apart from and in addition to attorney’s fees and other expenses under A.R.S. section 12-348; (2) interpreting section 12-348 as subjecting its “other expenses” to the $20,-000 cap in section 12-348(E)(5); (3) failing to also award the attorney’s fees and other expenses Cyprus had incurred during the administrative proceedings; and (4) failing to award attorney’s fees and other expenses without regard to the $20,000 cap in section 12-348(E)(5) on the theory that by filing a counterclaim for an increase in the valuation approved in the administrative process, the Arizona Department of Revenue (“DOR”) effectively commenced a civil action against Cyprus within the meaning of A.R.S. section 12-348(A)(1).

Our opinions in City of Phoenix v. Paper Distributors of Arizona, Inc., 186 Ariz. 564, [347]*347925 P.2d 705 (App.1996), and SMP II Limited Partnership v. Arizona Department of Revenue, 188 Ariz. 320, 935 P.2d 898 (App. 1996), expressly or implicitly determine all issues but the first. We now address that issue and conclude that taxable costs are not subject to the $20,000 cap in A.R.S. section 12-348(E)(5). We resolve the remainder in accordance with Paper Distributors and SMP II Limited Partnership.

A. Separate Award of Taxable Costs

A.R.S. section 12-341 provides, “The successful party to a civil action shall recover from his adversary all costs2 expended or incurred therein unless otherwise provided by law.” (Footnote added.) An award of “fees and other expenses” is “[i]n addition to any costs which are awarded as prescribed by statute.” A.R.S. § 12-348(A)(1), (A)(2), and (B). Thus, section 12-341 entitled Cyprus to an award of taxable costs in addition to any amount awarded pursuant to section 12-348. The $20,000 cap imposed by section 12-348(E)(5) on awards of “fees and other expenses” under subsection (B) did not apply to the taxpayer’s award of taxable costs pursuant to section 12-341. The tax court erred in ruling otherwise.

DOR conceded that Cyprus is entitled to an award of taxable costs, but the parties dispute whether the cost of the transcript of the hearing before the Board of Tax Appeals is covered. For the reasons discussed in Section C.l of this opinion, the cost of the transcript in the administrative proceeding is not a recoverable cost. The parties also dispute whether particular items that Cyprus claimed as taxable costs were properly awardable as such. Because the tax court apparently concluded that the sums Cyprus claimed as taxable costs were limited by the $20,000 cap, it did not separately rule on the statement of costs and DOR’s objections. We leave this determination to the tax court on remand.

B. Applicability of $20,000 Cap to “Other Expenses”

Cyprus argues that the tax court erred in subjecting its claimed reimbursement for expert witness fees to the $20,000 cap on awards pursuant to A.R.S. section 12-348(B). We agree. We recently interpreted section 12-348(E)(5) as applicable only to the attorney’s fees component of an award under section 12-348. SMP II Ltd. Partnership, 188 Ariz. at 327, 935 P.2d at 905.

The parties contest whether certain costs that Cyprus sought qualified as “other expenses” under A.R.S. section 12-348(I)(1).3 The tax court evidently viewed its ruling on the scope of the $20,000 cap as obviating the consideration of DOR’s objections to particular costs claimed by Cyprus. We leave the determination of those objections to the tax court on remand.

C. Availability of Separate Awards Under A.R.S. § 12-348ÍA)

Cyprus contends that in addition to an award of “fees and other expenses” pursuant to A.R.S. section 12-348(B), it was entitled to separate, additional awards pursuant to A.R.S. section 12-348(A)(1) and (2).

1. Administrative Appeals Process-A.R.S. § 12-348(A)(2)

Cyprus asserts that the tax court proceeding from which this appeal is taken was one “to review a state agency decision” within the meaning of A.R.S. section 12-348(A)(2). According to Cyprus, the tax court was therefore required to apply that statute and to include within its award the attorney’s fees and other expenses “incurred in the contested case proceedings in which [348]*348the decision was rendered” as provided by A.R.S. section 12-348(I)(1).

We resolved this issue against Cyprus’ position in Paper Distributors. We concluded from the scope and nature of the 1990 amendments to A.R.S. section 12 — 348(B), (E)(3) and (E)(5)4 that the legislature intended “to prescribe a uniform standard for fee awards which was to exclusively apply to all tax cases.” Paper Distributors, 186 Ariz. at 566, 925 P.2d at 707. We disapproved Inspiration Consolidated Copper Co. v. Arizona Department of Revenue, 147 Ariz. 216, 231-32, 709 P.2d 573, 588-89 (App.1985), and Stewart Title & Trust v. Pima County, 156 Ariz. 236, 244, 751 P.2d 552, 560 (App.1987), both property tax cases which had held that the pre-amendment predecessors of A.R.S. section 12-348(A)(2) and (B) were concurrently applicable in tax actions. Paper Distributors, 186 Ariz. at 568, 925 P.2d at 709. We concluded from the 1990 amendments that the legislature “plainly intended to give entirely different treatment to fees awards under the two subsections. The criteria and limitations for fees awards under section 12-348(B) now differ in almost every respect from those applicable to fees awards under section 12-348(A).” We refused to treat subsection (A)(2) as concurrently applicable with subsection (B) to tax court cases.

We also found that the legislature had recently adopted A.R.S.

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935 P.2d 923, 188 Ariz. 345, 233 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 40, 1997 Ariz. App. LEXIS 2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cyprus-bagdad-copper-corp-v-arizona-department-of-revenue-arizctapp-1997.