Division of Employment Security v. Westerhold

950 S.W.2d 618, 1997 Mo. App. LEXIS 1360, 1997 WL 405482
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 22, 1997
DocketNo. 71410
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 950 S.W.2d 618 (Division of Employment Security v. Westerhold) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Division of Employment Security v. Westerhold, 950 S.W.2d 618, 1997 Mo. App. LEXIS 1360, 1997 WL 405482 (Mo. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

AHRENS, Presiding Judge.

Defendant Jeffrey A. Westerhold appeals from an order denying his motion to quash a garnishment filed by the Missouri Division of Employment Security (“Division”) on a judgment in favor of Division for unpaid contributions, interest and penalties. On appeal, Westerhold contends that the trial court erred because (1) the judgment was presumed paid under Missouri’s statute of limitations, and (2) Division’s actions constituted the unauthorized practice of law. We affirm.

In 1985, Westerhold, doing business as Dimarco Management Inc., was an “employer” for the purposes of paying contributions to Missouri’s unemployment compensation fund. Section 288.032, RSMo 1994.1 He was therefore required to pay contributions to the state’s unemployment fund. Section 288.090. On March 24, 1986, Division assessed Westerhold for unpaid contributions, interest and penalties.

Westerhold petitioned for reassessment pursuant to section 288.190. The Division scheduled a hearing before its Appeals Tribunal, but Westerhold did not appear. His petition was dismissed on August 26, 1987. Westerhold then filed an application to have this decision reviewed by the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission. Section 288.200. The Commission reviewed the evidence and affirmed the decision of the Appeals Tribunal on March 9, 1988. Wester-hold then filed an appeal for judicial review in the Circuit Court of Cole County. Section 288.210. The circuit court affirmed the decision of the Commission on January 17, 1992.

On August 26, 1992, Ronald M. Forck, the Chief of Contributions of Division, filed with the Circuit Court of St. Louis County a certificate specifying the amount of contributions, interest, and penalties due under the assessment. On March 26, 1996, Keith MeNames, a tax supervisor acting as “agent” of the Division, filed a request for garnishment to be issued to Westerhold’s current employer, Rhodey & Son Construction, Inc. On April 3, 1996, the writ was issued. On July 2, 1996, Westerhold filed a motion to [620]*620quash the garnishment. The circuit court denied this motion on October 2,1996. Wes-terhold appeals from this order.

In his first point, Westerhold claims that the court should have quashed the writ of garnishment because collection was time-barred. He relies on Missouri’s statute of limitations for the collection of judgments, which states in pertinent part:

Every judgment, order or decree of any court of record of the United States ... shall be presumed to be paid and satisfied after the expiration of ten years from the date of the original rendition thereof ...

Section 516.350, RSMo 1994. This presumption is conclusive, and no execution or process shall issue on such judgment. Pourney v. Seabaugh, 604 S.W.2d 646, 649 (Mo.App.1980).

Specifically, Westerhold contends that section 288.160.5(2) triggered the running of any statutes of limitation on the collection of the assessment on March 24,1986, the date Division issued the assessment, and therefore the request for writ of garnishment filed March 26, 1997 violated the ten-year limitations period of section 516.350. We disagree. Section 288.160.5(2) provides only that “[t]he giving of the notice of the making of the assessment shall toll any statute of limitations on the collection of any contributions, interest and penalties assessed.” Section 288.160.5 does not provide any statute of limitations on the collection of judgments. That statute of limitations is found in section 516.350.

The presumption of payment and satisfaction under section 516.350 arises after the expiration of ten years from the date of the “original rendition” of a “judgment, order or decree of any court of record. ...” Division’s issuance of the administrative assessment on March 24,1986 did not constitute the original rendition of a judgment of a court of record. Here, Division’s administrative assessment did not become final until the circuit court rendered its judgment affirming the decision of the Commission on January 17, 1992. Furthermore, Division’s administrative assessment did not have the full force and effect of a judgment of the circuit court until the certificate of assessment was filed with the circuit court on August 26,1992. Section 288.170.1. We need not decide which of these dates triggers the running of Missouri’s statute of limitations for the collection of judgments under Section 516.350, because the garnishment was issued in this ease within ten years of the earliest of these judgments. Therefore, the court did not err in denying Westerhold’s motion to quash garnishment. Point denied.

In his second point, Westerhold claims that the writ of garnishment should have been quashed because Ronald Forck, who filed the certificate of assessment, and Keith McNames, who requested that the writ of garnishment be issued pursuant to section 288.170 were not lawyers, and therefore were engaging in the unauthorized practice of law.

Missouri has adopted a policy that the practice of law, both in and out of its courts, shall be limited to persons with specific qualifications and duly licensed as attorneys. Risbeck v. Bond, 885 S.W.2d 749, 750 (Mo.App.1994) (quoting De Pass v. B. Harris Wool Co., 346 Mo. 1038, 144 S.W.2d 146, 148 (banc 1940)). It is the responsibility of the judiciary to determine what constitutes the practice of law, both authorized and unauthorized. Id. The legislature may assist the Supreme Court by providing penalties for the unauthorized practice of law, but the legislature can in no way hinder, interfere, or frustrate the Supreme Court’s inherent power to regulate the practice of law. Id.

Our Supreme Court has offered guidelines to be used in determining whether a specific activity constitutes the practice of law.

[0]ne is engaged in the practice of law when [the person], for a valuable consideration ... appears in a representative capacity as an advocate in proceedings pending or prospective, before any court, commissioner, referee, board, body, committee, or commission constituted by law or authorized to settle controversies, and there, in such representative capacity, performs any act or acts for the purpose of obtaining or defending the rights of their clients under the law.

[621]*621Reed v. Labor and Indus. Relations Comm’n, 789 S.W.2d 19, 21 (Mo. banc 1990) (quoting Clark v. Austin, 340 Mo. 467, 101 S.W.2d 977, 982 (1937)). In addition, it is the character of the acts done, and not the place where they are committed, that constitutes the decisive factor in determining whether acts fall within the practice of law. Id.

We begin our analysis by noting that in Reed, a non-attorney employee submitted an application for review of an Appeals Tribunal decision to the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission. The Supreme Court held that this constitutes the unauthomed practice of law. However, these applications for review require the applicant to assert legal theories, which requires some degree of legal skill and knowledge. Id. at 23.

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950 S.W.2d 618, 1997 Mo. App. LEXIS 1360, 1997 WL 405482, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/division-of-employment-security-v-westerhold-moctapp-1997.