INTERNAT'L TRACERS v. Hard

570 P.2d 131, 89 Wash. 2d 140
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 13, 1977
Docket44624
StatusPublished

This text of 570 P.2d 131 (INTERNAT'L TRACERS v. Hard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
INTERNAT'L TRACERS v. Hard, 570 P.2d 131, 89 Wash. 2d 140 (Wash. 1977).

Opinion

89 Wn.2d 140 (1977)
570 P.2d 131

INTERNATIONAL TRACERS OF AMERICA, Appellant,
v.
ESTATE OF ERIC HARD, ET AL, Respondents.

No. 44624.

The Supreme Court of Washington, En Banc.

October 13, 1977.

*142 Buzzard & Glenn, P.S., by Frank E. Morris and Jerome L. Buzzard, for appellant.

Fred D. Gentry (of Bean, Gentry & Rathbone), for respondent Johnson.

Layman, Mullin & Etter and Frank J. Gebhardt, for respondents Heehn, et al.

HOROWITZ, J.

The principal issue here is the constitutionality of RCW 63.28.330, which places a 5 percent limit on fees a person can recover for locating property that he knows has already been reported or delivered to the Department of Revenue.[1]

Plaintiff-appellant International Tracers of America (Tracers) is a Florida corporation engaged in the business of locating heirs of decedents whose property would otherwise escheat to the state in which the property is located. On December 8, 1971, four heirs of Eric Hard (who died in Alaska) and Tracers entered into a contingent fee contract, signed in Minnesota, under which Tracers purportedly undertook to locate the assets of decedent Hard. The agreement drafted by Tracers, further provided that if "Tracers is able to succeed in securing control of assets of the Estate of Eric Hard, and, in the event a distribution of said assets is made to the undersigned heirs, then and in that event, we, the undersigned, agree to pay Tracers 40 percent of any amount which may be collected and distributed to the undersigned." None of the four heirs were or are residents of or domiciled in this state.

*143 At the time the contract was entered into Tracers had known since 1970 that decedent died owning shares of stock worth approximately $23,000, the proceeds of which were being held by the State of Washington as a result of escheat proceedings in this state. The four heirs did not have this information.

In 1972 Minnie Johnson, one of the four signatory heirs, commenced probate proceedings in Thurston County, Washington, to administer and distribute decedent's assets to his heirs. She was appointed administratrix of the estate. Tracers filed no creditor's claim in the estate.

After the four heirs, including the administratrix, refused to pay Tracers its fees for its services, Tracers sued the four heirs and Minnie Johnson in her capacity as administratrix to recover its fees. Defendants answered raising certain affirmative defenses, including illegality of the contingency fee agreement, and counterclaimed for damages for harassment by Tracers in its efforts to collect the sums sued for. The trial court entered a judgment for Tracers against the four heirs (not the estate) but limited recovery to 5 percent of the ultimate distribution, and dismissed each defendant's counterclaim. Tracers appealed. Defendants did not cross-appeal.

Plaintiff contends: (1) Washington law, including RCW 63.28.330 does not govern this case; (2) Tracers is entitled to recover against the administratrix of the Eric Hard estate as well as the four heirs; and (3) even if the Washington law applies, RCW 63.28.330 is unconstitutional and therefore plaintiff's recovery is not limited to the 5 percent awarded. We do not agree with these contentions and affirm the appealed judgment.

We agree with defendants and the trial court that the validity of the contract here is to be determined by the Washington law. Plaintiff contends that under Baffin Land Corp. v. Monticello Motor Inn, Inc., 70 Wn.2d 893, 425 P.2d 623 (1967) the "significant contacts" test determines the validity of the contract. In Baffin we held that under the significant contacts test the court should consider all *144 the significant points of contact, including the place of contracting, place of negotiations, and place of performance. Plaintiff contends it is impossible to determine what state had the most significant contacts with the transaction and therefore Washington law does not govern, plaintiff not stating what other law it claims does govern. There are several reasons, however, which require use of Washington law.

[1] First, no actual conflict between the law of Washington and the law of any other state claimed applicable is shown to exist. Without such a conflict, courts will not engage in a conflict of law analysis. B. Currie, Selected Essays on the Conflict of Law 176 (1963). There is no proof introduced as to the content of any foreign law claimed by Tracers to be applicable here. Nor did Tracers plead the law of any other state claimed to be applicable as required by RCW 5.24.040. Without such a pleading, the trial court was not required to take judicial notice of the law of any other state. RCW 5.24.010-.070. In re Adoption of Candell, 54 Wn.2d 276, 340 P.2d 173 (1959); Save-Way Drug, Inc. v. Standard Inv. Co., 5 Wn. App. 726, 490 P.2d 1342 (1971). Without pleading or proof of applicability of foreign law, such law will be presumed to be the same as Washington's. In re Estate of Nelson, 85 Wn.2d 602, 606, 537 P.2d 765 (1975); Granite Equip. Leasing Corp. v. Hutton, 84 Wn.2d 320, 324, 525 P.2d 223 (1974); Norm Advertising, Inc. v. Monroe St. Lumber Co., 25 Wn.2d 391, 171 P.2d 177 (1946). See Byrne v. Cooper, 11 Wn. App. 549, 523 P.2d 1216 (1974).

We note in passing that other states have banned the type of business in which Tracers is engaged on the ground that the business constitutes the unauthorized practice of law or is otherwise void as against public policy. Florida Bar v. Heller, 247 So.2d 434 (Fla. 1971); Skinner v. Morrow, 318 S.W.2d 419 (Ky. 1958); In re Estate of Rice, 24 Ohio Op.2d 379, 193 N.E.2d 566 (P. Ct. 1963).

[2] Finally, we note the opinion in Baffin Land Corp. v. Monticello Motor Inn, Inc., supra at 900, in applying the *145 significant contacts test, places great emphasis on the importance of place of performance. Cf. Restatement (Second) of Conflicts § 202(2) (1971).

Assuming arguendo it is necessary to resort to the significant contacts test under Baffin to determine whether Washington law governs, that test is met here.

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570 P.2d 131, 89 Wash. 2d 140, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/internatl-tracers-v-hard-wash-1977.