Ivers v. Salladay

289 P.3d 334, 253 Or. App. 195, 2012 Ore. App. LEXIS 1299
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedOctober 24, 2012
Docket07CV0441ST; A145084
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 289 P.3d 334 (Ivers v. Salladay) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ivers v. Salladay, 289 P.3d 334, 253 Or. App. 195, 2012 Ore. App. LEXIS 1299 (Or. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

NAKAMOTO, J.

Respondent John Salladay was the custodian of his minor daughter’s ownership interest in a house, in accordance with the Uniform Transfer to Minors Act (UTMA), ORS 126.805 to 126.886. After respondent sold the house, petitioner Ivers (who is respondent’s ex-wife and the minor’s mother and conservator) sought respondent’s removal as custodian, restitution, and an accounting. Respondent prevailed in the action,1 and the trial court entered a judgment that provided for respondent to seek the court’s approval of his reimbursement for expenses incurred as the UTMA custodian in connection with the suit. Respondent sought approval four months later. Over petitioner’s objection that ORCP 68 applied and that respondent had acted too late given the rule’s deadline for seeking an award of attorney fees, the trial court entered a supplemental judgment allowing respondent custodial expenses consisting of attorney fees. We affirm the trial court’s decision that ORCP 68 is inapplicable to the recovery of custodial expenses under the UTMA, even if those expenses include reimbursement of attorney fees.

The facts are primarily procedural and are undisputed on appeal. Petitioner and respondent divorced in 1996 and have one child, their minor daughter. Petitioner’s mother devised her house in Redmond, Oregon, to respondent and to the minor. In 2004, after petitioner’s mother had died and her will was probated, respondent received an undivided one-half interest in the house and respondent, as custodian in accordance with the will, received the minor’s undivided one-half interest in trust until she turned 25 years of age.

Respondent made various improvements to the house and its landscaping. In 2007, he sold the house for approximately $239,000, a significant increase in the house’s value as indicated by the inventory of petitioner’s mother’s estate. Respondent deposited the minor’s share of the net proceeds from the sale in a separate account for her at a financial institution.

[198]*198In July 2007, however, petitioner, as conservator for the minor, filed this action for an accounting, restitution, and respondent’s removal as the UTMA custodian. Respondent filed two counterclaims. He alleged a right to recover his expenses and attorney fees in connection with the litigation from the UTMA custodial estate as custodial expenses. Respondent also alleged that petitioner had filed the action in bad faith and that the court should award him attorney fees and costs as a sanction under ORS 20.105. Respondent also prepared and submitted an accounting to the trial court.

The trial court found that respondent “did not act to the detriment of the minor’s estate but rather prudently increased the value of the estate through repair and renovation of the house, sale at a substantial profit, and fair distribution and investment of the proceeds.” The court approved respondent’s accounting and rejected petitioner’s request that respondent be removed as custodian and her other claims, as well as respondent’s counterclaim for sanctions. Noting that respondent was not entitled to an award of attorney fees, the trial court entered a judgment that allowed respondent, as the UTMA custodian, to obtain reimbursement of his reasonable expenses from the custodial estate pursuant to ORS 126.852(1), “upon application to the Court.”

The trial court explained its allowance of custodial expenses through its letter opinion, describing the kinds of expenses allowable:

“[Respondent], as custodian, is entitled to recover his ‘reasonable expenses’, pursuant to ORS 125.852, from custodial property. This would include, for instance, the expenses of preparing the accounting, even if prepared by an attorney. It could also potentially include the attorney fees and expenses incurred in defending this suit, if [respondent] makes that claim.”

The court also instructed respondent that he could “submit his request for reimbursement from custodial property for reasonable expenses, pursuant to ORS 126.852(1), by affidavit.” Separately, the court noted in its letter opinion that respondent could submit a cost bill under ORCP 68. In the judgment, the trial court reiterated that respondent was [199]*199entitled to recover expenses from the estate but that costs were assessed because respondent was the prevailing party.

Respondent timely sought his costs — his filing, service, and prevailing party fees — within 14 days of the judgment as required under ORCP 68. Petitioner paid the costs. Later, four months after the judgment was entered, respondent filed a “Custodian’s Motion for Reimbursement of Expenses” in which he sought reimbursement from the custodial estate for legal fees that attorneys had charged him for consultations, representation in the proceedings, and preparation of the accounting. Petitioner objected to the motion for expenses, arguing both that attorney fees were not includable as custodial expenses under ORS 126.852 and that respondent’s statement of attorney fees was not timely filed, within 14 days of the entry of judgment, as required by ORCP 68.

In its letter opinion concerning petitioner’s objections to respondent’s motion, the trial court reasoned that, under ORS 126.852(1), “reasonable expenses” can include the cost of experts and there is no reason to distinguish between fees of a CPA and the expense of legal representation. In fact, the UTMA expressly recognizes that an attorney may prepare an accounting instead of a CPA. See ORS 126.866(3) (a custodian’s legal representative may account). Petitioner has not challenged on appeal the court’s ruling that allowed respondent’s attorney fees as custodial expenses under the UTMA.

The trial court also explained that ORCP 68 is applicable to fee awards, not to custodial expenses under the UTMA, and that the approval procedure the court had ordered was not required under the UTMA:

“The court is not making an award of attorney fees to the custodian, against petitioner, as a prevailing party. In fact a custodian might still be entitled to reimbursement of attorney fees for defending a suit and losing, if the fees are ‘reasonable expenses.’ Assuming, however, that ORCP 68 and UTCR 5.080 would apply generally to fees incurred as expenses by a fiduciary, ORCP 68 is not applicable in this instance.
[200]*200“ORS 126.852(1) allows a custodian, ‘reimbursement from custodial property for reasonable expenses.’ There is no requirement for prior or even subsequent court approval. Typically, there is no case and no court involvement at all.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
289 P.3d 334, 253 Or. App. 195, 2012 Ore. App. LEXIS 1299, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ivers-v-salladay-orctapp-2012.