Loving v. Portland Postal Employees Credit Union

862 P.2d 556, 124 Or. App. 373, 1993 Ore. App. LEXIS 1864
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedNovember 3, 1993
Docket9104-02426; CA A71990
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 862 P.2d 556 (Loving v. Portland Postal Employees Credit Union) 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
Loving v. Portland Postal Employees Credit Union, 862 P.2d 556, 124 Or. App. 373, 1993 Ore. App. LEXIS 1864 (Or. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

*375 DURHAM, J.

Plaintiff appeals from a judgment entered on an arbitration award pursuant to ORS 36.425(3). After the judgment was entered, the court entered a document entitled “Judgment Order,” 1 which awarded plaintiff costs and attorney fees. Defendant cross-appeals from that order, claiming that the court should not have awarded fees or costs.

On our own motion, 2 we determine that the judgment is not appealable and dismiss the appeal. On cross-appeal, we determine that the trial court had no authority to enter the “judgment order” and vacate it.

Plaintiff sued defendant for breach of contract. Pursuant to ORS 36.405(l)(a), 3 the case was referred to arbitration. ORS 36.410(2) authorized the arbitrator to “grant any *376 relief that could have been granted if the action were determined by a judge of the court.” The potential relief included costs and attorney fees. ORS 20.096; UTCR 13.210(2). The arbitrator awarded plaintiff $200 in damages but denied his request for attorney fees and costs. Pursuant to UTCR 13.220, the award was filed in court on August 26, 1991.

On August 29,1991, plaintiff filed a challenge under UTCR 13.230 4 to the arbitrator’s denial of attorney fees and costs, and defendant opposed it. On September 17, 1991, 22 days after the filing of the award, the court sent a letter to the parties stating that it was allowing the challenge and directing plaintiff to submit a motion and affidavit regarding fees and costs pursuant to ORCP 68.

ORS 36.425 provides, in part:

“(2)(a) Within 20 days after the filing of a decision and award with the clerk of the court * * *, a party against whom relief is granted by the decision and award or a party whose claim for relief was greater than the relief granted to the party by the decision and award, but no other party, may file with the clerk a written notice of appeal and request for a trial de novo of the action in the court on all issues of law and fact. After the filing of the written notice a trial de novo of the action shall be held.
“(3) If a written notice is not filed under paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of this section within the 20 days prescribed, the clerk of the court shall enter the arbitration decision and award as a final judgment of the court, which shall have the *377 same force and effect as a final judgment of the court in the civil action and may not be appealed.” (Emphasis supplied.)

Neither party filed a timely notice of appeal and request for trial de novo under that statute. 5 On September 18, 1991, pursuant to ORS 36.425(3), the court entered a “judgment of arbitration” that incorporated the arbitration award filed on August 26, 1991.

On September 19, 1991, plaintiff filed a motion and affidavit regarding his attorney fees and a cost bill. Defendant filed objections. On September 28,1991, the court notified the parties by letter that it awarded plaintiff $250 in attorney fees and $288 in costs and, on October 17, 1991, entered a “judgment order” for those amounts.

On October 17,1991, plaintiff filed a notice of appeal in this court from the “judgment of arbitration.” 6 On October 28,1991, defendant filed a notice of cross-appeal from the “judgment order.”

We first determine whether the ‘ ‘judgment of arbitration” is appealable. In a case referred to arbitration, the arbitrator is authorized to award any relief that could have been granted by a judgment of the court, ORS 36.410(2), including costs and attorney fees, subject to the court’s authority under UTCR 13.230 to uphold or modify an arbitrator’s award of costs or fees in response to a party’s written challenge. If the court does not exercise that authority within 20 days after the filing of the award, the challenge is deemed denied. Unless a party files a timely notice of appeal and request for trial de novo, ORS 36.425(3) requires the clerk to enter the award as a final judgment of the court. That judgment “may not be appealed.” ORS 36.425(3). Under those rules, plaintiffs challenge to the denial of fees and costs *378 was deemed denied under UTCR 13.230, and the award, including the denial of fees and costs, became a final, nonappealable judgment.

Our appellate jurisdiction is derived from statutes. Ragnone v. Portland School District No. 1J, 289 Or 339, 341, 613 P2d 1051 (1980). ORS 19.010(4) provides:

“An appeal may be taken from the circuit court in any special statutory proceeding under the same conditions, in the same manner and with like effect as from a judgment, decree or order entered in an action or suit, unless such appeal is expressly prohibited by the law authorizing such special statutory proceeding.” (Emphasis supplied.)

A civil action that is referred to arbitration under ORS 36.405(l)(a) is a special statutory proceeding under ORS 19.010(4). See Peter Kiewit v. Port of Portland, 291 Or 49, 63, 628 P2d 720 (1981). Because ORS 36.425(3) prohibits an appeal from a judgment entered on an arbitration award, we lack jurisdiction over plaintiffs appeal of the “judgment of arbitration.”

We next determine whether the “judgment order” is appealable. In a civil action, a post-judgment order allowing costs and attorney fees is appealable as a “final order affecting a substantial right, and made in a proceeding after judgment or decree.” ORS

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
862 P.2d 556, 124 Or. App. 373, 1993 Ore. App. LEXIS 1864, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/loving-v-portland-postal-employees-credit-union-orctapp-1993.