MacK v. Utah State Department of Commerce

2009 UT 47, 221 P.3d 194, 635 Utah Adv. Rep. 79, 2009 Utah LEXIS 158, 2009 WL 2341637
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 31, 2009
Docket20070301
StatusPublished
Cited by72 cases

This text of 2009 UT 47 (MacK v. Utah State Department of Commerce) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
MacK v. Utah State Department of Commerce, 2009 UT 47, 221 P.3d 194, 635 Utah Adv. Rep. 79, 2009 Utah LEXIS 158, 2009 WL 2341637 (Utah 2009).

Opinion

DURHAM, Chief Justice:

INTRODUCTION

I1 The Utah Uniform Securities Act governs the licensing, regulation, and discipline of professionals in the securities industry. The Act provides two fora for disciplining professionals: agency adjudications and district court actions.

2 In this appeal, the Division of Securities (the Division) argues that under the statute, it can only obtain limited remedies from each forum. Thus, the Division asks us to overturn the district court's order enjoining the Division from pursuing disciplinary action against appellee Richard W. Mack's securities Hcense in an agency adjudication after a district court dismissed with prejudice an earlier action based on the same facts. We hold that the Division's challenge to the injunction was procedurally proper but that Mack is not required to exhaust the administrative process, as the process itself constitutes the harm of which Mack complains. We also hold that claim preclusion bars the administrative action. Accordingly, we affirm the district court's order.

BACKGROUND

3 In February 2005, the Division brought a civil action in the district court against Richard Mack and other parties. With respect to Mr. Mack, the Division sought sane-tions and a fine against Mack as the branch manager and a general principal of Walnut Street Securities, Inc. for failing to supervise a securities agent employed by the securities firm.

T4 This failure, the Division alleged, violated Utah Code section 61-1-1, the anti-fraud provision of the Utah Uniform Securities Act. Specifically, the Division alleged that Mack failed to detect "red flags" in the agent's behavior, to adopt and implement adequate supervisory and compliance procedures, to reasonably supervise the agent in a way that would detect or prevent a violation of securities laws, to investigate discrepancies between oral and written reports regarding outside business activity provided by the agent, to maintain records of efforts to inquire into the agent's outside business activities, and to reasonably carry out policies and procedures of Walnut Street Securities' compliance manual. As a remedy, the Division requested a judgment that Mack violated the Utah Uniform Securities Act, a permanent injunction enjoining him from violating the Act, a restitution order, a fine, attorney fees, and costs and expenses.

T5 Mack moved to dismiss the complaint pursuant to rule 12(b)(6) of the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure. Mack argued that the acts alleged by the Division were unconnected with the sale of securities and, if true, constituted mere negligent supervision, which would not support a finding of fraud because fraud requires willful conduct. Additionally, Mack argued that the Utah Uniform Seeurities Act did not allow the Division to seek restitution on behalf of private plaintiffs.

T6 After hearing argument from the Division, Mack, and other defendants, the district court determined that the Division had failed to allege willful conduct or a causal nexus between Mack's actions and the unlawful sale of securities. The court therefore held that the Division failed to plead a cause of action based on fraud. Additionally, the district court held that restitution was not a remedy available to the Division under the Utah Uniform Securities Act. Thus, on July 14, 2006, the court dismissed the Division's claims. However, the district court specifically gave the Division thirty days from the dismissal to file an amended complaint "if it [could] identify appropriate facts and different grounds to support a claim for injunctive relief as it pertain{ed] to the ... [dJefendants' HEceensure based on alleged failure to supervise." Order, at 3, State v. Walnut St. Sec., Inc., No. 050500310 (5th Dist. July 14, 2006). The Division did not file an amended complaint, and thus on August 25, 2006, a final order was entered dismissing with prejudice the Division's claims against Mack. The Division did not appeal this decision.

*198 T 7 Instead, on August 3, 2006, the Division filed an administrative action with the director of the Division of Securities seeking a revocation of Walnut Street Securities and Mack's securities licenses, a bar from the Utah securities industry, and a $300,000 fine. In this administrative action, the Division alleged the same facts relating to Mack's failure to supervise as it had alleged in the civil complaint. The Division alleged that Mack's omissions violated Utah Code section 61-1-6(2)(j), the National Association of Securities Dealers Conduct rule 3010, and Utah Administrative Code rule 164-6-1g(C)(28).

18 In October 2006, Mack filed a complaint for injunctive relief in the district court. Mack argued that res judicata barred the Division's administrative action and sought a temporary restraining order and both a preliminary and a permanent injunetion to enforce this bar. Mack also sought preliminary and permanent injunctive relief to enjoin the Division from disseminating any information to the public or to any source that might disseminate information to the public regarding the administrative action.

T9 The district court denied Mack's request for a temporary restraining order and conducted a hearing to address whether res judicata barred the administrative action and whether Mack was required to exhaust administrative remedies by raising the issues first in the administrative proceeding. After argument, the district court issued a memorandum decision holding that the administrative action was barred by res judicata because (1) it involved the same parties, (2) the district court in the earlier civil action had the authority to hear all claims that were and should have been presented, and (8) the earlier case ended in a final judgment on the merits. Further, the district court held that the res judicata bar rendered the exhaustion of administrative remedies requirement unnecessary. The court found that Mack was likely to prevail on the merits of his request for an injunction, but it declined to address the other injunction requirements during that hearing.

110 Approximately one month after the district court entered its Memorandum Decision, the Division submitted a motion to dismiss based on rule 12(b)(6) of the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure. The Division argued that Mack failed to state an underlying cause of action to support a grant of injunctive relief because res judicata is a defense, not a cause of action, and rule 65A of the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure does not create a substantive right. The district court scheduled a hearing to address the Division's motion to dismiss and Mack's requested injunctive relief. Before the hearing, the Division stipulated to a finding of irreparable harm. Additionally, before the hearing, the parties resolved the dispute regarding the Division's communications about Mack. Therefore, the hearing focused on the Division's motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim. Following the December 2006 hearing, the Court entered an order denying the Division's motion to dismiss and granting an injunction barring the administrative proceeding against Mack based on res judicata. The Division appealed the district court's order. We have jurisdiction pursuant to Utah Code section 78A, 3-102(8)(J) (2008).

ANALYSIS

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2009 UT 47, 221 P.3d 194, 635 Utah Adv. Rep. 79, 2009 Utah LEXIS 158, 2009 WL 2341637, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mack-v-utah-state-department-of-commerce-utah-2009.