Title: French v. N.D. Dep't of Transportation

State: north-dakota

Issuer: North Dakota Supreme Court

Document:

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N.D. Dep’t of Transp. 1:G 1'   LQZKLFKDKHDULQJRIILFHUHUUHGDQGE\UHO\LQJRQSHUVRQDONQRZOHGJHRIPDWWHUVQRW LQWKHUHFRUG >@ 7KHGLVSRVLWLYHLVVXHLVZKHWKHUWKHQRWDWLRQRQ)UHQFK¶VGULYLQJUHFRUGNHSW E\WKH'HSDUWPHQWZDVDGHTXDWHIRUWKHKHDULQJRIILFHUWRILQGKHKDGRQFHSUHYLRXVO\ EHHQ VXVSHQGHG RU UHYRNHG XQGHU 1'&& FK   MXVWLI\LQJ WKH HQKDQFHG VXVSHQVLRQIRUKLVSUHVHQWYLRODWLRQ >@ ,QWKHFRQWH[WRI³LQGHSHQGHQW´DGPLQLVWUDWLYHODZMXGJHVWKLV&RXUWKDV H[SODLQHG WKDW ZKLOH GHIHUHQFH LV JLYHQ WR DQ $/-¶V IDFWXDO ILQGLQJV XQGHU WKH ³UHDVRQLQJ PLQG´ VWDQGDUG VLPLODU GHIHUHQFH LV QRW JLYHQ WR WKH $/-¶V OHJDO FRQFOXVLRQV EHFDXVH ³XQOLNH DQ DJHQF\ >WKH $/-@ GRHV QRW QHFHVVDULO\ KDYH VSHFLDOL]HGNQRZOHGJHRUH[SHUWLVHZDUUDQWLQJGHIHUHQFHWRLWVOHJDOLQWHUSUHWDWLRQV DQGFRQFOXVLRQV´Workforce Safety & Ins. v. Auck1' 1:G  see alsoN.D. Sec. Comm’r v. Juran & Moody, Inc.1' 1:G:KLOHWKHRIILFHRIDGPLQLVWUDWLYHKHDULQJV 2$+ LVQRWDVSHFLDOL]HG DJHQF\DQGDQLQGHSHQGHQW$/-DVVLJQHGE\WKH2$+LVQRWLQWHUSUHWLQJWKH2$+¶V RZQUXOHVseeAuckDW WKHVDPHFDQQRWEHVDLGDERXWWKH'HSDUWPHQW¶VKHDULQJ RIILFHU  >@ +HUHZHFRQFOXGHWKH'HSDUWPHQW¶VGULYHU¶VOLFHQVHUHFRUGDQGLWVQRWDWLRQV FRQVWLWXWHSULPDIDFLHHYLGHQFHWKDW)UHQFK¶VGULYHU¶VOLFHQVHKDGSUHYLRXVO\EHHQ VXVSHQGHGXQGHU1'&&FK :HDJUHHZLWKWKH'HSDUWPHQW¶VDVVHUWLRQRQ DSSHDOWKDWWKH'HSDUWPHQWPD\SURSHUO\FRQVWUXHLWVQRWDWLRQVLQWKHGULYLQJUHFRUG NHSWE\WKH'HSDUWPHQWDVORQJDVWKHQRWDWLRQLV³UHDGLO\DVFHUWDLQDEOH´WRWKH GLUHFWRUDQGKLVGHVLJQHHV:HFRQFOXGHWKDWDVDUHJXODUO\NHSW'HSDUWPHQWUHFRUG WKHGULYHU¶VOLFHQVH¶VQRWDWLRQZDV³UHDGLO\DVFHUWDLQDEOH´WRWKHKHDULQJRIILFHUDQG SHUPLWWHGWKHKHDULQJRIILFHUWRLQIHUIURPWKHLQIRUPDWLRQ)UHQFK¶VOLFHQVHKDGEHHQ SUHYLRXVO\VXVSHQGHGLQ$XJXVWDIWHUD'HSDUWPHQWKHDULQJSeeNelson v. Dir., N.D. Dep’t of Transp. 1'1:G ³$KHDULQJRIILFHULVQRW SUHFOXGHGIURPGUDZLQJLQIHUHQFHVIURPWKHHYLGHQFHSUHVHQWHGEDVHGRQFRPPRQ VHQVHDQGH[SHULHQFHV´  >@ $WWKHDGPLQLVWUDWLYHKHDULQJ)UHQFKGLGQRWSURYLGHDQ\HYLGHQFHWRUHEXWWKH FRQWHQWRIWKHGULYLQJUHFRUGDVFRQVWUXHGE\WKHKHDULQJRIILFHU$VDUHEXWWDEOH SUHVXPSWLRQXQGHU1'&&  KDG)UHQFKLQWHQGHGWRFRQWHVWWKH 'HSDUWPHQW¶VLQWHUSUHWDWLRQRIWKHUHFRUGKHFRXOGKDYHWHVWLILHGDWWKHDGPLQLVWUDWLYH KHDULQJRURWKHUZLVHFKDOOHQJHGWKH'HSDUWPHQW¶VUHFRUGLQGLFDWLQJKLVOLFHQVHKDG EHHQSUHYLRXVO\VXVSHQGHGCf.Andre v. N.D. State Hwy. Comm’r 1:G  1'   KROGLQJDUHFRUGFRQWDLQLQJD³VWDPSHGQRWDWLRQ´LQGLFDWLQJD SULRU VSHHGLQJ YLRODWLRQ ZDV ³DGHTXDWH´ WR LQIRUP WKH 'HSDUWPHQW RI D WUDIILF YLRODWLRQIRUGHWHUPLQLQJWKHGULYHU¶VWRWDOSRLQWDFFXPXODWLRQDQGDQ\FOHULFDOHUURU FRXOGKDYHEHHQUDLVHGLQWKHDGPLQLVWUDWLYHKHDULQJEXWZDVQRW  >@ :H FRQFOXGH WKH GLVWULFW FRXUW HUUHG LQ GLVUHJDUGLQJ WKH KHDULQJ RIILFHU¶V ILQGLQJVDQGFRQFOXVLRQVUHJDUGLQJWKHQRWDWLRQVRQ)UHQFK¶VGULYLQJUHFRUGWRGHFLGH WKHDSSURSULDWHOHQJWKRIVXVSHQVLRQ ,9 >@ 7KH'HSDUWPHQWDUJXHVWKHGLVWULFWFRXUWHUUHGLQJUDQWLQJ)UHQFK¶VUHTXHVWIRU DQDZDUGRIDWWRUQH\IHHVDQGFRVWVXQGHU1'&&    > @ *HQHUDOO\ 1'&&     UHTXLUHV D FRXUW WR DZDUG UHDVRQDEOH DWWRUQH\IHHVDQGFRVWVWRD³SUHYDLOLQJ´FODLPDQWZKHQDQDGPLQLVWUDWLYHDJHQF\KDV DFWHGZLWKRXW³VXEVWDQWLDOMXVWLILFDWLRQ´SeeDrayton v. Workforce Safety & Ins. 1'1:G%HFDXVHZHFRQFOXGHWKHKHDULQJRIILFHUGLG QRWHUULQLWVGHFLVLRQZHFRQFOXGHWKH'HSDUWPHQWKDGVXEVWDQWLDOMXVWLILFDWLRQIRU SXUSRVHVRI1'&&:HWKHUHIRUHFRQFOXGHWKHGLVWULFWFRXUWDEXVHGLWV GLVFUHWLRQLQDZDUGLQJDWWRUQH\IHHV 9 >@ 7KHMXGJPHQWLVUHYHUVHGDQGWKH'HSDUWPHQW¶VGHFLVLRQWRVXVSHQG)UHQFK¶V GULYLQJSULYLOHJHVIRUGD\VLVUHLQVWDWHG >@ /LVD)DLU0F(YHUV 'DQLHO-&URWKHUV -HURG(7XIWH -RQ--HQVHQ *HUDOG:9DQGH:DOOH&- 