IN THE
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA DON C. ROBERTSON, AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE OF THE VIOLA I. ROBERTSON TRUST DATED OCTOBER 1, 2009; CHARLOTTE G. HARDY AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE OF THE VIOLA I. ROBERTSON TRUST DATED OCTOBER 1, 2009; JAMES H. HARDY AND CHARLOTTE G. HARDY, HUSBAND AND WIFE; BONITA SUE ESCOBEDO AND JAMES D. SUMPTER, AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEES OF THE SUMPTER TRUST; W. MICHAEL ADDINGTON AND CHERYL ADDINGTON, HUSBAND AND WIFE AND TRUSTEES OF THE W. MICHAEL AND CHERYL ADDINGTON TRUST, Plaintiffs/Appellees,
v.
ROBERT E. ALLING AND JACQUELINE R. ALLING, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS HUSBAND AND WIFE; MELISSA L. MOORE, INDIVIDUALLY; DOYLE K. WARNER AND DEANNA K. WARNER, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS HUSBAND AND WIFE; HARRY L. VIEZENS AND MARCIA L. VIEZENS, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS HUSBAND AND WIFE AND AS TRUSTEES OF THE VIEZENS TRUST; FREDERICK AND CALISTA WASHBURN, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS HUSBAND AND WIFE; MGF FUNDING, INC., AN ARIZONA CORPORATION; BRIAN A. MORTENSEN AND OXANA MORTENSEN, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS HUSBAND AND WIFE; ROBERT R. HICKS AND NICOLE HICKS, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS HUSBAND AND WIFE; KARL F. KOHLHOFF AND JOAN M. KOHLHOFF, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS HUSBAND AND WIFE AND AS TRUSTEES OF THE KOHLHOFF FAMILY TRUST; WILLIAM D. LAWRENCE, INDIVIDUALLY; LAWRENCE PROPERTIES, A GENERAL PARTNERSHIP; WILLIAM GLAUNSINGER AND LORNA GLAUNSINGER, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS HUSBAND AND WIFE; THOMAS GRAHAM AND REGINA GRAHAM, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS HUSBAND AND WIFE; GRAHAM HOMES, LLC, AN ARIZONA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY; GERALD L. GRAHAM, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS TRUSTEE OF THE GRAHAM FAMILY TRUST, AND VELMA GRAHAM, HIS WIFE, Defendants/Appellants.
No. CV-14-0246-PR Filed June 24, 2015
Appeal from the Superior Court in Gila County The Honorable Peter J. Cahill, Judge No. CV2011-00165 AFFIRMED ROBERTSON V. ALLING Opinion of the Court
Opinion of the Court of Appeals, Division Two 235 Ariz. 329, 332 P.3d 76 (App. 2014) VACATED
COUNSEL:
Noel Fidel (argued), Law Office of Noel Fidel, Phoenix; Robert Grasso, Jr., and Jenny J. Winkler, Grasso Law Firm, P.C., Chandler, Attorneys for Don C. Robertson, et al.
Russell A. Kolsrud (argued) and Mark S. Sifferman, Clark Hill PLC, Scottsdale, Attorneys for Robert E. Alling, et al.
Stanley G. Feldman, Haralson, Miller, Pitt, Feldman & McAnally, P.L.C., Tucson, and David L. Abney, Knapp & Roberts, P.C., Scottsdale, for Amici Curiae Arizona Association for Justice/Arizona Trial Lawyers Association
JUSTICE TIMMER authored the opinion of the Court, in which CHIEF JUSTICE BALES, VICE CHIEF JUSTICE PELANDER and JUSTICES BERCH and BRUTINEL joined.
JUSTICE TIMMER, opinion of the Court:
¶1 Agreements between parties or attorneys in civil lawsuits are not binding if disputed unless they are evidenced by a writing or made orally in court. Ariz. R. Civ. P. 80(d). We here consider whether Rule 80(d) makes a written settlement agreement unenforceable because it lacked the written assent of clients who dispute their attorney's authority to make the agreement. Holding that no such written assent is required and that the agreement here satisfied Rule 80(d), we also conclude that it is enforceable because the attorney acted within the apparent authority given