Opinion ID: 1186363
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: evidence of specific facts

Text: The majority finds that the trial court abused its discretion in holding that Monarch had introduced evidence of specific facts indicating that the matters deemed admitted against it were untrue. On this point alone, the majority overturns the trial court, holding that the specific facts of untrue admissions were not introduced in the brief or the record. I disagree. In both its motion for leave to amend or withdraw answers to request for admissions and its brief before this court, Monarch stated conclusively that it denied several of the admissions and offered specific facts as to why it denied such admissions. While no affidavit accompanied the record, the majority overstates the lack of specific facts indicating that the matters deemed admitted against it are in fact untrue when it writes: However, while the motion disputes the admission which Monarch later wished to deny, it lacks any sort of detailed articulation of such arguments and is entirely devoid of evidence of specific facts contradicting the admissions. The record is devoid of any sworn statement that admission No. 2 is untrue. (Footnote omitted.) The record is not entirely devoid of evidence of specific facts. Monarch asserts in the record specific information as to the salvage title issued by the state of Arizona and explains why Utah took no titling action in describing its denial of an admission. The trial court, with the record before it, easily could have found that specific facts were presented. We should respect the trial judge's discretion. These issues are important, but they are ultimately procedural in nature and do not implicate fundamental rights. The preconditions for amendment of admissions under rule 36(b) do not therefore require the level of vigilant protection that a de novo review by this court would afford. See State v. Pena, 869 P.2d 932, 938 (Utah 1994) (describing situations in which we narrow the pasture [of discretion] for policy reasons, and citing as examples State v. Thurman, 846 P.2d 1256, 1266 (Utah 1993) (considering whether search violated Fourth Amendment); Utah Assoc. Mun. Power Sys. v. Public Serv. Comm'n, 789 P.2d 298, 301-02 (Utah 1990) (deciding constitutionality of delegating certain legislative powers)). The policy considerations in the present case persuade me that an intermediate standard is appropriate for review of the trial court's rule 36 preliminary determinations. However, Pena makes clear that public policy is just one factor to be considered in establishing the appropriate standard of review. While policy considerations may persuade us to narrow the scope of discretion in certain cases, Pena also indicates that in certain situations broader discretion should be granted to the trial court: (i) when the facts to which the legal rule is to be applied are so complex and varying that no rule adequately addressing the relevance of all these facts can be spelled out; (ii) when the situation to which the legal principle is to be applied is sufficiently new to the courts that appellate judges are unable to anticipate and articulate definitively what factors should be outcome determinative; and (iii) when the trial judge has observed facts, such as a witness's appearance and demeanor, relevant to the application of the law that cannot be adequately reflected in the record available to appellate courts. Pena, 869 P.2d at 939 (citing Maurice Rosenberg, Judicial Discretion of the Trial Court, Viewed From Above, 22 Syracuse L.Rev. 635, 662-63 (1971)). As for the first requirement, the facts to which rule 36(b) are to be applied appear at first neither varying nor complex. Each case, like the case at hand, must involve a party moving to amend admissions deemed admitted against it by virtue of its failure to respond to a request for admissions within thirty days. Nevertheless, I recognize the difficulty of trying to predict what kinds of factual variations may present themselves in the future and am willing to admit that trial courts generally occupy a better position to address those variations. This difficulty would indicate that broader pasture, or discretion, should be afforded trial courts. However, the second and third factors justify a narrower grant of discretion in this case. And finally, because Monarch's motion to amend was granted purely on the record and memoranda submitted in support of or opposition to the motion to amend, no trial court ever held a hearing. The trial judge in this case could therefore have observed no relevant facts outside the record. Analysis of these three factors causes me to conclude that we should grant some deference in this case. In reviewing a trial court's decision to grant a rule 36 motion to amend, we should give some deference to the trial court's findings that the presentation of the action's merits would be served by amendment and that amendment would not prejudice the other party's action or defense. Once these threshold conditions are satisfied, the trial court has full discretion to grant or deny the motion to amend, and its decision should be reversed only if the judge appears to have abused her discretion, that is, if there was no reasonable basis for it. I agree with the majority that Monarch could have more strongly presented its specific facts and evidence. However, the record and brief are not so devoid of such information as to constitute an abuse of discretion by the trial court.