Opinion ID: 1043793
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Petition for Declaratory Ruling

Text: ¶ 14. Plaintiff also seeks review of the Board Secretary's refusal to hear his petition for declaratory ruling. Because our statutes do not provide a method of direct appeal from approvals, denials, or failure to act on petitions for declaratory ruling, Rule 75 provided plaintiff with his exclusive method of review for this claim and the limitations periods, discussed above, apply. The Board's decision not to entertain the petition via the Secretary's letter was dated November 16, 2009. We find it questionable whether this letter from the Secretary was a decision by the Board, but resolution of this question is not necessary for the purposes of this claim. If the letter was a decision by the Board, Rule 75's thirty-day limitations period began to run on the date of the Secretary's letter, November 16, 2009. If the letter was not a decision by the Board, then it was a failure or refusal to act and Rule 75's six-month limitations period began to run on that date. Plaintiff filed his complaint challenging the Secretary's determination on December 1, 2009. Thus, the portion of the complaint seeking review of the Board Secretary's refusal to consider his petition was filed well within either the thirty-day or the six-month limitations period of Rule 75 and should have been considered by the trial court. Grant of summary judgment on this claim was improper, and we reverse and remand for consideration.