Opinion ID: 2581829
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Collateral estoppel bars the Van Deusens' second claim for injunctive relief.

Text: We next consider whether collateral estoppel bars the Van Deusens' second claim for injunctive relief. The superior court denied the injunction the Van Deusens sought in their first lawsuit because the court found and concluded that the Van Deusens have failed to establish by clear and convincing evidence that the noise made by the IdidaRide dogs would, under similar circumstances, have disturbed a reasonable person and substantially interfered with a reasonable person's use or enjoyment of his property. Collateral estoppel bars the relitigation of an issue when: (1) the party against whom the preclusion is employed was a party to ... the first action; (2) the issue precluded from relitigation is identical to the issue decided in the first action; (3) the issue was resolved by a final judgment on the merits; and (4) the determination of the issue was essential to the final judgment. [13] The present dispute undeniably involves the same parties, and a final judgment was undeniably entered in the first lawsuit. But was the issue the same, and was it necessarily resolved by the first final judgment? The Van Deusens argue that the underlying legal issue is different because the conditions may worsen and circumstances have changed since the superior court denied injunctive relief in the first action. They assert: More dogs may be added to the lot. Louder dogs may be added to the lot. Environmental conditions may change over the years. Mitigation efforts once thought to be effective may fail. The parties' ability to obtain legal recourse may change. All these are factual circumstances which must be weighed by the trial court, not summarily dismissed. The Seaveys dispute the Van Deusens' claim and argue that conditions have not worsened. The record does not support the Van Deusens' assertions. The Seaveys erected a sixteen-foot barrier in 1997 in an attempt to reduce the noise entering the Van Deusens' property. The Van Deusens claim that this mitigation effort by the Seaveys is ineffective. But assuming it is ineffective, the Van Deusens would still have to show that conditions have worsened since entry of the judgment in the first lawsuit; otherwise the legal issue in this case would be no different, and the Van Deusens' claim would be barred by collateral estoppel. [14] The Van Deusens made no showing of worsened conditions in opposing the Seaveys' motion for summary judgment. They have not demonstrated that a reasonable fact finder, taking all permissible factual inferences in favor of the Van Deusens, could find that conditions worsened since entry of the 1997 final judgment. [15] There is no indication in their joint affidavit supporting their opposition to the Seaveys' motion for summary judgment that conditions worsened since their first suit was resolved. The affidavit does not assert or permissibly imply that the noise has worsened, only that the Van Deusens' ability to bear the noise has lessened and that mitigation efforts have been unsuccessful. In comparison, the Seaveys point to passages in the record in which the Van Deusens testified that there has been some noise reduction due to the erection of the wall since the first trial and admitted to the superior court that the conditions that created the nuisance have not changed. The 1997 final judgment denying injunctive relief to the Van Deusens in their first lawsuit was expressly based on Judge Link's findings and conclusions that the Van Deusens failed to prove either a nuisance or their entitlement to an injunction. Thus, absent a demonstration that conditions had changed, the critical issue in the second lawsuit whether there is a nuisance entitling the Van Deusens to an injunctionis identical to the issue decided against them in the first lawsuit. It also means that the issue was resolved by a final judgment and that resolution of the issue was essential to the final judgment. Collateral estoppel therefore bars the Van Deusens' second attempt to enjoin the Seaveys. Because there were no genuine issues of material fact about whether circumstances had changed, the superior court did not err in granting summary judgment to the Seaveys. [16]