Opinion ID: 1195131
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Mundt's application to intervene was timely.

Text: No Alaska case establishes clear standards for determining when a motion is timely, although federal cases [3] indicate that this determination lies within the discretion of the trial judge. See, e.g., United States v. United States Steel Corp., 548 F.2d 1232, 1235 (5th Cir.1977). Applications for intervention have been deemed timely when made within a few days of the motion which the applicant wishes to challenge. Keating v. Traynor, 833 P.2d 695, 696 n. 2 (Alaska 1992) (holding that pro se litigant's informal request for intervention was timely when made within a few days of motion which litigant wished to challenge). Applications made after the conclusion of litigation normally are not timely, absent a showing of justification for the litigant's failure to act more promptly. See Hertz v. Cleary, 835 P.2d 438, 441 (Alaska 1992) (holding that putative class member's application to intervene was untimely when filed after settlement negotiations in class action were substantially concluded); see also United States v. Associated Milk Producers, 534 F.2d 113, 116 (8th Cir.1976) (The general rule is that motions for intervention made after entry of final judgment will be granted only upon a strong showing of entitlement and of justification for failure to request intervention sooner.). However, an applicant may intervene following a party's decision not to pursue an appeal, when the applicant wishes only to pursue an appeal. McCormick v. Smith, 793 P.2d 1042, 1044 (Alaska 1990) (holding that application to intervene was timely when applicants wished to intervene only to take an appeal, and when they intervened five days after the party decided not to take an appeal). Although Mundt received a copy of Northwest's motion, the record is unclear as to whether Mundt knew that her parcels would be affected by the litigation until the order which invalidated her interest in those parcels was issued. In Northwest's motion to quiet title, it requested only an order invalidating certain deeds which create clouds on its title. Northwest also informed the court that it sought an order invalidating deeds which conflict with deeds to Northwest. However, the order which was ultimately issued invalidated Mundt's claim not only to parcels in which Northwest claimed an interest, but also to parcels in which Northwest did not claim an interest, which Ashbrook had transferred to Mundt by the deeds invalidated by the order. Mundt did act promptly following the issuance of that order, by applying for intervention within ten days of the entry of the order. [4] Mundt's application therefore was timely, notwithstanding the fact that it was filed after entry of final judgment.