Opinion ID: 1628675
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Full and Fair Opportunity to Litigate the Issues in Prior Litigation

Text: Collateral estoppel can only be used to preclude a party from relitigating issues if that party had a full and fair opportunity to litigate those issues in a prior case. Helm, 820 S.W.2d at 498. This requirement of fairness is especially significant when a party that was not involved in the prior suit is seeking to preclude relitigation of issues through application of non-mutual collateral estoppel. Oates, 583 S.W.2d at 719. Respondent offers two reasons why the full and fair opportunity requirement of the collateral estoppel doctrine is not met in this case. First, she argues that she was not given notice that the federal court sanctions would result in automatic imposition of state discipline. Second, she claims that the federal courts did not provide her with sufficient process in reaching their decisions that would also support imposition of discipline under the Missouri Rules. As to Respondent's first point, she again fails to recognize that this Court has not adopted the federal court sanctions, but has merely adopted the federal court's factual findings. Respondent was on notice that the federal courts were making factual findings regarding her misconduct, and such notice was sufficient to allow her a full and fair opportunity to vigorously dispute those facts. With regard to Respondent's second point, she was granted an opportunity to respond to the allegations of misconduct in each of the four federal cases either by a hearing or by submission of briefs. Platt v. Jack Cooper Transp., Co., 959 F.2d 91, 96 (8th Cir.1992); White v. General Motors Corp., 908 F.2d 675, 686 (10th Cir.1990); Pope v. Federal Express Corp., 138 F.R.D. 675, 676 (W.D.Mo.1990); Perkins v. General Motors Corp., 129 F.R.D. 655, 657 (W.D.Mo.1990). In addition, Respondent maintains that she has never had the opportunity to litigate the issue of whether she has violated the Missouri Rules. She is again mistaken. The hearing before the master and the proceedings before this Court afford her that opportunity. Although Respondent has not been allowed to relitigate the factual findings of the federal courts, she has been given a full opportunity to litigate the issue of whether those factual findings justify discipline under the Missouri Rules. Finally, Respondent contends that she has not had the opportunity to litigate numerous defenses because the master found that she was collaterally estopped from engaging in discovery regarding the issues that had been decided by the federal courts. In fact, Respondent was only denied the opportunity to litigate those defenses pertaining to the federal court factual findings, and the master was correct in denying Respondent the opportunity to engage in extensive discovery regarding those facts. Under these circumstances, Respondent has had a full opportunity to litigate the charges against her. In sum, the application of offensive nonmutual collateral estoppel in this case is consistent with the underlying principles of protecting litigants from the burden of relitigating issues and the promotion of judicial economy. Parklane Hosiery, 439 U.S. at 326, 99 S.Ct. at 649. Under this doctrine, the federal court findings have properly been used as the basis for this disciplinary action.