Opinion ID: 2570635
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Slusher's Capacity to Settle or Negotiate Separately

Text: ¶ 36 Slusher argues that Appellees' binding of the Clients to a unanimous consent agreement was improper and deprived the Clients of the opportunity to settle individually. Slusher further contends that but for [Appellees'] breach of [their] duty of loyalty in refusing to follow Slusher's desires ... and [Appellees'] representation of other clients with adverse and conflicting interests ... there is a reasonable probability that Slusher could have settled his interest in the litigation. Also, according to Slusher, Appellees' representation of clients with conflicting and adverse interests is a violation of the Utah Rules of Professional Conduct, and is the actual and proximate cause of Slusher's lost settlement opportunity. ¶ 37 A violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct does not itself give rise to causes of action against a lawyer because the rules were not created as a basis for civil liability. Utah Rules of Prof'l Conduct, Scope. The existence of a conflict of interest only shows that Appellees breached an applicable standard of conduct, and does not speak to whether such breach proximately caused damages, and therefore Appellees' alleged representation of clients with conflicting interests is of no moment. The issue of whether appellants were representing clients with adverse and conflicting interests is irrelevant to our decision in this case, and thus we decline to speak to it. ¶ 38 Contrary to his position here, Slusher could not have settled individually with State Farm because the condition for any settlement was a vacatur of the October Opinion. As noted in the previous section, the only clients able to join in requesting a vacatur, the Campbells, were strongly against a vacatur. We note that Slusher was given the option to settle individually with State Farm and to assign his rights to a litigation financing company on at least one occasion prior to the receipt of the Settlement Letter. Humpherys informed the Clients that they had the option of settling with State Farm or selling their rights in the litigation to a litigation financing company in the January Letter. Humpherys also requested that the Clients inform him of their settlement desires in both the January and December Letters. Despite being given these choices, Slusher did not opt to either attempt to settle individually with State Farm or through a litigation financing company, and if he ever desired to settle individually, he neglected to inform Appellees of such desires. Furthermore, the question of what a litigation financing company would have paid for Slusher's interests is one of speculation, and causation cannot be shown through conjecture or speculation. Dunn v. McKay, Burton, McMurray & Thurman, 584 P.2d 894, 896 (Utah 1978). ¶ 39 The parties touched upon the issue of whether this court would have vacated the October Opinion in their briefs, but we need not address that question because we reject Slusher's arguments on causation. We conclude that absent Appellees' actions, Slusher would not have benefitted and thus affirm the trial court's summary judgment ruling.