Opinion ID: 874314
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Thompson Creek Waived The Objection

Text: Idaho Rule of Civil Procedure 84 governs judicial review of agency actions by the district court, and I.R.C.P 84(j) concerns settlement of the record, providing, inter alia: Any party may object to the transcript and record with [sic] fourteen (14) days from the date of mailing of the notice of the parties that the transcript and record has been lodged with the agency. Upon failure of the parties to file an objection within that time period, the transcript and record shall be deemed settled. An issue not raised below will generally not be considered or reviewed on appeal. Mountainview Landowners Coop. Ass'n v. Cool, 142 Idaho 861, 866, 136 P.3d 332, 337 (2006). This Court held, in Manookian v. Blaine County , that I.R.C.P. 84(j) applies to administrative decisions being appealed to a district court, and failure to raise an issue before an administrative agency will preclude that issue from being heard upon review by the district court. 112 Idaho 697, 700, 735 P.2d 1008, 1011 (1987). The record shows that Thompson Creek did file an objection to the record, but failed to object upon the basis that the transcript of the hearing was inadequate for failure to include the portion of the hearing that took place from 7:00-8:10 p.m. Thompson Creek argues that I.R.C.P. 84(j) is inapplicable as Thompson Creek is challenging a procedural error at the hearing itself rather than an error in the preparation of the transcript of the record. Nothing within the rule supports this attempted distinction. Finally, Thompson Creek alleges that this error could not have been corrected by the Director and, therefore, raising the objection would have been fruitless and should be excused. In fact, a proper objection to the record would have provided IDWR with an opportunity to reconsider the sufficiency of the record, and at a minimum would have preserved the issue for appeal. See Idaho R. Civ. P. 84(j) (The agency's decision on the objection and all evidence, exhibits, and written presentations on the objection shall be included in the record on petition for review. ) (emphasis added). Thompson Creek first objected to the adequacy of the record, on the grounds that it failed to include a transcript of the first seventy minutes of the hearing, when appealing IDWR's decision to the district court below. Therefore, we find that Thompson Creek waived its objection to the sufficiency of the hearing transcript both by failing to include the objection in its Objection to Administrative Record, as required by I.R.C.P. 84(j), and by raising the issue for the first time on appeal, in violation of Mountainview.