Opinion ID: 2639853
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: facts

Text: ¶ 2 In 1998 Olympus Construction retained Petitioner David C. Matthews, on behalf of Re/Max Brokers, L.C., to assist in the purchase of a piece of property in Summit County, Utah. Olympus paid Matthews a $200 commission when purchase closed that December. Matthews asserts that at that time an agent of Olympus promised an additional $100,000 commission upon the future sale of the property, although the promise was not recorded in writing. The property was sold in 2003 as part of dissolution proceedings for Olympus, but no additional commission was paid to Matthews or Re/Max. The intervening history is relevant. ¶ 3 In 1999 Matthews and his wife Jane, also a real estate agent, terminated their business relationship with Re/Max and with their supervising principal broker, Fred B. Law. Matthews and his wife formed their own real estate company with Jane as licensed principal broker. Matthews asserts that at that time Mr. Law orally assigned his right to collect the $100,000 commission from Olympus to Jane, who then orally assigned her right to Matthews. ¶ 4 In 2002 Olympus filed for judicial dissolution in the Third District Court, which the court granted. The court redesignated the assigned custodian as a receiver, who later resigned and was replaced with a successor receiver. The court ordered the successor receiver to wind up the business and affairs of Olympus as provided in Part 13 of the Utah Limited Liability Company Act. In December 2003 the receiver filed to establish a claim bar date and claim-filing procedures, including procedures for providing notice to potential claimants. The court approved the claim filing procedures and set June 30, 2004 as the claim bar date. At this time, the court had not yet approved procedures for resolution of claims. ¶ 5 Matthews filed a notice of claim for the $100,000 real estate commission, in his own name, on June 30, 2004. On October 6, 2004, more than ninety days after Matthews filed his claim, the receiver requested withdrawal of the claim. In November 2004 the receiver filed to establish claim resolution procedures, including an extended claim rejection date. Matthews opposed this motion and requested payment of his claim because the receiver failed to reject his claim within ninety days of receiving it, as provided by Utah Code section 48-2c-1305(4). The district court denied Matthews' motion and in March 2005 set a new deadline for claim rejections. The receiver then formally rejected Matthews' claim. In the subsequent claim adjudication proceedings, the district court granted the receiver's summary judgment motion, finding that Matthews' claim was barred by the statute of frauds and Utah broker licensing statutes. The district court also awarded attorney fees to Olympus based on the finding that Matthews' claim was without merit and had been pursued in bad faith. ¶ 6 Matthews appealed. The court of appeals affirmed the district court's actions and awarded attorney fees to Olympus on appeal. We then granted certiorari.