Opinion ID: 2507215
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Does Champagne's prayer for relief limit review to the WRA?

Text: ¶ 25 Washington follows notice pleading rules and simply requires a concise statement of the claim and the relief sought. Pac. Nw. Shooting Park Ass'n v. City of Sequim, 158 Wash.2d 342, 352, 144 P.3d 276 (2006); CR 8(a). A complaint fails to meet this standard if it neglects to give the opposing party fair notice. Pac. Nw. Shooting Park, 158 Wash.2d at 352, 144 P.3d 276 (citing Dewey v. Tacoma Sch. Dist. No. 10, 95 Wash.App. 18, 26, 974 P.2d 847 (1999) (finding that a party may not later insert an argument into its briefs that was not first pleaded)). ¶ 26 The Court of Appeals excluded Champagne's claims under the MWA (chapter 49.46 RCW) and WPA (chapter 49.48 RCW) for failure to properly plead them in the complaint. Although Correction Officers also alleged violations of chapters 49.46 and 49.48 RCW, they failed to request any form of relief under these other wage statutes that differs substantively from chapter 49.52 RCW relief. Champagne, 134 Wash. App. at 520 n. 5, 141 P.3d 72 (citing SPEEA, 139 Wash.2d at 831, 835, 991 P.2d 1126). Again, SPEEA is factually distinct from the present case. In SPEEA, the court concluded that appellants had limited the scope of review to the MWA since they abandoned chapter 49.52 RCW and instead focused on the [MWA] and various common law theories of recovery. 139 Wash.2d at 831 n. 3, 991 P.2d 1126. Here, Champagne has preserved his claims under all three wage statutes. ¶ 27 The County argues that Champagne's prayer for relief seeking damages solely under the WRA effectively excludes the MWA and WPA from the scope of this court's review. The County reminds the court that notice pleading standards have limits as defined in Berge v. Gorton, 88 Wash.2d 756, 762, 567 P.2d 187 (1977), which states, [e]ven our liberal rules of pleading require a complaint to contain direct allegations sufficient to give notice to the court and the opponent of the nature of the plaintiff's claim. The County also argues that this court should honor Champagne's intentional omission of a request for damages under the MWA and WPA. Suppl. Br. of Resp't at 8. ¶ 28 Champagne argues that the totality of his complaint meets the notice pleading rules. He argues that the reference to relief contained within each separate cause of action puts the County on notice of his MWA and WPA claims. [14] He also contends that the concluding phrase of his prayer for relief ([f]or such other relief as the Court deems just and equitable [15] ) sufficiently apprises the County of his request for relief under the MWA and WPA. Reply in Support of Pet. for Rev. at 5. ¶ 29 Champagne's complaint does not transgress the liberal bounds of the notice pleading standard. The County argues persuasively that a generic prayer for relief does not provide adequate notice to the opposing party of a particular remedy. However, the entirety of Champagne's complaint supplies direct allegations sufficient to give notice to both the court and the County that Champagne sought relief under the MWA, WPA, and WRA. See CP at 6-7. Furthermore, Champagne's allegedly intentional omission of a particular prayer for relief is immaterial. This court has found that the pleader's intention when drafting the complaint does not control the court's scope of review. Berge, 88 Wash.2d at 763, 567 P.2d 187. [16] ¶ 30 We hold that the totality of Champagne's complaint comports with notice pleading rules and that review of the causes of action under the MWA and WPA in addition to the WRA is appropriate.