Opinion ID: 2524356
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Dewey County District Court Cases CV-2005-14, CV-2005-46, CV-2005-52 and the Related Appeals[22]

Text: ¶ 29 The facts as gleaned from the record before this Court, this Court's own records, [23] and the Court of Appeals' opinion are as follows. Respondent filed three lawsuits against the town of Seiling, the Seiling Board of Trustees (Board) members, and Matt Sander. The first was filed on March 17, 2005 (CV-2005-14); the second was filed on September 2, 2005 (CV-2005-46); and the third was filed on October 11, 2005 (CV-2005-52). The three lawsuits stem from actions taken by the Board and the Seiling Planning/Zoning Commission (Commission) in rezoning property owned by Sander. [24] ¶ 30 Sander moved a manufactured home onto a residentially-zoned lot in Seiling in November of 2004. The home's location did not comply with the zoning requirements in that it was too close to another structure. Then, Sander applied for a zoning variance and paid the $100 fee. The Seiling Town Administrator recommended that Sander apply to have the property rezoned to commercial. The Commission approved the rezoning request on February 28, 2005. The Board approved the rezoning application on March 14, 2005. The Commission and Board also approved Sander's building permit application. On March 17, 2005, Respondent filed suit in the Dewey County District Court against Seiling, Sander, and Board members in case number CV 2005-14. Respondent alleged that the Board had not followed the law in rezoning the property and that the property did not qualify as commercial property. On January 3, 2006, the district court granted summary judgment in favor of some of the defendants and, on April 11, 2006, denied Respondent's motion to vacate. On August 3, 2006, the district court granted summary judgment in favor of Sander. On September 6, 2006, Respondent filed his appeal of the summary judgment in CV-2005-14 with this Court (appellate number 103,737). ¶ 31 Before judgment was entered in CV-2005-14 and because of discrepancies in the first rezoning process, the Administrator, at the Board's direction, initiated a second rezoning process on July 18, 2005. On August 8, 2005, the Commission and the Board both approved the second rezoning. On September 2, 2005, Respondent filed a petition in CV-2005-46 asking the district court for a writ of mandamus or writ of prohibition ordering the Board to rescind its actions taken on August 8, 2005, in regard to the rezoning. ¶ 32 On September 12, 2005, the Board confirmed the second rezoning, declared an emergency so that the rezoning ordinance was immediately effective. On October 11, 2005, Respondent filed a petition in CV-2005-52 asking for a writ ordering the Board to rescind the actions taken on September 12, 2005, concerning the rezoning. ¶ 33 On April 11, 2006, the district court entered judgment against Respondent in both CV-2005-46 and in CV-2005-52. On May 11, 2006, Respondent filed appeals in CV-2005-46 (appellate number 103,337), and in CV-2005-52 (appellate number 103,338). This Court consolidated these two appeals with a surviving number of 103,337. Then on November 7, 2006, the Court of Civil Appeals issued an opinion affirming the trial court's judgment on the merits and finding a writ was unavailable to Respondent because he had an adequate remedy at law and finding he had failed to show that he had standing to litigate the issue. On January 4, 2007, the Court of Civil Appeals issued an order in 103,337 (consolidated with 103,338) awarding attorney fees and costs against Respondent and remanding the case for a Burk  hearing. [25] ¶ 34 In the mean time on October 5, 2006, this Court ordered appeal number 103,737 be made a companion with the other two appeals. On April 11, 2007, the Court of Civil Appeals issued its opinion in appeal number 103,737. In this opinion, the Court of Civil Appeals affirmed the district court's judgment and found Respondent lacked standing to bring the rezoning issue before the court. ¶ 35 Seiling and the Board filed motions seeking attorney fees in the district court in CV-2005-46 and in CV-2005-52. On January 4, 2007, in separate orders, the district court found that the claims asserted by Respondent in the two cases were frivolous as defined by title 12 section 2011.1 [26] The district court entered judgment against Respondent in CV-2005-46 in the amount of $4,325.72 and in CV-2005-52 in the amount of $2,725.72. Then on January 30, 2007, the district court found that Sander was an unnecessary party in all three cases and entered judgment against the defendant in the amount of $1,520.00 in CV-2005-14. The district court order does not state any statutory authority for awarding attorney fees in CV-2005-14. Respondent appealed the three orders awarding attorney fees, and the three appeals from the order of sanctions and/or attorney fees were given appellant numbers 104,277 (CV-2005-46); 104,278 (CV-2005-52); and 104,367 (CV-2005-14). ¶ 36 This Court ordered these three appeals from the attorney fee awards to be made companion cases. Respondent's briefs in chief were due on July 13, 2007. As discussed later in this opinion, about this time Respondent became seriously ill and was hospitalized. In September of 2007, these three appeals were dismissed for failure to timely file the briefs in chief. These three appeals were never before the Court of Civil Appeals; and, contrary to the OBA's allegations and the stipulations, the Court of Civil Appeals did not affirm the lower court's order of sanctions. [27]