Opinion ID: 2572750
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: License Revocation as Sanction for Violations

Text: [¶ 54] Billings asserts that even if there was sufficient evidence for the Board to find that he committed these violations, the Board failed adequately to explain why it revoked his outfitter's license, as opposed to some other sanction, and acted arbitrarily by failing to link its findings and conclusions to its ultimate decision regarding an appropriate sanction and to Billings' general fitness to be a licensed outfitter. The Board argues that its findings were detailed and thorough, and sufficiently explained why the violations were adequate grounds to revoke Billings' outfitter's license. [¶ 55] In reviewing the merits of a sanction imposed by an agency, several courts have defined the scope of our review as one in which we will not overturn an agency's choice of sanction unless we find that the sanction is unwarranted in law or without justification in fact. See, for example, Butz v. Glover Livestock Commission Co., Inc., 411 U.S. 182, 185-89, 93 S.Ct. 1455, 1458-59, 36 L.Ed.2d 142 (1973); Norinsberg Corp. v. United States Dept. of Agriculture, 47 F.3d 1224, 1228 (D.C.Cir.), cert. denied, 516 U.S. 974, 116 S.Ct. 474, 133 L.Ed.2d 403 (1995); Chapman v. United States, Dept. of Health & Human Services, 821 F.2d 523, 529 (10th Cir.1987); Larsen v. Commission on Medical Competency, 1998 ND 193, 585 N.W.2d 801, 808 (N.D.1998); and Johnson v. Board of Governors of Registered Dentists of State of Okl., 1996 OK 41, 913 P.2d 1339, 1347 (Okl.1996). The Board found that the violations Billings committed were, separately and/or collectively, ... adequate grounds to revoke his outfitter's license. [¶ 56] The Board's decision to revoke Billings' outfitter's license clearly was warranted in law because Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 23-2-416(a)(iv) and (ix) grant the Board the authority to suspend or revoke a license for a [v]iolation of any significant federal or state law or related regulations pertaining to wildlife, game and fish and for [w]illfully endangering the health and safety of any person[.] [¶ 57] We further find that the facts supporting the imposition of a license revocation are apparent from the record before us. Billings' argument tracks with our recent holding that the record must contain sufficient factual findings for this Court to understand the basis for an agency's conclusion that a licensee's violations warranted a license revocation rather than a license suspension or some other lesser sanctionthe agency's findings must be sufficient for this Court to follow the agency's reasoning from the evidentiary facts on record to its eventual legal conclusions. Legarda, 2003 WY 130, ¶ 12, 77 P.3d at 712-13. [¶ 58] In Legarda, 2003 WY 130, ¶¶ 3-4, 77 P.3d at 710, the Department of Transportation (DOT) instituted license revocation proceedings against Legarda, doing business as Laris Auto Sales, for violating several state statutes and the department's rules and regulations. Following a contested case hearing, the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) concluded that Legarda violated two statutes and one department rule. Id., 2003 WY 130, ¶ 6, 77 P.3d at 710. Based upon these violations and DOT's discretion to revoke licenses when violations are found, OAH upheld DOT's proposed revocation of Laris' dealer license and bond forfeiture. Id. Legarda appealed that determination to this Court. On appeal, we concluded that the OAH order does not contain sufficient factual findings to enable this Court to understand the basis for the hearing examiner's conclusion that Laris' violations warranted revocation of its dealership license rather than suspension or some other lesser punishment. That is, we hold the record does not contain such factual findings as would permit us to follow the agency's reasoning from the evidentiary facts on record to its eventual legal conclusions. Newman [v. State ex rel. Wyoming Workers' Safety and Compensation Div. ], 2002 WY 91, ¶ 16, 49 P.3d 163 [(Wyo.2002)]. ... In the present case, it is clear from the findings of fact in the order that OAH found Laris violated certain DOT statutes and regulations. While we do not question the validity of those findings, we do observe their relatively minor nature. Nothing in the record indicates Laris had a history of such violations despite its many years of operation in Fremont County. While the violations may have resulted in minor inconveniences to those who purchased automobiles from Laris, no one alleged Laris was acting fraudulently or intentionally trying to take advantage of its customers. Following the compliance review, a follow-up inspection revealed no violations. Yet, DOT proposed revoking the license and forfeiting the bond, thus putting Laris out of business permanently. What is not clear from the findings, and what is not apparent anywhere in the record before us, is the reason for the decision to revoke Laris' license rather than suspend or take some other less drastic action to obtain compliance. There is quite simply nothing in the record indicating what facts supported the imposition of the most severe penalty available. Under these circumstances, the OAH order cannot stand absent further findings explaining the reasons why revocation, rather than suspension or some other lesser penalty, is warranted. Scott [v. McTiernan], 974 P.2d 966 [ (Wyo.1999) ]; Billings, 2001 WY 81, ¶ 13, 30 P.3d 557. Legarda, 2003 WY 130, ¶¶ 12, 14, 77 P.3d at 712-13. [¶ 59] It is certainly advisable that, when imposing a sanction, an agency take special care to ensure that its findings establish a clear nexus between the evidentiary facts and the agency's legal conclusion. However, the circumstances underlying our decision in Legarda are distinguishable from those in the instant case. In Legarda, we emphasized the relatively minor nature of Legarda's violations, which violations may have resulted in minor inconveniences to Legarda's clients but did not involve fraudulent conduct or an intentional attempt to take advantage of a client. Id., 2003 WY 130, ¶ 14, 77 P.3d at 713. In the instant case, Billings' conduct willfully endangered a client's health and safety and violated a significant federal regulation relating to wildlife, the stated goal of which regulation is minimizing grizzly/human encounters and thereby providing for user safety and grizzly bear protection. [¶ 60] Billings also claims that, based on the dispositions of other cases before the Board, he was subjected to arbitrary, selective and unequal treatment by the Board in revoking his outfitter's license, as opposed to imposing a lesser sanction. Billings filed a motion in the district court to supplement the administrative record with pertinent portions of the Board's meeting minutes for a five-year period. Billings offered the meeting minutes to demonstrate that the Board, in nearly every instance when an outfitter or guide applies for the issuance or renewal of a license and has violated a law or regulation pertaining to wildlife, game or fish or has been convicted of a felony, usually admonishes the applicant and either grants the license as requested or grants a conditional license, but almost never denies a license. It does not appear that the district court ruled on Billings' motion to supplement the record. Billings does not cite to any pertinent legal authority in advancing this argument. Notwithstanding the district court's failure to rule on Billings' motion to supplement the record, the employment of a sanction within the authority of an administrative agency is ... not rendered invalid in a particular case because it is more severe than sanctions imposed in other cases and mere unevenness in the application of the sanction does not render its application in a particular case `unwarranted in law.' Butz, 411 U.S. at 187-88, 93 S.Ct. 1455.