Opinion ID: 1441566
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Moore v. Breck

Text: In their suit against Breck, the Moores are responsible only for their own knowledge and lack of diligence. Breck argues that because Dr. Moore is educated and speaks English, the receipt of the closing documents in 1981 put him on notice of the restrictions. The discovery rule takes into account the sophistication of the plaintiff in the particular area of knowledge. See Pedersen, 822 P.2d at 907 (medical terminology); Johnson v. Haberman & Kassoy, 201 Cal. App.3d 1468, 247 Cal. Rptr. 614, 619 (1988) (complicated lease); Long v. Abbott Mortgage Corp., 459 F. Supp. 108, 116-17 & n. 6 (D.Conn. 1978) (sophisticated investor). In Gudenau, we held that it might be reasonable for an insured to rely on an insurance broker's statements about the scope of coverage, rather than reading and interpreting the detailed language of the exclusionary clauses. 736 P.2d at 767. This court reviews the underlying factual determinations for clear error, but does not defer to the trial court's application of the legal doctrine of reasonableness to the established facts. Alaska R.Civ.P. 52(a); Luedtke v. Nabors Alaska Drilling, Inc., 834 P.2d 1220, 1223 (Alaska 1992). The trial court found that Dr. Moore acted reasonably in relying on Breck and the real estate agents to review the documents and identify problems. We agree.