Opinion ID: 168501
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Issues litigated in prior actions

Text: 4 In 1996, Hatch filed a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 civil rights suit in Utah federal district court against Boulder, its mayor, town clerk, and members of its town council. His complaint charged, among other things, that in June 1995, Boulder enacted a business license ordinance without complying with Utah's Open and Public Meetings Act, and that his business, Freedom from Religion (FFR), which had been engaged in selling beer prior to the enactment of this ordinance, should have been allowed to continue selling food and beer. 5 Hatch further alleged that the Town Council passed a second ordinance restricting the sale of alcoholic beverages that limited to two the number of new class A liquor licenses that could be issued. Hatch contended that the Town Council failed to comply with the Open and Public Meetings Act when it passed this ordinance. He also contended that on July 31, 1995, the Town Clerk approved beer license applications on behalf of other businesses, but not FFR. 6 On August 10, 1995, the Town Council met and imposed a requirement on FFR that it obtain approval from the Department of Agriculture and the Health Department before selling food from its premises. Hatch contended that this requirement was essentially a pretext to run him out of business. Eventually, on September 22, 1995, the Council issued FFR a business license, authorizing it to conduct Retail sales of food and camping supplies. Aplee. Supp.App., Vol. I at S-199. Hatch contended that the unjustified delay in issuing him a business license, and the limited nature of the license ultimately issued, deprived FFR of its constitutionally protected property right to maintain its business, which includes the right to sell beer. Id. at S-200. 7 Apparently, Hatch later added a claim that Boulder violated his due process rights by interfering with his business sign. 3 Hatch's claims proceeded to jury trial. 4 On April 14, 1999, a jury entered a special verdict, finding that the Town had failed to give Hatch due process in connection with his retail business, his camping business, and his business of selling beer. It rejected his claim, however, that the Town had violated due process in connection with the maintenance of his sign. The jury awarded Hatch a total of $86,000 in actual damages for these alleged violations. It does not appear that either party appealed from this verdict.
8 Hatch and Mitchell were petitioners in a Petition for Review of Decision on Conditional Use Permits and Request for Injunctive Relief, filed in Utah state court against Boulder and its Town Planning Commission in 1999. They requested judicial review of the conditional use permits the Boulder Town Planning Commission granted on February 10, 1999, to their neighbors and adjacent land owners, Sam Stout and Rhea Thompson, for their construction business. They complained that the permits had been granted in an arbitrary, capricious, and illegal manner, including the Commission's failure to adopt an official map setting forth commercial districts and a plan for future development. 9 The state district court determined that Boulder's zoning ordinance was not arbitrary, capricious, or illegal, that the commercial designations in the ordinance were legal and not ambiguous, and that the Town had properly awarded the challenged conditional use permits. Hatch and Mitchell appealed to the Utah Court of Appeals, which reversed the district court on the validity of the zoning ordinance, finding that the Town had failed to present any evidence that a proper zoning map had accompanied the text of the zoning ordinance when it was presented to the public and to the Town Council for approval. Hatch v. Boulder Town Council, 21 P.3d 245, 248 (Utah Ct.App.2001). 5 In light of this holding, it found plaintiffs' remaining claims moot. Id. at 249.