Court Opinion

ID: 9549058
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 18:12:40.985104+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:19:46.796195
License: Public Domain

BISTLINE, Justice,
dissenting.
Are we persuaded that the district court was in error? That is the question. I am presently not so convinced, and, in noting that the trial court on remand is directed to conduct a trial and consider certain factors, it seems to me that such factors were brought to the attention of and were considered by Judge Rowett. Two district judges, one each from Alaska and Idaho, have been satisfied that the Alaska court obtained jurisdiction of appellant. Accordingly, I disagree with the Court’s statement that “the jurisdictional question has not been previously litigated.” On the contrary, it has been litigated, although it was not contested. The Alaska district court, Judge Ripley, necessarily was required to pass upon that court’s jurisdiction over a defendant who was personally served without the boundaries of Alaska. He obviously was convinced that the Alaska courts had acquired jurisdiction. It was not contested for the reason, as this Court’s opinion rather well states it, that “Appellant apparently chose not to appear in the Alaska action either to defend on the merits of respondent’s claim or to challenge the assertion of jurisdiction by the Alaska court.” This was a matter of choice — purely a matter of choice. Earlier the appellant, again as a matter of choice, had made a concerted attempt — not at all restricted to self-help— to utilize and benefit from the services of Alaska law enforcement officers, and in turn hired an Alaska business firm to assist him in physically taking possession of the aircraft and flying it from Palmer to Lake Hood, Alaska, and thereafter performing maintenance services and security services.
The appellant chose those measures rather than choosing instead to retain counsel and utilize the Alaska judicial system. In so doing he clearly toyed with the possibility of thereby creating a breach of the peace such as might lead to bodily injury — in respect of which the case is similar to Massey-Ferguson Credit Corp. v. Peterson, 102 Idaho 111, 626 P.2d 767 (1981), where the creditor made off with equipment by cutting a chain or padlock — which the trial court erroneously (according to a majority of this Court) saw as conduct amounting to a breach of the peace. Then, when later served with the process of the Alaska court, the appellant’s choice was to not appear.1
*301Until the recent release of the Court’s opinion in Duthie v. Lewiston Gun Club, 104 Idaho 751, 663 P.2d 287, Supreme Court No. 13077, and its marked impact against prior Idaho case law on the doctrine of res judicata,2 I would have thought that applicable here would be the language from another case which is also of recent origin:
“As was stated in Treinies v. Sunshine Mining Co., 308 U.S. 66, 78, 60 S.Ct. 44, 51, 84 L.Ed. 85 (1939), ‘One trial of an issue is enough. “The principles of res judicata apply to questions of jurisdiction as well as to other issues,” as well to jurisdiction of the subject matter as of the parties.’ ”
Ramseyer v. Ramseyer, 98 Idaho 554 at 557, 569 P.2d 358 at 361 (1977).
The district court of Alaska decided that the state of Alaska had obtained jurisdiction over the appellant, and its determination of that issue is entitled to full faith and credit unless it can be said that Alaska’s long-arm statute offends our notions of due process. I am not so offended, not on this record. Nor do I see that Akichika stands in the way. Self-help means exactly that: “self-help.” No one would contend that a person engaging an attorney is indulging in self-help. Similarly, it is not self-help to instead use the free help of peace officers, and the paid help of pilots, or other agents.
Although the majority are apparently of the view that Judge Rowett did not fully consider all the factors which it is said that he should now consider in light of the Court’s opinion, and while noting that his written memorandum is short and to the point,3 there is no reason to indulge in sur*302mise that he did not fully consider the affidavits and briefs of counsel which are in the appeal record which record also includes the statutory laws of Alaska plus case law set forth in the Court’s opinion, notably among the latter being Fairbanks Air Service, Inc. v. Air Operations, Int’l, Volkswagenwerk v. Klippan, and Morrow v. New Moon Homes.
In my view the Durfee case contains a statement which is or should be dispositive of the proposition now before us. That proposition, at least as the Court sees it, is whether Judge Rowett made a sufficiently proper inquiry into the Alaska court’s determination of its jurisdiction over appellant. The statement from Durfee is this:
“However, while it is established that a court in one State, when asked to give effect to the judgment of a court in another State, may constitutionally inquire into the foreign court’s jurisdiction to render that judgment, the modern decisions of this Court have carefully delineated the permissible scope of such an inquiry. From these decisions there emerges the general rule that a judgment is entitled to full faith and credit — even as to questions of jurisdiction — when the second court’s inquiry discloses that those questions have been fully and fairly litigated and finally decided in the court which rendered the original judgment.” 375 U.S. at 111, 84 S.Ct. at 245 (emphasis added).
It seems eminently clear to me that the inquiry of the second court, namely Judge Rowett, disclosed that the first court, namely Judge Ripley, fully and fairly litigated the jurisdictional issue, and, insofar as this Court is concerned, that should be the end of our inquiry.
I am not unaware that the Supreme Court of the United States makes the distinction, as do I, between contesting and litigating. For certain, a stronger case is made where an issue has been contested. But, in those situations where a court must make some inquiry in order to ascertain its own jurisdiction, as is surely so in long-arm situations, jurisdiction has been litigated. The opportunity to have it contested as well was declined.

. It has been suggested that Alaska is unique, because litigation there is expensive, and it is so far away as compared to other states. Litigation in Idaho, to my observation in reviewing *301awards of attorney’s fees in trial courts and in this Court, is not inexpensive. And in Alaska a prevailing party can recover attorney’s fees. Air travel to get there is an expense, but it is not likely that it would have cost appellant more to go there for a trial than it cost him when he went there to obtain return of the airplane. In addition, paragraph 7.06 of the Security Agreement provides:
“Debtor agrees to pay on demand the amount of all expenses reasonably incurred by Secured Party in protecting or realizing on the property. In the event that this Security Agreement or any obligation secured by it is referred to an attorney for protecting or defending the priority of Secured Party’s interest or for collection or realization procedures, Debtor agrees to pay a reasonable attorney’s fee, including fees incurred in both trial and appellate court, or fees incurred without suit, and expenses of title search and all court costs and costs of public officials. The sums agreed to be paid in this subparagraph shall be secured hereby;____”

, Those attorneys and judges who would prefer to perpetuate jurisprudence as a science will at this point observe with interest that the Court opinion cites Durfee v. Duke, 375 U.S. 106, 111, 84 S.Ct. 242, 245, 11 L.Ed.2d 186 (1963). There is a passage in Durfee v. Duke which simply is stood on its head by the Duthie opinion, and which if applied in Duthie would have precluded the Court from abandoning its sound earlier opinion. I quote from Durfee:
“ ‘Public policy,’ said the Court, ‘dictates that there be an end of litigation; that those who have contested an issue shall be bound by the result of the contest; and that matters once tried shall be considered forever settled as between the parties. We see no reason why this doctrine should not apply in every case where one voluntarily appears, presents his case and is fully heard, and why he should not, in the absence of fraud, be thereafter concluded by the judgment of the tribunal to which he has submitted his cause.’ ”
Durfee v. Duke, 372 U.S. at 111-112, 84 S.Ct. at 245 (emphasis added) (quoting from Baldwin v. Iowa State Traveling Men’s Association, 283 U.S. 522, 525-26, 51 S.Ct. 517, 518, 75 L.Ed. 1244).
The Treinies case cited in our Ramseyer case, infra, was also mentioned in Durfee v. Duke:
“In Treinies, the rule was succinctly stated: ‘One trial of an issue is enough. “The principles of res judicata apply to questions of jurisdiction as well as to other issues,” as well to jurisdiction of the subject matter as of the parties.’ 308 U.S., at 78, 60 S.Ct. at 51, 84 L.Ed. 85.”
Id., 372 U.S. at 113, 84 S.Ct. at 246.
Some may wonder if a court which has just released the Duthie opinion is not to some extent embarrassed when a few days later it cites a case such as Durfee which contains a multitude of authority illustrating that Duthie is without precedent or substance.

. Recently the Court reversed the Industrial Commission for not spelling out its reasoning in passing on a motion. Gomez v. Argonaut Insurance Co., 137 Idaho 337, 670 P.2d 42 (1983) (Sup.Ct. No. 14248, released May 16, 1983). There, as here, briefs were in the appeal record, and it was easily ascertainable that the Commission simply saw no merit in Argonaut’s motion. In dissent, I pointed out that 50 times a year this Court rules on petitions for rehear*302ing or for review of Court of Appeals decisions, and no reasoning is thought necessary or stated. Just four days after Gomez was released, the Court again denied a petition for rehearing in the Duthie case — but there was no statement offered by the Court which informed the petitioner, or anyone, how the Court reasoned around granting an extremely persuasive petition and a supporting brief abundantly fortified with Idaho precedent.