Court Opinion

ID: 9537627
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 07:20:36.70292+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:56:49.906450
License: Public Domain

HOWE, Justice
(concurring):
I concur in the opinion of .the Court with the following additional observations:
At the hearing held on the defendant’s motion to set aside the default judgment which had been entered against him, the court allowed defendant and counsel for plaintiff to make statements to the court of their positions. This was done following the court’s indication that he had read the defendant’s proposed answer and that he did not think it stated a valid defense to the complaint. Given that opportunity, the defendant responded as follows:
I believe that I have stated a genuine defense in the answer and that is based strictly upon the Utah statute dealing with cases of this kind when there is a settlement and when there is a claim by the State Social Services. And that defense is that the State’s claim is limited in the amount that is no less than what their total claim is where the State has not retained its own attorney. I believe that is purely statutory and an issue of law. And I believe that is the defense to that portion of the State’s claim. Thank you.
Following that statement by the defendant, counsel for the plaintiff responded, whereupon the defendant was given permission by the court to make a further statement which was as follows:
The State has continually taken the position that the issue is whether the State needs to pay myself an attorney fee. It’s my contention that the defense that I’ve cited, in the answer that I’ve tendered, is that that is not an issue at all. The issue is the claim of the State against the funds of Linda Coram. It is not a question of what they pay me if anything. They don’t pay me anything at all under the statute. As I say I believe that’s an issue of law that’s determined by the statute. The issue is how much the State has a right to receive out of the proceeds of that settlement and that’s where I believe that that is a proper defense. Thank you.
I agree with the dissenting opinion that at hearings on motions to set aside default judgments the Court should not conduct a “mini-trial” and require the moving party to proffer its evidence so that the Court might test its weight. I also agree with the dissent that the Court should only examine the defendant’s proposed answer and determine whether as a matter of law it contains a defense which is entitled to be tried. In the instant case, however, defendant requested to explain his position. As shown *1059by the above statements he made, he interpreted his answer as only raising a question of law, which was whether the State was entitled to the full $82,000 or whether part of it belonged to Linda Coram. The defendant did not at any time deny that he had endorsed the $82,000 draft on behalf of the plaintiff and that he and not Mrs. Cor-am had received funds. That being so, it was not for him to assert in this suit brought against him that part of the funds might belong to Mrs. Coram who was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit but who had not been served with process. If Mrs. Coram does have a valid claim to part of the $82,000, she can assert that claim when she is served with process, or she could bring her own suit to recover any amount to which she is entitled. The defendant was attempting to assert her defenses in the action directed against him. Such a defense is not a meritorious defense for him since he clearly has no personal valid claim to the funds. He made no claim to an attorney’s fee out of the funds. Mrs. Coram’s rights to the funds are in no way foreclosed by this judgment against him.