Court Opinion

ID: 9884182
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-06 02:44:45.002886+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:48:36.042909
License: Public Domain

ANDERSON, PAUL H., Justice
(concurring).
I concur with the majority because I agree that ASC’s and Kmart’s service was defective, as the county attorney and the county assessor were not appropriately served on or before April 30, 2003, as required by Minn.Stat. § 278.01, subd. 1(a) (2004). But the inappropriate nature of the Clay County Treasurer’s actions in this case and the possibility that the majority opinion might be interpreted to condone such prejudicial behavior induces me to write separately. As the majority notes, Metro Legal arrived at the Clay County Treasurer’s Office and handed the petitions to the Clay County Treasurer at 4:15 p.m. on April 30, 2003. Upon being handed the petitions, the treasurer perused them for approximately 18 minutes before signing the acknowledgement of service. After signing the acknowledgement, the treasurer then announced, “It is 4:33 p.m., I am not going to accept the [Kmart petition]. You can come back in the morning because we are closed.”
It is undisputed that Metro Legal entered the Clay County Treasurer’s Office during business hours and effectively served the treasurer with the required petitions 15 minutes before office closing time. Further, the county acknowledges *491that service upon the treasurer was effectively made. Nevertheless, the treasurer’s decision to hold the Kmart petition for over 15 minutes — until after closing time— and then announce that, because her office was now closed, she would not accept the Kmart petition raises a valid question about her behavior. A public official cannot attempt to thwart effective service simply by refusing to acknowledge a document she is holding in her hand until after the acceptable time of service has elapsed. Based on the record before us, I conclude that ASC’s and Kmart’s petitions were validly served upon the treasurer before closing time for the Clay County Treasurer’s Office and as such the treasurer should have honored her public trust by accepting service. If service upon the treasurer had been the only impediment to ASC and Kmart avoiding dismissal of their petitions because of defective service, I would reverse and let them proceed with them actions.