Bourgeous v. Dep't. of Commerce
Annotate this Casepublication in the Pacific Reporter.
IN THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS
----ooOoo----
Keith W. Bourgeous,
Plaintiff and Appellant,
v.
Department of Commerce, Division
of Occupational & Professional Licensing,
Defendant and Appellee.
OPINION
(For Official Publication)
Case No. 981518-CA
F I L E D
May 6, 1999
1999 UT App 146
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Third District, Salt Lake Department
The Honorable Ronald E. Nehring
Attorneys:
Cass C. Butler, Salt Lake City,
for Appellant
Jan Graham and Jeffrey C. Hunt,
Salt Lake City, for Appellee
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Before Judges Bench, Jackson, and Orme.
BENCH, Judge:
¶1
Keith W. Bourgeous appeals from
the district court's order dismissing his complaint for lack of jurisdiction
based upon untimely filing. We reverse and remand.
BACKGROUND
¶2
Bourgeous applied with the Division
of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) of the Utah Department
of Commerce (the Department) for a license as a professional engineer.
By letter, DOPL denied Bourgeous's license application because he failed
to document graduation from an accredited engineering program. Bourgeous
challenged the denial by requesting agency review under section 63-46b-12
of the Utah Code. See Utah Code Ann. § 63-46b-12 (1997). On
October 24, 1997, the Department dismissed the request for agency review
because Bourgeous failed to include a copy of the DOPL denial letter. Four
days later, Bourgeous sent the Department a copy of the denial letter along
with another copy of his Request for Agency Review. On November 4, 1997,
the Department issued an order affirming the original license denial due
to Bourgeous's failure to establish that he possessed the statutorily required
education.
¶3
After receiving the Department's
order, Bourgeous retained counsel to assist him. On November 21, 1997,
through counsel, Bourgeous requested reconsideration of the November 4
order pursuant to section 63-46b-13 of the Utah Code. See Utah Code
Ann. § 63-46b-13 (1997). The Department disposed of the reconsideration
request in an order dated December 29, 1997 that included findings of fact
and conclusions of law. This order also stated: "Judicial review of this
Order may be obtained by filing a Petition for Review with the District
Court within 30 days after the issuance of this Order on Review." Bourgeous
then filed a complaint in district court on January 23, 1998, seeking judicial
review as directed in the Department's December 29 order.
¶4
The Department moved to dismiss
the complaint, asserting it was not filed within thirty days of the order
constituting final agency action. After considering the briefs and holding
a hearing on the motion, the district court ruled that, because reconsideration
was not available to Bourgeous, the November 4 order constituted final
agency action from which judicial review should have been taken within
thirty days. The court concluded that it lacked jurisdiction to review
the agency's action and dismissed the complaint as untimely.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
¶5
We review the district court's legal
determination that it lacked jurisdiction for judicial review on grounds
of untimeliness under a correctness standard, and thus accord it no deference.
See
C.P. v. Utah Office of Crime Victims' Reparations, 966 P.2d 1226,
1228 (Utah Ct. App. 1998).
ANALYSIS
¶6
On appeal, both parties assert that
the district court looked to the wrong order to determine the agency's
final action. Bourgeous contends that the final agency action occurred
when the agency ruled on his request for reconsideration on December 29,
1997. In its appellate brief, the Department argued the October 24 order
dismissing the request for review "was the Department's final agency action
from which Bourgeous could judicially challenge the merits of the license
denial." During oral argument before this court, however, the Department
conceded that its November 4 order was the first agency review ruling on
the merits.
¶7
The Department's October 24 order
dismissed Bourgeous's request for merely failing to include a copy of DOPL's
denial letter. This order therefore dismissed the request for review "for
the mere failure to adhere to procedural rules." Doubletree, Inc. v.
Industrial Comm'n, 797 P.2d 464, 466 (Utah Ct. App. 1990). This court
has previously held that an agency has authority to enter an order of dismissal
without prejudice, which serves to notify the requesting party that further
proceedings are required to obtain final agency action. See id.
Therefore, this dismissal simply notified Bourgeous that the Department
required him to submit the DOPL denial letter prior to the agency's final
action. Bourgeous promptly delivered a copy of the requested denial letter
to the Department. After receiving the letter, the Department issued an
Order on Review dated November 4, 1997, which the trial court properly
determined was the final agency action on review. From this Order on Review,
Bourgeous requested agency reconsideration.
¶8
The Department argues that Bourgeous
had no right to agency reconsideration after receiving agency review. It
asserts that the clear language of section 63-46b-13 of the Utah Administrative
Procedures Act (UAPA) limits agency reconsideration to cases where agency
review is unavailable. Section 63-46b-13, titled "Agency review - Reconsideration,"
states:
Within 20 days after the
date that an order is issued for which review by the agency or by a superior
agency under Section 63-46b-12 is unavailable, and if the order would otherwise
constitute final agency action, any party may file a written request for
reconsideration with the agency, stating the specific grounds upon which
relief is requested.
Utah Code Ann. § 63-46b-13(1)(a)
(1997).
¶9
Bourgeous asserts he is entitled
to reconsideration under the statute because he completed agency review,
and therefore additional agency review was "unavailable." He contends this
interpretation is further clarified and supported by the statute's headings
in which section 12, "Agency review - Procedure" precedes section 13 titled
"Agency review - Reconsideration." Bourgeous argues that "[i]t makes no
sense to reconsider 'Agency Review' if there is not first an 'Agency Review'
to reconsider."
¶10
Prior Utah decisions hold that reconsideration
is available to a party after agency review. See Harper Invs.,
Inc. v. Auditing Div., 868 P.2d 813, 815 (Utah 1994) ("The Code allows
a petitioner to seek reconsideration of an agency decision within twenty
days or to seek immediate judicial review within thirty days of a final
decision and forego any further agency action."); Clark v. Hansen,
631 P.2d 914, 915 (Utah 1981) ("[I]nherent in the power to make an administrative
decision is the authority to reconsider a decision."); Maverik Country
Stores, Inc. v. Industrial Comm'n, 860 P.2d 944, 951 (Utah Ct. App.
1993) (describing reconsideration as agency reassessing a claim it has
previously examined).
¶11
On November 21, Bourgeous sought
further agency action by requesting reconsideration. He filed this request
within the twenty-day period permitted by statute. See Utah
Code Ann. § 63-46b-13(1)(a). Had the Department failed to issue an
order, Bourgeous's request for reconsideration would have been considered
denied twenty days after he filed the request. See Utah Code Ann
§ 63-46b-13(3)(b) (1997); see also 49th Street Galleria
v. Tax Comm'n, 860 P.2d 996, 998 (Utah Ct. App. 1993) ("Pursuant to
Utah Code Ann. § 63-46b-13(3)(b) (1989), a request for administrative
reconsideration is 'deemed denied' if an order is not issued by the agency
within twenty days after the filing of the request."). The Department,
however, responded to the request with an "Order on Review" dated December
29, 1997. This order specifically disposed of the reconsideration request
with detailed findings of fact, conclusions of law, and a notice of the
right to appeal. The notice stated: "Judicial review of the Order may be
obtained by filing a Petition for Review with the District Court within
30 days after the issuance of the Order on Review." It is from this final
order that Bourgeous sought judicial review in district court.
¶12
Under UAPA, "[a] party shall file
a petition for judicial review of final agency action within 30 days after
the date that the order constituting the final agency action is issued
or is considered to have been issued under Subsection 63-46b-13(3)(b)."
Utah Code Ann. § 63-46b-14(3)(a) (1997). "The petition for judicial
review of informal adjudicative proceedings shall be a complaint governed
by the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure . . . ." Id. § 63-46b-15(2)(a)
(1997). Bourgeous filed his complaint in district court on January 23,
1998, within thirty days of the Department's December 29 final order. We
therefore hold that the district court erred in dismissing the complaint
as untimely.
CONCLUSION
¶13
We conclude that Bourgeous's requests
for agency review and reconsideration were timely filed. Although the Department
argued that reconsideration was not available to Bourgeous, it ruled upon
his request for reconsideration and memorialized its decision in an order.
This order was the Department's final action from which Bourgeous timely
requested judicial review. Consequently, the district court erred in dismissing
the complaint for lack of jurisdiction.
¶14
We reverse and remand to the district
court to conduct de novo judicial review of the agency's actions.
______________________________
Russell W. Bench, Judge
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¶15
WE CONCUR:
______________________________
Norman H. Jackson, Judge
______________________________
Gregory K. Orme, Judge
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