CourtofAppeals,StateofColorado
2East14thAve,Denver,CO80203
Name&AddressofLowerCourt
DATE FILED: December 2, 2014 3:46 PM
DistrictCourt,LarimerCounty,Colorado
FILING ID: DD171F77597D7
CASE NUMBER: 2014CA1991
201LaPorteAvenue,Suite100
FortCollins,Colorado80521
TrialCourtJudge:TheHonorableGregoryM.
Lammons
CaseNumber:2013CV31385
Appellants:CITIZENSFORAHEALTHYFORT
COLLINS,SIERRACLUB,ANDEARTHWORKS
COURTUSEONLY
Appellant:CITYOFFORTCOLLINS,COLORADO
CourtofAppeals
v.
CaseNumber:
2014CA1991
Appellee:COLORADOOIL&GASASSOCIATION
AttorneysforCitizensforaHealthyFortCollins,
SierraClub,andEarthworks(“Measure
Proponents”)
Name:KevinLynch(Atty.Reg.#39873)
BradBartlett(Atty.Reg.#32816)
NicholasRising(StudentAttorney)
LaRonaMondt(StudentAttorney)
ChristopherBrummitt(StudentAttorney)
Address:2255E.EvansAvenue,Suite335
Denver,CO80208
Phone:303.871.6140
FAX:303.871.6847
E‐mail:[email protected]
RESPONSETOORDERTOSHOWCAUSE
AppellantsCitizensforaHealthyFortCollins,SierraClub,and
Earthworks(“MeasureProponents”)respectfullysubmitthisresponsetothe
Court’sNovember18,2014OrdertoShowCauseregardingwhythisappeal
shouldnotbedismissedwithoutprejudiceforlackofafinal,appealableorder.
TheColoradoOilandGasAssociation(COGA)suedinLarimerCounty
DistrictCourtrequestingtwoclaimsforrelief:declaratoryjudgmentand
injunctiverelief.Thedistrictcourtgrantedsummaryjudgmentinfavorof
COGAonthedeclaratoryjudgmentclaimandthengranteddismissalof
COGA’ssecondclaimforrelief(collectively,the“Orders”).Thus,thesecond
claimisnolongerpartofthiscaseandallthatremainsistheordergranting
summaryjudgmentthatdefendantsnowappeal.Thisappealshouldproceed
becausetherearenootherissuespendingatthelowercourt,thejudgment
appealedisanorderbasedonthemerits,andtheDefendant‐Appellants
ratherthantheplaintiffsareappealingthejudgment.
First,thedistrictcourt’sOrderswerefinaljudgmentsonallclaims
below;therefore,54(b)isinapplicableforpurposesofthisappeal.C.R.C.P.
54(b)onlyapplieswheremultipleclaimsforreliefareinvolved,butnotallof
theclaimshavebeendecided.Here,thedistrictcourt’sOrderseffectuated
finaljudgmentsonalloftheclaimsbelow.InBlackburnv.Skinner,thetrial
courtdismissedtheplaintiff’sfirstclaimforreliefanddeniedtheplaintiff’s
2
motiontodismissthesecondclaimforrelief.Blackburnv.Skinner,396P.2d
968,969(1964).Theplaintiffappealed,butbecausethetrialcourthadnot
enteredafinaljudgmentontheplaintiff’ssecondclaim,theColoradoSupreme
Courtdismissedtheappeal.Id.InHardingGlassCo.v.Jones,thetrialcourt
enteredfinaljudgmentonapunitivedamagesclaim,butnotonanactual
damagesclaim.HardingGlassCo.v.Jones,640P.2d1123,1124(Colo.1982).
There,theColoradoSupremeCourtruledthatappealwasinappropriate
becausethetrialcourthadnotdisposedofalltheclaimsforrelief.Id.at1126.
InbothBlackburnandHardingGlass,applicationof54(b)wasproperbecause
thetrailscourtenteredfinaljudgmentonone,butnotalloftheclaimsfor
relief.Thosecasesaredistinguishablefromthecaseathand,wherethe
districtcourtenteredfinaljudgmentonalloftheclaimsbelow.Therefore,
54(b)doesnotapplytothiscase.
Next,Defendant‐Appellantsappealanordergrantingsummary
judgment,whichthedistrictcourtdecidedonthemerits.Thecasescitedby
theCourtinsupportoftheprohibitiononappealingclaimsdismissedwithout
prejudicearedistinguishablefromthecaseathand.InDistrict50Metro.
RecreationDist.v.Burnside,thecourtheldthatdismissalofaclaimwithout
prejudicedoesnotconstituteafinaljudgmentforthepurposesofappeal
becausethefactualandlegalissuesunderlyingthedisputehavenotbeen
3
resolved.District50Metro.RecreationDist.v.Burnside,401P.2d833,835
(Colo.1965).Additionally,theCourtcitesBrodyv.Bock,anotherColorado
SupremeCourtcasewherepartiessoughttoappealadistrictcourt’sdismissal
ofaclaimwithoutprejudicebecausesuchclaimsdonotconstituteafinal
judgmentforappellatereview.Brodyv.Bock,897P.2d769,777(Colo.1995).
Here,defendant‐appellantsarenotappealingthesecondclaimdismissed
withoutprejudice,butratherthefirstclaiminwhichthedistrictgranted
plaintiff’smotionforsummaryjudgment.OrderGrantingMot.DismissSep.
17,2014.Becauseanordergrantingsummaryjudgmentresolvesallfactual
andlegalissues,thereisnofurtheractionnecessaryfromthedistrictcourt.
Inaddition,theDefendant‐Appellantsarenotattemptingan“endrun
aroundthefinaljudgmentrule”becausetheydidnothaveanyremaining
claimstodismiss;rather,theplaintiffchosetovoluntarilydismissits
remainingclaimswithoutprejudice.TheCourtcitesRabbiJacobJosephSch.v.
ProvinceofMendoza,acasewherethecourtdismissedoneoftheplaintiff’s
claimswithprejudiceandsubsequentlytheplaintiffmovedtodismissits
remainingclaimswithoutprejudice.RabbiJacobJosephSch.v.Provinceof
Mendoza,425F.3d207,210(2dCir.2005).Thecourtfoundthistobean“end
runaroundthefinaljudgmentrule.”UnlikeMendoza,hereitisnotthe
plaintiffbuttheDefendant‐Appellantswhoareappealingaclaimthatwas
4
decidedonthemerits,eventhoughtheplaintiffdismisseditsremaining
claimsvoluntarilywithoutprejudice.Thisisnotacasewhereapartyistrying
togetaroundthefinaljudgmentrulebecausetheappellantsarethe
defendantsandthereforedonothaveanyclaimstodismisslikeoccurredin
theMendoza.Similarly,inEmmittv.Dickeyaplaintiffallowedherclaimtobe
dismissedwithoutprejudice,thenappealedtheclaiminanattempttogainan
“end‐aroundthefinaljudgmentrule”asclaimsdismissedwithoutprejudice
mayberenewed.Thecitedcaselawisdistinguishablefromthecaseathand
whereCOGA,thePlaintiff‐Appellee,filedthemotiontodismissitssecond
claimwithoutprejudice.TheDefendant‐Appellantsdonothaveanyclaimsto
renew,asitwastheplaintiff’sclaimthatthedistrictcourtdismissed.Further,
theappellantsinthiscasearedefendantsratherthanplaintiffs,andthusare
notattemptinganendrunaroundthefinaljudgmentrulebecausetheyhave
nootherclaimstodismiss.
Accordingly,MeasureProponentsrequestthatthecaseproceedinthe
ColoradoCourtofAppealsbecausetheDefendant‐Appellantsseekreversalof
afinal,appealableorder.IntheeventthisCourtdisagreesanddecidesto
dismissthiscurrentappeal,MeasureProponentsrequestthisCourtmake
clearthatanappealofthesummaryjudgmentordermaystillbetimelytaken
afterappropriateactionistakenbythedistrictcourt.Inaddition,Measure
5
ProponentsrequestthisCourttospecifywhatactionbythelowercourtwould
sufficetomakethesummaryjudgmentorderafinal,appealableorder.
DatedthisDecember2,2014.
By:/s/KevinJ.Lynch
KevinLynch(#39873)
BradBartlett(#32816)
NicholasRising(StudentAttorney)
LaRonaMondt(StudentAttorney)
ChristopherBrummitt(StudentAttorney)
EnvironmentalLawClinic
UniversityofDenverSturmCollegeofLaw
CounselforAppellants:CitizensforaHealthyFortCollins,SierraClub,and
Earthworks.
CERTIFICATEOFSERVICE
IherebycertifythatonthisDecember2,2014atrueandcorrectcopyof
theaboveandforegoingRESPONSETOORDERTOSHOWCAUSEwasserved
viatheIntegratedColoradoCourtsE‐FilingSystem(ICCES),on:
MarkJ.Matthews
JohnV.McDermott
WayneF.Forman
MichaelD.Hoke
BrownsteinHyattFarberSchreck,LLP
410SeventeenthStreet,Suite2200
Denver,CO80202
CarrieDaggett
JohnR.Duval
CityHallWest
6
300LaPorteAvenue
P.O.Box580
FortCollins,CO80521
BarbaraJ.B.Green
JohnT.Sullivan
SullivanGreenSeavyLLC
3223ArapahoeAvenue,Suite300
Boulder,CO80303
7
/s/KevinJ.Lynch
KevinJ.Lynch