Colorado V Robert Hopp Associates - LLC
Colorado V Robert Hopp Associates - LLC
constitute no part of the opinion of the division but have been prepared by
the division for the convenience of the reader. The summaries may not be
cited or relied upon as they are not the official language of the division.
Any discrepancy between the language in the summary and in the opinion
should be resolved in favor of the language in the opinion.
SUMMARY
May 17, 2018
2018COA69
State of Colorado, ex rel. Cynthia H. Coffman, Attorney General for the State of
Colorado; and Julie Ann Meade, Administrator, Uniform Consumer Credit
Code,
v.
Robert J. Hopp & Associates, LLC; The Hopp Law Firm, LLC; National Title,
LLC, d/b/a Horizon National Title insurance, LLC; First National Title
Residential, LLC; Safehaus Holdings Group, LLC; and Robert J. Hopp,
Division I
Opinion by JUDGE ROTHENBERG*
Taubman and Harris, JJ., concur
*Sitting by assignment of the Chief Justice under provisions of Colo. Const. art.
VI, § 5(3), and § 24-51-1105, C.R.S. 2017.
¶1 In a case of first impression in the Colorado courts, we
and CFDCPA.
Attorney General for the State of Colorado; and Julie Ann Meade,
Hopp; his law firms, Robert J. Hopp & Associates, LLC, and The
Hopp Law Firm, LLC (collectively, the law firms); as well as Hopp’s
Hopp and his wife Lori L. Hopp, which, through its subsidiary,
provided accounting and bookkeeping services for the law firms and
1
title companies. The State alleged that Hopp, the law firms, and
agreed, for the most part, with the State and imposed penalties
in the district court action, she was not found liable for any claims
with directions.
I. Background
description.
A. Foreclosure Process
2
instrument containing a grant to a public trustee together with a
the borrower agrees that, upon default, the lender can initiate a
the default. The public trustee for El Paso County testified that
B. Cure Process
C.R.S. 2017. The public trustee must promptly contact the lender’s
interest, late fees, penalties, and the fees and costs associated with
3
the foreclosure. § 38-38-104(2)(a)(I). The lender’s attorney may
costs. § 38-38-104(5).
C. Bid Process
the scheduled sale date, the holder of the evidence of debt, or the
106(2), (6), C.R.S. 2017. The holder’s bid sets the minimum price
for bidding on the property and that bid must be at least the
lender’s good faith estimate of the fair market value of the property,
4
D. Title Commitments In Foreclosure Actions
after issuance.
costs in the title company’s rate manual and submits the manual to
the Division of Insurance (DOI) for approval. The DOI reviews the
401, C.R.S. 2017. A title agent is bound by the rate filed with the
DOI and may not charge more or less than that rate. Div. of Ins.
5
¶ 13 In the event that a foreclosure action is not completed because
cancelled or withdrawn, the foreclosure sale does not occur and the
E. The Defendants
bookkeeping services for the law firms. Safehaus also owned a title
6
also provided foreclosure commitments to the law firms in 2008 and
2009.
Fidelity’s manual set forth, in relevant part, the following rates and
7
¶ 18 While representing the servicers, the law firms typically
foreclosure action, the law firms passed this cost on to the servicers
110% of the schedule of basic rates. This is the same amount that
policy, even though a policy had not yet been issued, and in many
cancelled.
F. Procedural History
137, C.R.S. 2014. The CFDCPA was repealed and replaced in 2017
8
¶ 20 The plaintiffs asserted the following claims:
9
¶ 21 The district court issued numerous, detailed written orders in
companies. It ruled that the law firms knowingly made “false and
doing so, the court credited the testimony that emphasized that a
title premium charge was not earned unless a policy was issued.
¶ 23 The trial court further concluded that Hopp and the law firms
10
cost, when that amount was not actually incurred by the Hopp law
homeowners.
prove its CCPA claim alleging Hopp and the law firms engaged in
his law firms, or any other persons or entities acting under their
11
district court imposed penalties on defendants under the CCPA,
was not effective until July 1, 2011, the district court recalculated
after the effective date. Ch. 121, sec. 5, § 12-14-135, 2011 Colo.
Sess. Laws 382; sec. 7, 2011 Colo. Sess. Laws at 382. The district
court further awarded the State its reasonable costs and attorney
announced today.
under the CCPA and the CFDCPA because they were barred by the
12
C.R.S. 2017, as well as section 5-16-113(5), C.R.S. 2017 (CFDCPA
disagree.
B. Background
requires that any action be brought within one year of the date of
the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which limited the
13
forth within its private action section to private causes of action
(UCCC), the power of the administrator arises from the UCCC, and
the statute of limitations set forth in the CFDCPA does not apply to
would be.
14
CCPA and CFDCPA claims are barred under a one-year statute of
more than one year before the action was filed. While we agree with
103(1)(d). See Jenkins v. Haymore, 208 P.3d 265, 268 (Colo. App.
periods, courts employ three rules: (1) the more specific statute
15
applies; (2) a later enacted statute controls over an earlier enacted
statute; and (3) courts should select the statute that provides the
v. Panama Canal Ry. Co., 208 P.3d 238 (Colo. 2009). As the series
claims filed on December 19, 2014, were timely filed within the
three-year period.
C. CFDCPA
Reg. Sess. (May 1, 2017). However, during the years in question for
this case, the CFDCPA did not include a clear statute of limitations
16
¶ 36 When the former version of section 5-6-113 (previously section
English common law rule that “time does not run against the king”
App. 1994). Because the CFDCPA did not contain a clear statute of
17
Corp., 70 P.3d at 1185. Section 13-80-102(1)(i), C.R.S. 2017, sets
¶ 38 The trial court found that “plaintiffs did [not] and could not
18
evidence to dispute this date of discovery. Thus, plaintiffs’ action,
plaintiffs’ CFDCPA claims. We conclude the trial court did not err
different grounds.
that they violated the CCPA and the CFDCPA by charging 110% of
Fidelity’s filed rates. The filed rate doctrine limits judicial review of
19
¶ 41 Plaintiffs argue that the trial court correctly concluded that
the filed rate doctrine does not apply. Plaintiffs contend that
payment from the servicers for the amount chargeable for a title
even when a title insurance policy was never issued. We agree with
A. Standard of Review
Schlapp ex rel. Schlapp v. Colo. Dep’t of Health Care Policy & Fin.,
20
construction. Rags Over the Ark. River, Inc. v. Colo. Parks & Wildlife
not disturb them unless they are unsupported by the record. Jehly
B. Law
question of law at any time after the last required pleading, and “[i]f
There are two rationales for the doctrine: first, to prevent insurers
21
to recognize the exclusive role of agencies in rate approval by
C. Analysis
with Colorado law. The trial court reframed the question for proper
Colorado?”
follows:
22
issuance of a policy is the completion of a
foreclosure sale.
of work performed. The trial court drew further support for its
2017, to
23
reasonable time after the date of issuance,
appropriate title insurance coverage is issued
for which the scheduled rates and fees are
paid. Any title commitment charge must have
a reasonable relation to the cost of production
of the commitment and cannot be less than
the minimum rate or fee for the type of policy
applied for, as set forth in the insurer’s current
schedule of rates and fees[;]
....
[or]
Div. of Ins. Reg. 3-5-1, § 6(A), 3 Code Colo. Regs. 702-3 (effective
24
supports the trial court’s interpretation that a title commitment
that did not result in the issuance of a title policy would be sold for
trial court’s ruling, which does not implicate the filed rate doctrine.
the rates set forth in Fidelity’s manual, nor did the trial court
conclude that defendants were liable for charging rates for services
in compliance with Fidelity’s rates filed with the DOI. Rather, the
schedule, when they invoiced servicers for that amount and listed
25
rate. However, in most cases they only ordered a title commitment,
for which a title insurance policy would never be issued. The trial
¶ 55 Hopp testified that he and his law firms only charged the full
firms did not do so. This was true even when Hopp and the law
26
presented at trial. Plaintiffs’ expert on title insurance testified that,
while a title agent might invoice the full amount of a title policy
upon ordering a title commitment, if the client paid that full amount
in advance, the title agent was required to deposit the funds into a
had not been met during the twenty-four month hold-open period,
with his or her client. If conditions for issuing the policy had not
been met, the agent was required to refund the premium, less the
work that’s gone into that product and with the anticipation that it
27
amount, in most cases, was $300. Fidelity National Title Company
the client would have been entitled to a refund of the fee charged
time it was charged, a request for its cancellation would not have
charges as actually incurred costs when they had only ordered title
28
IV. Knowingly/Bad Faith
disagree.
A. Standard of Review
fact for clear error, and do not disturb them unless they are
B. Law
v. Tull, 126 P.3d 196, 204 (Colo. 2006). “[T]he element of intent is a
Sales, LLC v. Hogan & Hartson, LLP, 230 P.3d 1275, 1282 (Colo.
the supreme court has addressed the intent requirement for a CCPA
claim. See Rhino Linings USA, Inc. v. Rocky Mountain Rhino Lining,
29
Inc., 62 P.3d 142, 147 (Colo. 2003). It defined a misrepresentation
Id. (quoting Parks v. Bucy, 72 Colo. 414, 418, 211 P. 638, 639
(1922)).
court should also consider the good or bad faith of the defendant.
C. Analysis
The law firms levied the 110% charge for a future policy
issued.
30
The law firms and the affiliated title companies worked
penalties under the CCPA and the CFDCPA for the same underlying
conduct. Yet, defendants did not raise this argument before the
trial court before it entered its order imposing penalties under both
statutes, nor did it raise this argument post trial in any manner
31
Bar & Cafe, Inc., 832 P.2d 718, 721 n.5 (Colo. 1992). Accordingly,
A. Standard of Review
discretion. See, e.g., Sos v. Roaring Fork Transp. Auth., 2017 COA
142, ¶ 48. “A district court abuses its discretion where its decision
Id.
B. Facts
firms and servicers for billing and payment. Hopp’s wife testified
32
that she used the LPS system to bill for the law firms. After logging
into the system, she entered data such as the servicer or client who
was being invoiced, file information for the borrower, and selected
spreadsheet showed the name of the vendor, or law firm; the loan
numbers for the invoices; the invoice number assigned when the
data was entered into the system; the department description; the
date the invoice was submitted into LoanSphere; the category and
subcategory of the line item on the invoice; the quantity; and the
item price tied to the line item. It also had columns showing the
paid amount, status of payment, and date that a check was created
by the servicer. While certain fields such as the dates the invoices
33
representative entered the item price and category and subcategory
Exhibit 103, the Court places little weight on the exhibit.” The
court clarified in a post-trial order that its concern with the exhibit
34
C. Business Record Exception to Hearsay
met:
Schmutz v. Bolles, 800 P.2d 1307, 1312 (Colo. 1990) (quoting White
Indus. v. Cessna Aircraft Co., 611 F. Supp. 1049, 1059 (W.D. Mo.
was prepared in compliance with the above conditions, the fact that
35
the data was compiled into a spreadsheet or document for litigation
does not affect its admissibility. People v. Ortega, 2016 COA 148,
record is the datum itself, not the format in which it is printed out
for trial or other purposes.” (quoting United States v. Keck, 643 F.3d
789, 797 (10th Cir. 2011))); People v. Flores-Lozano, 2016 COA 149,
D. Analysis
application. Hopp and his wife both confirmed this process in their
testimony. The data entered was within the knowledge of the law
36
¶ 76 Thus, the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it
Because we conclude the trial court did not abuse its discretion in
A. Background
commitments from LSI Default Title and Closing, also known as LSI
files, in which Hopp and the law firms collected a full title policy
37
defendants only $350 for title commitments ordered, which was
defendants for violating the CCPA and CFDCPA through its conduct
filed with the court adding the claim, plaintiffs alleged that the
argued, consistently with the data in Exhibit 104, that LSI expected
insurance policy was issued, and that Hopp and the law firms had
4, 2015, the date the exhibit was printed, which incorporated any
firms.
38
¶ 81 Defendants introduced an email from an LSI representative to
Two, we’ve never seen this before. This makes two documents in a
row that I’ve received for the first time at the witness table. It
court to admit the exhibit under CRE 613 for impeachment. The
between Exhibit 104 and Exhibit 1093, the trial court declined to
place any weight on Exhibit 104 in its final order, and concluded
that plaintiffs had failed to prove their claim based on the LSI
transactions.
39
B. Disclosure
See, e.g., Pinkstaff v. Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc., 211 P.3d 698, 702
process, after discovery had closed and mere weeks before the trial
40
began. The written notice of claim alleged that LSI expected to be
harmlessness,
41
Todd v. Bear Valley Vill. Apartments, 980 P.2d 973, 979 (Colo.
1999).
¶ 89 Here, given the late addition of the LSI claim, and the
parameters of the claim set forth in the plaintiffs’ written notice, the
Exhibit 1093 was arguably related to the claim and the data set
surprise.
did so at trial. Accordingly, the trial court did not abuse its
42
C. Trial Management Order
upon by a trial court may not be raised for the first time on appeal.”
1093 on the general basis that it was not disclosed to them before
trial, they did not argue that it conflicted with the trial management
found none, that requires the trial court to sua sponte make
from the trial management order. Accordingly, the trial court did
43
D. Foundation
team at his company sent the email to Lori Hopp; he recognized the
44
with collection statements the company sent out. Because the
under CRE 613, the trial court’s ruling did not indicate that it
45
court did not abuse its discretion when it considered Exhibit 1093
impeachment.
fees awarded should not include any fees incurred in the pursuit of
C.A.R. 39.1 to remand this issue to the trial court to determine the
46
IX. Conclusion
¶ 100 We affirm the district court’s judgment and remand the case
47