[WSBAPT] Does CR 6(a) give probate creditors an extra day to file a claim if the last day falls on a weekend

Lenard Wittlake lwlaw at my180.net
Wed Apr 5 09:03:03 PDT 2023


See the 2018 decision of our Supreme Court in  the Personal Restraint of
Eddie Arnold where the court said:

 

One  division  of the  Court  of  Appeals  should  give  respectful

consideration  to decisions  of  another  division,  but  should  not  apply

stare  decisis  to  that  prior  decision

 

That was a criminal case, but given the reasoning it should apply to civil
cases and special proceedings as well:

 

We  reject  any kind of  "horizontal  stare  decisis" between or among  the

divisions  of  the  Court  of  Appeals.  Statutes,  court  rules,  prior
case  law  of  the  Court

of  Appeals,  and  prior  decisions  of  this  court  all  compel  a
contrary  conclusion.

 

 

 

Lenard L Wittlake, PLLC

Attorney & Counselor at Law

22 East Poplar Street, Suite 202

P.O. Box 1233

Walla Walla, WA 99362

(509) 529-1529 voice

(509) 850-3515 fax

 <mailto:Lenard at wittlakelaw.com> Lenard at wittlakelaw.com

 

The information contained in this email may be privileged, confidential or

otherwise protected from disclosure.  If you received this email in error,

please reply to the sender that you have received this information in error

and delete this email.

 

From: wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com
[mailto:wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com] On Behalf Of Joshua McKarcher
Sent: Tuesday, April 4, 2023 4:14 PM
To: WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv
Subject: Re: [WSBAPT] Does CR 6(a) give probate creditors an extra day to
file a claim if the last day falls on a weekend

 

Allow me to embarrass myself (further?) by asking any litigator (or lawyer
who has had to think about the question as I now realize I never have) on
the chain:

 

Are divisions II and III bound by decisions of division I, or do we get
super exciting "circuit (ok, "division") splits" that the state Supreme
Court must resolve?

 

No one is obligated to answer. I'm on a plane, so I have time for such
questions. ;)

 

Joshua D. McKarcher

McKarcher Law PLLC

537 6th Street

Clarkston, WA 99403

(509) 758-3345

(509) 758-3314 (fax)

josh at mckarcherlaw.com

www.mckarcherlaw.com

  _____  

From: wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com>
on behalf of Roger Hawkes <roger at skyvalleylawyers.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 4, 2023 2:20:13 PM
To: WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com>
Subject: Re: [WSBAPT] Does CR 6(a) give probate creditors an extra day to
file a claim if the last day falls on a weekend 

 

Josh thinks it is bad law; so do I; but it still operates until coa or
supremes overrule it.

 

From: wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com>
On Behalf Of Diane J. Kiepe
Sent: Tuesday, April 4, 2023 10:43 AM
To: WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com>
Subject: Re: [WSBAPT] Does CR 6(a) give probate creditors an extra day to
file a claim if the last day falls on a weekend

 

Wait - the 3 day rule does not apply to TEDRA - how did I not know this?! I
just moved a hearing to account for a second mailing.

 

Diane J. Kiepe

 

Diane J. Kiepe

Douglas Eden

717 W. Sprague Ave.

Suite 1500

Spokane, WA  99201

 <mailto:djkiepe at depdslaw.com> djkiepe at depdslaw.com

509-455-5300

 

From: wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com>
On Behalf Of Joshua McKarcher
Sent: Monday, April 3, 2023 3:36 PM
To: WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com>
Subject: Re: [WSBAPT] Does CR 6(a) give probate creditors an extra day to
file a claim if the last day falls on a weekend

 

Well, Chandra, I am glad you asked this. In summary, I'm wondering if the
answer is "In Division I you may win, if Rule CR6(a) was not amended as
noted below in 2015 after the 2013 Stover opinion."

 

As a total non-litigator reading your question, at first I thought, "Why on
earth would the deadline not extend to Monday? Don't they all?" 

 

Then I discovered Stover
(https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/695461.pdf), which I'd never had to
read or think about before. 

 

(Go figure the concept of "special proceedings" making 6(e)'s "3-day for
mail rule" not apply in TEDRA matters. Great! Surprising; weird; but great!
Estates get "greater finality" than non-estates, by a measure of a few days.
Why not?)

 

So then based on the Court's description of 6(a) being about periods less
than 7 days, I'm unclear if 6(a) contained the quoted language below in 2013
as it does now. (CR 6 indicates it was amended on April 28, 2015. I cannot
quickly find the history on CR 6, including what was amended in 2015.)

 

But, in theory, if this sentence was added after Stover, then (in theory),
you have a harder case perhaps, because maybe the rule was amended to avoid
Stover-like outcomes or something: 

 

"The last day of the period so computed shall be included, unless it is a
Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday, in which event the period runs until
the end of the next day which is neither a Saturday, a Sunday nor a legal
holiday."

 

CR 6(a) applies to "any applicable statute." Division I seems to say the
civil rules don't apply anyhow, so never mind 6(a)'s time computation rules.


 

So, it seems like "your" fight would be over whether the creditor's lawsuit
would be a TEDRA action (I assume so); whether Div. I was correct that those
are "special proceedings" under CR 81(a) (I assume Div. I thinks it was
correct); and whether, regardless of all that, no other statute on the books
would make any statutory deadline ending on a Sunday extend to the next
court/business day.

 

I'm intrigued. When you find an answer, PLEASE share it.

 

Best, Josh 

 

From: wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com>
On Behalf Of Chandra Lewnau
Sent: Monday, April 3, 2023 2:40 PM
To: WSBA Probate & Trust Discussion List <wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com>
Subject: [WSBAPT] Does CR 6(a) give probate creditors an extra day to file a
claim if the last day falls on a weekend

 

For the first time I have a probate where the creditor deadline for filing a
claim fell on a Sunday and the creditor filed the claim exactly one day late
on the Monday. (The PR was served on time.)  Before I have the PR reject the
claim, can anyone verify that CR 6(a) does not apply to the notice
provisions of RCW 11.40.051 and 30 days means 30 days? I have seen some
cases (ex. in re Stover) but nothing specifically on point.


 

-- 

-- 

Chandra M. Lewnau  |  Attorney

WALL GROUP LAW 

51 W. Dayton St., Suite 305  |  Edmonds, WA 98020

Tel 425.670.1560  |  Fax 425.361.1512  |  <http://www.wallgrouplaw.com/>
http://www.wallgrouplaw.com 

THIS ACCOUNT IS FOR MAILING LIST PURPOSES ONLY.

For faster response email chandra at wallgrouplaw.com

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