In what is almost certainly the largest wrongful lien verdict in Utah and perhaps the largest in the United States, Morris DeVoe lawyers obtained a $15,110,000 wrongful lien judgment (pursuant to the Utah Wrongful Lien Act beginning at Utah Code Ann. Section 38-9-101) for their clients after a week-long trial. The judgment out of the Fourth District Court includes over fourteen million dollars in wrongful lien statutory damages and over half a million dollars in attorney fees. The trial judgment included both an award of $3,000 per interest holder under Utah Code Ann. Section 38-9-203(1) and an award of $10,000 per interest holder under Utah Code Ann. Section 38-9-203(2). The judgment was obtained for three association clients, Cold Springs, Rock Creek, and Willow Springs in the Ranches at Eagle Mountain. In addition to the massive verdict, Morris DeVoe obtained an order of quiet title eliminating forever any obligation of the owners in Morris DeVoe’s client associations to pay assessments to the Ranches master association and clearing the title to their homes of any CC&Rs, declarations, bylaws, notices of liens, and other documents previously recorded by the Ranches.

It started when Morris DeVoe was retained to review some irregularities in the amendment procedures used by the Ranches master association. Morris DeVoe lawyers figured out that the Ranches documents had serious legal defects and could potentially be invalidated, freeing Morris DeVoe’s clients from any obligations of the master association and eliminating over ten thousand dollars a month in assessments being paid by the owners in Morris DeVoe’s client associations. Based on the detailed and extensive analysis of the legal issues prepared by Morris DeVoe, their clients were confident going forward with an extraordinary challenge to the Ranches authority even though the master association had operated for more than ten years. When the Ranches refused to release its documents, Morris DeVoe filed and prosecuted a lawsuit that involved complicated legal and equitable issues. The Morris DeVoe attorneys’ unparalleled understanding of HOA law and extensive complex litigation experience allowed their clients to achieve this amazing trial result and huge verdict. When you have an HOA legal problem and you really want the right answer, this case is just one more example of why Morris DeVoe is the only choice in Utah.