Waste Connections of Washington, Inc. v. Washington Dep't of Labor & Indus. , 428 P.3d 1224 ( 2018 )

FILED
OCTOBER 30, 2018
In the Office of the Clerk of Court
WA State Court of Appeals, Division III
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
DIVISION THREE
WASTE CONNECTIONS OF ) No. 35612-4-III
WASHINGTON, INC., D/B/A )
LAKESIDE DISPOSAL & RECYCLING )
COMPANY, )
)
Appellant, )
)
v. ) PUBLISHED OPINION
)
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR & )
INDUSTRIES and the BOARD OF )
INDUSTRIAL INSURANCE APPEALS, )
)
Respondents. )
LAWRENCE-BERREY, C.J. — RCW 49.17.140(1) requires an employer wishing to
appeal a workplace-safety citation to timely notify the director of the Department of
Labor and Industries. WAC 296-900-17005(2) permits an employer to notify the director
by mail, and “[t]he postmark is considered the submission date of a mailed request.”
No. 35612-4-III
Waste Connections v. Dep’t of Labor & Indus.
Waste Connections of Washington, Inc. (Waste Connections) timely submitted its
notice of appeal by mail, but used insufficient postage. This resulted in the notice being
returned to Waste Connections. Then, after the deadline, Waste Connections resubmitted
its notice of appeal with sufficient postage.
The primary question is whether “the submission date of a mailed request” implies
sufficient postage. We hold that it does. We affirm the superior court’s dismissal of
Waste Connections’ appeal.
FACTS
On February 9, 2015, the Department of Labor and Industries (Department) issued
a citation and notice of assessment to Waste Connections for three regulatory violations.
Waste Connections signed for the assessment on February 11. The citation specified
Waste Connections had 15 working days to appeal from the date of signing for the
citation. The parties agree the final date to appeal was March 5.
Waste Connections desired to appeal the citation. On March 2, Waste Connections
addressed its notice of appeal to the Department, with directions that it be sent by
certified mail. A Waste Connections employee mistakenly placed first class postage on
the envelope and attempted to send the notice by certified mail. The envelope that
contained the notice was postmarked March 2.
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No. 35612-4-III
Waste Connections v. Dep’t of Labor & Indus.
Because of insufficient postage, the postal service returned the notice to Waste
Connections on March 12. Waste Connections resubmitted the notice by certified mail.
The envelope that contained the resubmitted notice was postmarked March 13. The
Department received the notice on March 17 and deemed the appeal untimely.
At Waste Connections’ request, the Department forwarded the appeal to the
Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals (BIAA). The BIAA judge (IAJ) held a
timeliness hearing. Waste Connections argued that its notice of appeal was timely under
RCW 49.17.140, as supplemented by the plain meaning of the Department’s own rule.
The IAJ disagreed and concluded that the appeal was not timely. The IAJ issued a
proposed decision and order with findings of fact and conclusions of law.
Waste Connections filed a petition for review with the BIAA. In its petition,
Waste Connections reiterated its prior argument. In addition, Waste Connections argued
it “substantially complied” with the notice requirements, and that “good cause” permitted
the BIAA to consider the late filing. The BIAA denied Waste Connections’ petition and
adopted the IAJ’s proposed decision and order.1
1
The proposed decision and order did not address the substantial compliance and
good cause arguments.
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No. 35612-4-III
Waste Connections v. Dep’t of Labor & Indus.
Waste Connections appealed to the Grant County Superior Court. It reiterated its
prior arguments. In denying Waste Connections’ appeal, the superior court reasoned:
Notice is required to be accomplished in a manner reasonably
calculated to give notice to the Director. In re Saltis, 94 Wash. 2d 889, 898,
621 P.2d 716 (1980). Even if the mailing here could be said to comply with
a literal reading of the WAC, the court should avoid such a reading because
it would be contrary to this purpose.
Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 209. In addition, the superior court found that Waste
Connections had not sufficiently argued “substantial compliance” or “good cause.”
Waste Connections timely appealed to this court.
ANALYSIS
SUBMISSION DATE OF A MAILED REQUEST
Waste Connections does not contest the BIAA’s findings of fact. Rather, it argues
that the superior court erred in its construction of RCW 49.17.140(1) and WAC 296-900-
17005(2). We review the interpretation of regulations and statutes de novo. Cobra
Roofing Serv., Inc. v. Dep’t of Labor & Indus., 122 Wash. App. 402, 409, 97 P.3d 17
(2004), aff’d, 157 Wash. 2d 90, 135 P.3d 913 (2006).
The general rules of statutory interpretation are:
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Waste Connections v. Dep’t of Labor & Indus.
“When interpreting a statute, the court’s fundamental objective is to
ascertain and give effect to the legislature’s intent. We begin with the plain
meaning of the statute. In doing so, we consider the text of the provision in
question, the context of the statute in which the provision is found, related
provisions, amendments to the provision, and the statutory scheme as a
whole. If the meaning of the statute is plain on its face, then we must give
effect to that meaning as an expression of legislative intent. If, after this
inquiry, the statute remains ambiguous or unclear, it is appropriate to resort
to aids of construction and legislative history.”
Courtney v. Wash. Utils. & Transp. Comm’n, 3 Wash. App. 2d 167, 177, 414 P.3d 598
(quoting Lenander v. Dep’t of Ret. Sys., 186 Wash. 2d 393, 405, 377 P.3d 199 (2016)),
review denied, 191 Wash. 2d 1002, 422 P.3d 911 (2018). These rules apply to
administrative rules equally as to statutes. Cannon v. Dep’t of Licensing, 147 Wash. 2d 41,
56, 50 P.3d 627 (2002). “This court will avoid a literal reading of a provision if it would
result in unlikely, absurd, or strained consequences.” Id. at 57.
RCW 49.17.140(1) sets forth a jurisdictional limitation for BIAA and the courts
for hearing an appeal of a WISHA2 citation:
If after an inspection or investigation the director or the director’s
authorized representative issues a citation . . . the department . . . shall
notify the employer . . . of the penalty to be assessed under the authority of
RCW 49.17.180 and shall state that the employer has fifteen working days
within which to notify the director that the employer wishes to appeal the
citation or assessment of penalty. If, within fifteen working days from the
communication of the notice issued by the director the employer fails to
notify the director that the employer intends to appeal the citation or
2
Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act of 1973, chapter 49.17 RCW.
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No. 35612-4-III
Waste Connections v. Dep’t of Labor & Indus.
assessment penalty, . . . the citation and the assessment shall be deemed a
final order of the department and not subject to review by any court or
agency.
RCW 49.17.140(1) (emphasis added).
The legislature authorized the Department director to promulgate rules to effect
chapter 49.17 RCW. See RCW 49.17.040. Pursuant to this authority, the Department
enacted WAC 296-900-17005, which explains how an employer or employee wishing to
appeal a workplace-safety citation notifies the Department.
WAC 296-900-17005(2) permits an employer or employee to notify the
Department of an appeal by mail, fax, electronically, or by personal delivery. With
respect to notification by mail, the subsection provides: “The postmark is considered the
submission date of a mailed request.” Id.
Both parties argue that the meaning of the rule is plain. Nonetheless, they reach
different results. The Department argues the rule requires the notice to be submitted or
mailed, and a notice cannot be submitted or mailed with insufficient postage. Waste
Connections argues the rule requires only that the postmarked date be within the appeal
period. Waste Connections’ argument ignores the rule’s requirement that the submission
be a “mailed request.”
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Waste Connections v. Dep’t of Labor & Indus.
“Mail” means “to send postal matter by mail.” WEBSTER’S THIRD NEW
INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY 1361 (1993). Postal matter is not sent by mail unless it has
sufficient postage. A person who places an envelope with insufficient postage in the mail
knows the envelope likely will be returned, and therefore not sent. We hold that a
submission is not “mailed” if the envelope has insufficient postage and is returned to the
sender.
This holding is consistent with decisions that require proof of sufficient postage as
an element toward establishing an item was mailed. See, e.g., Lieb v. Webster, 30 Wash. 2d
43, 47, 190 P.2d 701 (1948); Kaiser Alum. & Chem. Corp. v. Dep’t of Labor & Indus., 57
Wash. App. 886, 892, 790 P.2d 1254 (1990). This holding also comports with our
obligation to construe legislation in a manner that avoids an absurd result. It would be an
absurd result to construe a notice requirement satisfied when, because of the sender’s
mistake, the notice did not reach the recipient.
EQUITY
Waste Connections, citing court rules that permit time extensions for “good
cause,” argues that equitable principles compel allowing the appeal to proceed. We
disagree.
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No. 35612-4-111
Waste Connections v. Dep 't ofLabor & Indus.
A court will not grant equitable relief in contravention of a statutory requirement.
Longview Fibre Co. v. Cowlitz County, 114 Wash. 2d 691, 699, 790 P.2d 149 (1990). Here,
RCW 49 .17 .140( 1) prohibits the BIAA and courts from exercising jurisdiction to hear an
untimely WISHA appeal. We are without authority, through equity or artifice, to expand
our jurisdiction.
Affirmed.
Lawrence-Berrey, C.J.
WE CONCUR:
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Siddoway, J. 1)
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