Pine Ridge Wausau, LLC v. Krist Oil, Co. ( 2024 )


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  •        COURT OF APPEALS
    DECISION                                                NOTICE
    DATED AND FILED                            This opinion is subject to further editing. If
    published, the official version will appear in
    the bound volume of the Official Reports.
    February 21, 2024
    A party may file with the Supreme Court a
    Samuel A. Christensen                  petition to review an adverse decision by the
    Clerk of Court of Appeals               Court of Appeals. See WIS. STAT. § 808.10
    and RULE 809.62.
    Appeal No.        2022AP1793                                                    Cir. Ct. No. 2013CV434
    STATE OF WISCONSIN                                             IN COURT OF APPEALS
    DISTRICT III
    PINE RIDGE WAUSAU, LLC,
    PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENT,
    V.
    KRIST OIL, CO.,
    DEFENDANT-APPELLANT,
    CARKELSY, INC.,
    THIRD PARTY-BENEFICIARY-RESPONDENT.
    APPEAL from a judgment of the circuit court for Marathon County:
    GREGORY J. STRASSER, Judge. Affirmed and cause remanded with directions.
    Before Stark, P.J., Hruz and Gill, JJ.
    Per curiam opinions may not be cited in any court of this state as precedent
    or authority, except for the limited purposes specified in WIS. STAT. RULE 809.23(3).
    No. 2022AP1793
    ¶1       PER CURIAM. Krist Oil, Co., appeals from a judgment awarding
    $705,093.54 to Pine Ridge Wausau, LLC, and Carkelsy, Inc., based on Krist’s
    violations of an injunction.               Krist argues that the circuit court erred
    by: (1) imposing a remedial contempt sanction under WIS. STAT. ch. 785
    (2021-22);1 (2) retroactively applying our supreme court’s holding in Tetra Tech
    EC, Inc. v. DOR, 
    2018 WI 75
    , 
    382 Wis. 2d 496
    , 
    914 N.W.2d 21
    ; and (3) citing
    Wisconsin’s Unfair Sales Act as an alternative basis for awarding damages to
    Pine Ridge and Carkelsy.
    ¶2       We reject Krist’s arguments and affirm the circuit court’s judgment.
    We remand for the court to determine the amount of the attorney fees and costs
    that Pine Ridge and Carkelsy are entitled to recover in connection with this appeal,
    as provided in the parties’ settlement agreement and the injunction. We deny
    Pine Ridge        and    Carkelsy’s      motion       for   sanctions   under    WIS.     STAT.
    RULES 809.25(3) and 809.83(2).
    BACKGROUND
    ¶3       Pine Ridge operates a convenience store in Wausau, Wisconsin.
    Carkelsy operates a convenience store in Merrill, Wisconsin.2                   Krist operates
    convenience stores in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. As relevant to this
    appeal, Krist operates a store in Wausau that is located directly across the street
    1
    All references to the Wisconsin Statutes are to the 2021-22 version unless otherwise
    noted.
    2
    At the time of the trial in this case, the same individual served as both the managing
    member of Pine Ridge and the president of Carkelsy. During the circuit court proceedings, the
    parties sometimes referred to Carkelsy’s Merrill store as “Pine Ridge Merrill.”
    2
    No. 2022AP1793
    from Pine Ridge’s store.           Krist also operates a store in Merrill that is
    approximately one mile west of Carkelsy’s store.
    ¶4      In May 2013, Pine Ridge filed suit against Krist, asserting that Krist
    had violated the Unfair Sales Act, WIS. STAT. § 100.30, by selling motor vehicle
    fuel “at a cost less than that allowed pursuant to [§ 100.30] with the intent or effect
    of inducing others to purchase motor vehicle fuel from [Krist] or with the intent or
    effect of unfairly diverting trade from Pine Ridge.” Pine Ridge sought damages of
    at least $336,000; costs, reasonable attorney fees, and accounting fees; and an
    injunction prohibiting Krist “from selling motor vehicle fuel for less than the
    minimum selling price.” Pine Ridge later filed an amended complaint seeking at
    least $558,000 in damages.
    ¶5      On July 2, 2014, Pine Ridge and Krist entered into a written
    settlement agreement resolving all of Pine Ridge’s claims.                  As part of the
    settlement agreement, the parties agreed to the entry of a permanent injunction,
    which was filed with the circuit court. The injunction prohibits Krist, Pine Ridge,
    and Carkelsy “from violating the Wisconsin Unfair Sales Act as set forth in [WIS.
    STAT.] § 100.30 with respect to the sale of motor vehicle fuel.”3
    ¶6      Both the parties’ settlement agreement and the injunction state that if
    any party violates the injunction’s terms, and if the violating party fails to timely
    cure the violation or violates the injunction more than twice in one year, then the
    aggrieved party may file a motion to enforce the injunction.                 The settlement
    3
    Although Carkelsy was not originally named as a party in the lawsuit between
    Pine Ridge and Krist, the injunction states that Carkelsy “is a Third-Party Beneficiary of this
    Injunction.”
    3
    No. 2022AP1793
    agreement and injunction further provide that if a party moves to enforce the
    injunction and the circuit court finds that a violation has occurred, the aggrieved
    party is entitled to recover $4,000 for each day of violation during the applicable
    calendar year, plus actual attorney fees and costs.
    ¶7     In August 2015, Pine Ridge and Carkelsy filed a motion to enforce
    the injunction, claiming that Krist had violated the Unfair Sales Act—and,
    consequently, the injunction—by running a “Coffee Club” discount program that
    reduced the price of gas by five cents per gallon for customers who paid with cash.
    In December 2015, Krist filed its own motion to enforce the injunction, asserting
    that Pine Ridge and Carkelsy had violated the injunction by instituting certain
    rewards programs and accepting coupons for “50 cents of free gas.”
    ¶8     In January 2018, Krist filed a motion asking the circuit court to grant
    summary judgment in its favor on its motion to enforce the injunction. Later that
    month, Pine Ridge and Carkelsy also moved for summary judgment on Krist’s
    motion to enforce the injunction, asking the court to dismiss that motion. In
    July 2018, the court entered a written decision and order concluding, as a matter of
    law, that Pine Ridge and Carkelsy had not violated the injunction. The court
    therefore denied Krist’s motion for summary judgment, granted Pine Ridge and
    Carkelsy’s summary judgment motion, and it dismissed Krist’s motion to enforce
    the injunction.
    ¶9     The circuit court subsequently held a bench trial on Pine Ridge and
    Carkelsy’s motion to enforce the injunction. At the end of the trial, the court set a
    briefing schedule for the parties to submit posttrial briefs and proposed findings of
    fact, conclusions of law, and judgments. Pine Ridge and Carkelsy subsequently
    submitted a proposed “Procedural Posture, Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law,
    4
    No. 2022AP1793
    and Judgment,” which contained a section entitled “Conclusions of Law and
    Judgment of Contempt.” The proposed judgment stated that Krist had violated the
    injunction and awarded $160,000 to Carkelsy and $240,000 to Pine Ridge for
    Krist’s violations.
    ¶10     Krist objected to Pine Ridge and Carkelsy’s proposed judgment,
    asserting that the circuit court could not impose a contempt sanction because
    Krist’s alleged contempt was not continuing and because Krist did not intend to
    violate the injunction. Thereafter, in their reply brief, Pine Ridge and Carkelsy
    clarified that they were not seeking to hold Krist in contempt under WIS. STAT.
    ch. 785 but were instead seeking to enforce the injunction and obtain the damages
    specified therein. Pine Ridge and Carkelsy asserted that their use of the term
    “contempt” in the proposed judgment was “nothing more and nothing less than a
    parlance that is generally utilized when one violates a Court’s Injunction.” They
    argued that the court could “simply omit the word ‘contempt’ without, in any way,
    mutating the Motion from what it was; a Motion to Enforce the terms of the
    Injunction that Krist itself stipulated to.”
    ¶11     In April 2022, the circuit court issued a written decision concluding
    that Krist’s Coffee Club program violated the Unfair Sales Act and, consequently,
    violated the injunction. Specifically, the court concluded that during the year
    2015, Krist had violated the injunction for forty days at its Merrill location and for
    sixty days at its Wausau location. The court therefore determined that Carkelsy
    was “entitled to a judgment under the Injunction in the amount of $160,000” and
    that Pine Ridge was “entitled to a judgment under the Injunction in the amount of
    5
    No. 2022AP1793
    $240,000.”4 The court further stated that in addition to asserting that Krist had
    violated the injunction, Pine Ridge and Carkelsy “also assert[] a claim of
    contempt.” The court concluded, however, that Krist’s actions did not “rise to the
    level of contempt of court.”
    ¶12     The circuit court’s April 2022 decision recognized that under the
    terms of the injunction, Pine Ridge and Carkelsy were entitled to recover their
    actual attorney fees and costs “incurred in prosecuting [their] Motion to Enforce.”
    After further briefing regarding the amount of attorney fees that Pine Ridge and
    Carkelsy were entitled to recover, the court entered a final judgment awarding
    Pine Ridge and Carkelsy a total of $400,000 in damages for Krist’s violations of
    the injunction and $305,093.54 in attorney fees and costs. Krist now appeals.
    DISCUSSION
    I. Contempt
    ¶13     On appeal, Krist first argues that the circuit court erred by imposing
    a remedial contempt sanction under WIS. STAT. ch. 785 after specifically finding
    that: (1) Krist’s violations of the injunction were not continuing; and (2) Krist’s
    conduct did not rise to the level of contempt. These arguments fail because the
    record conclusively shows that the court did not impose a remedial contempt
    sanction; instead, the court awarded Pine Ridge and Carkelsy damages based on
    Krist’s violations of the injunction.
    4
    As noted above, the injunction states that an aggrieved party is entitled to recover
    $4,000 per day for each day of violation during the applicable calendar year. Forty days times
    $4,000 equals $160,000, and sixty days times $4,000 equals $240,000.
    6
    No. 2022AP1793
    ¶14     As noted above, both the parties’ settlement agreement and the
    injunction specifically permit an aggrieved party to file a motion to enforce the
    injunction.     The settlement agreement and injunction further state that the
    aggrieved party is entitled to recover $4,000 for each day of violation during the
    calendar year, plus actual attorney fees and costs. Pine Ridge and Carkelsy moved
    to enforce the injunction, specifically asserting that Krist had violated the
    injunction. Their motion sought the exact damages prescribed by the injunction
    and the settlement agreement. Although Pine Ridge and Carkelsy’s proposed
    judgment used the term “contempt,” they later clarified that they were not seeking
    a contempt sanction but were instead seeking to enforce the injunction and recover
    the damages set forth therein.
    ¶15     In its written decision, the circuit court interpreted Pine Ridge and
    Carkelsy as seeking to enforce the injunction and “also assert[ing] a claim of
    contempt.”5      (Emphasis added.)          The court discussed the legal standards for
    contempt of court under WIS. STAT. ch. 785, but it ultimately determined that
    Krist’s actions did “not rise to the level of contempt of court.” The court further
    concluded, however, that Krist had violated the injunction and that Pine Ridge and
    Carkelsy were “entitled to a judgment under the Injunction.” (Emphasis added.)
    The court therefore awarded Pine Ridge and Carkelsy the damages specified in the
    injunction. On this record, it is clear that the court awarded Pine Ridge and
    5
    On appeal, Krist asserts that the circuit court found “that the remedies set forth in [WIS.
    STAT. ch.] 785 are the exclusive remedies available.” The court did not find, however, that the
    contempt remedies in ch. 785 were the exclusive remedies available in this lawsuit. Rather, the
    court appropriately recognized that the remedies set forth in ch. 785 are the exclusive remedies
    for a contempt claim under that chapter. See State ex rel. N.A. v. G.S., 
    156 Wis. 2d 338
    , 341, 
    456 N.W.2d 867
     (Ct. App. 1990).
    7
    No. 2022AP1793
    Carkelsy damages based on Krist’s violation of the injunction, rather than
    imposing a contempt sanction under ch. 785.
    ¶16    In its reply brief, Krist argues that a motion to enforce an
    injunction—like the one that Pine Ridge and Carkelsy filed in this case—is a
    motion for contempt. Krist emphasizes that Pine Ridge and Carkelsy never filed a
    motion to enforce the parties’ settlement agreement, which would have sounded in
    contract.
    ¶17    We reject Krist’s apparent contention that Pine Ridge and Carkelsy
    could obtain compensation for Krist’s violations of the injunction only through
    either contempt proceedings or a breach of contract claim.          The injunction
    specifically states that in the event of a violation, the aggrieved party may file a
    motion to enforce the injunction and is entitled to recover specified damages.
    Thus, the injunction identifies the method of its own enforcement, and Pine Ridge
    and Carkelsy followed that method when they moved to enforce the injunction.
    The circuit court granted Pine Ridge and Carkelsy’s motion and awarded them the
    exact damages specified by the injunction. The court’s award of those damages
    was not tantamount to imposing a contempt sanction under WIS. STAT. ch. 785.
    II. Tetra Tech
    ¶18    Krist next argues that the circuit court erred by retroactively
    applying our supreme court’s holding in Tetra Tech when determining that Krist
    had violated the injunction. Prior to Tetra Tech, Wisconsin courts employed a
    three-tiered methodology when reviewing administrative agencies’ conclusions
    regarding the interpretation and application of statutes. See Tetra Tech, 
    382 Wis. 2d 496
    , ¶13.        “When reviewing those conclusions, [courts gave]
    them: (1) great weight deference; (2) due weight deference; or (3) no deference at
    8
    No. 2022AP1793
    all.” 
    Id.
     In Tetra Tech, however, our supreme court “end[ed] [the] practice of
    deferring to administrative agencies’ conclusions of law.” Id., ¶108.
    ¶19    In the circuit court, Krist argued that its Coffee Club program did not
    violate the Unfair Sales Act—and therefore did not violate the injunction—
    because the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer
    Protection (“DATCP”) had allowed Fleet Farm to operate a similar program since
    2007. The court rejected Krist’s argument, explaining:
    The fact that [the] DATCP, the state agency charged with
    enforcement of the [Unfair Sales Act], refused to take
    action against a similar program where Fleet Farm applied
    earned rebates and refunds, unrelated to motor vehicle fuel,
    to make up the full posted price on [a] customer’s purchase,
    is not controlling. Under the law, this court is to come to
    its own conclusion, as to whether any particular program
    violates the Injunction and, by implication, the incorporated
    provisions of the [Unfair Sales Act].
    This court is not required to defer to [the DATCP’s]
    interpretations of the [Unfair Sales Act]. WIS. STAT.
    § 227.57(11); and [Tetra Tech, 
    382 Wis. 2d 496
    , ¶108].
    Instead, this court’s statutory and regulatory interpretation
    begin and end with the language of the relevant statute and
    regulations, if their meaning is plain. State ex rel. Kalal v.
    Circuit Ct. for Dane [Cnty.], 
    2004 WI 58
    , ¶45, 
    271 Wis. 2d 633
    , 
    681 N.W.2d 110
    . Here, there is no argument that the
    applicable statutes are vague or ambiguous. This is
    because they are not.
    (Footnote omitted.)
    ¶20    Krist argues that the circuit court should not have applied
    Tetra Tech’s holding retroactively to the DATCP’s prior actions approving of
    Fleet Farm’s discount program. Krist acknowledges that Wisconsin courts adhere
    to the Blackstonian Doctrine, which “provides that a decision which overrules or
    repudiates an earlier decision is retrospective in operation.”               Fitzgerald v.
    9
    No. 2022AP1793
    Meissner & Hicks, Inc., 
    38 Wis. 2d 571
    , 575, 
    157 N.W.2d 595
     (1968). An
    exception to the Blackstonian Doctrine exists, however, “[w]here contracts have
    been entered into in reliance upon a legislative enactment as construed by the
    earlier decisions.” 
    Id.
     Krist argues that this exception applies in the instant case
    because Krist entered into contracts with its supplier, Chambers & Owens, “in
    reliance upon legislative enactments (the Unfair Sales Act, [WIS. STAT. §] 100.30)
    as construed by earlier decisions ([the] DATCP’s approval of sponsored
    programs).”
    ¶21    We agree with Pine Ridge and Carkelsy that Krist’s argument
    regarding the “contract exception” to the Blackstonian Doctrine is undeveloped.
    See State v. Pettit, 
    171 Wis. 2d 627
    , 646-47, 
    492 N.W.2d 633
     (Ct. App. 1992)
    (court of appeals need not address undeveloped arguments). Krist fails to explain
    why it seeks to apply the contract exception to its contract with Chambers &
    Owens, the enforcement of which has not been challenged, rather than to its
    settlement agreement and stipulated injunction with Pine Ridge and Carkelsy.
    Furthermore, Krist fails to explain how the DATCP’s informal nonenforcement
    policy with respect to Fleet Farm’s discount program is the equivalent of a prior
    precedential court decision that was overturned.
    ¶22    More importantly, Krist fails to show that the circuit court’s decision
    would have been any different absent the court’s single citation to Tetra Tech. As
    mentioned above, prior to Tetra Tech, Wisconsin courts employed three levels of
    deference to agency interpretations of statutes. See Tetra Tech, 
    382 Wis. 2d 496
    ,
    ¶13. In its brief-in-chief, Krist fails to explain which of these levels of deference
    would have applied to the DATCP’s decisions regarding Fleet Farm’s discount
    program prior to Tetra Tech, nor does Krist argue that the court’s decision would
    10
    No. 2022AP1793
    have been different had it applied either great weight deference or due weight
    deference.
    ¶23    In its reply brief, Krist asserts that prior to Tetra Tech, the circuit
    court would have been required to give due weight deference to the DATCP’s
    interpretation of the Unfair Sales Act because the DATCP is the agency charged
    with enforcing that statute. See id., ¶15 (explaining that due weight deference
    applied when the agency was charged with administering the statute in question
    and had some experience in the area but had not developed expertise placing it in a
    better position to make judgments regarding the interpretation of the statute than a
    court). Again, however, Krist does not explain why the court’s ultimate decision
    would have been different had it applied due weight deference.
    ¶24    We conclude that even applying due weight deference, the circuit
    court would have concluded that Krist’s actions violated the Unfair Sales Act and,
    consequently, the injunction. Under due weight deference, a court was required to
    defer to an agency’s reasonable interpretation of a statute, unless the court
    determined that another interpretation was more reasonable. Id. In order for a
    statute to have multiple reasonable interpretations, it must necessarily be
    ambiguous. See Kalal, 
    271 Wis. 2d 633
    , ¶47 (“[A] statute is ambiguous if it is
    capable of being understood by reasonably well-informed persons in two or more
    senses.”).   In contrast, a statute is unambiguous “where no more than one
    reasonable meaning can be attributed to it.” State v. William W., 
    180 Wis. 2d 708
    ,
    713, 
    510 N.W.2d 718
     (Ct. App. 1993).
    ¶25    Here, the circuit court concluded that the Unfair Sales Act was
    unambiguous and that Krist’s Coffee Club program violated the Act’s
    unambiguous terms. In other words, the court concluded that there was only one
    11
    No. 2022AP1793
    reasonable interpretation of the Unfair Sales Act.          Thus, the court implicitly
    concluded that the DATCP’s prior interpretation of the Unfair Sales Act to allow
    Fleet Farm’s similar discount program was unreasonable. As such, even applying
    due weight deference, the court would not have deferred to the DATCP’s
    interpretation.
    ¶26    We therefore agree with Pine Ridge and Carkelsy that the circuit
    court “would have come to the same conclusion under the old agency case[ ]law.”
    Consequently, the court’s citation to Tetra Tech provides no basis to reverse the
    court’s ultimate decision that Krist violated the injunction.
    III. Award of damages under the Unfair Sales Act
    ¶27    Finally, Krist argues that the circuit court erred by relying on the
    Unfair Sales Act as an alternative basis for awarding damages to Pine Ridge and
    Carkelsy. In a footnote in its written decision, the court stated:
    To the extent it is ultimately determined on appeal that the
    penalty provided for under the Injunction is invalid or not
    enforceable, the court concludes that the penalties under the
    [Unfair Sales Act] would instead apply and that damages
    should, in that event, be calculated based upon the same.
    This is because the [Unfair Sales Act] allows for the
    penalties, regardless of the Injunction[,] and the court
    concludes that Krist’s Coffee Club Program and diesel fuel
    sale violated the [Unfair Sales Act], independent of its
    violation of the Injunction.
    Krist contends that the court erred by “awarding an alternative penalty” under the
    Unfair Sales Act “because no statutory cause of action had been filed in the Circuit
    Court.”
    ¶28    We agree with Pine Ridge and Carkelsy that the circuit court’s
    reference to the Unfair Sales Act as an alternative basis for awarding damages was
    12
    No. 2022AP1793
    immaterial and does not provide grounds for reversal. The court did not actually
    award Pine Ridge and Carkelsy damages based on any violations of the Unfair
    Sales Act; it awarded them damages based on Krist’s violations of the injunction.
    The court merely stated that the Unfair Sales Act would provide an alternative
    basis for its award of damages, in the event that an appellate court determined
    “that the penalty provided for under the Injunction is invalid or not enforceable.”
    We have rejected Krist’s arguments that the court erred by awarding damages
    under the injunction. As such, there is no need for us to address whether an award
    of damages would have otherwise been proper under the Unfair Sales Act. See
    Turner v. Taylor, 
    2003 WI App 256
    , ¶1 n.1, 
    268 Wis. 2d 628
    , 
    673 N.W.2d 716
    (court of appeals need only address dispositive issues).
    ¶29    Having rejected all of Krist’s appellate arguments, we affirm the
    circuit court’s judgment awarding damages, costs, and attorney fees to Pine Ridge
    and Carkelsy. We remand for the court to determine the amount of the attorney
    fees and costs that Pine Ridge and Carkelsy are entitled to recover in connection
    with this appeal, as provided in the parties’ settlement agreement and the
    injunction.
    IV. Motion for sanctions
    ¶30    As noted above, Pine Ridge and Carkelsy have filed a motion for
    sanctions, asserting that Krist filed a frivolous appeal.        See WIS. STAT.
    13
    No. 2022AP1793
    RULE 809.25(3). Pine Ridge and Carkelsy also ask us to sanction Krist for its
    violations of the Rules of Appellate Procedure.6 See WIS. STAT. RULE 809.83(2).
    ¶31     “[A]n appellate court decides whether an appeal is frivolous solely
    as a question of law.” Howell v. Denomie, 
    2005 WI 81
    , ¶9, 
    282 Wis. 2d 130
    , 
    698 N.W.2d 621
    .        To find an appeal frivolous, the court must conclude either
    that: (1) the appeal was filed, used, or continued in bad faith, solely for purposes
    of harassing or maliciously injuring another; or (2) the party or the party’s attorney
    knew, or should have known, that the appeal was without any reasonable basis in
    law or equity and could not be supported by a good faith argument for an
    extension,    modification,      or    reversal    of    existing    law.       WIS.     STAT.
    RULE 809.25(3)(c). “To award costs and attorney fees, an appellate court must
    conclude that the entire appeal is frivolous.” Howell, 
    282 Wis. 2d 130
    , ¶9.
    ¶32     In their motion for sanctions, Pine Ridge and Carkelsy assert that
    “[a]ll of the issues presented in [Krist’s] appeal are frivolous” and that Krist and
    its attorneys knew or should have known that those issues lacked any reasonable
    basis in law or equity.         See WIS. STAT. RULE 809.25(3)(c)2.              We disagree.
    “Although the arguments [that Krist] present[ed] on appeal are weak, at best, they
    are not all so lacking in merit that sanctions are warranted.” See Walag v. Town
    of Randall, 
    213 Wis. 2d 424
    , 430, 
    570 N.W.2d 623
     (Ct. App. 1997). In particular,
    6
    Pine Ridge and Carkelsy acknowledge that they are “already … entitled to costs and
    attorney fees as [prevailing parties] in this matter” under the settlement agreement and the
    injunction. They argue, however, that “a sanctions order for frivolousness would allow the Court
    to spread the financial impact to counsel if deemed appropriate.” Pine Ridge and Carkelsy also
    assert that a determination of frivolousness “may … be relevant to the circuit court’s
    discretionary determination in calculating the award.” In addition, Pine Ridge and Carkelsy
    argue that our “general sanctions authority” under WIS. STAT. RULE 809.83(2) “recognizes no
    express limits, and is not restricted to attorney fee awards.”
    14
    No. 2022AP1793
    we cannot conclude that Krist’s arguments regarding contempt are completely
    without merit, as it was Pine Ridge and Carkelsy that initially raised the contempt
    issue in the circuit court, arguably creating confusion as to the basis for the court’s
    ruling.
    ¶33   Pine Ridge and Carkelsy also assert that, given the weakness of
    Krist’s appellate arguments, “it would be reasonable to infer” that Krist brought or
    continued this appeal in bad faith. See WIS. STAT. RULE 809.25(3)(c)1. We
    conclude that there is nothing in the record to support an inference that this appeal
    was filed or continued in bad faith.       While we concur with Pine Ridge and
    Carkelsy that Krist’s appellate arguments are weak, Pine Ridge and Carkelsy cite
    no legal authority in support of the proposition that a party’s advancement of weak
    arguments on appeal, standing alone, is sufficient to show that the appeal was
    brought or continued in bad faith. For these reasons, we deny Pine Ridge and
    Carkelsy’s motion for sanctions under RULE 809.25(3).
    ¶34   We also deny Pine Ridge and Carkelsy’s request for sanctions under
    WIS. STAT. RULE 809.83(2). Pine Ridge and Carkelsy correctly note that Krist’s
    brief-in-chief violated our Rules of Appellate Procedure in multiple respects.
    Most concerning, Krist failed to provide record citations to support many of the
    factual allegations in its statement of the case. See WIS. STAT. RULE 809.19(1)(d).
    A party’s failure to provide adequate record citations dramatically hinders this
    court’s ability to address the issues raised on appeal. Nevertheless, we conclude
    that Krist’s rule violations do not, at this time, rise to a level significant enough to
    warrant the imposition of monetary sanctions under RULE 809.83(2).                  We
    admonish Krist’s attorneys, however, that future rule violations may result in
    sanctions.
    15
    No. 2022AP1793
    By the Court.—Judgment affirmed and cause remanded with
    directions.
    This    opinion   will   not    be   published.   See   WIS. STAT.
    RULE 809.23(1)(b)5.
    16
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 2022AP001793

Filed Date: 2/21/2024

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 9/9/2024