Ariz. Admin. Code § R20-4-105 - [Effective 4/6/2025] Claims Against a Deposit in Place of Bond

A. As used in this Section:

1. "Deposit" means cash or alternatives to cash deposited by a licensee with the Director in place of a bond.

2. "Depositor" means licensee or an employee of the licensee who makes a deposit with the Director.

3. "Verified claim" means a claim filed with the Director under subsection (B).

4. "Award" means an amount of money granted under subsection (F).

B. A person may file a claim against a deposit by delivering documentation of the claim to the Director. The claim shall be based on a final judgment in favor of the claimant, entered by a court of competent jurisdiction. To support a claim, the judgment shall be:

1. Against a depositor;

2. For injury caused by the depositor's wrongful act, default, fraud, or misrepresentation committed in the course of the depositor's licensed business activity; and

3. Documented by:

a. A certified copy of the complaint in the action;

b. A certified copy of the judgment in the action;

c. A statement that execution of the judgment has not been stayed, or an explanation of the terms and reason for any stay;

d. A statement of any amounts recovered on the judgment; and

e. A sworn and notarized statement that the claim is true and correct to the best of the claimant's knowledge and belief.

C. A claimant shall file a claim with the Director, and all required supporting documentation, not more than six months after entry of the judgment asserted in the claim. However, if execution of the asserted judgment is stayed during the first six months after its entry, the claimant may file a verified claim only during the six months after the stay is lifted. The Department shall process a timely-filed verified claim as a request for hearing under A.R.S. § 41-1092.03(B).

D. The claimant shall notify the depositor of the filing of a verified claim under this Section, and make the depositor a party to all proceedings on the claim. To do so, the claimant shall send the depositor a copy of all documents filed under subsection (B). The claimant shall make this delivery no more than 10 days after the original filing with the Director under subsection (B). The Department considers a proceeding on a verified claim to be a contested case, governed by the provisions of 20 A.A.C. 4, Article 12.

E. The Director shall, after a hearing, deny a verified claim if the hearing produces evidence of any of the following circumstances:

1. The judgment is not for an injury caused by the depositor and described in subsection (B)(2);

2. The judgment was awarded by default, stipulation, or consent, and no showing is made in the hearing of an injury caused by the depositor and described in subsection (B)(2);

3. The judgment's execution has been stayed for any reason;

4. The judgment was procured through fraud or collusion;

5. The judgment has been satisfied from other sources; or

6. The action that produced the judgment was barred by the applicable statute of limitations at the time it was commenced.

F. If the Director grants a verified claim, the Director shall do so in the amount of the compensatory damages awarded against the depositor in the judgment, exclusive of:

1. Attorney's fees, and

2. Amounts previously paid on the judgment.

G. A person injured by a depositor shall give the Director written notice at the time of filing a civil action if the claims alleged could be made as a verified claim under this Section. The written notice shall include a statement of the amount of compensatory damages sought against the depositor. The injured person shall provide further information about the civil action to the Director upon request.

H. If the Director grants a verified claim under subsection (F), the Director shall authorize the State Treasurer, in writing, to release the deposit to the claimant in the amount stated in subsection (F) if the Director has not received notice of another pending civil action under subsection (G).

I. If given notice under subsection (G), the Director shall determine whether the deposit is sufficient to satisfy all claims under subsection (F). The Director shall determine award amounts for each claim of which the Director has notice, and authorize payment, as follows:

1. If the deposit is sufficient to satisfy all claims under subsection (F), the Director shall authorize its release as described in subsection (H).

2. If the deposit is not sufficient to satisfy all claims under subsection (F), the Director shall calculate the award on each claim as follows:

a. Each granted claim shall receive a pro rata share of the total deposit.

b. Each pro rata share shall be a dollar amount calculated by multiplying the total deposit by a fraction.

i. The numerator of the fraction is the amount of the Director's award for the verified claim.

ii. The denominator of the fraction is the sum of the amount of the Director's award for the verified claim plus the total compensatory damages sought in all other civil actions against the same depositor disclosed to the Director under subsection (G).

c. The Director shall authorize the State Treasurer to release the pro rata portion of the deposit calculated for each verified claim.

J. A depositor or former licensee may request return of its deposit if it substitutes a bond for the deposit, or if its license is surrendered, revoked, or expired, and if all statutory conditions for release of the deposit have been satisfied. The Director shall not release any part of a deposit to a depositor or former licensee until the Director determines whether there are any awards on verified claims unsatisfied because of an apportionment under subsection (I). The Director shall use the deposit amount to pay any unsatisfied portion of those awards. If the deposit amount is not sufficient to pay in full all unsatisfied awards, the Director shall pay the remaining amount of the deposit to claimants in the ratio their awards bear to the total of all awards granted against the deposit.

K. The court supervising a licensee in receivership may order the release of a deposit to persons injured by conduct described in subsection (B). In that event, the receiver shall deliver a certified copy of the court's order to the Director. The copy may be uncertified if the receiver is the Director or any other officer or agency of the state of Arizona. The Director shall then authorize the State Treasurer, in writing, to release the deposit to the receiver. The receiver shall distribute the deposit as ordered by the receivership court, rather than under this Section.

Notes

Ariz. Admin. Code § R20-4-105

Adopted effective August 16, 1991 (Supp. 91-3). R20-4-105 recodified from R4-4-105 (Supp. 95-1). Amended by final rulemaking at 6 A.A.R. 4670, effective November 14, 2000 (Supp. 00-4). Amended by final rulemaking at 31 A.A.R. 533, effective 4/6/2025.