Crocog Co. v. Reeves, 992 F.2d 267 (10th Cir. 1993). · Go Syfert
Crocog Co. v. Reeves, 992 F.2d 267 (10th Cir. 1993). Cases Citing This Book View Copy Cite
31 citation events (23 in the last 25 years) across 6 distinct courts.
Treatment trajectory · 1995 → 2026 · click a year to view as-of
1995 2010 2026
Cited for
At page 270 Defining due process and full and fair opportunity to litigate8 citing casesconcluding that Colorado state courts 11 Appellate Case: 24-1096 Document: 73-1 Date Filed: 03/24/2025 Page: 12 provided the party opposing claim preclusion with a full and fair opportunity to litigate its claims4 citing courts put it this way
  • Crowe v. Gee, No. 1:23-cv-00145 (D.N.M. June 21, 2024).
    The “full and fair opportunity to litigate” inquiry is a “narrow exception” that “applies only where the requirements of due process were not afforded—where a party shows ‘a deficiency that would undermine the fundamental fairness of the o…
  • Lowther v. Wootton, No. 1:19-cv-01205 (D.N.M. Sept. 25, 2023).
    Instead, this “narrow exception” to preclusion “applies only where the requirements of due process were not afforded, see Crocog Co. v. Reeves, 992 F.2d 267, 270 (10th Cir. 1993)—-~where a party shows ‘a deficiency that would undermine the…
  • Joritz v. Univ. of Kansas, No. 20-3234 (10th Cir. Mar. 18, 2022).unpublished
    “Due process . . . only requires that a party have a full and fair opportunity to litigate its case”
  • Watlington v. Browne, No. 19-1057 (10th Cir. Oct. 30, 2019).unpublished
    “[d]ue process . . . requires that a party have a full and fair opportunity to litigate its case”
  • Lenox MacLaren Surgical Corp. v. Medtronic, Inc., 847 F.3d 1221 (10th Cir. 2017).published
    This narrow exception applies only where the requirements of due process were not afforded, see Crocog Co. v. Reeves, 992 F.2d 267, 270 (10th Cir. 1993)—where a party shows “a deficiency that would undermine the fundamental fairness of the…
  • Sierra Club v. Two Elk Generation Partners, 646 F.3d 1258 (10th Cir. 2011).published 4 cites
    Id. at 338-39.
  • State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v. Webb, No. 24-1096 (10th Cir. Mar. 24, 2025).unpublished
    (concluding that Colorado state courts 11 Appellate Case: 24-1096 Document: 73-1 Date Filed: 03/24/2025 Page: 12 provided the party opposing claim preclusion with a full and fair opportunity to litigate its claims)
  • Burrell v. Armijo, 456 F.3d 1159 (10th Cir. 2006).published 2 cites
    (stating that due process requires that a party have a full and fair opportunity to litigate its case)
At page 269 Preclusive effect of state court judgments in federal court5 citing casesIt is well established that “[t]he federal courts are required by the full faith and credit provision of 28 U.S.C. § 1738 (1982) to ‘give to a state-court…opening of page *269 (no citing court says what it cites this page for) · 4 listed here
  • Gale v. City & Cnty. of Denver, 962 F.3d 1189 (10th Cir. 2020).published
    Bolling, 790 F.2d at 68-69 ; Crocog Co. v. Reeves, 992 F.2d 267, 269 (10th Cir. 1993).
  • Health Care & Ret. Corp. of Am. v. Heartland Home Care, Inc., 324 F. Supp. 2d 1202 (D. Kan. 2004).published
    See Fox II, 112 F.3d at 459 (absent clear rule against joinder of federal claim, plaintiff must at least attempt to litigate federal claim in state court); Crocog Co. v. Reeves, 992 F.2d 267, 269-70 (10th Cir.1993) (same); see also Aquathe…
  • Hunter Ranch Inc. v. Isabel M. Hunter, 153 F.3d 727 (10th Cir. 1998).published 2 cites
    IV, § 1; 28 U.S.C. § 1738 ; Crocog Co. v. Reeves , 992 F.2d 267, 269 (10th Cir. 1993).
  • Fox v. Sec. Nat'l, 112 F.3d 453 (10th Cir. 1997).published 2 cites
    As we held in Crocog Co. v. Reeves, 992 F.2d 267, 269-70 (10th Cir.1993), in the absence of a clear rule against joinder of the federal claim, the plaintiff must at least attempt to litigate his federal claim in state court.
At page 268 Affirming basis for not considering alternative grounds2 citing cases“Because we affirm on that basis, we do not consider the alternative grounds given by the district court”1 citing court quotes it
  • United States v. Wilfong, No. 18-6219 (10th Cir. Mar. 31, 2020).unpublished
    “Because we affirm on that basis, we do not consider the alternative grounds given by the district court”
  • Nat'l Amusements, Inc. v. City of Springdale, 52 F.3d 326 (6th Cir. 1995).published
    Springdale also challenges the district court's refusal to impose sanctions against National pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 11. 2 As this court concludes that this action is barred by claim preclusion, we find it unnecessary to resolve the Tax I…
At page 338 cited at this page1 citing case
Other citing cases2 with no pin cite or quoted language on record
Retrieving the full opinion text from the archive…
CROCOG COMPANY, named as Crocog Co., a Colorado partnership
v.
James REEVES, Arapahoe County Assessor Arapahoe County Board of Equalization and State Board of Assessment Appeals
No. 92-1299.
Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Apr 29, 1993.
Published opinion
992 F.2d 267
1993 WL 132595
John M. Cogswell of Cogswell and Davidson, Denver, CO, for plaintiff-appellant., Peter Lawrence Vana III, Arapahoe County Atty., Darrel L. Matteson (Counsel of Record), Asst. County Atty., Gale A. Norton, Atty. Gen., Raymond T. Slaughter, Chief Deputy Atty. Gen., Timothy M. Tymkovich, Sol. Gen., Timothy R. Arnold, Deputy Atty. Gen., Gregg E. Kay, First Asst. Atty. Gen., and James M. Humes (Counsel of Record), Asst. Atty. Gen., Denver, CO, for defendants-appellees.
Barrett, McKay, Seth.
Cited by 23 opinions  |  Published
McKAY, Chief Judge.

The parties have agreed that this ease may be submitted for decision on the briefs. See Fed.R.App.P. 34(f); 10th Cir.R. 34.1.2. The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.

Plaintiff challenges the assessment of its property in Arapahoe County, Colorado, as unconstitutionally at variance with the assessments of neighboring properties. Originally, it sought administrative review of the assessment. When that was unsuccessful, it sought review of the action in Colorado state court. It now brings this federal action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (1988).

The district court dismissed this action on three grounds, concluding (a) that it was barred by principles of res judicata; (b) that it was barred by the Tax Injunction Act, 28 U.S.C. 1341 (1988); and (c) that it failed to state a constitutional claim. Plaintiff appeals.

We conclude that this action is barred by claim preclusion. Because we affirm on that basis, we do not consider the alternative grounds given by the district court.

[*269] It is well established that “[t]he federal courts are required by the full faith and credit provision of 28 U.S.C. § 1738 (1982) to ‘give to a state-court judgment the same preclusive effect as would be given that judgment under the law of the state in which the judgment was rendered.’ ” Bolling v. City & County of Denver, Colo., 790 F.2d 67, 68 (10th Cir.1986) (quoting Migra v. Warren City Sch. Dist. Bd. of Educ., 465 U.S. 75, 81, 104 S.Ct. 892, 896, 79 L.Ed.2d 56 (1984)). We must therefore determine the preclusive effect that Colorado courts would give to the prior proceedings in this case.

This court faced a similar issue in Bolling, in which a discharged public employee brought a federal action after unsuccessfully pursuing an administrative claim and appealing to the state courts. We stated:

Colorado gives preclusive effect to a state court judgment that reviews an administrative determination. See Norby v. City of Boulder, 195 Colo. 231, 577 P.2d 277, 280-81 (1978) (en banc). Moreover, when a party files an action under Colo.R.Civ.P. 106(a)(4) to review an administrative determination, as Bolling did here, Colorado “public policy requires the joinder of all the petitioner’s claims in one action.” Powers v. Board of County Commissioners, 651 P.2d 463, 464 (Colo.Ct.App.1982); see also Norby, 577 P.2d at 281.... [Boll-ing] could have joined her [federal] claims ... in her state court proceeding and was required by Colorado public policy to do so. See id.

Bolling, 790 F.2d at 68 (footnote omitted).

We see no reason why the same rule should not apply to the present case.. Under Colo.Rev.Stat. § 24-4-106(6) (1988),[1] the state court reviewing Plaintiffs ease was entitled to take evidence independent of the administrative record. Further, § 106(7) authorizes relief if “the agency action is arbitrary or capricious, ... contrary to constitutional right, power, privilege or immunity, ... or otherwise contrary to law.” It would appear from the foregoing language that Plaintiff probably could have brought its federal claim, which alleges an intentionally disproportionate assessment in violation of its constitutional rights, in its state action that reviewed the administrative determination. At a minimum, Plaintiff should have attempted to bring its § 1983 claim before the state court.

Plaintiff brings many arguments against the application of res judicata. Initially, Plaintiff argues that claim preclusion should not apply because “it was not until Colorado courts finally held that [Colorado’s] rules sanctioned the inequity in this case that plaintiff became compelled to find justice under federal law.” (Appellant’s Br. at 18.) Such an argument would entitle any plaintiff to file a federal suit after unsuccessfully pursuing a claim under state law. In enacting § 1738, Congress clearly adopted a policy not to allow litigants to adopt such a strategy.[2]

Second, Plaintiff argues that the Colorado courts would not have permitted the joinder of its § 1983 claim to the review of the administrative proceeding. Under Colorado law, such an argument, if true, would defeat claim preclusion. See Carpenter v. Young, 773 P.2d 561, 565 n. 5 (Colo.1989) (“Claim preclusion bars relitigation of claims or issues which were or could have been raised in a prior suit between the- same parties or their privies.”).

Given the plain language of § 24-4-106(6), which authorizes relief if the administrative ruling was “otherwise contrary to law,” a holding that the present constitutional claim could not be heard in the state court proceeding would be surprising. The point for res judicata purposes, however, is that Plaintiff made no attempt to bring its § 1983 claim in that forum. If it had sought unsuccessfully to join the § 1983 claim, or if Colo[*270]rado had a clear rule against such joinder that made the attempt futile, we might have a different case. A plaintiff, however, cannot claim he lacked a full and fair opportunity to litigate a legal theory based on speculation of what might have happened if he had raised it in the prior proceeding.

Third, Plaintiff argues that it did not have a full and fair opportunity to litigate in the Colorado courts, because those courts committed a series of legal errors, including some of constitutional dimension. Plaintiff is essentially arguing that this court should assert appellate jurisdiction over the Colorado courts. The full faith and credit provisions of § 1738 stand for the exact opposite proposition, that this court must not question the accuracy of the proceedings in Colorado state court.

Finally, Plaintiff argues that to apply res judicata in this context would violate due process. Due process, however, only requires that a party have a full and fair opportunity to litigate its case. Kremer v. Chemical Constr. Corp., 456 U.S. 461, 482-83 & n. 24, 102 S.Ct. 1883, 1898-99 & n. 24, 72 L.Ed.2d 262 (1982). Plaintiff does not claim that the state proceedings lacked such basic elements of due process as testimony under oath, cross-examination, and representation by counsel. See Bolling, 790 F.2d at 69. We see no basis for concluding that the Colorado courts did not provide Plaintiff with a full and fair opportunity to litigate its constitutional claims. Plaintiff simply chose not to do so.

The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.

1

We do not believe that the fact that review in this case was pursuant to Colo.Rev.Stat. § 24-4-106 rather than Colo.R.Civ.P. 106(a)(4) alters the applicability of Bolling to the present suit.

2

For similar reasons, we reject Plaintiff’s attempt to distinguish Bolling and Powers on the grounds that it is making an as applied challenge, rather than a facial challenge, to the constitutionality of Colorado’s laws. Section 1738 does not permit a plaintiff to seek an interpretation of state law in state court and then sue in federal court on constitutional grounds if the state suit ends unfavorably.