Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Nevada v. Titlemax of Nevada
Nevada v. Titlemax of Nevada
, Advance Opinion 44
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEVADA
OPINION
(0) I947A
l of- (4001-1,
to certain short-term, high-interest loans such as title loans. A title loan is
a loan agreement that charges an annual percentage rate of more than 35
percent and requires the customer to secure the loan by either giving
possession of a vehicle that they legally own or by perfecting a security
interest in the vehicle. See NRS 604A.105(1). Key to this case, Nevada law
restricts the duration of title loans, allowing either a 30-day loan that may
be extended up to six times in 30-day increments or a 210-day loan. Title
lenders offering a 210-day loan are required to structure the loan such that
it "ratably and fully amortize [s] the entire amount of principal and interest
payable on the loan." NRS 604A.445(3) (2007).1 Although title lenders may
not offer an "extension" on a 210-day loan, NRS 604A.445(3), they are
permitted to offer a "grace period"—that is, they may extend the life of the
loan but may not charge additional interest. See NRS 604A.070 (2007); NRS
604A.210 (2005).2
In this case, we must determine whether the Grace Period
Payment Deferment Agreement (GPPDA) that respondent TitleMax of
Nevada, Inc., marketed as an amendment to its 210-day loan complies with
the statutory restrictions on the duration of a title loan. Because the
GPPDA required borrowers to make unamortized payments and
consequently charged "additional interest," it impermissibly extended the
duration of the loan. We therefore conclude the Administrative Law Judge
This table is derived from the table provided to the same customer in
4
SUPREME COURT
OF
NEVADA
5
(o) [947A 4g0.-
loan. It issued a "Needs Improvement" rating5 to TitleMax and instructed
TitleMax to stop offering the GPPDA. In a February 9, 2015, letter,
TitleMax responded that the GPPDA complied with NRS 604A.445(3) and
NRS 604A.210 because it created a "customer friendlf "grace period of
deferment" that was offered "gratuitously" to customers and that customers
were free to make prepayments or make payments as originally scheduled
even if they had elected the GPPDA. TitleMax argued that the GPPDA
created a true "grace period" because it gave customers an opportunity to
make smaller monthly payments. The FID replied that it "stands by its
position" regarding the GPPDA. At a follow-up inspection in early 2015, the
FID found that TitleMax had continued to offer the GPPDA and issued an
"Unsatisfactory rating to TitleMax. TitleMax filed a declaratory relief
action in district court, seeking interpretation of NRS 604A.445 and NRS
604A.210,6 and the FID brought the underlying administrative disciplinary
5Therecord in this case indicates that the FID issues one of three
ratings when it conducts annual examinations: satisfactory, needs
improvement, and unsatisfactory.
6After the FID issued its "Needs Improvement" rating at the 2014
inspection and before the 2015 inspection was completed, TitleMax filed a
declaratory relief action in district court, seeking an interpretation of NRS
604A.445 and NRS 604A.210. The district court dismissed the declaratory
relief action, finding TitleMax had not exhausted its administrative
remedies. This court reversed that order, holding that the district court
erred because TitleMax raised only issues of statutory interpretation and
thus exhaustion of administrative remedies was not required. TitleMax of
Nev., Inc. v. State, Dep't of Bus. & Indus., Fin. Insts. Div., Docket No. 69807
(Order of Reversal and Remand, October 4, 2017). Before TitleMax could
litigate its declaratory relief action, the FID brought the underlying
administrative disciplinary action.
SUPREME COURT
OF
NEVADA
6
(0) 1947A
action against TitleMax, alleging that TitleMax violated NRS 604A.445(3)
and NRS 604A.210.7
After a three-day hearing in the administrative disciplinary
action, an ALJ determined that the GPPDA violated NRS Chapter 604A
because it extended the original 210-day loan and allowed TitleMax to
charge additional interest. Accordingly, the ALJ ordered TitleMax to cease
and desist offering the GPPDA. Further, pursuant to NRS 604A.900, the
ALJ sanctioned TitleMax for willfully violating NRS 604A.445(3) and NRS
604A.210 by ordering that every GPPDA entered into after December 18,
2014 (the final date of the 2014 inspection), was void. Consequently,
TitleMax was not entitled to collect, receive, or retain any principal,
interest, or other charges with respect to loans entered into after this date.
TitleMax petitioned the district court for judicial review. The district court
granted TitleMax's petition and vacated the ALJ's order. This appeal by
the FID follows.
DISCUSSION
This court's role in reviewing a petition for judicial review of an
administrative agency's decision is identical to that of the district court.
Elizondo v. Hood Mach., Inc., 129 Nev. 780, 784, 312 P.3d 479, 482 (2013).
An administrative agency's factual findings are reviewed for clear error or
an abuse of discretion and must be supported by substantial evidence. NRS
233B.135(3)(e), (f); Elizondo, 129 Nev. at 784, 312 P.3d at 482. Legal
conclusions, however, are reviewed de novo. State, Dep't of Taxation v.
Masco Builder Cabinet Grp., 127 Nev. 730, 735, 265 P.3d 666, 669 (2011).
That being said, this court has "repeatedly recognized the authority of
SUPREME COURT
OF
NEVADA
8
(0) 1947A crgS903
"charge the customer.. . . [a]ny additional fees or additional interest on the
outstanding loan during such a grace period." (Emphasis added.) An
extension does not include a grace period, just as a grace period does not
include an extension. NRS 604A.065(2); NRS 604A.070(2). In sum, grace
periods and extensions are mutually exclusive, and for a 210-day loan, grace
periods are permissible but extensions are not.8
In 2014, TitleMax offered a 210-day loan and the GPPDA as an
"amendment and modification" to that loan. TitleMax argues that the
GPPDA does not violate NRS 604A.445(3) or NRS 604A.210. It argues that
the GPPDA is a "period of deferment offered gratuitously" under NRS
604A.070 and therefore a permissible grace period. It asserts that as a
grace period, the GPPDA is only governed by NRS 604A.070 and NRS
604A.210, not NRS 604A.445(3), which governs the 210-day loan.
Additionally, it maintains that the GPPDA complies with the plain
language of NRS 604A.210, which states that a lender "shall not charge the
customer.. . . additional interest'' for a grace period. (Emphasis added.) In
particular, TitleMax argues that during the grace period, it can charge
unamortized interest at the same rate set forth in the original 210-day loan
agreement because interest at the same rate is not "additional!' interest.
Conversely, the FID asserts that NRS 604A.070 and NRS 604A.210 must
be read in conjunction with NRS 604A.445(3), because a title lender cannot
offer a standalone "grace period" without any connection to an existing loan
agreement. Consequently, the FID contends that the GPPDA violates NRS
8To be clear, title lenders may offer a deferment that extends the life
of the loan beyond 210 days. However, that deferment must be a
permissible grace period pursuant to NRS 604A.070 and NRS 604A.210
rather than an impermissible extension pursuant to NRS 604A.065 and
NRS 604A.445(3)(c).
SUPREME COURT
OF
NEVADA
9
f0) 1447A
11
I
604A.445(3) because it charges unamortized interest. Additionally, the FID
argues that the GPPDA effectively increases the contractual interest
amount beyond the 210 days worth of interest permitted under NRS
604A.445(3). Because the GPPDA increases the amount of interest that
TitleMax collects beyond the 210 days' worth permitted under NRS
604A.445(3Xb), the FID asserts that the GPPDA charges the customer
"additional interest" in violation of NRS 604A.210 and therefore constitutes
an impermissible "extension" of the original 210-day title loan.
We agree with the FID and conclude that its interpretation fits
squarely within the statutory language. First, as a title loan, the GPPDA
is governed by NRS 604A.445, in addition to NRS 604A.070 and NRS
604A.210, and when read together, the statutes show that the GPPDA is an
impermissible "extension" that charges impermissible "additional interest."
The GPPDA must comply with the provisions that apply to the loan it is
modifying and thus must comply with NRS 604A.445(3). NRS 604A.445(3)
clearly states that the payments on a 210-day loan must ratably and fully
amortize the entire amount payable on the loan. That restriction on a 210-
day title loan cannot be circumvented by offering a grace period that
effectively recalculates the payments during the original term of the loan so
that they no longer "ratably and fully amortize the entire amount of
principal and interest payable on the loan." NRS 604A.445(3)(b) (emphasis
added). To be sure, NRS 604A.210(2) contemplates that interest may be
charged during a grace period; it just cannot be "additional." Although NRS
Chapter 604A does not define "additional,"9 when read in harmony with
I
NRS 604A.445, NRS 604A.210 contemplates that "additionar is informed
by the repayment schedule of the original loan—a loan in which the
principal is to reduce with each payment so that the principal is paid fully,
along with the interest. Cf. Albios v. Horizon Cmtys., Inc., 122 Nev. 409,
418, 132 P.3d 1022, 1028 (2006) (Whenever possible, this court will
interpret a rule or statute in harmony with other rules and statutes."
(internal quotation marks omitted)).
Payments on a loan under the GPPDA never ratably amortize,
not during the first 210 days where payments are only used to prevent the
accrual of interest and not during the second 210 days where payments are
applied to reduce principal. Under a 210-day title loan agreement
envisioned by NRS 604A.445(3)(b), each monthly payment reduces both the
principal and accruing interest according to an amortization schedule. This
does not occur under the GPPDA. The FID argues that when TitleMax
charges only interest for the first seven months under the GPPDA, it
changes the contractual amount of interest, which is capped at 210 days'
worth of amortized interest. This interpretation is supported by the plain
language of NRS 604A.445. See Taylor, 129 Nev. at 930, 314 P.3d at 951;
Robert E., 99 Nev. at 445, 664 P.2d at 959. Additionally, the GPPDA's
"grace period" does not actually defer a payment because the customer is
making payments of "additional interest" during that period. See NRS
11
604A.070. Rather, after the first 210 days of charging unamortized interest,
the GPPDA redirects payments toward the principal portion of the loan
balance. This is a loan extension under the plain language of NRS
604A.065, which is forbidden by NRS 604A.445(3)(c). As a result, we
conclude that the ALJ did not err when she concluded that TitleMax's
GPPDA violated NRS 604A.445 and NRS 604A.210 and that the district
court, in turn, erred when it granted the petition for judicial review and
vacated the ALJ's order in this regard.
Sanctions were not appropriate under NRS 604A.900 because TitleMax did
not willfully violate NRS Chapter 604A
A lender may not recover principal, interest, or other fees with
respect to a loan where the lender has willfully entered a loan agreement,
sought payment, or committed any other act in violation of NRS Chapter
604A. NRS ,604A.900(1). The ALJ concluded that TitleMax willfully
violated NRS '604A.445(3) and NRS 604A.210. As sanctions, she ordered
TitleMax to cease and desist offering the GPPDA, that "every GPPDA
entered into after December 18, 2014, {was] void, and TitleMax [was] not
entitled to collect, receive or retain any principal, interest or other charges
or fees with respect to those loans." The ALJ relied on the fact that TitleMax
continued to offer the GPPDA after the FID gave TitleMax a "Needs
Improvement" rating for violating NRS 604A.445(3) to find that TitleMax
had acted willfully. The district court, however, concluded that even if
TitleMax's interpretation of the statutes was not correct, at a minimum it
was reasonable. The district court granted judicial review and reversed
both the ALJ's finding that TitleMax willfully violated the statutory
regulations and the ALJ's NRS 604A.900 sanctions. "Construction of a
statute, including its meaning and scope, is a question of law, which this
SUPREME COURT
OF
NEVADA
12
(0) 1947A cOPO
II
court reviews de novo." Century Steel, Inc. v. State, Div. of Indus. Relations,
122 Nev. 584, 588, 137 P.3d 1155, 1158 (2006).
NRS Chapter 604A does not define "willfully," and this court
has yet to interpret the term in the context of NRS 604A.900. However, we
have observed that "Willful is a word 'of many meanings, its construction
often being influenced by its context?" In re Fine, 116 Nev. 1001, 1021, 13
P.3d 400, 413 (2000) (quoting Screws v. United States, 325 U.S. 91, 101
(1945)). "As a general rule, the word denotes an act which is intentional, or
knowing, or voluntary, rather than accidental." Id. In the context of NRS
604A.900 and the conduct at issue here, the question is whether TitleMax
acted reasonably in determining its obligations under the applicable
statutes, engaging in a reasonable legal disagreement with the agency
through the available avenues. See McLaughlin v. Richland Shoe Co., 486
U.S. 128, 135 n.13 (1988) ("If an employer acts reasonably in determining
its legal obligation, its actions cannot be deemed willful . . . ."); Brock v.
Claridge Hotel & Casino, 846 F.2d 180, 188 & n.9 (3d Cir. 1988) (concluding
that an employer who did not change its pay plan even after the Labor
Secretary declared the plan improper under the Fair Labor Standards Act
did not commit a "willful" violation of the law because the question of
whether the plan was compliant with the Act was a close call); see also NRS
686B.1762 (defining "willfur in the insurance context as "with actual
knowledge or belief that the act or omission constitutes a violation and with
specific intent to commit the violation"); NRS 281A.170 (explaining that in
the ethics in government context, a "willful violation" occurs when a public
officer or employee lakted intentionally and knowingly; or.. . . [w]as in a
situation where this chapter imposed a duty to act and the public officer or
employee intentionally and knowingly failed to act"); In re Fine, 116 Nev. at
13
1022, 13 P.3d at 414 (concluding that, in a judicial discipline matter, "willful
misconduct occurs when the actor knows he or she is violating a judicial
canon or rule of professional conduct and acts contrary to that canon or rule
in spite of such knowledge").
We conclude that TitleMax did not willfully violate NRS
Chapter 604A by offering the GPPDA because its interpretation of the
pertinent statutes was reasonable. While we conclude that the GPPDA
violated NRS 604A.445 and NRS 604A.210, TitleMax's actions following the
2014 inspection tellingly demonstrate that it did not know if it was violating
the applicable statutes and that it took active steps to discern whether the
GPPDA ran afoul of the statutory scheme. Those steps included the
following: consulting with counsel to determine whether the GPPDA
violated NRS Chapter 604A, filing a declaratory relief action in the district
court for clarification of the law, and making a good faith effort in its
February 9 letter to resolve the issues with the GPPDA that the FID raised
in the 2014 inspection. These steps taken by TitleMax demonstrate that it
was faced with a difficult choice: it was aware of the GPPDA's effects,
believed the GPPDA complied with NRS Chapter 604A, knew that the FID
disagreed with that legal interpretation, and then used all available
avenues to challenge the FID's decision, including filing an action for
declaratory relief. See Brock v. Claridge Hotel & Casino, 846 F.2d 180, 188
& n.9 (3d Cir. 1988) ("[P]rivate parties must retain a right to disagree with
the Secretary's interpretation of the regulations, especially here where the
question is a close one. Such disagreement is not willfulness."); see also
Baystate Alternative Staffing, Inc. v. Herman, 163 F.3d 668, 680 (lst Cir.
1998) (opining that a "knowing violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act
should not "preclude [ ] legitimate disagreemene between an employer and
SUPREME COURT
OF
NEVADA
14
(0) 15)47A
the regulating agency because doing so would put the putative employer in
the untenable position of either accepting the agency's position or risk a
finding of a willful violation of the Act). We conclude this cannot amount to
a "willfur violation under NRS 604A.900(1). Therefore, the ALJ erred in
concluding that TitleMax willfully violated the applicable statutes. As such,
we affirm the district court's order vacating the sanctions imposed by the
ALJ under NRS 604A.900.1°
CONCLUSION
While marketed as a "modification" or "amendment" to a 210-
day title loan, the GPPDA offered by TitleMax in 2014 and 2015 was an
impermissible extension of its 210-day loan in violation of the plain
language of NRS 604A.445. The GPPDA circumvented the statutory
requirement that 210-day loans "ratably and fully amortize the entire
amount of principal and interest payable on the loan," and as a result,
charged the borrower "additional interest" in violation of NRS 604A.210.
Accordingly, the district court erred when it granted the petition for judicial
review to vacate the ALJ's order in this regard. However, we agree with the
district court that TitleMax did not "willfully" violate the applicable
statutes and affirm the district court's order insofar as it vacated the
sanctions that the ALJ imposed pursuant to NRS 604A.900. We therefore
J.
Stiglich
Gibbons
/OA
ickering
J.
ardesty
Parraguirre
J.
Cadis
J.
Silver
SUPREME COURT
OF
NEVADA
16
(0) 1947A
IM!MisrerAd A