| 1 | 1 | | 2025 |
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| 2 | 2 | | STATE OF WYOMING |
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| 3 | 3 | | 25LSO-02421HB0074 |
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| 4 | 4 | | HOUSE BILL NO. HB0074 |
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| 5 | 5 | | County clerks-frivolous filings procedure. |
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| 6 | 6 | | Sponsored by: Representative(s) Larsen, L and Lawley and |
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| 7 | 7 | | Senator(s) Barlow and Nethercott |
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| 8 | 8 | | A BILL |
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| 9 | 9 | | for |
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| 10 | 10 | | 1 AN ACT relating to county clerks; authorizing county clerks |
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| 11 | 11 | | 2 to seek to have frivolous filings rejected or notated as |
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| 12 | 12 | | 3 frivolous; specifying requirements and procedures for |
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| 13 | 13 | | 4 rejecting or notating frivolous filings; and providing for |
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| 14 | 14 | | 5 an effective date. |
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| 15 | 15 | | 6 |
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| 16 | 16 | | 7 |
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| 17 | 17 | | 8 |
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| 18 | 18 | | 9. W.S. 18-3-403 is created to read: |
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| 19 | 19 | | 10 |
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| 20 | 20 | | 11 |
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| 21 | 21 | | 12 |
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| 22 | 22 | | 13 |
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| 23 | 23 | | 14 (a) As used in this section: |
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| 24 | 24 | | 15 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-02422HB00741 (i) "Filing" means any document filed or |
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| 25 | 25 | | 2 recorded with the county clerk except for conveyances as |
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| 26 | 26 | | 3 defined by W.S. 34-1-102 and liens; |
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| 27 | 27 | | 4 |
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| 28 | 28 | | 5 (ii) "Frivolous" means lacking an arguable basis |
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| 29 | 29 | | 6 in law or in fact or being presented for any improper |
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| 30 | 30 | | 7 purpose, including harassment. |
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| 31 | 31 | | 8 |
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| 32 | 32 | | 9 (b) A county clerk may reject any frivolous filing |
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| 33 | 33 | | 10 that a person seeks to file with the clerk, in accordance |
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| 34 | 34 | | 11 with the following: |
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| 35 | 35 | | 12 |
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| 36 | 36 | | 13 (i) If the clerk determines that the filing may |
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| 37 | 37 | | 14 be frivolous, the clerk may decline to file the filing and |
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| 38 | 38 | | 15 may hold the filing in abeyance, subject to this |
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| 39 | 39 | | 16 subsection; |
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| 40 | 40 | | 17 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 18 (ii) For any filing that the clerk declines to |
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| 42 | 42 | | 19 file or holds in abeyance, the clerk shall file a motion |
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| 43 | 43 | | 20 with the district court in the county for an order that the |
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| 44 | 44 | | 21 filing is frivolous. The person seeking to file the filing |
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| 45 | 45 | | 22 shall be given notice and an opportunity to be heard before |
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| 46 | 46 | | 23 the district court acts on the motion; 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-02423HB00741 |
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| 47 | 47 | | 2 (iii) If the district court determines that the |
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| 48 | 48 | | 3 filing is frivolous, the court may enter an order declaring |
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| 49 | 49 | | 4 the filing frivolous, after which the clerk may reject the |
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| 50 | 50 | | 5 filing. For any filing rejected under this subsection, the |
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| 51 | 51 | | 6 clerk shall refund any fee collected from the person |
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| 52 | 52 | | 7 seeking to file the filing within ten (10) days of the |
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| 53 | 53 | | 8 district court's order; |
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| 54 | 54 | | 9 |
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| 55 | 55 | | 10 (iv) No filing shall be rejected under this |
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| 56 | 56 | | 11 subsection if the clerk has deposited any fee received for |
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| 57 | 57 | | 12 the filing or if the clerk has filed the filing. |
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| 58 | 58 | | 13 |
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| 59 | 59 | | 14 (c) A county clerk may seek to notate any filing |
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| 60 | 60 | | 15 previously filed with the clerk in accordance with the |
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| 61 | 61 | | 16 following: |
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| 62 | 62 | | 17 |
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| 63 | 63 | | 18 (i) The clerk may review any filed filings to |
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| 64 | 64 | | 19 determine if a filing is frivolous; |
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| 65 | 65 | | 20 |
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| 66 | 66 | | 21 (ii) Upon identifying a filing that the clerk |
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| 67 | 67 | | 22 believes may be frivolous, the clerk may file a motion with |
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| 68 | 68 | | 23 the district court in the county for an order that the 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-02424HB0074 |
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| 69 | 69 | | 1 filing is frivolous. The person who submitted the filing to |
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| 70 | 70 | | 2 the clerk shall be given notice and an opportunity to be |
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| 71 | 71 | | 3 heard before the district court acts on the motion; |
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| 72 | 72 | | 4 |
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| 73 | 73 | | 5 (iii) If the district court determines that the |
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| 74 | 74 | | 6 filing is frivolous, the court may enter an order declaring |
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| 75 | 75 | | 7 the filing frivolous; |
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| 76 | 76 | | 8 |
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| 77 | 77 | | 9 (iv) Upon the entry of an order under paragraph |
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| 78 | 78 | | 10 (iii) of this subsection, the clerk may include a notation |
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| 79 | 79 | | 11 with the filing stating that the filing has been deemed |
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| 80 | 80 | | 12 frivolous. |
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| 81 | 81 | | 13 |
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| 82 | 82 | | 14 (d) Any filing declared frivolous by a district court |
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| 83 | 83 | | 15 under this section shall have no legal effect. |
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| 84 | 84 | | 16 |
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| 85 | 85 | | 17. This act is effective July 1, 2025 |
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| 86 | 86 | | 18 |
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| 87 | 87 | | 19 (END) |
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