Utah Code 38-9-203. Civil liability for recording wrongful lien — Damages
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(1) A lien claimant who records or causes a wrongful lien to be recorded in the office of the county recorder against real property is liable to a record interest holder for any actual damages proximately caused by the wrongful lien.
Terms Used In Utah Code 38-9-203
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Interest holder: means a person who holds or possesses a present, lawful property interest in certain real property, including an owner, title holder, mortgagee, trustee, or beneficial owner. See Utah Code 38-9-102
- Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
- Lien claimant: means a person claiming an interest in real property who offers a document for recording or filing with any county recorder in the state asserting a lien, or notice of interest, or other claim of interest in certain real property. See Utah Code 38-9-102
- Owner: means a person who has a vested ownership interest in real property. See Utah Code 38-9-102
- Person: means :(24)(a) an individual;(24)(b) an association;(24)(c) an institution;(24)(d) a corporation;(24)(e) a company;(24)(f) a trust;(24)(g) a limited liability company;(24)(h) a partnership;(24)(i) a political subdivision;(24)(j) a government office, department, division, bureau, or other body of government; and(24)(k) any other organization or entity. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
- Property: includes both real and personal property. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- real property: includes :
(31)(a) land;(31)(b) a tenement;(31)(c) a hereditament;(31)(d) a water right;(31)(e) a possessory right; and(31)(f) a claim. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5- Record interest holder: includes any grantor in the chain of the title in real property. See Utah Code 38-9-102
- Wrongful lien: includes a document recorded in violation of Subsection
10-9a-532 (2)(d). See Utah Code 38-9-102(2) If the person in violation of Subsection (1) refuses to release or correct the wrongful lien within 10 days from the date of written request from a record interest holder of the real property delivered personally or mailed to the last-known address of the lien claimant, the person is liable to that record interest holder for $3,000 or for treble actual damages, whichever is greater, and for reasonable attorney fees and costs.(3) A person is liable to the record owner of real property for $10,000 or for treble actual damages, whichever is greater, and for reasonable attorney fees and costs, who records or causes to be recorded a wrongful lien in the office of the county recorder against the real property, knowing or having reason to know that the document:(3)(a) is a wrongful lien;(3)(b) is groundless; or(3)(c) contains a material misstatement or false claim.