Simmons Self-Storage v. Rib Roof, Inc. , 2014 NV 57 ( 2014 )


Menu:
  •                                                    130 Nev., Advance Opinion    57
    IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEVADA
    SIMMONS SELF-STORAGE                                 No. 59210
    PARTNERS, LLC, A NEVADA LIMITED
    LIABILITY COMPANY; ANTHEM
    MINI-STORAGE, LLC, A NEVADA
    LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY;                               FILED
    HORIZON MINI-STORAGE, LLC, A                              AUG 0 7 2014
    NEVADA LIMITED LIABILITY
    TRACIE K. LINDEMAN
    COMPANY; MONTECITO MINI-                              CLEBIA 0, aUPRWE
    STORAGE PARTNERS, LLC, A                                CHIF DEPW-CLERK
    NEVADA LIMITED LIABILITY
    COMPANY; COLONIAL BANK, A
    SUBSIDIARY OF THE COLONIAL
    BANCGROUP, INC., A DELAWARE
    CORPORATION; WESTAR
    DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
    D/B/A WESTAR CONSTRUCTION, A
    NEVADA CORPORATION;
    CONTINENTAL CASUALTY
    COMPANY, A DELAWARE
    CORPORATION; WESTERN SURETY
    COMPANY; LAKE MEAD PROPERTY;
    SILVER CREEK I, LLC; SAFECO
    INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA;
    STARR STORAGE SYSTEMS, LLC;
    AND TRAVELERS CASUALTY AND
    SURETY COMPANY OF AMERICA;
    Appellants,
    vs.
    RIB ROOF, INC., A CALIFORNIA
    CORPORATION,
    Respondent.
    Appeal from a final judgment in a mechanic's lien action.
    Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County; Susan Johnson, Judge.
    Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    (0) 1947A    e
    Shumway Van & Hansen and Scott A. Knight and Michael Van, Las
    Vegas,
    for Appellants.
    Snell & Wilmer, LLP, and Leon F. Mead, II, and Kelly H. Dove, Las
    Vegas,
    for Respondent.
    BEFORE HARDESTY, DOUGLAS and CHERRY, JJ.
    OPINION
    By the Court, DOUGLAS, J.:
    This opinion addresses a dispute regarding the validity of
    materialmen's liens under NRS Chapter 108 against six properties and
    the effect of surety bonds posted to release the liens on four of those
    properties. Specifically, we consider whether, to establish a lien on a
    property or improvements thereon under NRS 108.222, a materialman
    must prove merely that materials were delivered for use on or
    incorporation into the property or improvements thereon; or, instead,
    must demonstrate that the materials were actually used for the property
    or improvements thereon. We conclude that a materialman has a lien
    upon a property and any improvements thereon for which he supplied
    materials, in the amount of the unpaid balance due for those materials.
    Because the district court's finding that respondent supplied the steel at
    issue for the six properties is supported by substantial evidence, we hold
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    2
    (0) 1947A 4499
    that respondent established a materialman's lien on each of those
    properties for the unpaid balance due on the steel delivered.'
    As to the judgment and surety bonds posted for four of the
    properties, we conclude that the district court erred by ordering the sale of
    all six properties. A mechanic's lien is directed at a specific property,
    requiring the district court to determine the total appropriate charge
    attributable to that property before ordering its sale. Moreover, because a
    surety bond replaces a property as security for the lien, thefl property
    cannot be sold where a surety bond was posted; instead, the lien judgment
    should be satisfied from the surety bond. Accordingly, we affirm in part
    and reverse in part the district court's order, and we remand this matter
    for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
    FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
    Respondent Rib Roof, Inc., a manufacturer and supplier of
    steel products, supplied steel for projects on the Anthem, Horizon, Lake
    Mead, Montecito, Silver Creek, and Simmons properties. Appellant
    Westar Construction, the general contractor for all six projects,
    subcontracted with Southwest Steel to furnish and install steel products
    for the projects. Southwest then contracted with respondent to meet its
    obligations to Westar.
    'This opinion uses the terms "materialman's lien" and "mechanic's
    lien" interchangeably as both refer to statutory rights in a property or any
    improvement thereon provided to a lien claimant. See MRS 108.22132;
    MRS 108.222.
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    3
    (0) 1947A 4(0)
    Before delivery, respondent provided notices of intent to
    furnish materials to Southwest, Westar, each project's owners, and other
    related parties. The notice for the Lake Mead property contained a
    provision indicating that the person signing that notice, respondent's
    bookkeeper Trish Cartwright, could bind respondent in future instruments
    relating to respondent's right of lien. That notice lacked an authorizing
    signature from one of respondent's officers. Respondent then shipped the
    steel products to the particular job sites using bills of lading. Each bill of
    lading contained three copies: the first copy was signed by the shipping
    manager after he loaded the steel onto the truck for shipment; the second
    copy was signed by the truck driver; and the third copy was signed by the
    consignee upon delivery. Nineteen of the eighty bills of lading at issue
    lacked consignee signatures. Verne Moser, respondent's CFO and
    corporate secretary, acknowledged that where consignee signatures were
    missing, he was not certain that the materials were delivered to the bill of
    lading's destination address. Appellants did not question respondent's
    notices of intent to furnish materials or delivery of steel before the liens
    were recorded, and they presented no evidence that the steel used in the
    six projects came from another supplier.
    Southwest made no payment for the steel furnished for the
    Lake Mead property but partially paid respondent for the steel furnished
    for the other five properties. Southwest officer Tom Carroll acknowledged
    that respondent was owed approximately $1,000,000. Despite only
    partially paying respondent, Carroll sent Moser an email requesting
    several lien releases. Moser directed Cartwright to prepare the requested
    lien release forms. Cartwright's job duties included accounting,
    bookkeeping, evaluating lien release requests, and preparing lien release
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    4
    (0) 1907A    o:057.
    forms. Cartwright knew that she lacked authority to sign the lien
    releases; respondent's company policy granted that authority only to
    officers. Nevertheless, on December 15, 2004, Cartwright signed
    unconditional waiver and lien release forms for the Lake Mead and Silver
    Creek properties.
    Respondent subsequently perfected its mechanics' liens on the
    six properties, providing the required statutory notices and recording its
    liens. During that process, appellants did not seek a district court
    determination that, under NRS 108.2275, the liens noticed were frivolous,
    made without reasonable cause, or excessive in amount. Respondent then
    filed a complaint for foreclosure against each property and, pursuant to
    NRS 108.239(1)-(2), filed notices of us pendens and published notices of
    foreclosure. Thereafter, surety bonds totaling 1.5 times the value of
    respondent's mechanics' liens for the Lake Mead, Silver Creek, Anthem,
    and Horizon properties were posted and recorded in compliance with NRS
    108.2415(1). As a result, respondent amended its complaint to dismiss its
    lien foreclosure claims against those four properties, replacing them with
    claims against the sureties and principals on the respective surety bonds.
    After a bench trial, the district court issued its final judgment
    concluding that proving materials were delivered to a job site creates a
    presumption that those materials were used for the property or an
    improvement thereon, and that this presumption could be rebutted by
    showing that the materials were not used in the construction or
    improvements. After finding that respondent delivered the steel at issue
    to the job sites for the six projects and that appellants failed to rebut the
    presumption this delivery created, the district court concluded that
    respondent established liens on the six properties. The district court also
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    5
    (0) 1947A    efgari.
    determined that respondent substantially complied with NRS Chapter
    108's requirements to perfect and execute those liens, and that the lien
    waivers were ineffective because Cartwright lacked authority to bind
    respondent.
    In determining respondent's award, the district court
    calculated the amount of the mechanic's lien for each property, awarding
    pre- and post-judgment interest on those amounts. The district court also
    awarded $129,667 in attorney fees and $26,541.81 in costs to be charged
    jointly against all properties. The district court then ordered that, to the
    extent that the lien release bonds were insufficient to pay the respective
    sums due, the six properties were to be sold to satisfy the judgment.
    Thereafter, the district court ordered the sale of all six properties without
    determining the total appropriate charge attributable to each property or
    demonstrating that each surety bond was insufficient to pay the sum due
    on its respective property. This appeal followed.
    DISCUSSION
    Lien rights
    "A mechanic's lien is a statutory creature" designed "to provide
    •   contractors secured payment for their work and materials" because they
    are generally in a vulnerable position.      In re Fontainebleau Las Vegas
    Holdings, L.L.C., 128 Nev. , , 
    289 P.3d 1199
    , 1210 (2012). To
    effectuate that purpose, we have held that these "statutes are remedial in
    character and should be liberally construed."         
    Id.
     (internal quotation
    marks omitted).
    We review questions of statutory interpretation de novo, see
    Bisch v. Las Vegas Metro. Police Dep't, 129 Nev.             , 
    302 P.3d 1108
    ,
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    6
    (0) 1947A    e
    1114 (2013), and we construe unambiguous statutory language according
    to its plain meaning unless doing so would provide an absurd result.   Cal.
    Commercial Enters. v. Amedeo Vegas I, Inc., 
    119 Nev. 143
    , 145, 
    67 P.3d 328
    , 330 (2003). Additionally, this court interprets "provisions within a
    common statutory scheme 'harmoniously with one another in accordance
    with the general purpose of those statutes' to avoid unreasonable or
    absurd results and give effect to the Legislature's intent.        S. Nev.
    Homebuilders Ass'n v. Clark Cnty., 
    121 Nev. 446
    , 449, 
    117 P.3d 171
    , 173
    (2005) (quoting Washington v. State, 
    117 Nev. 735
    , 739, 
    30 P.3d 1134
    ,
    1136 (2001)).
    As a preliminary matter, appellants argue that Opaco Lumber
    & Realty Co. v. Phipps, 
    75 Nev. 312
    , 
    340 P.2d 95
     (1959), controls. In
    Opaco, we concluded that a materialman only has a lien for materials
    proved either to have been delivered to the building site or to have gone
    into the structure. Id. at 316, 340 P.2d at 97. Respondent contends that
    the Legislature's enactment of NRS 108.222 in 1965 and its subsequent
    amendments supersede Opaco's holding. To determine the effect of NRS
    108.222 on our decision in Opaco, we must construe the statute's
    provisions. 2
    2 Because  the acts herein occurred before October 1, 2005, the
    effective date of the 2005 amendments to NRS Chapter 108, we interpret
    the 2003 version of NRS Chapter 108. See 2005 Nev. Stat., ch. 428, at
    1892-1918; S.B. 343, 73d Leg. (Nev. 2005); 2003 Nev. Stat., ch. 427, at
    2587-2620; S.B. 206, 72d Leg. (Nev. 2003). Unless otherwise stated, all
    further references in this opinion to NRS Chapter 108 are to the 2003
    enactment.
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    7
    (0) 1941A    e
    The parties dispute the plain meaning of NRS 108.222, which
    states that ".. . a lien claimant has a lien upon the property and any
    improvements for which the work, materials and equipment were
    furnished," in the amount of any unpaid balance of the agreed upon price.
    Reading MRS 108.22144's definition of "[m]aterial[s]" into NRS 108.222,
    appellants assert that a lien right only exists when a lien claimant proves
    that the materials were "used" for the property or an improvement
    thereon. Respondent avoids the definition of "[m]aterial[s]," instead
    advocating for a liberal construction of "furnish[ I" requiring only delivery.
    In construing NRS 108.222, we begin with the term
    "furnish[ I." Furnish means "[ -t] o supply, provide, or equip, for
    accomplishment of a particular purpose." Black's Law Dictionary 675 (6th
    ed. 1990). "[Flurnish[ I" therefore encapsulates a variety of situations,
    including one where a materialman delivers materials for a property or
    improvement thereon to a subcontractor. Notably, neither this definition
    nor NRS 108.222 requires materials to be delivered to a specific location,
    such as the work site. The absence of such a requirement comports with
    NRS Chapter 108's remedial purpose by protecting claimants from the
    possibility that lien rights could be circumvented by having materials
    delivered to secondary locations, such as preparatory or storage sites.
    As defined in NRS 108.22144, "[m]aterial' means appliances,
    equipment, machinery and substances affixed, used, consumed or
    incorporated in the improvement of property or the construction,
    alteration or repair of any improvement, property or work of
    improvement." Appellants incorporate this definition into NRS 108.222
    and argue that supplied materials must be "used" in an improvement
    before a materialman is entitled to a mechanic's lien. Appellants'
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    8
    (0) 1907A    e
    interpretation of NRS 108.222 incorporating NRS 108.22144's plain
    meaning is unsustainable because it leads to an absurd result.
    Specifically, reading NRS 108.22144 into NRS 108.222 is problematic
    because one cannot furnish "materials" for a property or improvement
    thereon that were already used for that property or improvement. To
    avoid that absurd result, we effectuate the Legislature's intent to protect
    lien claimants, Fontainebleau, 128 Nev. at , 289 P.3d at 1210, and
    construe NRS 108.222 to encompass materials used or to be used for a
    property or improvement thereon. This interpretation provides broader
    protection for materialmen and is consistent with the 2005 amendments to
    NRS 108.22144, which added the phrase "used or to be" used to the
    definition of "[m]aterial." 2005 Nev. Stat., ch. 428, § 8, at 1897; see also In
    re Estate of Thomas, 
    116 Nev. 492
    , 495, 
    998 P.2d 560
    , 562 (2000) (noting
    that an amendment to a statute can be persuasive evidence of what the
    Legislature intended in the previous statute).
    We therefore hold that under NRS 108.222, a materialman
    has a lien upon a property and any improvements thereon for which he
    supplied materials. A materialman does not need to prove that the
    materials that he supplied were used or incorporated into the property or
    improvements; rather, he must prove that they were supplied for use on or
    incorporation into the property or improvements thereon. 3 Accordingly, to
    3 Thisholding in no way detracts from NRS Chapter 108's other
    requirements to perfect and execute a lien. Recognizing the district court's
    diligence in examining our sister state courts' split on this issue, we
    decline to rely on their precedent in reaching our decision because
    Nevada's mechanic's lien statutes contain unique language.
    Fontainebleau, 128 Nev. at , 289 P.3d at 1211.
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    9
    (0) 1947A    gem
    the extent that Opaco is inconsistent with this construction, we conclude
    that it has been superseded by the Legislature's enactment of, and
    subsequent amendments to, the mechanic's lien statutes.         See generally
    Jacobson v. Estate of Clayton, 
    121 Nev. 518
    , 
    119 P.3d 132
     (2005)
    (determining that a legislative amendment superseded a previous and
    inconsistent decision by this court).
    Supplied materials
    With this holding in mind, we review the district court's
    finding that respondent supplied steel for the six properties and projects
    at issue. A district court's findings must be supported by substantial
    evidence. See Yamaha Motor Co., U.S.A. v. Arnoult,        
    114 Nev. 233
    , 238,
    
    955 P.2d 661
    , 664 (1998). "Substantial evidence is that which a
    reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion."           
    Id.
    (internal quotation marks omitted). "[Where conflicting evidence exists,
    all favorable inferences must be drawn towards the prevailing party." 
    Id.
    We conclude that the district court's finding that respondent
    delivered the steel at issue is supported by substantial evidence. While
    nineteen of the eighty bills of lading lacked consignee signatures, they
    contained two other signatures from the shipping manager and truck
    driver. And, although Moser admitted that he was uncertain that the
    nineteen orders lacking consignee signatures were delivered to the proper
    addresses, appellants never objected to respondent's lien notices. Finally,
    each project used the type of steel that respondent supplied, and Carroll
    acknowledged that respondent was owed approximately $1,000,000 for
    materials it provided. Construing the conflicting evidence in favor of
    respondent as the prevailing party, a reasonable mind might accept the
    available evidence as adequate to support the district court's conclusion.
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    10
    (0) 1947A 40191.
    Based on the foregoing, we affirm the district court's decision
    that respondent satisfied NRS 108.222's requirements and established
    liens on the six properties.
    Waiver
    Having detet mined that respondent established a valid
    mechanic's lien for each of the six properties, we now consider appellants'
    waiver argument. NRS 108.2457(1) provides specific guidelines for
    waivers and releases, stating in pertinent part:
    Any written consent given by a lien claimant that
    waives or limits his lien rights is unenforceable
    unless the lien claimant:
    (a) Executes and delivers a waiver and
    release that is signed by the lien claimant or his
    authorized agent in the form set forth in this
    section; and
    (b) In the case of a conditional waiver and
    release, receives payment of the amount identified
    in the conditional waiver and release.
    Based on these provisions, appellants assert that respondent waived its
    liens on the Lake Mead and Silver Creek properties because Cartwright
    was respondent's authorized agent and executed unconditional waiver and
    lien release forms for those properties per NRS 108.2457(1)(a).
    Respondent replies that Cartwright lacked authority to bind respondent
    when signing the lien release forms.
    The document at issue is alleged to be an unconditional
    waiver, eliminating NRS 108.2457(1)(4's applicability. Therefore, unless
    the waiver at issue was signed and delivered by the lien claimant or its
    authorized agent, the waiver was unenforceable. See NRS 108.2457(1)(a).
    Because delivery is not at issue, we only consider whether Cartwright was
    authorized to bind respondent.
    SUPREME COLMIT
    OF
    NEVADA
    11
    (0) 1947A ce>
    Generally, the existence of an agency is a question of fact.   N.
    Nev. Mobile Home Brokers v. Penrod, 
    96 Nev. 394
    , 397, 
    610 P.2d 724
    , 726
    (1980). Accordingly, this court will uphold the district court's agency
    determination as long as it is "not clearly erroneous" and "supported by
    substantial evidence." Sowers v. Forest Hills Subdivision, 129 Nev. ,
    , 
    294 P.3d 427
    , 432 (2013).
    "To bind a principal, an agent must have actual
    authority.... or apparent authority."     Dixon v. Thatcher, 
    103 Nev. 414
    ,
    417, 
    742 P.2d 1029
    , 1031 (1987). Although we have discussed actual
    authority in the past, we have never expressly defined it. We now adopt
    the Restatement's definition. "An agent acts with actual authority when,
    at the time of taking action that has legal consequences for the principal,
    the agent reasonably believes, in accordance with the principal's
    manifestations to the agent, that the principal wishes the agent so to act."
    Restatement (Third) of Agency § 2.01 (2006). When examining whether
    actual authority exists, we focus on an agent's reasonable belief. Id. § 2.02
    & cmt. e ("Whether an agent's belief is reasonable is determined from the
    viewpoint of a reasonable person in the agent's situation under all of the
    circumstances of which the agent has notice.").
    Here, Cartwright admitted that she lacked authority to
    execute the lien release forms. Her limited job duties validate this
    admission. Although Cartwright's signature on the Lake Mead notice of
    intention to furnish materials purported to make her signature binding for
    all matters related to respondent's liens for the Lake Mead property, the
    notice lacked an appropriate authorizing signature. Additionally, while
    Moser directed Cartwright to prepare the lien release forms, nothing in
    his email suggested that Cartwright should or could sign them. Thus,
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    12
    (1)) 1947A
    substantial evidence supports the district court's finding that Cartwright
    lacked actual authority because she had no reasonable basis for believing
    that respondent authorized her to sign the release forms.
    "Apparent authority is 'that authority which a principal holds
    his agent out as possessing or permits him to exercise or to represent
    himself as possessing, under such circumstances as to estop the principal
    from denying its existence."   Dixon, 103 Nev. at 417, 
    742 P.2d at 1031
    (quoting Myers v. Jones, 
    99 Nev. 91
    , 93, 
    657 P.2d 1163
    , 1164 (1983)). As
    stated in Ellis v. Nelson:
    [Ti here can be reliance only upon what the
    principal himself has said or done, or at least said
    or done through some other and authorized agent.
    The acts of the agent in question can not be relied
    upon as alone enough to support [this theory]. If
    his acts are relied upon[,] there must also be
    evidence of the principal's knowledge and
    acquiescence in them. Moreover, ... the reliance
    must have been a reasonable one. . . .
    
    68 Nev. 410
    , 419, 
    233 P.2d 1072
    , 1076 (1951) (internal quotation marks
    omitted).
    Appellants offer no evidence that respondent held Cartwright
    out as having authority to certify the lien release forms. Therefore, under
    Ellis, appellants must show that they reasonably relied on Cartwright's
    acts, and that respondent knew of and acquiesced to those acts.
    Appellants arguably could have relied on two of Cartwright's acts: her
    providing them with the notice of intention to furnish materials that
    purportedly gave her authority to bind respondent, but was signed only by
    herself, and her subsequent execution of the two lien release forms.
    However, even assuming appellants reasonably relied on these acts, they
    offered no evidence or argument that respondent knew of or acquiesced to
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    13
    (0) 1947A    e
    the acts. Thus, substantial evidence also supports the district court's
    finding that Cartwright lacked apparent authority.
    Accordingly, Cartwright was not an authorized agent under
    NRS 108.2457(1)(a) and could not have released the liens for the Lake
    Mead and Silver Creek properties on respondent's behalf. We therefore
    affirm this portion of the district court's decision.
    Surety bonds
    Appellants argue that the district court erred by ordering the
    sale of the Lake Mead, Silver Creek, Anthem, and Horizon properties.
    Specifically, appellants claim that the posting of surety bonds for the four
    properties in compliance with NRS Chapter 108 released each property's
    mechanic's lien. Respondent contends that the district court ordered the
    sale of the four properties to satisfy the judgment only if the bonds were
    insufficient. 4
    Under NRS 108.2413, "[a] lien claimant's lien rights or notice
    of lien may be released upon the posting of a surety bond in the manner
    provided in NRS 108.2415 to 108.2425, inclusive." "To obtain the release
    of a lien for which notice of lien has been recorded against the property,
    the principal and a surety must execute a surety bond in an amount equal
    to 1.5 times the lienable amount in the notice of lien. ." NRS
    108.2415(1). "Subject to the provisions of NRS 108.2425, the recording
    and service of the surety bond pursuant to ... [NRS 108.2415(1)] releases
    4A11 references to NRS Chapter 108 in this section addressing
    appellants' surety bonds refer to the 2005 enactment in effect when the
    bonds were filed.
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    14
    (0) 1947A
    the property described in the surety bond from the lien and the surety
    bond shall be deemed to replace the property as security for the lien."
    NRS 108.2415(6)(a).
    As the district court recognized in its order, appellants
    properly posted surety bonds for the Lake Mead, Silver Creek, Anthem,
    and Horizon properties, releasing the liens on these properties. NRS
    108.2415(6). Respondent did not challenge the validity of the surety
    bonds, and thus, each surety bond replaced its corresponding property as
    security for the lien.   
    Id.
       This means that a judgment awarded to
    respondent for one of those four properties would not be against the
    property, but against the respective surety, up to the amount of the bond,
    and against the principal for any amounts in excess of the bond amount.
    MRS 108.2421(6); MRS 108.2423(1). The total judgment amount includes
    the lienable amount, plus costs, attorney fees, and interest under NRS
    108.237. See NRS 108.2421(6).
    For a property not released by a surety bond, MRS 108.239(10)
    provides that, upon determining the lien amounts owed on that property,
    a district court must order the sale of the property to satisfy all amounts
    awarded to a lien claimant. Amounts awarded to a prevailing lien
    claimant in such a case include the lienable amount due, interest, attorney
    fees, and costs. NRS 108.237. However, "a property subject to a
    mechanic's lien should not be responsible for the improvement costs of
    another property. . . . [A]pportionment must be adjudicated on the merits
    to determine the appropriate charge attributable to each individual
    property." Pickett v. Comanche Constr., Inc., 
    108 Nev. 422
    , 430, 
    836 P.2d 42
    , 47 (1992). In other words, a district court cannot order the sale of a
    SUPREME COUFt7
    OF
    NEVADA
    15
    (0) I947A    404.
    property to satisfy a lien on a separate property or charges associated with
    that lien per NRS 108.237.
    Despite the statutory lien releases for the Lake Mead, Silver
    Creek, Anthem, and Horizon properties, the district court ordered these
    properties, along with the Montecito and Simmons properties, to be sold in
    satisfaction of the total judgment. In doing so, the district court erred for
    the following reasons. First, the district court failed to determine the total
    appropriate charge attributable to each individual property, Pickett, 108
    Nev. at 430, 
    836 P.2d at 47
    , making it impossible to determine whether
    the applicable bonds or property sales would satisfy those judgments.
    Second, the district court ordered the sale of the Lake Mead, Silver Creek,
    Anthem, and Horizon properties despite the fact that surety bonds had
    been posted for these properties, releasing their respective liens.° We
    therefore reverse the district court's decision as to these issues.
    On remand, the district court must calculate the appropriate
    charge attributable to each property based on the principal, pre- and post-
    judgment interest, and apportioned shares of attorney fees and costs. The
    district court must then charge the Montecito and Simmons properties
    their respective amounts of the judgment, and charge the four surety
    bonds their respective amounts.° The district court may then order the
    °The district court properly ordered the sale of the Montecito and
    Simmons properties because no surety bond released their respective
    liens. Still, the district court must charge the Montecito and Simmons
    properties their respective amounts of the judgment.
    6 We note that appellants listed a number of issues in their opening
    brief without substantively addressing them. Because appellants failed to
    provide us with relevant authority and cogent arguments on those issues,
    continued on next page . . .
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    16
    (0) 1947A
    Montecito and Simmons properties sold, and enter judgment against the
    sureties on their respective bonds for the other four properties. Only upon
    showing that an individual surety bond is insufficient in relation to its
    respective charge can the district court take further action against that
    bond's principal to satisfy that judgment.
    Based on the foregoing analysis, we affirm in part, reverse in
    part, and remand this matter to the district court for further proceedings
    consistent with this opinion.
    J.
    Douglas
    We concur:
    J.
    Hardesty
    . . . continued
    we decline to address them. See Maresca v. State, 
    103 Nev. 669
    , 673, 
    748 P.2d 3
    , 6 (1987).
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    NEVADA
    17
    ((I) I ()47A