Jude I. Doty v. Department Of Labor And Industries ( 2015 )


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  •       IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
    JUDE I. DOTY,
    No. 72021-0-
    Appellant,
    DIVISION ONE
    v.
    DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND                         UNPUBLISHED OPINION
    INDUSTRIES OF THE STATE OF
    WASHINGTON and JUDY SCHURKE,
    in her capacity as Deputy Director,
    FILED: February 17,2015
    Respondent.
    Leach, J. — Jude Doty appeals the superior court order affirming an order
    of the director of the Department of Labor and Industries (Department).        The
    director's order upheld citations the Department issued to Doty for violating child
    labor laws by employing his sons, ages 11 and 13, in Doty's construction
    business.   Because the Department did not exceed its rule-making authority
    when it defined the word "employ," substantial evidence supports the director's
    findings, and those findings support the conclusions that Doty employed his sons
    and committed serious violations of child labor laws, we affirm.
    FACTS
    Jude Doty owned and operated a construction and house-moving
    business in which he employed workers.        Doty and his wife homeschool their
    NO. 72021-0-1/2
    children, and as part of "vocational training," Doty involved his sons Zachary, 13,
    and Stephen, 11, in the business. For one project, he moved several houses
    from a hospital property to different sites in the city of Yakima. Zachary worked
    on the project from April 2002 through January 2003, and Stephen from
    November 2002 through January 2003.
    Both Zachary and Stephen worked at the construction sites, working near
    and operating heavy equipment such as backhoes, bulldozers, and tractors. At
    times, Doty was not nearby supervising their use of the heavy equipment. The
    boys performed many construction-related tasks, including jobs also performed
    by adult subcontractors. This work benefited the business.
    More than once, Zachary rode on the rooftop of one of the relocated
    houses as a truck towed it down a public arterial at "approximately walking
    speed." A videotape shows Zachary moving around on the roof, lifting overhead
    wires and cables as a "spotter" to ensure the safe passage of the house down
    the street. The roof of the house was approximately 22 feet above the ground.
    Zachary did not wear a harness or other safety equipment. According to Doty,
    he profited from using a spotter on top of the house because he has to pay if he
    damages wires in transit. Zachary did not fall from the roof or suffer any injury.
    At other times, both Zachary and Stephen acted as spotters by walking
    alongside or in front of a moving house, making sure it did not hit signs, cars, or
    -2-
    NO. 72021-0-1/3
    other obstacles. On one occasion, a Department investigator observed Zachary
    jumping on and off the moving truck as he directed his father. The investigator
    also saw Zachary walking only a few feet from a reversing backhoe.
    On January 28, 2003, the Department cited Doty for 11 violations of child
    labor laws under WAC 296-125. The citations assessed penalties of $6,5001 and
    classified 5 of the violations as "serious." The Department also issued an order
    of immediate restraint, prohibiting Doty from allowing his sons to work at
    construction sites or in the proximity of heavy equipment.
    Over the next two days, Doty continued to have both boys perform
    construction work. On January 30, 2003, while Zachary operated a backhoe on
    soft dirt, it tipped onto its side. According to an adult worker at the site, Zachary
    operated the backhoe too fast for the conditions. He was not wearing a seatbelt
    or harness. Doty was not nearby supervising him. Zachary crawled out from
    under this machine, uninjured. Later, Doty had Zachary use a bulldozer to pull
    the backhoe upright.
    On January 31, 2003, the Department cited Doty for 20 additional
    violations, imposing $20,000 in penalties.      The Department classified all 20
    violations as "serious-imminent danger-repeat" and issued another order of
    immediate restraint.
    1 After the Department amended the citation to eliminate 6 of the
    violations, Doty's penalties totaled $5,000.
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    NO. 72021-0-1/4
    Doty appealed, and the administrative law judge affirmed. Doty appealed
    to the director, who affirmed the citations on August 31, 2004. The director found
    that Doty had employed his sons in his house-moving business in violation of
    child labor laws and that by permitting them to perform construction-related
    activities, he exposed them to the risk of serious physical harm or death. Doty
    appealed to the superior court, which affirmed the director, holding that the
    Department may define "employ" for purposes of child labor laws and that these
    laws are constitutional as applied to Doty.
    Doty appeals.
    STANDARD OF REVIEW
    When      reviewing   an   agency's     decision   under    the   Washington
    Administrative Procedure Act (WAPA), chapter 34.05 RCW, this court sits in the
    same position as the superior court2 and applies the review standards of the
    WAPA directly to the administrative record.3 An appellate court reviews the final
    decision of the director.4 The party asserting the invalidity of an agency action
    has the burden to demonstrate that invalidity.5 This court will grant relief from an
    agency order only if it determines that the agency erroneously interpreted or
    2 D.W. Close Co. v. Dep't of Labor & Indus.. 
    143 Wn. App. 118
    , 125, 
    177 P.3d 143
     (2008).
    3 RCW 49.12.400; Tapper v. Emp't Sec. Dep't. 
    122 Wn.2d 397
    , 402, 
    858 P.2d 494
     (1993).
    4 RCW 49.12.400.
    5RCW34.05.570(1)(a).
    -4-
    NO. 72021-0-1/5
    applied the law, substantial evidence does not support the order, or the order is
    arbitrary or capricious.6 Substantial evidence is evidence sufficient to persuade a
    fair-minded person of the truth of the matter asserted.7 If this court determines
    that substantial evidence supports the director's findings, it then decides if those
    findings support the director's conclusions of law.8
    This court reviews an agency's interpretation of a statute or regulation de
    novo, under an error of law standard.9               In interpreting agency regulations,
    regulatory definitions apply, and courts give undefined words their ordinary
    dictionary definitions.10   This court gives "substantial weight" to the agency's
    interpretation of regulations within its area of expertise and will uphold that
    interpretation if "'it reflects a plausible construction of the language of the statute
    and is not contrary to the legislative intent.'"11
    6 RCW 34.05.570(2)(d), (e), (i); Xenith Grp.. Inc. v. Dep't of Labor &
    Indus., 
    167 Wn. App. 389
    , 393, 
    269 P.3d 414
     (2012).
    7 Mowat Constr. Co. v. Dep't of Labor & Indus., 
    148 Wn. App. 920
    , 925,
    
    201 P.3d 407
     (2009).
    8 J.E. Dunn Nw., Inc. v. Dep't of Labor & Indus.. 
    139 Wn. App. 35
    , 42, 
    156 P.3d 250
     (2007).
    9 Roller v. Dep't of Labor & Indus., 
    128 Wn. App. 922
    , 926, 
    117 P.3d 385
    (2005).
    10 Asplundh Tree Expert Co. v. Dep't of Labor & Indus., 
    145 Wn. App. 52
    ,
    57, 
    185 P.3d 646
     (2008).
    11 Cobra Roofing Serv., Inc. v. Dep't of Labor & Indus.. 
    122 Wn. App. 402
    ,
    409, 
    97 P.3d 17
     (2004) (quoting Seatoma Convalescent Ctr. v. Dep't of Soc. &
    Health Servs., 
    82 Wn. App. 495
    , 518, 
    919 P.2d 602
     (1996)).
    -5-
    NO. 72021-0-1/6
    ANALYSIS
    Child Labor in the Industrial Welfare Act
    In the industrial welfare act, chapter 49.12 RCW, the Washington
    legislature declared, "The welfare of the state of Washington demands that all
    employees be protected from conditions of labor which have a pernicious effect
    on their health."12 The act contains provisions governing child labor. It states
    that the Department "may adopt special rules for the protection of the safety,
    health, and welfare of minor employees."13 Courts construe remedial statutes
    like this one liberally and its exceptions narrowly.14
    The industrial welfare act defines "employee" as one "who is employed in
    the business of the employee's employer whether by way of manual labor or
    otherwise."15 The statute defines "employer" as "any person, firm, corporation,
    partnership, business trust, legal representative, or other business entity which
    engages in any business, industry, profession, or activity in this state and
    12 RCW 49.12.010.
    13 RCW 49.12.121(1).
    14 Pellino v. Brink's Inc., 
    164 Wn. App. 668
    , 684-85, 
    267 P.3d 383
     (2011)
    (quoting Int'l Ass'n of Fire Fighters, Local 46 v. City of Everett, 
    146 Wn.2d 29
    , 34,
    
    42 P.3d 1265
     (2002) (quoting Peninsula Sch. Dist. No. 401 v. Pub. Sch. Emps. of
    Peninsula, 
    130 Wn.2d 401
    , 407, 
    924 P.2d 13
     (1996))).
    15 RCW 49.12.005(4).
    -6-
    NO. 72021-0-1/7
    employs one or more employees."16 Statutory provisions and WACs about the
    employment of minors define "employ" as "to engage, suffer, or permit to work."17
    Chapter 296-125 WAC prohibits all minors from engaging in many
    occupations and activities. These activities include working as an outside helper
    or flagger on any public road or highway;18 operating or working in proximity to
    heavy equipment such as earth-moving machines, backhoes, bulldozers, or
    tractors;19 and working more than 10 feet above ground or floor level.20
    Additionally, minors under 16 years old may not work in the construction industry
    at all unless their work is limited to office duties.21
    Washington statutes and regulations provide limited exemptions from the
    child labor laws. The general definition of "employ" in the WAC excludes certain
    limited types of work:
    The term "employ" does not include newspaper vendors or carriers,
    the use of domestic or casual labor in or about private residences,
    agricultural labor as defined by RCW 50.04.150, or the use of
    voluntary or donated services performed for an educational,
    charitable, religious, or nonprofit organization and without
    expectation or contemplation of compensation for the services
    performed.1221
    16RCW49.12.005(3)(a).
    17 RCW 49.12.320(1); WAC 296-125-015(2).
    18 WAC 296-125-030(2).
    19 WAC 296-125-030(17).
    20 WAC 296-125-030(28).
    21 WAC 296-125-033(4).
    22 WAC 296-125-015(2).
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    NO. 72021-0-1/8
    The house-to-house sales provision contains the statute's only express
    exemption for parent employers.23
    WAC 296-125-043 provides an exemption from state minimum wage laws
    when a     minor student is in a work place to carry out an
    occupational training experience assignment directly supervised on
    the premises by a school official or an employer under contract with
    a school and when no appreciable benefit is rendered to the
    employer by the presence of the minor student.[24]
    To be exempt as occupational training, a minor's work must meet six criteria:
    4.1. The training, even though it includes actual operation of the
    facilities of the employer, is similar to that which would be given in a
    vocational school; and
    4.2. The training is for the benefit of the trainee; and
    4.3. The trainees do not displace regular employees, but work
    under their close observation; and
    4.4. The business that provides the training derives no immediate
    advantage from the activities of the trainees, and may in fact be
    impeded; and
    4.5. The trainees are not necessarily entitled to a job at the
    conclusion of the training period; and
    4.6. The trainees understand they are not entitled to wages for the
    time spent in the training.[25]
    23 RCW 49.12.320(1).
    24 WAC 296-125-043(4).
    25 Wash. Dep't of Labor & Indus., Admin. Policy ES.C2 §§ 4.1-.6, at 6 (rev.
    Sept. 2, 2008).
    -8-
    NO. 72021-0-1/9
    Department's Authority To Define "Employ"
    Doty contends that the Department exceeded its authority when it
    "redefine[d] the meaning of employment." He asserts that the legislature granted
    the Department only a narrow authority to adopt "special" rules, not broad
    general authority.
    We disagree.    The legislature intended that the industrial welfare act
    protect "all employees" from unhealthy work environments.26 The "special rules"
    of RCW 49.12.121(1) are rules for the protection of minor employees in
    particular. As early as 1914, our Supreme Court recognized that preventing
    "persons of immature judgment from engaging in hazardous occupations" and
    preventing "employment and overwork of children during the period of their
    mental and physical development" were part of the "objects, purposes, and
    humane spirit of the law."27 The Department does not exceed its authority by
    adopting regulations that fall squarely within the legislature's mandate to protect
    minor workers, and "'properly promulgated, substantive agency regulations have
    26 RCW 49.12.010.
    27 Hillestad v. Indus. Ins. Comm'n, 
    80 Wash. 426
    , 431, 
    141 P. 913
    (1914).
    -9-
    NO. 72021-0-1/10
    the force and effect of law.'"28    The Department did not exceed its statutory
    authority by adopting its definition of "employ."29
    "Employ" as Applied to the Dotys
    Because the statute and regulations do not expressly define the word
    "employ," the director looked to ordinary dictionary definitions of "work" to
    interpret it. The director concluded that one definition—"a labor, task, or duty that
    is one's accustomed means of livelihood"30—did not apply to Zachary and
    Stephen's activities.    However, the director concluded that under a second
    definition—"an activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform
    something"31—"[Doty] permitted his boys to work."
    Doty argues that the Department should have used one of a number of
    common law tests, any of which would show he did not employ his sons. But the
    tests he cites do not apply here. First, he cites Cotton v. Weyerhaeuser Timber
    Co.32 to argue that because he did not "'expressly'" hire Zachary or Stephen or
    "'suffer[ ] or permit[ ]'" them to work "'under circumstances where an obligation to
    pay [them] will be implied,'" he cannot be their employer.        Cotton, however,
    28 Wingert v. Yellow Freight Svs., Inc., 
    146 Wn.2d 841
    , 848, 
    50 P.3d 256
    (2002) (internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting Manor v. Nestle Food Co., 
    131 Wn.2d 439
    , 445, 
    932 P.2d 628
     (1997)).
    29 An almost identical definition is found in federal labor statutes such as
    the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, 
    29 U.S.C. § 203
    (g).
    30 Citing Webster's Universal Encyclopedic Dictionary 2130-31 (2002).
    31 Webster's, at 2130-31.
    32 
    20 Wn.2d 300
    , 312, 
    147 P.2d 299
     (1944).
    -10-
    NO. 72021-0-1/11
    involved an adult bringing a claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.33
    The child labor laws do not require proof of an obligation to pay wages to prove
    employment.     Adopting this requirement would thwart the laws' purpose by
    facilitating the economic exploitation of children.
    Citing American Products Co. v. Villwock,34 Doty also argues that because
    the record contains no evidence of a contract between him and the boys for a
    "'fixed compensation which [they] may use as [they] see fit'" and the boys are not
    emancipated, the Department cannot prove parental employment. But American
    Products involves a different factual and legal context—workers' compensation—
    and uses a "clear and convincing" test for a contractual relationship that is not in
    the statute at issue here.
    Doty cites Anfinson v. FedEx Ground Package System, Inc.35 to argue that
    the boys are economically dependent on him as children and that he directs and
    controls the boys' activities as a father, not an employer. Anfinson, however,
    does not involve child labor laws but the test to distinguish employees from
    independent contractors.36 The statutes and regulations governing child labor
    include neither an economic dependence test nor a direction and control test. As
    the director noted, the legislature acted to regulate the health, safety, and welfare
    33 
    29 U.S.C. §§ 201-219
     (1938).
    34 
    7 Wn.2d 246
    , 266-67, 
    109 P.2d 570
     (1941).
    35 
    174 Wn.2d 851
    , 
    281 P.3d 289
     (2012).
    36 Anfinson, 174 Wn.2d at 866-71.
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    NO. 72021-0-1 /12
    of minor workers, "thus expressly acting to change the common law relationship
    of employer-employee in RCW 49.12.121 and the regulations under it."37 We
    conclude that the director did not err in using RCW 49.12 and WAC 296-125,
    rather than any of the tests Doty cites, to interpret "employ."
    Doty maintains that the boys worked as part of the vocational and
    occupational training component of the family's homeschooling. But the boys'
    activities do not meet the six-part test for a training exemption from the child
    labor laws.   Because the law prohibited the work the boys did, Doty cannot
    characterize it as training similar to that provided in a vocational school. Doty
    does not dispute that the boys' work benefited his business.       Zachary and
    Stephen at times displaced regular employees and did not always work under
    Doty's observation. Because Doty did not use paid subcontractors for the tasks
    the boys performed, his business derived an immediate economic benefit from
    their activities. None of the other exemptions—house-to-house sales, casual or
    domestic labor at a private residence, or agricultural work—apply to Zachary and
    Stephen's work.
    Doty does not dispute that he allowed the boys to help move houses,
    operate heavy machinery, and do a variety of other construction-related tasks as
    37 See Clausen v. Dep't of Labor & Indus., 
    15 Wn.2d 62
    , 69, 
    129 P.2d 777
    (1942) (courts apply common law rules unless rules modified by statute).
    -12-
    NO. 72021-0-1/13
    part of Doty's business. We affirm the director's conclusion that Doty employed
    his sons in work not exempt from the child labor laws.
    Doty's Constitutional and Statutory Rights as a Parent
    Doty also contends that the Department's citations violate both his
    constitutional rights   and   his statutory right to direct their home-based
    occupational education.38     He cites In re Custody of Smith39 to support his
    assertion that the Department violated his freedom under the Fourteenth
    Amendment to the United States Constitution to "'establish a home and bring up
    children.'" But Smith does not support Doty's position. While our Supreme Court
    in Smith recognized a parent's "constitutionally protected right to rear his or her
    children without state interference,"40 the court also noted that "the state may
    step in and override a decision of a parent where the decision would harm the
    child."41 The Smith court singled out child labor as an area in which the State
    may exercise its authority, noting that the United States Supreme Court "found a
    38 Doty cites RCW 28A.200.020 and RCW 28A.225.010(4), which pertain
    to parents' rights and duties in conducting home-based education.
    39 
    137 Wn.2d 1
    , 13-14, 
    969 P.2d 21
     (1998) (quoting Mever v. Nebraska,
    
    262 U.S. 390
    , 399, 
    43 S. Ct. 625
    , 
    67 L. Ed. 1042
     (1923)). affd sub nom. Troxel v.
    Granville, 
    530 U.S. 57
    , 
    120 S. Ct. 2054
    , 
    147 L. Ed. 2d 49
     (2000).
    40 Smith, 137Wn.2dat15.
    
    41 Smith, 137
     Wn.2d at 15-16.
    -13-
    NO. 72021-0-1/14
    narrow exception necessary in light of the 'crippling effects of child employment,'
    'more especially in public places.'"42
    Beyond his bare contentions, Doty does not explain how his constitutional
    and statutory rights to raise his children and direct their occupational education
    include a right to violate other statutes and regulations enacted to protect the
    safety, health, and welfare of minors. This claim fails.43
    Designation of Violations as "Serious"
    Doty challenges the director's findings that the alleged violations were
    "serious" and therefore justified higher penalties. The child labor laws define a
    violation as serious
    if death or serious physical harm has resulted or is imminent from a
    condition that exists, or from one or more practices, means,
    methods, operations, or processes that have been adopted or are
    in use by the employer, unless the employer did not, and could not
    with the exercise of reasonable diligence, know of the presence of
    the violation.'441
    A serious or repeated violation subjects an employer to a penalty of up to $1,000
    for each day the violation continues.45
    
    42 Smith, 137
     Wn.2d at 16 (quoting Prince v. Massachusetts, 
    321 U.S. 158
    , 168, 
    64 S. Ct. 438
    , 
    88 L. Ed. 645
     (1944)).
    43 See Cowiche Canyon Conservancy v. Boslev, 
    118 Wn.2d 801
    , 809, 
    828 P.2d 549
     (1992) (declining to review inadequately briefed assignment of error).
    44 RCW 49.12.390(2).
    45 RCW 49.12.390(2).
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    NO. 72021-0-1/15
    Doty argues that because the regulations listing prohibited minor activities
    do not use the terms "'serious,' 'harm,' 'injury,' or 'death' in a pertinent way," the
    director's conclusion of law "finds no anchor in the regulations or statute and
    floats unconnected to any authority." Doty also disputes that any danger to the
    boys was "imminent."
    We disagree. As the director points out, the activities prohibited to minors
    are properly classified as "serious" as a matter of law because they are inherently
    hazardous:
    The list of occupations in WAC 296-125-030 and -033 identify work
    activity which by their very nature are dangerous and pose a
    substantial risk of harm which could result in serious physical injury
    or death.. . . Further, the practices by [Doty] of having his 11 year-
    old and 13 year-old children engage in activities known by law to be
    inherently dangerous for children shows that serious physical harm
    or death was imminent.       Children 11 and 13 years of age are
    generally inexperienced at exercising sound and independent
    judgment necessary for work in inherently dangerous activities, as
    Zachary demonstrated when he rolled over the backhoe he was
    operating. The risk of harm is heightened when the children are
    especially young as in the case here.
    Webster's Third New International Dictionary defines "imminent" as "ready
    to take place: near at hand: . .. hanging threateningly over one's head:
    menacingly near."46 Contrary to Doty's assertion, the Department's use of the
    word "imminent" is not "strikingly vague" or a "redefinition" of the word. Rather, it
    46 Webster's Third New International Dictionary 1130 (2002).
    -15-
    NO. 72021-0-1/16
    aptly describes the risks involved when minors engage in inherently dangerous
    work.
    In challenging the Department's "serious" designations, Doty assigns error
    to several findings of fact.   First, he alleges that the Department did not prove
    that Zachary's lifting of communication wires while on top of the moving house
    created a danger of electrical shock from induced voltage, calling the director's
    finding of fact "pure speculation."         The director weighed testimony and
    declarations from both parties' experts on this issue and found, "The opinions of
    the Department experts, Miller, Ervin and Mcmurdie in this regard are more
    credible than those of [Doty's expert] Carl Plumb." Substantial evidence supports
    the director's findings, and "it is not the function of an appellate court to substitute
    its judgment for that of the trial court or to weigh the evidence or the credibility of
    witnesses."47
    Doty also challenges the director's rejection of Plumb's opinion, based on
    an unrelated regulation, that because Zachary was only "observing rather than
    being engaged in activities," use of a safety monitor system in lieu of fall
    restraints or warning lines would have complied with the law. But videotaped
    evidence shows Zachary moving around on the roof and lifting traffic signals—
    much more than simply inspecting or observing. And Plumb's opinion ignores
    47 Davis v. Dep't of Labor & Indus.. 
    94 Wn.2d 119
    , 124, 
    615 P.2d 1279
    (1980).
    -16-
    NO. 72021-0-1/17
    the fact that the law prohibited 13-year-old Zachary from working on the roof at
    all. Substantial evidence supports the director's finding that Plumb's opinion was
    not credible.
    Doty also disputes the director's finding that Plumb had an "erroneous
    belief that lack of a WISHA [Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act of 1973,
    chapter 49.17 RCW] violation precludes a serious violation of the child labor
    standards."     But in his declaration, Plumb fails to acknowledge the stricter
    standards for minors, only observing that the boys' more dangerous activities, if
    performed by an adult, would "not violate specific WISHA safety standards."
    Substantial evidence supports this finding.
    Next, Doty faults the director for not specifically listing the alleged missing
    safety equipment. But substantial evidence shows that the boys did hazardous
    work without safety harnesses, reflective vests, hard hats, or boots. And Doty
    cites no authority supporting a contention that the Department's failure to exactly
    itemize required safety equipment renders its finding erroneous or its action
    arbitrary or capricious. This claim fails.
    Doty also challenges the director's findings that Zachary drove the
    backhoe on "uneven terrain," that drivers who tip over a backhoe "are thrown
    from the seat," and that Zachary "hit a temporary electrical wire while operating a
    backhoe." Doty does not dispute that Zachary, wearing no safety harness, tipped
    -17-
    NO. 72021-0-1/18
    over the backhoe while driving over ground that was "soft" in places.         The
    director weighed testimony that Zachary drove too fast and in an unsafe manner.
    Substantial evidence supports the director's findings here.
    Doty does not dispute the director's findings that on the days named in the
    Department's citations, he permitted (1) both Zachary and Stephen to drive
    heavy machinery, (2) both boys to perform various tasks at the construction sites,
    (3) Zachary to perform various activities more than 10 feet above ground level on
    the rooftop of a house moving along city streets, and (4) Zachary to work as an
    outside helper on city streets as part of Doty's house-moving business.
    Substantial evidence supports the director's challenged findings of fact,
    and unchallenged findings are verities on appeal.48 These findings support the
    director's conclusions of law that Doty employed his sons in work prohibited to
    minors. The findings likewise support the conclusion that these violations of
    state child labor laws were repeated and serious, warranting the penalties the
    Department assessed. We affirm the director's order upholding the Department's
    citations and penalties.
    Dotv's Status as Judgment Debtor
    For the first time on appeal, Doty argues that any judgment should have
    been entered against him as a married man in his separate capacity. This
    48 Kitsap County v. Kitsap Rifle & Revolver Club.       Wn. App.      , 
    337 P.3d 328
    , 334 (2014).
    -18-
    NO. 72021-0-1/19
    argument fails. This court has declined to review a request to clarify the identity
    of the judgment debtor where a party did not raise the issue before the trial
    court.49   Moreover, "[a] debt incurred by either spouse during marriage is
    presumed to be a community debt,"50 and "[i]t is well settled that this presumption
    may be overcome only by clear and convincing evidence" that the parties have
    renounced the marital community.51      Doty does not attempt to overcome this
    presumption, and our Supreme Court has overruled the case he cites for the
    proposition that his interest in community property should be shielded from
    execution to satisfy his separate obligations.52
    Attorney Fees
    Doty argues that he is entitled to attorney fees and costs. Because he has
    not prevailed on any issue, he is not entitled to this relief under any authority
    cited by him.
    CONCLUSION
    Because the Department did not exceed its rule-making authority when it
    defined "employ," substantial evidence supports the director's findings, and those
    49 Am. Disc. Corp. v. Shepherd. 
    129 Wn. App. 345
    , 347 n.1, 
    120 P.3d 96
    (2005); RAP 2.5(a).
    50 Oil Heat Co. of Port Angeles, Inc. v. Sweeney, 
    26 Wn. App. 351
    , 353,
    613P.2d 169(1980).
    51 Oil Heat Co.. 26 Wn. App. at 353-54.
    52 Stockand v. Bartlett. 
    4 Wash. 730
    , 730-31, 
    31 P. 24
     (1892), overruling
    recognized by Halev v. Highland. 142Wn.2d135, 142, 
    12 P.3d 119
     (2000).
    -19-
    NO. 72021-0-1/20
    findings support the conclusion that Doty employed his sons and committed
    serious violations of child labor laws, we affirm.   We decline to review Doty's
    claim that any judgment should be entered against him as a married man in his
    separate capacity and decline his request for attorney fees.
    WE CONCUR:
    yj)t^n*\^ C >\.
    C^3
    CO
    CO
    -20-