GEMMILL, Judge:
¶ 1 Gary and Bobbie Solomon, husband and wife, and Sol's Construction Co. (collectively "Solomon") appeal from the trial court's judgment imposing indemnity liability in favor of Jason and Shannon Hatch, husband and wife, and Hatch Development, LLC (collectively "Hatch"). For the following reasons, we affirm.
¶ 2 Hatch filed a complaint seeking indemnity against Solomon in September 2011. The indemnity complaint alleged that Hatch, Solomon, and the Town of Taylor were sued in 2007 by Lee and Debbie Hunt ("Hunts") for water damage caused by sewer and water line construction work Solomon performed on Hatch's property. The indemnity complaint further alleged that Solomon was solely responsible for the sewer and water line construction and had left sewer line trenches open, resulting in the water damage to the Hunts' property. Finally, the indemnity complaint alleged that Hatch and the Town of Taylor settled the lawsuit with the Hunts to avoid litigation costs. Hatch claimed that Solomon, who was not a party to the settlement agreement, was liable to Hatch for indemnity.
¶ 3 Solomon filed an answer and counterclaim denying liability and alleging that Hatch was not entitled to indemnification because he also was negligent and because the statute of limitations had run on the Hunts' claim against Solomon before the settlement agreement was signed. Both parties filed motions for summary judgment. Hatch submitted his own declaration and declarations from a civil engineer who had inspected the work site and from the attorney who
¶ 4 Solomon filed motions to reconsider, asserting newly discovered evidence. He submitted an inspection report and an affidavit from an engineer regarding sewer line approval. The trial court authorized Hatch to respond to the motions. Hatch submitted a second personal declaration, along with declarations from an engineer and also a legal secretary who had worked for the firm representing Hatch during settlement negotiations. After oral argument, the court denied the motions to reconsider. The trial court later granted Hatch's motions for summary judgment on damages and on the counterclaim, and entered judgment in favor of Hatch in the amount of $263,697.65, plus costs, as well as attorney fees in the amount of $51,997.40.
¶ 5 Solomon timely appeals, and we have jurisdiction under Arizona Revised Statutes ("A.R.S.") sections 12-120.21(A)(1) and 12-2101(A)(1).
¶ 6 Solomon challenges the summary judgment holding him liable on Hatch's indemnity claim. We review a trial court's grant of summary judgment de novo, "viewing the evidence and reasonable inferences in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion." Felipe v. Theme Tech Corp., 235 Ariz. 520, 528, ¶ 31, 334 P.3d 210, 218 (App. 2014) (quoting Andrews v. Blake, 205 Ariz. 236, 240, ¶ 12, 69 P.3d 7, 11 (2003)). A trial court "shall grant summary judgment if the moving party shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Ariz. R. Civ. Proc. 56(a).
¶ 7 To address Solomon's arguments on appeal, a timeline of pertinent dates is instructive:
¶ 8 Solomon contends that the two-year statute of limitations for injuries to property had run on the Hunts' claims against him by the time the settlement agreement was finalized. Citing a footnote in MT Builders, L.L.C. v. Fisher Roofing, Inc., 219 Ariz. 297, 303 n. 2, ¶ 13, 197 P.3d 758, 764 n. 2 (App. 2008), Solomon then concludes that Hatch cannot prove essential elements of common law indemnity — that the indemnity plaintiff (Hatch) and indemnity defendant (Solomon) owed a legally enforceable obligation to the third party (the Hunts).
¶ 9 Footnote 2 in MT Builders sets forth a three-pronged test for proving common law indemnity under certain circumstances:
219 Ariz. at 303 n. 2, ¶ 13, 197 P.3d at 764 n. 2 (emphasis added). Solomon's reliance on these three prongs is misplaced, however, because — as the second sentence quoted above reveals — the three-pronged test in the MT Builders footnote applies only when the indemnity defendant is not at fault and has not consented to the indemnity plaintiff's payment to the third party.
¶ 10 Restatement (First) of Restitution (1937) ("Restatement") § 76 states the general rule:
(Emphasis added.)
Restatement § 78(b)(ii) (emphasis added). Accordingly, a duty to indemnify may arise in at least two alternative circumstances: First, when the party seeking indemnity has "extinguished an obligation owed by the party from whom it seeks indemnification," or second, when the indemnity defendant is "at fault." KnightBrook Ins. Co. v. Payless Car Rental Sys., Inc., 100 F.Supp.3d 817, 827 (D. Ariz. 2015) (identifying the MT Builders three-pronged test as dicta and explaining that "a party seeking indemnification must show either that it extinguished an obligation owed by the party from whom it seeks indemnification
¶ 11 Applying these indemnity principles to the parties in this dispute, Solomon is correct that Hatch was not entitled to summary judgment on indemnity based on discharging a current obligation owed by Solomon because the two-year statute of limitations for property damage had run on the Hunts' claim against Solomon. See A.R.S. § 12-542(3). But Hatch was entitled to summary judgment on indemnity from Solomon under Restatement § 78(b)(ii) because Hatch presented undisputed facts establishing his justifiable belief that the statute of limitations would not bar his obligation to the Hunts under the circumstances and indemnity under § 78 is appropriate based on Solomon's undisputed fault. In other words, even though the three-pronged test from MT Builders was not satisfied, Hatch was entitled to judgment based on Restatement 78(b)(ii) instead.
¶ 12 We therefore reject Solomon's argument that Hatch must show that the settlement of the Hunts, Hatch, and the Town of Taylor discharged an obligation of Solomon to the Hunts.
¶ 13 Under Arizona common law, Hatch, as the indemnity plaintiff, was required to satisfy a duty, actual or apparent, owed by him to the third party (Hunts). See Restatement §§ 76, 78. Solomon claims that because the statute of limitations also had run on the Hunts' claim against Hatch, the Hunts had no valid claim against Hatch at the time of the settlement.
¶ 14 The uncontroverted evidence in the record indicates that Hatch justifiably believed the Hunts had a claim against him. Hatch submitted an uncontested declaration from his attorney stating that the Hunts' lawsuit could have been refiled pursuant to A.R.S. § 12-504, that Hatch and the Town of Taylor had represented to the Hunts that "each party would continue to pursue the settlement as agreed," and that if Hatch had backed out of the settlement negotiations, further litigation would have ensued.
¶ 15 On this record, and with no contrary evidence offered, the trial court properly determined that Hatch in good faith believed that he owed an obligation to the Hunts at the time of the settlement. See Restatement § 78(b)(ii). Accordingly, the trial court did not err in granting summary judgment to Hatch on indemnity.
¶ 16 Solomon asserts that the statute of limitations bars Hatch's indemnity claim for attorney fees spent defending against the Hunts' suit. Solomon raises this specific argument for the first time on appeal. We conclude, therefore, that the argument has been waived. See Airfreight Exp. Ltd. v. Evergreen Ctr., Inc., 215 Ariz. 103, 109, ¶ 17, 158 P.3d 232, 238 (App. 2007) (holding "a party must timely present his legal theories
¶ 17 Solomon also argues that Hatch is barred from obtaining indemnity because Hatch illegally hooked up his sewer system to the town lines without Arizona Department of Environmental Quality ("ADEQ") approval. Hatch argues Solomon waived this allegation by not raising it until his second motion for reconsideration, after the trial court had granted Hatch's motion for summary judgment on liability.
¶ 18 Although Solomon asserted this argument for the first time in his motion for reconsideration, we will consider it because the trial court allowed Hatch to respond and held oral argument on the motion before ruling. See Crown Life Ins. Co. v. Howard, 170 Ariz. 130, 132, 822 P.2d 483, 485 (App. 1991) (considering an argument raised for the first time on appeal because the trial court presumably considered the argument on its merits); cf. Ramsey v. Yavapai Family Advocacy Center, 225 Ariz. 132, 137-38, ¶ 18, 235 P.3d 285, 290-91 (App. 2010) (noting that we generally do not consider arguments raised for the first time in a motion for reconsideration because the "prevailing party below is routinely deprived of the opportunity to fairly respond") (quoting Evans Withycombe, Inc. v. W. Innovations, Inc., 215 Ariz. 237, 240, ¶ 15, 159 P.3d 547, 550 (App. 2006)). We therefore turn to the merits of Solomon's argument.
¶ 19 A party seeking common law indemnity must be without independent or active fault. Herstam v. Deloitte & Touche, LLP, 186 Ariz. 110, 117-18, 919 P.2d 1381, 1388-89 (1996); see also INA Ins. Co. of N. Am. v. Valley Forge Ins. Co., 150 Ariz. 248, 255, 722 P.2d 975, 982 (App. 1986); Busy Bee Buffet v. Ferrell, 82 Ariz. 192, 197-98, 310 P.2d 817, 822-23 (1957); Restatement § 96 ("[a] person who, without personal fault, has become subject to tort liability for the unauthorized and wrongful conduct of another, is entitled to indemnity from the other") (emphasis added).
¶ 20 Solomon presented the trial court with evidence that ADEQ had not approved the project as required by Taylor Town Code § 13.10.020 before work could commence. He contends this violation made Hatch negligent per se and but for that negligence, the flooding and damage to the Hunts would not have occurred.
¶ 21 "The right of a municipal corporation to regulate and control the use of its sewers has been generally recognized as a necessary incident of its ownership and it may permit appropriate use to be made of its sewers subject to reasonable conditions." Payson Sanitary Dist. of Gila Cnty. v. Zimmerman, 119 Ariz. 498, 501, 581 P.2d 1148, 1151 (1978). When a law or regulation has been enacted for public safety, failure to comply with that law or regulation is negligence per se if such conduct is the proximate cause of an injury. See Salt River Valley Water Users' Ass'n v. Compton, 39 Ariz. 491, 496, 8 P.2d 249, 254 (1932) (abrogated on other grounds by MacNeil v. Perkins, 84 Ariz. 74, 324 P.2d 211 (1958)). "The proximate cause of an injury is that which, in a natural and continuous sequence, unbroken by any efficient intervening cause, produces an injury, and without which the injury would not have occurred." Robertson v. Sixpence Inns of Am., Inc., 163 Ariz. 539, 546, 789 P.2d 1040, 1047 (1990) (internal quotations omitted). Additionally, the plaintiff must demonstrate that he or she is within the class of persons the statute is designed to protect. Hall v. Mertz, 14 Ariz.App. 24, 26, 480 P.2d 361, 363 (1971).
¶ 22 Although Hatch's failure to obtain authorization may have violated the town code, this alleged omission was not the proximate cause of the damage to the Hunts' property.
¶ 23 The premise of Solomon's argument is that if Hatch had applied for ADEQ approval he would have been rejected, and therefore the work by Solomon would not have begun, the pipe and trenches would not have been left uncovered when the rains came, and the flooding would not have occurred. Although the damage to the Hunts thereby might not have occurred "but for" Hatch's failure to obtain ADEQ approval, Solomon offered no evidence of proximate cause — no evidence that ADEQ's approval somehow would have prevented his own negligence in installing the pipes. Mere "but for" causation is not enough. See Christy v. Baker, 7 Ariz.App. 354, 356-57, 439 P.2d 517 (1968) (determining that a car rental business's negligence in allowing a driver to rent a car without a driver's license — in violation of statute — was not the proximate cause of his accident). Thus, the record does not demonstrate a triable issue of fact on proximate causation regarding Hatch's failure to obtain ADEQ approval.
¶ 24 Solomon further contends that as the owner of the property, Hatch was actively negligent and directly liable to the Hunts, thereby precluding indemnification under Shea v. Superior Court of Maricopa County, 150 Ariz. 271, 274, 723 P.2d 89, 92 (1986), in which a failure to act was determined to be a positive act precluding indemnity. See also Restatement § 76 (noting, inter alia, that a party may be precluded from claiming common law indemnity by its wrongful conduct). Solomon points to the fact that Hatch was alerted after the first storm that there was mud in the sewer system and did nothing to remedy the situation. However, the record presented to the trial court shows that Hatch took appropriate remedial action by contacting Solomon, the contractor on the job, and insisting Solomon make sure no water was getting into the lines through the construction. Hatch's uncontested declaration states that he spoke to Solomon directly and that Solomon assured him that he (Solomon) would "take measures to prevent the flow of water into the sewer system." Furthermore, the trial court determined that at all relevant times, Solomon was in control of the job site.
¶ 25 Based on this record, the trial court did not err in determining that Hatch was not an active participant in causing the water flow issue and that his only liability was a result of his status as owner of the property rather than as an actively negligent party. See Shea, 150 Ariz. at 274, 723 P.2d at 92; Valley Forge, 150 Ariz. at 252, 722 P.2d at 979; see also Busy Bee, 82 Ariz. at 197-98, 310 P.2d at 822-23 (holding that the indemnity plaintiff's liability was due only because of its legal duty as the property owner and not because of any active or independent negligence); cf. Transcon Lines v. Barnes, 17 Ariz.App. 428, 434, 498 P.2d 502 (1972) (describing the evolution of common law indemnity in Arizona, and holding that indemnity plaintiff was more than just technically liable and therefore not entitled to indemnity).
¶ 26 Both Hatch and Solomon asserted at the trial court and on appeal that this case arises from a contract and they each claim to be entitled to attorney fees under A.R.S. § 12-341.01. We accept their agreement regarding application of A.R.S. § 12-341.01; and, in our discretion, we will award Hatch an amount of reasonable attorney fees and taxable costs, pending compliance with Arizona Rule of Civil Appellate Procedure 21.
¶ 27 Based on the record before us, Solomon did not present a genuine issue of material