Whether it is due to her unique perspectives on life, her drive to succeed, or simply her delightful personality, Scarlet is well-liked wherever she goes.
Scarlet is a shareholder at Strong & Hanni. She joined the firm in 2016 after completing a judicial clerkship at the Utah Court of Appeals. Her practice centers on appeals and complex civil litigation. She has argued before the Utah Supreme Court and the Tenth Circuit, and she regularly handles the motions that decide cases early: motions to dismiss, personal-jurisdiction challenges, and summary judgment. She represents businesses and property owners in commercial, construction, and contract disputes, and she negotiates settlements and releases. She also defends insurers and insureds in insurance defense, coverage, and bad faith matters. She is recognized for accomplished legal writing, with publications and multiple writing awards.
A Utah native from Escalante, she previously worked as an auto mechanic and later assisted healthcare providers with enrollment and billing matters, including administrative appeals.
When she isn’t working, Scarlet enjoys traveling, photography, jigsaw puzzles, and watching college sports (Go Utes!).
Education
- University of Utah, J.D., 2013, with honors
- University of Utah, M.P.A., 2013, summa cum laude
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas, B.A., 2009, magna cum laude
Admissions
- Utah State Bar
- Wyoming State Bar
- United States District Court, District of Utah
- United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
Judicial Clerkships & Externships
- Utah Court of Appeals (Law Clerk to Judge Kate A. Toomey; Judicial Extern to Judge Michele M. Christiansen)
- Federal District Court, District of Utah (Judicial Externs to Judge Dale A. Kimball and Magistrate Judge Evelyn J. Furse)
Professional Memberships
- Women Lawyers of Utah (Board Member; Historian)
- David K. Watkiss – Sutherland II Inns of Court (Member, former President)
- Utah State Bar Leadership Academy
- USLAW Network
- Utah Defense Lawyers Association
- Defense Research Institute
Professional Recognitions
- 2017 Pegasus Scholar, a highly selective honor the American Inns of Court and the Pegasus Trust award to only two American attorneys each year. Her scholarship took her to London, the Faculty of Advocates in Edinburgh, and the High Court in Belfast.
- Recognized as a Legal Elite by Utah Business
Appellate Highlights
- Switzer v. Home Depot, No. 25-4052 (Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, 2025). Successfully argued the plaintiff waived appellate review by filing late objections to the magistrate judge’s recommendation. The court dismissed the appeal, leaving the district court’s dismissal in place.
- Beauty Lab and Laser LLC v. Fowler, 2025 UT App 186 (Utah Court of Appeals). Affirmed dismissal of a customer’s negligence counterclaim under the two-year statute of limitations in the Utah Health Care Malpractice Act, because she failed to preserve her argument that cosmetic injections fall outside the Act.
- Compagni v. Klemesrud, 2025 UT App 71 (Utah Court of Appeals). Successfully argued that a city snow-removal ordinance does not create a private right of action, so a pedestrian cannot sue the abutting property owner under it.
- Prisbrey v. State Auto Insurance Companies, Nos. 24-4037, 24-4068 (Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, 2024). Affirmed dismissal of a homeowner’s suit against his insurers and two attorney-fee sanctions, because the plaintiff’s inadequate briefing forfeited appellate review.
- Olé Mexican Foods Inc. v. J & W Distribution LLC, 2024 UT App 67 (Utah Court of Appeals). Affirmed a $140,000 jury verdict for a food distributor on its implied-covenant claim, because the verdict was consistent and supported by the evidence, and awarded the distributor its attorney fees on appeal.
- Beauty Lab and Laser, LLC v. Jelosek, 2023 UT App 139 (Utah Court of Appeals). Affirmed summary judgment for a medical spa on its breach-of-contract claim, because the customer’s judicial admission that she agreed to pay for the products she kept established the contract.
- Commercial Club Building LLC v. Global Rescue LLC, 2023 UT App 37 (Utah Court of Appeals). Reversed a jury verdict holding Global Rescue liable as a joint venturer, because there was no evidence of mutual control, and affirmed judgment for Global Rescue on the tortious-interference claim.
- Larson v. Stauffer, 2022 UT App 108 (Utah Court of Appeals). Reversed summary judgment against homeowners, because substantial performance of a settlement agreement is a fact question, and held the economic loss rule did not bar tort claims by a homeowner who was not a party to the settlement.
- Jensen Tech Services v. Labor Commission, 2022 UT App 18 (Utah Court of Appeals). Set aside the Labor Commission’s ruling that a worker was an employee, because the Commission misapplied the right-to-control test.
- Dale K. Barker Co. PC CPA Profit Sharing Plan v. Turner, 2021 UT App 119 (Utah Court of Appeals). Affirmed judgment on a promissory note, because the borrower’s partial payments tolled the statute of limitations; upheld late fees and attorney fees, and awarded fees on appeal.
- Battino v. Redi-Carpet Sales of Utah, LLC, No. 20-4081 (Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, 2021). Argued the appeal. Affirmed summary judgment for the employer on Title VII pregnancy-discrimination and retaliation claims and on FMLA claims, because the employer had too few employees for FMLA coverage.
- Kirk v. Anderson, 2021 UT 41 (Utah Supreme Court)(drafted and argued the appeal). Affirmed dismissal of claims arising from an independent medical examination, because an examining physician owes no duty for delay in legal proceedings caused by his professional opinion.
- Bowles v. Grant Trucking, LLC, 842 F. App’x 236 (Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, 2021). Co-counsel on the brief. Affirmed summary judgment for the employer on an ADA claim, because it had fewer than 15 employees and could not be combined with an affiliate under the single-employer theory.