Bauman v. Day

892 P.2d 817, 1995 Alas. LEXIS 30, 1995 WL 126880
CourtAlaska Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 24, 1995
DocketS-5350/S-5368
StatusPublished
Cited by65 cases

This text of 892 P.2d 817 (Bauman v. Day) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Alaska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bauman v. Day, 892 P.2d 817, 1995 Alas. LEXIS 30, 1995 WL 126880 (Ala. 1995).

Opinions

ORDER

. On consideration of the petition for rehearing filed on December 5, 1994,

IT IS ORDERED:

1. The petition for rehearing is DENIED, except that the last sentence on page 28 of the majority opinion shall be modified to read as follows: “We also VACATE the award of attorney’s fees and costs.”

2. Opinion No. 4147 published on November 25, 1994, is WITHDRAWN.

3. Opinion No. 4182 is issued on this date in its place.

Entered at the direction of the Court at Anchorage, Alaska, on March 24, 1995.

EASTAUGH, J., not participating. Before MOORE, C.J., RABINOWITZ, MATTHEWS and COMPTON, JJ., and BRYNER, J., pro tern.*

OPINION

COMPTON, Justice.

After discovering permafrost on land that they purchased from James Day and Helen Day (the Days), Robert Bauman and Judy Bauman (the Baumans) stopped making payments on the promissory note with which the purchase was financed. The Days started foreclosure proceedings on the deed of trust that secured the note. On the day of the foreclosure sale, the Baumans filed a complaint alleging fraud and breach of contract as to the original transaction. The superior court set aside the foreclosure and ordered the Baumans to pay a “cure” amount to cover the missed payments and other costs. Later, the superior court dismissed the Baumans’ fraud and contract complaints on the ground that the statute of limitations for each cause of action had run. The Baumans appeal, inter alia, the dismissal of their fraud and contract claims and the denial of their motion to file a second amended complaint. The [820]*820Days cross-appeal the setting aside of the foreclosure sale.

We affirm the trial court’s use of its equitable powers to set aside the nonjudicial foreclosure sale. We also affirm the trial court’s rulings that the Baumans’ tort claims are barred by the applicable statute of limitations, and that the ten-year statute of limitations for actions involving an interest in real property does not apply here. Additionally, we affirm its denial of the Baumans’ motion to file a second amended complaint. We reverse the trial court’s dismissal of the Bau-mans’ contract claims.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In July 1984 the Days conveyed to the Baumans, by means of a warranty deed, a lot in the Green Acres subdivision near Fairbanks. The Baumans made a downpayment of $2,000 on the $20,000 purchase price. They also signed a promissory note under which they agreed to pay the remaining $18,-000, plus interest, in monthly installments of $150 until September 1, 1999, “at which last mentioned date the entire outstanding balance [would be] due and payable in full.” To secure payment of the promissory note, the Baumans executed a deed of trust on the property and made the Days the beneficiaries.

Before purchasing the property, Robert Bauman allegedly asked James Day if the lot was laden with permafrost. Mr. Day responded that there was no permafrost and that the lot was suitable for building a home. Accordingly, after purchasing the lot from the Days, the Baumans built a home on it.

In 1986 permafrost-related problems began to develop. They increased over the next few years. At first the house merely settled somewhat, and the Baumans paid little mind to this because they expected some settling to occur. However, over the next few years thawing permafrost caused holes to appear on the land, forcing the Baumans to fill or barricade them, and ultimately requiring relocation of the driveway. In addition, the house shifted constantly, preventing the installation of glass windows and sheet-rock.

According to an affidavit that the Baumans filed with the superior court, the “apparent permafrost dilemma” led them to stop paying their property taxes to the Fairbanks North Star Borough in 1988: “We felt we were paying more than our fair share on property taxes and in protest thereof postponed paying the assessed taxes starting in 1988 pending reevaluation of the land due to the permafrost discovered on the land.” In 1992 the Borough readjusted the assessed land value down to $4,422.

In early 1991 the Baumans stopped making payments on the promissory note, in protest of a lack of action by the Days on the permafrost issue. In August the Days’ counsel warned the Baumans that their loan was delinquent, and threatened foreclosure. This letter, as the Baumans acknowledge, notified them of their right to cure the default and prevent foreclosure by paying the amount owed. In October the Days sent the Bau-mans a Notice of Default and Election to Sell, scheduling a foreclosure sale for January 22, 1992.

During 1991 the Baumans allegedly made numerous attempts to discuss matters with the Days. Robert Bauman contacted Helen Day several times by phone, informing her of the permafrost difficulties and asking that they renegotiate the original sales contract. Ms. Day repeatedly told him that she and her husband were too busy to discuss these issues, but that she would get back to him later. The last of these phone calls occurred in July. In September, after receipt of the letter from the Days’ counsel but before receipt of the Notice of Default, the Baumans sent the Days a letter detailing the problems with the land and again asking to settle them without resorting to legal proceedings. The Days did not reply to the letter. There is no evidence in the record of any discussions between the Baumans and the Days after receipt of the Notice of Default.

On January 22, 1992, the day of the foreclosure sale, the Baumans filed a complaint pro se. They alleged various claims for breach of contract arising from the Days’ failure to deliver suitable building ground and failure to inform the Baumans before or [821]*821at the time of the sale about the presence of permafrost. The Baumans also alleged tort claims for fraud and misrepresentation, arising from the Days’ willful failure to inform the Baumans of the presence of permafrost. In addition, the Baumans moved for a temporary injunction stopping the foreclosure sale.

The Days’ counsel postponed the foreclosure sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and filed an opposition to the Baumans’ request for the temporary restraining order. The court denied the Baumans’ motion as moot,1 and the foreclosure sale took place at 2 p.m. The Days repurchased the property by filing an offset bid.

The Days served the Baumans with a notice to quit, and filed an answer and counterclaim to the Baumans’ complaint. The counterclaim sought summary eviction of the Baumans under Alaska’s forcible entry and detainer statute, AS 09.45.060-.160. The Baumans answered the Days’ counterclaim pro se, alleging affirmative defenses that included promissory estoppel, fraud, and fraudulent concealment.

In March the court conducted the forcible entry and detainer hearing, at which the Baumans appeared pro se. Though the foreclosure had already gone through, the superi- or court used its equitable powers to stay the Baumans’ eviction, provided that the Bau-mans paid the amounts they owed on the promissory note and posted a $5,000 bond to cover the Days’ costs and attorney’s fees in the event that foreclosure was proper:2

In other words, legally, you can’t have your cake and eat it too....

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
892 P.2d 817, 1995 Alas. LEXIS 30, 1995 WL 126880, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bauman-v-day-alaska-1995.