Bennett Leasing Co. v. Clifton

486 P.2d 62, 82 N.M. 653
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedMay 28, 1971
DocketNo. 9168
StatusPublished

This text of 486 P.2d 62 (Bennett Leasing Co. v. Clifton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bennett Leasing Co. v. Clifton, 486 P.2d 62, 82 N.M. 653 (N.M. 1971).

Opinion

OPINION

OMAN, Justice.

This is a suit on equipment leases by plaintiff as lessor against defendants as lessee. Plaintiff recovered judgment and defendants appeal. We affirm.

Plaintiff an'd- defendants entered into written lease agreements during July and August, 1962, whereby plaintiff leased to defendants'a Mack truck and Timpte float at rental rates provided in written schedules. Deféhdants paid an advance rental of $360.00 and monthly rental payments pursuant to the schedules for nineteen months for total rental payments of $8,-482.92. Defendants failed to make the rental payments for the following seventeen months in the total amount of $6,222.-35. The leases were terminated and plaintiff took possession of the equipment in August, 1965.

The agreed value of the equipment at the time of the execution of the leases was $14,800.00. Within a reasonable time after the termination of the leases, defendants secured a bona fide offer for the equipment of $7,500.00, which plaintiff refused. Plaintiff retained possession of the equipment and ultimately sold it on February 5, 1968, for either $6,000.00' or $6,250.00. However, -the1 trial court found and considered the net resale proceeds to be $7,500.00 in accordance with the August, -1965 offer.

The foregoing recited facts are undisputed, are consistent with the facts found by the trial court, and, except for the finding as to the amount of unpaid rentals, are in no way attacked. The finding as to the unpaid, rental is attacked only under the second point relied upon for reversal, and then only to' the extent of defendants’ claims that plaintiff had elected to retain the equipment in satisfaction of defendants’ obligations and that the unpaid rental was inapplicable in computing the amount owing by defendants under the formula hereinafter discussed under the second point-.. - ■ >

By their' first point, defendants claim error on the part of the trial court in refusing their requested findings of fact numbered 24, 25 and 26. These requested findings were:

“24. T,his Trust Lease Vehicle Schedule i.s-.a transaction subject to Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code.
“25. No notice' of the time and place of sale by the Plaintiffs- of the security was given to the Defendants.
“26. The sale was not commercially reasonable.”

Defendants’ entire argument under this point relates to the sale in 1968. However, as shown by the above recited facts, the trial court found and considered the amount of $7,500.00 as the net resale proceeds, in accordance with the bona fide offer secured by defendants and rejected by plaintiff in August of 1965. This finding is not attacked and is consistent with the following requested findings by defendants: ' •

“6. That the Defendants produced a willing buyer for the vehicles for the sum of Seven Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($7,500.00), and the Plaintiff refused to permit the sale in August, 1965.
“7. That the Trust Leases provide in Section 3 that the Plaintiff would ‘effectuate the. sale’, and that the Plaintiff unreasonably failed to do so.
“8. . That the Defendants are entitled to credit as ‘net resale proceeds’ in the amount of $7,500.00.
“9. That the Plaintiff is deemed to have received the ‘net resale proceeds’ in the amount of $7,500.00.”

Thus, under the findings of the trial court, by which we are bound, the rights of the parties were fixed as of August, 1965, and we do not reach the question of the applicability to the sale in 1968 of Chapter 50A, Art. 9, Pt. 5, N.M.S.A. 1953 (Repl. Vol. 8, pt. 1, 1962). Compare Ed Black’s Chevrolet Center, Inc. v. Melichar, 81 N.M. 602, 471 P.2d 172 (1970); Springer Corporation v. American Leasing Company, 80 N.M. 609, 459 P.2d 135 (1969).

Under their second point, defendants, contend “The Court Erred in Making its Findings of Fact Numbered 3, 6, and 7 Which Involve the Application of a Formula in Paragraph 4 of the Trust-Lease Vehicle Schedule.”

Paragraph 4 of the Schedule provides:

“4. Upon receipt of the net resale proceeds as provided in Sections Three and Five of this schedule or upon receipt of advise from the Lessee of the loss of a vehicle, the Lessor shall refund to the Lessee 100% of the amount, if any, by which the sum of the net resale proceeds plus an amount equal to 2.0% of the agreed value of the vehicle, multiplied by the number of months (not to exceed 50 months) for which monthly rents for the ■vehicle shall have been paid, exceeds the agreed value of the vehicle. If such sum is less than the agreed value of the vehicle, the Lessee shall promptly pay all of ■such deficiency to the Lessor as additional rent. The Lessor shall determine such refunds or deficiencies in respect of vehicles sold and shall render statements therefor to the Lessee. Net resale proceeds shall be the net amount after deduction for all expenses incurred in connection with such sale.”

The court’s findings of fact numbered 3, 6 and 7 are as follows:

“3. The total rental charges for the thirty-six (36) months period amounted to $14,705.28. Defendants paid rental charges of $8122.93, plus $360.00 advanced rentals or a total of $8482.93, leaving a balance owing on the rental charges of $6222.35.
“6. Two per cent (2%) of the agreed value of the equipment times the number •of months for which monthly payments .shall have been paid, plus the net resale proceeds, exceeds the agreed value of the equipment by $3356.00.
•(.02 x 14800 x 36 + 7500 - 14800 = .$3356.00)
“7. The amount owed by defendants on the unpaid rental charges less the excess found in Finding Number 6 leaves a balance of $2866.35 owed by defendants.”

Defendants have divided their argument •sunder this point into two parts. The substance of the first part is that plaintiff, by refusing the offer of $7,500.00 in August, 1965, made an election under § 50A-9-505(2), N.M.S.A.1953 (Repl. Vol. 8, pt. 1, 1962) to retain the eqitipment in lieu of the unpaid rents and any indebtedness owing pursuant to Paragraph 4 of the Schedule.

Defendants must fail because they at no time asserted this position in the trial court, they requested no findings or conclusions in support of this position, and the position is inconsistent with their above quoted requested findings 8 and 9 and the trial court’s findings which are not attacked. See Western Farm Bureau Mutual Ins. Co. v. Barela, 79 N.M. 149, 441 P.2d 47 (1968); Hamilton v. Woodward, 78 N.M. 633, 436 P.2d 106 (1968); Wynne v. Pino, 78 N.M. 520, 433 P.2d 499 (1967).

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Related

Western Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance v. Barela
441 P.2d 47 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1968)
Hamilton v. Woodward
436 P.2d 106 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1968)
Tsosie v. Foundation Reserve Insurance Company
427 P.2d 29 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1967)
Wynne v. Pino
433 P.2d 499 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1967)
Clark v. Foremost Insurance Co.
458 P.2d 836 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 1969)
Springer Corporation v. American Leasing Company
459 P.2d 135 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1969)
Foremost Foods Co. v. Slade
459 P.2d 457 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1969)
Ed Black's Chevrolet Center, Inc. v. Melichar
471 P.2d 172 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1970)

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Bluebook (online)
486 P.2d 62, 82 N.M. 653, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bennett-leasing-co-v-clifton-nm-1971.