Brumley v. Mallard, L.L.C.

575 S.E.2d 35, 154 N.C. App. 563, 2002 N.C. App. LEXIS 1513
CourtCourt of Appeals of North Carolina
DecidedDecember 17, 2002
DocketNo. COA01-1060
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 575 S.E.2d 35 (Brumley v. Mallard, L.L.C.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brumley v. Mallard, L.L.C., 575 S.E.2d 35, 154 N.C. App. 563, 2002 N.C. App. LEXIS 1513 (N.C. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinions

EAGLES, Chief Judge.

Mallard, L.L.C., and Bonn A. Gilbert, Jr., (“defendants”) appeal from the trial court’s granting of summary judgment in favor of A. Neal Brumley (“plaintiff’) and award of $150,000 plus interest and attorneys’ fees. On appeal, defendants have two assignments of error: (1) that the trial court erred in granting plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment; and (2) that the trial court erred in denying defendants’ motion for summary judgment. We discern no error and affirm.

The evidence tends to show the following. Plaintiff is the executor of the estate of William Dellinger. The estate owned two tracts of land. As executor, plaintiff contracted on 6 May 1996 with Bonn Gilbert (“Gilbert”) to sell the two parcels of land. The total purchase price was $532,000; $354,666 of the purchase price was to be a promissory note secured by a purchase money deed of trust.

At the property closing on 31 December 1996, plaintiff was informed that Gilbert intended for plaintiff to convey the land to Mallard, L.L.C. (“Mallard”) instead of conveying it to Gilbert personally. Mallard’s articles of incorporation were filed in the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office on 31 December 1996 as well. Plaintiff refused to convey land to Mallard unless the security instruments were amended to show they were “for consideration” instead of “purchase money” and unless Gilbert personally guaranteed the obligations. Gilbert’s attorney, Jameson Wells, prepared the documents according to those specifications.

[565]*565This action only involves the sale of Parcel II. The purchase price was financed by a promissory note in the amount of $150,000. Mallard defaulted on payment of the note. Plaintiff began this action on 7 July 2000 against Mallard as the maker and Gilbert as the guarantor of the note. Defendants allege that the note is a purchase money note and plaintiff’s action is barred by the anti-deficiency statute. Defendants alternatively allege that they are entitled to indemnification, if the note is not a purchase money note. Defendants also allege there is a lack of consideration.

The parties’ motions for summary judgment were heard in Mecklenburg County Superior Court on 30 April 2001. The trial court granted plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment and denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment. The trial court ordered that plaintiff recover $150,000 plus interest. Defendants appeal.

I

On appeal, defendants argue that the trial court erred by granting plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment. Defendants’ argument is based on its contention that the promissory note here was a purchase money note. We disagree.

Summary judgment is appropriate when the only issues to.be decided are issues of law. Mortgage Co. v. Real Estate, Inc., 39 N.C. App. 1, 4, 249 S.E.2d 727, 729, aff'd, 297 N.C. 696, 256 S.E.2d 688 (1978). Here, the only issues contested are questions of law, namely the applicability of the anti-deficiency statute. The anti-deficiency statute reads:

In all sales of real property by mortgagees and/or trustees under powers of sale contained in any mortgage or deed of trust executed after February 6, 1933, or where judgment or decree is given for the foreclosure of any mortgage executed after February 6, 1933, to secure to the seller the payment of the balance of the purchase price of real property, the mortgagee or trustee or holder of the notes secured by such mortgage or deed of trust shall not be entitled to a deficiency judgment on account of such mortgage, deed of trust, or obligation secured by the same: Provided, said evidence of indebtedness shows upon the face that it is for balance of purchase money for real estate.

G.S. § 45-21.38 (2001). This section of the anti-deficiency statute is only applicable if the “evidence of indebtedness” indicates on its face that it is a purchase-money transaction.

[566]*566Here, the promissory note states that it was “given for consideration,” while the offer to purchase and contract state that the note was to be “secured by purchase money deed of trust.” Defendants allege that the phrase “evidence of indebtedness” includes all documents surrounding the sale of the property. We disagree. Here, neither the deed of trust nor the promissory note contain any language indicating that they are purchase money instruments. Accordingly, the anti-deficiency statute cannot be applied to bar plaintiffs suit against defendants.

The phrase “evidence of the indebtedness” in G.S. § 45-21.38 refers only to the promissory note and the deed of trust. Gambill v. Bare, 32 N.C. App. 597, 598, 232 S.E.2d 870, 870, disc. rev. denied, 292 N.C. 640, 235 S.E.2d 61 (1977). If there is no indication on the face of the promissory note or deed of trust that “the indebtedness is for the balance of purchase money,” the anti-deficiency statute cannot be applied by implication. Gambill, 32 N.C. App. at 598, 232 S.E.2d at 870; see also Merritt v. Edwards Ridge, 323 N.C. 330, 372 S.E.2d 559 (1988); In re Foreclosure of Fuller, 94 N.C. App. 207, 380 S.E.2d 120, disc. rev. denied, 325 N.C. 271, 384 S.E.2d 515 (1989); Bigley v. Lombardo, 90 N.C. App. 79, 367 S.E.2d 389 (1988). If there is language in the promissory note that denominates the transaction which does not appear in the deed of trust, the deed of trust is deemed to include the same language as the note. See Bank v. Belk, 41 N.C. App. 356, 365, 255 S.E.2d 421, 427, disc. rev. denied, 298 N.C. 293, 259 S.E.2d 911 (1979).

In Green Park Inn, Inc. v. Moore, 149 N.C. App. 531, 562 S.E.2d 53 (2002), this Court did not apply the anti-deficiency statute to a long-term lease followed by an option to purchase. “We hold that the Anti-Deficiency Statute does not apply to this transaction, in which there is neither an instrument of debt nor a securing instrument stating on its face that the transaction is a purchase money mortgage.” Moore, 149 N.C. App. at 537, 562 S.E.2d at 57-58. Accordingly, this assignment of error fails.

II

Defendants alternatively allege that plaintiff must indemnify them for any loss as a result of the transaction because the promissory note was prepared under the supervision of plaintiff as seller. Defendants argue plaintiff’s insistence that the words “purchase money” be removed from the promissory note before the sale, cou[567]*567pled with the addition of Gilbert as guarantor, created a responsibility to indemnify them according to G.S. § 45-21.38. We disagree.

Defendants rely on a portion of the anti-deficiency statute that reads, in pertinent part:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

NRC Golf Course, LLC v. JMR Golf, LLC
731 S.E.2d 474 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
575 S.E.2d 35, 154 N.C. App. 563, 2002 N.C. App. LEXIS 1513, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brumley-v-mallard-llc-ncctapp-2002.