Dickens v. Calhoun First National Bank

398 S.E.2d 814, 197 Ga. App. 517
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedNovember 7, 1990
DocketA90A1255, A90A1402
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 398 S.E.2d 814 (Dickens v. Calhoun First National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dickens v. Calhoun First National Bank, 398 S.E.2d 814, 197 Ga. App. 517 (Ga. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinions

McMurray, Presiding Judge.

A previous lawsuit between these parties was considered by this court in Dickens v. Calhoun First Nat. Bank, 189 Ga. App. 798 (377 SE2d 715). Although that lawsuit and this action arose from the same set of facts, the issues are different.

On June 24, 1985, Robert Lee Dickens and Rebecca T. Dickens executed a 90-day note and deed to secure debt in favor of The Calhoun First National Bank. The note had a face amount of $206,755.77. It was secured by approximately 65 acres of land. On September 22, 1985, the note was extended for an additional 90 days. On November 11, 1985, Robert Lee Dickens transferred his interest in the property to Rebecca H. Trotter Dickens by warranty deed. The deed was recorded on November 13, 1985. Subsequently, on December 22, 1985, the Dickenses defaulted.

On April 2, 1986, the bank sent notice of the default and of the bank’s intention to seek attorney fees if the indebtedness was not paid in ten days. The letter giving the notice was sent by certified [518]*518mail to Robert Lee Dickens and accepted by an agent for the Dickenses’ business. In pertinent part, the notice reads: “You are hereby notified that your loan with The Calhoun First National Bank is in default. The note contains a provision for the payment of reasonable attorney’s fees, and pursuant to Section 13-1-11 of the Code of Georgia, you are hereby notified that the provision relative to the payment of attorney’s fees as set out in the note in addition to the principal and interest shall be enforced, and that you have ten (10) days from the receipt of this notice to pay the entire principal balance without having to pay the attorney’s fees (15 percent), except fees and expenses incurred as of this date by reason of default.”

On the first Tuesday in May 1986, the Dickenses’ property was sold at public sale and purchased by the bank for $254,000. That amount consisted of the outstanding indebtedness, plus 15 percent attorney fees ($32,590.06) as provided in the note.

On October 14, 1988, the Dickenses brought this lawsuit seeking the difference between the foreclosure sale price and the principal and interest indebtedness. They alleged that the bank failed to account for the surplus funds, retained the funds in violation of OCGA § 16-8-4, and refused to pay the surplus to subordinate creditors as required by OCGA § 44-14-190. They sought an accounting and judgment in the amount of the surplus plus interest, attorney fees and costs.

Answering the complaint, the bank denied that it owed the Dickenses any of the foreclosure funds or that they were due an accounting. Via a request for admissions the bank sought and obtained admissions that six outstanding subordinate liens on the property, totalling some $120,000, had not been paid.

The bank moved for summary judgment. In response, the Dickenses argued that language in the note agreeing “to pay the costs you incur to collect this Note in the event of any default, including your attorney’s fees of 15% of principal and interest” should be construed as an agreement by the Dickenses to be liable only for the expenses actually incurred upon the foreclosure sale. They also argued that the notice letter sent pursuant to OCGA § 13-1-11 was defective in that it was addressed to Robert Lee Dickens and not to the property’s owner, Rebecca T. Dickens.

Subsequently, on June 14, 1989, after the time for responding to the motion for summary judgment had expired, the Dickenses amended their complaint to assert that Rebecca T. Dickens was the sole owner of the foreclosed property and that, since she had received no notice of the sale under OCGA §§ 44-14-162 and 44-14-162.2, the foreclosure sale was void. Thereafter, on June 29, 1989, the Dickenses filed a cross-motion for partial summary judgment, alleging wrongful foreclosure. Responding to the cross-motion, the bank denied that [519]*519OCGA § 44-14-162.2 was controlling, arguing that that Code section was inapplicable since the Dickenses submitted no proof that their property was used for residential purposes.

After considering the parties’ respective summary judgment motions, the trial court awarded Rebecca Dickens $16,295.03, or one-half of the attorney fees paid to the bank, finding that the bank did not give her notice of its intent to collect attorney fees as required by OCGA § 13-1-11. With regard to the notification requirement of OCGA § 44-14-162.2, the court ruled in favor of the bank because there was no evidence showing that the secured property was used as the Dickenses’ dwelling place. The court further found that because the note specified that the Dickenses were liable for attorney fees equal to 15 percent of the principal and interest, the bank was entitled to that amount, even though the actual cost of the legal services which the bank incurred might have been less. Accordingly, the trial court granted the bank’s motion for summary judgment, except for the award of $16,295.03 attorney fees (which was Vz of the total attorney fees), plus interest, to Rebecca Dickens out of the surplus funds since she was not given notice under OCGA § 13-1-11, and the court denied the Dickenses’ cross-motion for summary judgment. Held:

1. In the main appeal, the Dickenses contend that summary judgment in the bank’s favor and the denial of their cross-motion for summary judgment on the issue of the bank’s liability for wrongful foreclosure was in error because the bank sold her home without giving Rebecca Dickens the notice required by OCGA §§ 44-14-162 and 44-14-162.1 through 44-14-162.4.

Those Code sections require that no sale of real estate on foreclosure shall be valid unless notice of the sale has been given the debtor; “debtor” is defined as “the grantor of the mortgage, security deed, or other lien contract. In the event the property encumbered by the mortgage, security deed, or lien contract has been transferred or conveyed by the original debtor, the term ‘debtor’ shall mean the current owner of the property encumbered by the debt, if the identity of such owner has been made known to and acknowledged by the secured creditor prior to the time the secured creditor is required to give notice pursuant to Code Section 44-14-162.2.” OCGA § 44-14-162.1.

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Related

Dickens v. Calhoun First National Bank
448 S.E.2d 237 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1994)
Ray v. Atkins
421 S.E.2d 317 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1992)

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Bluebook (online)
398 S.E.2d 814, 197 Ga. App. 517, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dickens-v-calhoun-first-national-bank-gactapp-1990.