DOUGLAS NIEMUTH, and CAROL NIEMUTH, Respondents/Cross-Appellants v. DONALD GASTON, and ROUNDCOUNT RANCH, LLC, Appellants/Respondents

CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 2, 2024
DocketSD37950 & SD38028 (Consolidated)
StatusPublished

This text of DOUGLAS NIEMUTH, and CAROL NIEMUTH, Respondents/Cross-Appellants v. DONALD GASTON, and ROUNDCOUNT RANCH, LLC, Appellants/Respondents (DOUGLAS NIEMUTH, and CAROL NIEMUTH, Respondents/Cross-Appellants v. DONALD GASTON, and ROUNDCOUNT RANCH, LLC, Appellants/Respondents) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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DOUGLAS NIEMUTH, and CAROL NIEMUTH, Respondents/Cross-Appellants v. DONALD GASTON, and ROUNDCOUNT RANCH, LLC, Appellants/Respondents, (Mo. Ct. App. 2024).

Opinion

In Division

DOUGLAS NIEMUTH, and ) CAROL NIEMUTH, ) ) Respondents/Cross-Appellants, ) Nos. SD37950 and SD38028 ) CONSOLIDATED v. ) ) Filed: April 2, 2024 DONALD GASTON, and ) ROUNDCOUNT RANCH, LLC, ) ) Appellants/Respondents. )

APPEAL FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF IRON COUNTY

Honorable Megan K. Seay, Judge

REVERSED AND REMANDED WITH INSTRUCTIONS

Donald Gaston ("Gaston") and Roundcount Ranch, LLC ("Roundcount") appeal from the

trial court's grant of summary judgment in favor of Douglas and Carol Niemuth (collectively,

"the Niemuths") on their claims for a declaratory judgment and breach of contract and denial of

Gaston and Roundcount's motions for summary judgment on their claims for declaratory

judgment. In its judgment, the trial court found the Niemuths were entitled to judgment as a

matter of law on their claims because the right-of-first-refusal ("ROFR") provision in the real

estate contract between Gaston and the Niemuths "allowed for [the Niemuths] to match the

purchase price offer per acre, with like terms, pursuant to the May 14, 2021 sales contract

entered into between [Gaston] and [Roundcount] for any portion or all of the 190 acres specifically identified in the right of first refusal." It also ordered Gaston to sell the "97.3 acres

to [the Niemuths] as specified by [the Niemuths[.]"

Gaston and Roundcount appeal from that judgment in two points. In point 1, Gaston

and Roundcount argue the trial court erred in granting the Niemuths' motion for summary

judgment and denying Gaston and Roundcount's motions, because the Niemuths failed to

demonstrate they were entitled to judgment as a matter of law in that the ROFR agreement

required them to match the terms of Roundcount's offer to purchase the entire 190-acre tract,

which they did not do. We agree. Because the ROFR required the Niemuths to match the terms

of Roundcount's bona fide offer, which included the term that the offer was to purchase the

entire 190-acre tract, the Niemuths were not entitled to judgment as a matter of law. 1 The trial

court's judgment is reversed.

Standard of Review

Our review of the trial court's decision to grant summary judgment is de novo. Green v.

Fotoohighiam, 606 S.W.3d 113, 115 (Mo. banc 2020). "Our de novo standard of review means

that we look at the summary judgment issues presented on appeal as the trial court should have

initially under Rule 74.04, and we give no deference to the trial court's ruling."2 Great

Southern Bank v. Blue Chalk Constr., LLC, 497 S.W.3d 825, 834 (Mo. App. S.D. 2016).

We review the record in the light most favorable to the party against whom summary judgment

was entered, and that party is entitled to the benefit of all reasonable inferences from the record.

Green, 606 S.W.3d at 116.

"Summary judgment practice in Missouri is governed by Rule 74.04 and [the Supreme

Court of Missouri's] decision in ITT Commercial Fin. Corp. v. Mid-Am. Marine Supply

1 In point 2, Gaston and Roundcount argue the trial court erred in granting the Niemuths' motion for

summary judgment and denying Gaston and Roundcount's motions, because the Niemuths' waived their ROFR, in that the Niemuths' response constituted a counteroffer, and therefore, constituted a rejection of the offer. Because our resolution of point 1 is dispositive of Gaston and Roundcount's point 2, we need not address that point. 2 All rule references are to Missouri Court Rules 2023.

2 Corp., 854 S.W.2d 371 (Mo. banc 1993)." Green, 606 S.W.3d at 116. "Summary judgment is

proper only if the moving party establishes that there is no genuine issue of material fact and

that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Templeton v. Orth, SC 100089,

2024 WL 340946, at *2 (Mo. Jan. 30, 2024).

"Ordinarily, the denial of a motion for summary judgment will not be reviewed on appeal." Grissom v. First Nat'l Ins. Agency, 371 S.W.3d 869, 879 (Mo. App. S.D. 2012). "Where, however, the material facts are undisputed and the merits of the denied cross-motion for summary judgment are inextricably intertwined with the issues raised in the granted motion for summary judgment, the merits of the denial of the cross-motion may be reviewed on appeal." Farmer's Ins. Co. v. Wilson, 424 S.W.3d 487, 491 n.4 (Mo. App. S.D. 2014).

Boone Cnty. Fire Prot. Dist. v. City of Columbia, 638 S.W.3d 555, 558 (Mo. App. W.D.

2021) (quoting Behrick v. Konert Farms Homeowners' Ass'n, 601 S.W.3d 567, 573 (Mo.

App. E.D. 2020)). Because the material facts are undisputed and the merits of Gaston and

Roundcount's denied cross-motions for summary judgment are inextricably intertwined with

the issues raised in the Niemuths' granted motion for summary judgment, we also review the

merits of the denial of Gaston and Roundcount's motions for summary judgment.

Factual and Procedural Background

The parties do not dispute the facts of the case; they only argue the application of the

law. In 2012, Gaston and the Niemuths entered into a real estate contract which granted the

Niemuths a ROFR to purchase "any portion or all of [Gaston's] remaining land according to the

bonefide [sic] offer[.]" The parties agreed the term "remaining land" referred to a 190-acre tract

owned by Gaston. The ROFR provided:

5. [The Niemuths] shall have the right of first refusal to purchase any portion or all of [Gaston's] remaining land according to the bonefide [sic] offer received by [Gaston] from a bonefide [sic] purchaser for value. This right of first refusal shall be in full force and effect until [Gaston] sells all of [his] remaining land to a bonefide [sic] purchaser for value and [the Niemuths] [have] had the opportunity to exercise this right of first refusal as to every part and parcel of [Gaston's] remaining land.

A. [Gaston] shall notify [the Niemuths] in writing of the receipt of a bonefide [sic] offer to purchase all or a portion of [Gaston's] remaining land. [Gaston] shall make the notification in writing and include a copy of such bonefide [sic] 3 offer, either by copy of said offer, or if the offer is verbal, by a transcription in writing of the terms and conditions of said verbal offer. The notification shall be give[n] to [the Niemuths] within 15 days after receipt of said offer.

B. [The Niemuths] shall have 15 days to exercise the right of first refusal to purchase in writing to [Gaston] within 15 days after the date of receipt of written notification from [Gaston]. . . .

C. The procedure set forth in the previous paragraphs 5A and 5B shall be repeated until [Gaston] has sold all of his remaining land to either purchaser for value or to [the Niemuths], as the case may be.

In May 2021, Gaston received an offer (the "first offer") from Roundcount to purchase

approximately 508 acres of Gaston's land, which included the entire 190-acre tract which was

subject to the ROFR, for a total price of $1,800,000.00. Gaston timely notified the Niemuths of

the first offer and enclosed the terms of the sale.

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DOUGLAS NIEMUTH, and CAROL NIEMUTH, Respondents/Cross-Appellants v. DONALD GASTON, and ROUNDCOUNT RANCH, LLC, Appellants/Respondents, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/douglas-niemuth-and-carol-niemuth-respondentscross-appellants-v-donald-moctapp-2024.