Elton, Inc. v. United States, Farmers Home Administration (In re Boswell Land & Livestock, Inc.)

86 B.R. 665, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5260
CourtDistrict Court, D. Utah
DecidedApril 14, 1988
DocketNos. 82C-0991, 82C-1991; Adv. No. 85 PC 0777; No. 87-C-0270S
StatusPublished

This text of 86 B.R. 665 (Elton, Inc. v. United States, Farmers Home Administration (In re Boswell Land & Livestock, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Elton, Inc. v. United States, Farmers Home Administration (In re Boswell Land & Livestock, Inc.), 86 B.R. 665, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5260 (D. Utah 1988).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION

SAM, District Judge.

This action is before the court on appeal from the bankruptcy court’s order granting the appellant’s motion for summary judgment regarding the application of the doctrine of inverse order of alienation to the determination of the order of sale of five parcels of real property. Elton, Inc. (Elton) appears on brief as the appellant. The United States of America; Farmers Home Administration (FHA); E. Lee Hawkes, in his capacity as Utah State Director of FHA; Boswell Land & Livestock, Inc.; William G. Boswell; Mary Lee Boswell and Kenneth Rushton, Trustee, appear on brief as the appellees.

I. Historical facts

On March 23, 1976, Boswell Land obtained a loan from Zions First National Bank in the sum of $120,000, which was secured by a trust deed encumbering five parcels of land located in Goshen, Utah. One year later, Elton purchased Parcel 1 and other Boswell Land property not encumbered in the trust deed for $389,000. The Earnest Money Receipt involved in the transaction provided: “All ... mortgages ... and other liens, encumbrances or charges against the property of any nature shall be paid by the seller, except: no exceptions.” It also contained the handwritten notation: “Buyer sells subject to — Subject to Exhibit_ (unreadable).” The parties agree the words “subject to” indicate the parcel was sold subject to Zions’ lien. Boswell Land and Elton also signed a Uniform Real Estate Contract (UREC) dated June 1, 1977 that stated Elton would purchase the property for $389,000 payable directly to Boswell Land with a down payment of $15,000 and the balance payable in monthly installments. The UREC also: 1) notified Elton of the Zions obligation, and 2) provided that on completion of the payment schedule, Boswell Land would deliver Elton a warranty deed free and clear of all encumbrances except those mentioned in the UREC.1 Boswell Land covenanted in the UREC that it would not default in the payment of its obligations against the property. On the same day, Boswell Land placed in escrow for Elton a Warranty Deed conveying all the properties described in the UREC. No liens or encumbrances were mentioned in the deed. Six days later, Elton filed at the County Recorder’s Office a Notice of Interest in Real Property-

Elton made all payments to Boswell Land as provided under the contract, and Boswell Land continued to pay Zions to the extent possible. Two years after the purchase, on March 27, 1979, Boswell Land borrowed $100,000 from FHA which was secured with a trust deed encumbering the same five parcels serving as security for the Zions loan. At the time the loan was made, FHA was not aware of Elton’s interest in Parcel 1.

Elton alleges that in 1980, it completed payment to Boswell Land of the full $389,-000 purchase price. On July 10, 1980, the [667]*667Warranty Deed covering Parcel 1 was released from escrow and recorded. Elton never received notice of the FHA trust deed, and only learned of it two years later when Boswell Land filed bankruptcy. Although FHA received notice of Elton’s ownership in Parcel 1, it never directed or requested Elton to pay FHA any payments owing Boswell Land under the UREC.

On August 11,1982, after Elton had completely purchased Parcel 1, Boswell Land filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, listing Parcel 1 as one of the properties it owned. In late 1984, the Trustee of the Boswell Land Bankruptcy estate gave notice he intended to sell Parcels 1 through 5 securing the Zions trust deed, and apply the proceeds toward payment of the Zions’ lien. Elton successfully objected to the sale of Parcel 1 on the basis that Boswell Land had no interest in it. The Trustee deleted Parcel 1 from the proposed sale, and scheduled a sale of Parcels 2 through 5 with the proceeds of the sale to be first applied toward payment of the Zions trust deed. FHA purchased an assignment of the Zions trust deed, knowing at the time of purchase about Elton’s claim in Parcel 1. Later, FHA obtained a stipulated delay of the Trustee’s sale of Parcels 2 through 5. On June 28,1985, FHA gave notice of a Trustee’s sale foreclosing the Zions trust deed pending the foreclosure sale of Parcel 1.

II. Procedural facts

Elton commenced this action in July, 1985, seeking a determination that, under the doctrine of inverse order of alienation, FHA is required to sell Parcels 2 through 5 (still owned by Boswell Land) to satisfy Boswell Land’s indebtedness under the Zions trust deed, before selling Parcel 1 which also serves as security for the loan. Elton also sought a determination that the trust deed received by FHA was void as to Parcel 1. In January 1986, the bankruptcy court declared the FHA trust deed void as to Parcel 1 because Boswell Land had no interest in the parcel; however, it denied applicability of the inverse order of alienation. The court reasoned that although the warranty deed given by Boswell Land to Elton did not except the Zions trust deed, the court could look at parole evidence to ascertain the real consideration given by Elton to Boswell Land for Parcel 1. The court then determined, based solely on the provisions of the UREC (specifically paragraphs 6 and 19), that “part of the consideration given by the plaintiff [Elton] was to take Parcel 1 and other property not involved in this action, subject to Zions’ lien.” In re Boswell Land & Livestock, Inc., No. 185PC-0777, slip op. at 7 (Bankr.D.Utah Dec. 9, 1986).

At the hearing to clarify the bankruptcy court’s ruling, the court agreed Elton did not have any responsibility for payment of the Zions trust deed, and Boswell Land was fully responsible for payment of the trust deed. The basis for the court’s ruling is simply that the UREC disclosed the existence of the Zions trust deed, so Elton could have protected itself from paying Boswell Land the full purchase price without the Zions trust deed being paid. From the bench, the court stated,

Elton had a contract that allowed Elton to protect itself because Boswell was required at all times to keep its debt on the property equal to or less than Elton’s debt to Boswell. So when they reached that point, Elton could have refused to pay Boswell and instead paid off the [Zions] mortgage.

Tr. 14, 15.

On appeal, Elton asserts the bankruptcy court erred because the fact relevant to application of the doctrine of inverse order of alienation is not whether Elton knew about the Zions trust deed, but rather, whether it assumed any obligation to pay it or whether his assumption of the encumbrance was part of the consideration given for the purchase. Elton further asserts that under Utah Code Ann. § 57-1-27, it is entitled to direct the order of sale because the statute allows the trustor or his successor in interest to direct the order of sale of several parcels encumbered by a trust deed. The trustor is Boswell Land, and Elton is its successor in interest, and since Boswell Land doesn’t care which parcel is sold first, Elton should be able to direct the order of the sale.

[668]*668FHA counters that inclusion in the Earnest Money Receipt of the language, “subject to” and the UREC reference to an encumbrance are sufficient to avoid application of the doctrine of inverse order of alienation.

III. Applicability of Utah Code Ann.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
86 B.R. 665, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5260, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/elton-inc-v-united-states-farmers-home-administration-in-re-boswell-utd-1988.