Eriksen v. Fisher

421 N.W.2d 193, 166 Mich. App. 439
CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 17, 1988
DocketDocket 83514, 87026
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 421 N.W.2d 193 (Eriksen v. Fisher) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eriksen v. Fisher, 421 N.W.2d 193, 166 Mich. App. 439 (Mich. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinions

Hood, P.J.

On February 15, 1985, after a bench trial in the Cheboygan Circuit Court, the court entered judgment in favor of defendants dismissing plaintiffs’ complaint and holding that a mortgage note executed by the parties was not usurious. On August 1, 1985, the court entered an order [442]*442awarding $693 in actual costs to defendant Towner for his costs associated with challenging a lis pendens filed by plaintiffs. Plaintiffs appeal as of right from both orders, and the appeals were consolidated by this Court.

Plaintiffs were the owners of an undivided one-half interest in a parcel of real property located in Nunda Township, Cheboygan County. The property was used as a hunting camp and was known to plaintiffs as the "deer property.” Defendant Fisher was the owner of the other undivided one-half interest in the property. On August 30, 1976, plaintiffs, who were indebted to defendant Towner (hereinafter defendant), executed a mortgage in the amount of $50,000 in favor of defendant on the deer property. The mortgage provided for payment of interest at a rate of ten percent per annum while plaintiffs were not in default. The mortgage stated that if plaintiffs were in default in making payment for a period of thirty days, the interest rate would increase to twelve percent per annum from the time of the default until all sums in default were fully paid. Plaintiffs executed a second mortgage for $25,000; this mortgage note is not at issue in this appeal.

Plaintiffs’ last payment on the mortgage notes before defaulting was made on January 19, 1981. On September 16, 1983, defendant began foreclosure on the mortgages by way of advertising and recording a notice of mortgage sale. The sale was conducted on October 21, 1983, and the plaintiffs’ interest in the property was bought by defendant. A sheriff’s deed on the undivided one-half interest was executed to defendant. On October 18, 1984, three days before the expiration of the one-year redemption period, plaintiffs filed a complaint in the circuit court. In the complaint, plaintiffs claimed inter alia that the twelve percent interest [443]*443rate on the mortgage was usurious and, therefore, that interest collected by defendant should be applied to a reduction of the principal.

On December 17, 1984, defendant filed a motion for summary judgment pursuant to GCR 1963, 117.2(1) and (3), now MCR 2.116(C)(8) and (10). In an order dated January 15, 1985, the trial court granted summary judgment to defendant as to plaintiffs’ claim of usury; the trial court found that the twelve percent interest rate provided for in the August 30, 1976, mortgage was not a finance charge, but rather a late charge, and therefore was not violative of Michigan law. After plaintiffs’ remaining claims challenging the foreclosure were brought to trial, the court entered judgment for defendants on all of plaintiffs’ claims. In the judgment, the court reaffirmed its grant of summary judgment for defendant on the usury claim. On March 7, 1985, plaintiffs appealed to this Court. On March 15, plaintiffs filed in the trial court a motion to stay the execution of the judgment and the running of the period of redemption. On April 19, 1985, the trial court ordered that plaintiffs be granted a temporary stay expiring on April 17, 1985, unless a $105,000 surety bond was posted by plaintiffs.

In the meantime, on April 2, 1985, plaintiffs filed a notice of lis pendens in this Court regarding the deer property. The notice advised the public of litigation pending in this Court concerning the property. On May 20, 1985, defendant made a motion in the trial court for removal of the lis pendens and for the imposition of sanctions arising from its filing. A hearing on the motion was conducted on May 28, 1985. Following arguments of counsel, the trial court ruled that plaintiffs would be ordered to terminate the lis pendens and to take no other action to cloud defendant’s title. [444]*444In making this ruling, the trial court noted that plaintiffs had not attempted to redeem the property and had not filed the stay bond. The court stated that it believed the lis pendens was filed in order to subvert the trial court’s order regarding the stay bond. The court ruled that it would order the plaintiffs and plaintiffs’ attorney to pay the actual costs incurred by defendant as a result of the lis pendens. An order conforming with the court’s rulings was entered on May 28, 1985. On August 1, 1985, the court entered an order awarding $693 in actual costs to defendant. Plaintiffs filed a timely appeal as of right from this order.

On appeal, plaintiffs first claim that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment to defendant and dismissing their claim that the August 30, 1976, mortgage note violated Michigan’s usury statute, MCL 438.31 et seq.; MSA 19.15(1) et seq. Defendant’s motion for summary judgment was made pursuant to GCR 1963, 117.2(1), failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, and GCR 1963, 117.2(3), no genuine issue as to any material fact. Because the trial court, in granting the motion, considered the documentary evidence before it, i.e., the August 30, 1976, mortgage, as well as the pleadings, it is apparent that the court granted summary judgment based upon GCR 1963, 117.3, now MCR 2.116(0(10).

A motion for summary judgment under GCR 1963, 117.2(3) tests whether there is factual support for a claim. The court must consider the pleadings, affidavits, depositions, admissions, and other documentary evidence available to it. Giving the benefit of the doubt to the nonmoving party, the court must determine whether any genuine issue of disputed fact exists. If there is no genuine issue as to any disputed fact and the moving party [445]*445is entitled to judgment as a matter of law, the motion should be granted. Ambro v American National Bank & Trust Co of Michigan, 152 Mich App 613, 620; 394 NW2d 46 (1986); Linebaugh v Berdish, 144 Mich App 750, 754; 376 NW2d 400 (1985). The parties in the instant case are in agreement as to the provisions of the August 30, 1976, mortgage; their only dispute is whether the mortgage note is usurious as a matter of law. Therefore, there is no genuine issue of a material fact. Thus, if the mortgage was not usurious as a matter of law and defendant was entitled to judgment, the trial court properly granted summary judgment.

The mortgage note contained the following language:

. . . with interest from date hereof at the rate of ten per cent per annum while the mortgagor is not in default in making the payments herein provided, and if in default in making such payments for a period of thirty days, then at the rate of 12% per annum from the time of such default until all sums in default are fully paid.

MCL 438.31; MSA 19.15(1) contains the general provision as to the interest rate legally permissible in Michigan. It provides in pertinent part:

The interest of money shall be at the rate of $5.00 upon $100.00 for a year, and at the same rate for a greater or less sum, and for a longer or shorter time, except that in all cases it shall be lawful for the parties to stipulate in writing for the payment of any rate of interest, not exceeding 7% per annum.

MCL 438.31c; MSA 19.15(lc) sets forth exceptions to this general usury provision, including [446]*446exceptions with regard to indebtedness secured by a lien against real property. The subsections pertinent to this case are as follows:

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Eriksen v. Fisher
421 N.W.2d 193 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
421 N.W.2d 193, 166 Mich. App. 439, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eriksen-v-fisher-michctapp-1988.