First Western Federal Savings Bank v. Lence

839 P.2d 1277, 255 Mont. 7, 49 State Rptr. 857, 1992 Mont. LEXIS 272
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 29, 1992
Docket92-187
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 839 P.2d 1277 (First Western Federal Savings Bank v. Lence) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
First Western Federal Savings Bank v. Lence, 839 P.2d 1277, 255 Mont. 7, 49 State Rptr. 857, 1992 Mont. LEXIS 272 (Mo. 1992).

Opinion

JUSTICE GRAY

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

John A. Lence appeals from the Judgment and Decree of Foreclosure entered following a grant of summary judgment in favor of First Western Federal Savings Bank by the Nineteenth Judicial District Court, Lincoln County. We affirm.

We address the following issues:

1. Did the District Court err in designating its Judgment and Decree of Foreclosure a final judgment?

2. Did the District Court err in concluding that a deficiency judgment is available following judicial foreclosure of a deed of trust securing a condominium not utilized as a primary residence?

3. Did the District Court err in refusing to delay a sheriffs sale and determination of fair market value of the property in question pending the outcome of separate litigation?

The basic facts of this case are notin dispute. On January 31,1984, appellant John A. Lence (Lence) signed and delivered to Montana Savings and Loan Association an adjustable rate promissory note (note). Payment of the obligation evidenced by the note was secured by a deed of trust signed by Lence, with Montana Savings and Loan *9 Association as beneficiary. The deed of trust describes the property as “Unit No. 21 of Crystal Lakes Condominiums Club House Units” (the condominium). Respondent First Western Federal Savings Bank (First Western) is the successor in interest to Montana Savings and Loan Association and is the present owner and holder of the note and deed of trust.

Lence purchased the condominium as a secondary residence; his primary residence was in Whitefish, Montana. He lived at the condominium during the summers from 1977 until approximately 1985. Lence sold the property on February 1, 1986, and repossessed it on December 22,1989. Since the repossession, he has rented the property on an intermittent basis. The property is the subject of federal district court litigation by Lence and other Crystal Lakes property owners for the right to use facilities at Crystal Lakes Resort.

Lence defaulted on the note by failing to pay the monthly installments due on December 1, 1989, and on the first day of each month thereafter. The outstanding amount owed as of December 10, 1990, is $55,971.38, plus interest at a variable rate on the principal balance.

First Western brought suit against Lence to foreclose the note and deed of trust relating to the condominium and subsequently moved for summary judgment. The District Court found the undisputed facts to be essentially those stated above and granted summary judgment, concluding that First Western was entitled to judgment for the amounts owing and to have its deed of trust foreclosed judicially as provided by law. In addition, the court concluded that a deficiency judgment would be available to First Western in the event the sheriff’s sale did not net sufficient funds to satisfy the debt. The deficiency judgment would be the difference between the fair market value of the property at the time of sale and the amount of the debt; a hearing would be held for the purpose of determining the fair market value at that time. Lence appeals from the final judgment and decree of foreclosure entered March 3, 1992.

1. Did the District Court err in designating its Judgment and Decree of Foreclosure a final judgment?

The District Court entered its Judgment and Decree of Foreclosure on March 3, 1992; the Judgment included an order of sale at public auction and the right of First Western to a deficiency judgment if sale proceeds were insufficient. Lence argues that the Judgment and Decree of Foreclosure is not a final, appealable order.

In Federal Savings and Loan Ins. v. Hamilton (1989), 241 Mont. 367, 786 P.2d 1190, the mortgagors attempted a consolidated appeal *10 from an amended order granting summary judgment, decree of foreclosure, and deficiency judgment to the mortgagee, and from a subsequent notice of entry of deficiency judgment in the amount of $99,306. In other words, they tried to appeal both the propriety and the amount of the deficiency judgment. We concluded that the amended summary judgment, decree of foreclosure and deficiency judgment was a final order -under Rule 1, M.R.App.P. Therefore, we held that the appeal of the propriety of the deficiency judgment entered with the summary judgment and decree of foreclosure was not timely.

As we noted in Hamilton, foreclosure cases can involve two final orders: first, the judgment/decree of foreclosure, which may contain the right to a deficiency judgment; and second, the actual entry of the deficiency judgment. Hamilton, 241 Mont. at 369. Here, the Judgment and Decree of Foreclosure is, indeed, a final judgment under Hamilton. The District Court did not err in so designating it.

2. Did the District Court err in concluding that a deficiency judgment is available following judicial foreclosure of a deed of trust securing a condominium not utilized as a primary residence?

We first addressed the availability of deficiency judgments after judicial foreclosure of trust deeds executed under Montana’s Small Tract Financing Act (Act) in First State Bank of Forsyth v. Chunkapura (1987), 226 Mont. 54, 734 P.2d 1203. We traced the history of the legislature’s adoption of the Act, considered decisions from other states with similar Acts on the question of the availability of deficiency judgments, and held that deficiency judgments are not allowed when trust indentures executed under the Act are foreclosed by judicial proceedings. Chunkapura, 226 Mont. at 56-58, 60-63. On rehearing, we carefully limited the opinion to the facts of that case, namely, that the trust deed before us “related to an occupied, single family residential property” and held that prospective deficiency judgments for like property would be invalid and of no effect. Chunkapura, 226 Mont. at 67.

We addressed the availability of deficiency judgments under the Act again in 1989, under somewhat different facts. In First Federal Savings & Loan v. Anderson (1989), 238 Mont. 296, 777 P.2d 1281, the lender also sought a deficiency judgment after judicial foreclosure of a trust deed under the Act. There, the Andersons had occupied the dwelling as a family residence for seven years, subsequently renting it for eighteen months while the property was for sale in order to continue making the payments to the lender. The *11 lender argued that, because the Andersons no longer occupied the property themselves and, in fact, rented it to others, they were not entitled to the benefit of the Chunkapura holding. We disagreed, holding that the property fit the Chunkapura exception and that no deficiency judgment was available. Anderson, 238 Mont. at 301.

Again, in Wash.-Ida.-Mont. Retirement v. Galleria (1989), 239 Mont.

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Bluebook (online)
839 P.2d 1277, 255 Mont. 7, 49 State Rptr. 857, 1992 Mont. LEXIS 272, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-western-federal-savings-bank-v-lence-mont-1992.