Fox v. Bechthold

2001 OK CIV APP 151, 37 P.3d 966, 73 O.B.A.J. 189, 2001 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 125, 2001 WL 1636742
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedNovember 2, 2001
DocketNo. 96,405
StatusPublished

This text of 2001 OK CIV APP 151 (Fox v. Bechthold) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fox v. Bechthold, 2001 OK CIV APP 151, 37 P.3d 966, 73 O.B.A.J. 189, 2001 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 125, 2001 WL 1636742 (Okla. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

Opinion by

CAROL M. HANSEN, Chief Judge.

11 In December 1996 Plaintiff, Samantha Fox, wrote to Defendant, Paul Bechthold, asking to borrow money, offering 15% interest per annum to be secured by a mortgage on her farm. After agreeing to lend her the money, Defendant contacted an attorney, Mr. Drum, to draft the necessary documents. Mr. Drum suggested that rather than making Plaintiff a loan, Defendant should consider purchasing her land with Plaintiff reserving an option to repurchase the land.

{2 Thereafter, Mr. Drum drafted an instrument entitled Agreement and Option to Buy Back (the instrument) which he sent to Plaintiff along with a warranty deed for Plaintiff to sign and return to him.1 Mr. [968]*968Drum told Plaintiff he would collect the sales price from Defendant and forward it to Plaintiff, Plaintiff signed the instrument and the deed and mailed them to Mr. Drum. However, Mr. Drum testified in his deposition he did not know what happened to the original of the instrument. He testified, "[to the best of my recollection, it [instrument] was handed to Paul Bechthold [Defendant] for his signature, or mailed to him, or ... but I don't have any copy of any letter of transmittal.2 Mr. Drum also testified the instrument and the deed were "part and parcel of the same transaction" and that the surrender of the deed was subject to the terms of the instrument. Mr. Drum received the funds from Defendant and forwarded them to Plaintiff. Defendant recorded the deed, but did not sign the instrument.3

13 Both Plaintiff and her husband claim she gave notice of her option to buy back the property pursuant to the terms of the instrument.4 Plaintiff contends she tendered to Defendant a cashier's check "which included the original sum disbursed to Plaintiff plus all expenses and including $2,400.00 for the above rent." She further contends Defendant computed the expenses for her, pursuant to the terms of the instrument, which included the $2,400.00 rent. Plaintiff claims Defendant refused the cashier's check. Defendant disputes all of this.

€4 Plaintiff filed a lawsuit against Defendant, his wife, Defendant, Lois C. Bechthold and Defendants, Paul H. Bechthold and Lois C. Bechthold, Trustees of the Bechthold Family Living Trust Dated July 29, 1998 seeking specific performance of the terms of the instrument, "compelling the Defendants to reconvey said real estate to the Plaintiff. ..." Plaintiff also sought an accounting of all monies and profits received by Defendants subsequent to the notice of the exercise of the option to buy back the property. Defendants filed an answer denying certain allegations and raising failure of consideration of the option portion of the instrument and the statute of frauds as affirmative defenses.

15 Defendants also filed a counterclaim alleging that pursuant to paragraph three of the instrument, Plaintiff was obligated to pay Defendants $200.00 per month during the year in which the option was in effect and that Defendants have not received any rental payments. Defendants demanded judgment against Plaintiffs for the sum of $5,800.00 with interest, costs, and attorney fees.

16 Additionally, Defendants filed a third party petition against LM. Morrison (Morrison), Plaintiffs father, demanding judgment against him for $5,800.00 as rental payments which Defendants claimed they did not receive. Defendants also alleged they were entitled to possession of the property and that Morrison deprived them of the fair rental value of the residence. They demanded judgment for the possession of the residence [969]*969and for the fair rental value of the residence as damages for withholding possession.

T 7 Defendants filed a motion for summary judgment wherein, among other things, they argued the instrument was unenforceable for lack of consideration; that it was unenforceable for failure to satisfy the statute of frauds; and that Defendants were entitled to immediate possession of the residence due to Plaintiffs and Morrison's failure to pay rent when due.

18 Plaintiff filed a countermotion for partial summary judgment seeking a determination that the instrument was a valid and enforceable contract and that there were no material issues of fact in controversy about such issue.

T9 The trial court granted Defendants' motion. In its journal entry of judgment, the trial court found that "no genuine issue of material fact exists." It also found the instrument consisted of two separate agreements, the original sale agreement and an option to purchase agreement. It further found the instrument was not signed by Defendant, the party to be charged under the option to purchase, and because of this, the statute of frauds applied to the option to purchase; that there had not been either a partial or complete performance as to the option to purchase. Thus, it found the option to purchase was unenforceable.

T10 The trial court specifically found "while the attempted option to purchase agreement talked about what the purchase price would be upon exercise of the option, there is no separate consideration given for that agreement, the option to purchase; and that the option to purchase fails."

{11 Additionally, the trial court found "that no genuine issue of material fact exists; and that [Morrison] has failed to pay rent to [Defendants], and that [Defendants] have served sufficient notice upon [Morrison] to quit his tenancy."

112 As a result of its findings, the trial court granted Defendants' motion for summary judgment as against Plaintiff's claims for specific enforcement and accounting. It further found, as to Defendants' third party claim, that Defendants did not hold a mortgage, but instead had fee simple title to the subject property, and that they were entitled to immediate possession of the premises now possessed by Morrision.5 Finally, it ordered that the sole remaining issue for trial on the third party claim was the fair market value of the rental owed Defendants by Morrison.

13 On May 25, 2001, at the conclusion of a bench trial on the third party claim, the trial court found Morrison did not pay rent during the time he was in possession of the premises, that the lease between Plaintiff and Morrison, daughter and father, was not at arm's length and not indicative of the fair rental value of the premises. The trial court further found the fair rental value of the premises to be $275.00 per month and ordered judgment in favor of Defendants for the sum of $12,650.00 (for the 46 months Morrison was in possession). Plaintiff appeals the trial court's denial of her motion for partial summary judgment, and Morrison appeals the trial court's May 25, 2001, decision on the third party claim.

€14 In their petition in error, Plaintiff and Morrison argue the trial court erred in finding the instrument between Plaintiff and Defendant consisted of two separate agreements, the original sale agreement and the option to purchase agreement. We agree. The instrument was one agreement. It is undisputed Mr. Drum, who drafted the instrument and the deed, considered the instrument, along with the deed, one transaction. Defendant, in his deposition, admitted he did not sign the contract, but also admitted that "(that's the contract [he] dealt on ." and was "the contract under pursuant that [he] paid the money to Keith Drum...." Defendant further testified that he and Plaintiff told Mr.

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Related

Claiborne v. Claiborne
1970 OK 48 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1970)
Clemons v. Hampton
1943 OK 12 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1943)
Waters v. Stevens
1947 OK 4 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1947)

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Bluebook (online)
2001 OK CIV APP 151, 37 P.3d 966, 73 O.B.A.J. 189, 2001 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 125, 2001 WL 1636742, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fox-v-bechthold-oklacivapp-2001.