Hicklin v. Old Ship African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

574 So. 2d 822, 1990 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 432, 1990 WL 132009
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Alabama
DecidedSeptember 12, 1990
DocketCiv. 7451
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 574 So. 2d 822 (Hicklin v. Old Ship African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hicklin v. Old Ship African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, 574 So. 2d 822, 1990 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 432, 1990 WL 132009 (Ala. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinions

RUSSELL, Judge.

This is an appeal by Rev. N.H. Hicklin from the judgment of the trial court determining the amount to be paid to redeem a parcel of land located in Montgomery County, Alabama. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand with instructions.

We note at the outset that Ala.Code 1975, § 6-5-252, provides the procedure for anyone desiring to redeem property.

“Anyone desiring and entitled to redeem may make written demand of the purchaser or his or her transferees for a statement in writing of the debt and all lawful charges claimed by him or her, and such purchaser or their transferees shall, within 10 days after such written demand, furnish such person making the demand with a written, itemized statement of all lawful charges claimed by him or her. The redeeming party must then tender all lawful charges to the purchaser or his or her transferee. If the purchaser or his or her transferee fails to furnish a written, itemized statement of all lawful charges within 10 days after demand, he or she shall forfeit all claims or right to compensation for improvements, and the party so entitled to redeem may, on the expiration of the 10 days, file his or her complaint without a tender to enforce his' or her rights under this article and file a lis pendens with the probate court.
“Tender or suit must be made or filed within one year from foreclosure.”

Ala.Code 1975, § 6-5-253, addresses the payment or tender of purchase money and other lawful charges by anyone entitled to redeem real estate and the entitlement to rents and provides, in pertinent part, as follows:

[824]*824“(a) Anyone entitled and desiring to redeem real estate under the provisions of this article must also pay or tender to the purchaser or his or her transferee the purchase price paid at the sale, with interest at the rate allowed to be charged on money judgments as set forth in section 8-8-10 (as it is now or hereinafter may be amended), and all other lawful charges, also with interest as aforesaid; lawful charges are the following:
“(1) Permanent improvements as prescribed herein.
“(2) Taxes paid or assessed.
“(3) All insurance premiums paid or owed by the purchaser.
“(4) Any other valid lien or encumbrance paid or owned by such purchaser or his or her transferee or if the redeeming party is a judgment creditor or junior mortgagee or any transferee thereof, then all recorded judgments, recorded mortgages and recorded liens having a higher priority in existence at the time of sale which are revived under section 6-5-248(c).
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“(c) The purchaser shall be entitled to all rents paid or accrued including oil and gas or mineral agreement rentals to the date of the redemption, and the rents must be prorated to such date. The purchaser or his or her transferee and his or her tenants shall have the right to harvest and gather the crops grown by them on the place for the year in which the redemption is made, but must pay a reasonable rent for the lands for the proportion of the current year to which such redemptioner may be entitled.”

In Wallace v. Beasley, 439 So.2d 133, 136 (Ala.1983), the Alabama Supreme Court addressed the question of the proration of rents and profits as follows:

“Code of Alabama, § 6-5-235(6) [now § 6-5-253] ... provides that the purchaser at a foreclosure sale is entitled to all rents and profits accrued on the property until the date of redemption. This has been read to mean that the redemptioner, then, is entitled to any rents or profits accruing subsequent to the redemption date.”

In Francis v. White, 160 Ala. 523, 527, 49 So. 334, 335 (1909) (quoted with approval in Beavers v. Transamerica Financial Services, Inc., 474 So.2d 1105, 1108 (Ala.1985), and in Dicie v. Morris, 285 Ala. 650, 654, 235 So.2d 796, 798-99 (1970)), the supreme court addressed the requirements of tender:

“[I]n the bill to redeem under the statute, the debtor must either aver a payment or a tender of all the amounts by the statute required, or to show a valid excuse for failure therein, before filing, such as nonresidency of purchaser, or redemptioner’s inability to ascertain the amounts necessary to be paid or tendered, and ask the court to aid him in ascertaining the true amounts and offer to pay such amounts before insisting upon his right to redeem or to be reinvested with the title. Francis v. White, 142 Ala. 590, 39 South. 174. Payment or tender of the amounts necessary to redeem is not in all cases a prerequisite to the filing or maintaining of the bill, yet it is always such to the perfection of the right to redeem, and the bill must offer to pay or tender such amounts when ascertained, and show a valid excuse for not so doing before the filing of the bill as well as a good reason why the aid of the court is necessary for this special purpose.”

In the following cases our supreme court addressed the allowance of attorney’s fees in foreclosure and redemption:

“The complainant is authorized to redeem, by paying the amount of the mortgage debt ... ‘with all other lawful charges.’ Code, § 2879. This embraces only such claims or demands as are in the nature of an incumbrance or lien, for which the purchaser would be entitled to hold the land as security.”

Parmer v. Parmer, 74 Ala. 285, 289 (1883).

“The stipulation for reasonable attorney’s fees contained in the mortgage was for foreclosure in chancery. The mortgage had not theretofore been foreclosed under the power of sale contained there[825]*825in, and the respondent (complainant in the cross-bill) was therefore entitled to the attorney’s fees allowed by the trial court.”

Lytle v. Robertson, 233 Ala. 161, 163, 170 So. 484, 486 (1936).

“The Court also erroneously allowed one or more of the respondents amounts which were paid by them for insurance on the property, attorneys’ fees, recording fees, and cost of an abstract. These items were not lawful charges, and should not have been allowed.”

Wilkes v. Hood, 237 Ala. 72, 76, 185 So. 748, 752 (1939).

The record reveals that Hicklin filed an application for a preliminary injunction and complaint to set aside foreclosure sale on August 24, 1988, in which he alleged, in pertinent part, the following: (1) that he had entered into a mortgage agreement with Tyson-Manor, Inc., for the sum of $5,000 on or about April 18, 1978; (2) that on November 15, 1984, the trustees of Tyson-Manor, Inc., transferred the principal balance of $2,277.18 on the mortgage to the Old Ship African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (Church); (3) that the property was sold in foreclosure, under the power of sale contained in the second mortgage, on or about June 7, 1988, by the Church and was purchased by the Church for $3,464.19; and (4) that Hicklin has leased the subject property to another party and that the attorney for the Church demanded that all future rents be forwarded to the Church. Hicklin asked the trial court to set aside the foreclosure sale and declare it to be null and void.

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Bluebook (online)
574 So. 2d 822, 1990 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 432, 1990 WL 132009, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hicklin-v-old-ship-african-methodist-episcopal-zion-church-alacivapp-1990.