Hot Developers, Inc. v. Willow Lake Estates, Inc.

950 So. 2d 537, 2007 WL 837180
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedMarch 21, 2007
Docket4D06-2233
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 950 So. 2d 537 (Hot Developers, Inc. v. Willow Lake Estates, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hot Developers, Inc. v. Willow Lake Estates, Inc., 950 So. 2d 537, 2007 WL 837180 (Fla. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

950 So.2d 537 (2007)

HOT DEVELOPERS, INC., a Florida corporation, Appellant,
v.
WILLOW LAKE ESTATES, INC., a Florida corporation, Appellee.

No. 4D06-2233.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.

March 21, 2007.

Abbey L. Kaplan and Jeffrey M. Berman of Kluger, Peretz, Kaplan & Berlin, P.L., Miami, for appellant.

*538 Suzanne M. McLean of Webber, Hinden, McLean & Arbeiter, P.A., Pembroke Pines, for appellee.

GROSS, J.

Hot Developers, Inc. appeals from a final summary judgment that determined that the seller in a commercial real estate transaction was entitled to keep non-refundable deposits after Hot Developers failed to close. We affirm. The deposit provisions were liquidated damages and forfeiture was not unconscionable at the time of the breach.

Summary judgment is proper "only when there are no genuine issues of material fact conclusively shown from the record and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. All doubts and inferences must be resolved against the moving party, and if there is the slightest doubt or conflict in the evidence, then summary judgment is not available." Shreffler v. Philippon, 873 So.2d 1280, 1281 (Fla. 4th DCA 2004) (quoting Reeves v. N. Broward Hosp. Dist., 821 So.2d 319, 321 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002)) (citation omitted). The standard of review of an order granting summary judgment is de novo. See Volusia County v. Aberdeen at Ormond Beach, L.P., 760 So.2d 126, 130 (Fla.2000).

We state the facts in the light most favorable to Hot Developers. In May 2005, Hot Developers, as buyer, and Willow Lake Estates, Inc., as seller, entered into an agreement for purchase and sale of commercial real estate for $5,700,000. Both sides were represented by counsel. The agreement contained no provision making the sale conditional upon financing. The closing date was July 8, 2005; the agreement contained a "time is of the essence" provision.

Section 2.1 of the agreement required Hot Developers to deposit $100,000 into its attorney's trust account upon the signing of the contract. There was a due diligence period during which Hot Developers had the option to cancel the agreement for any reason whatsoever and receive a return of its deposit. Section 2.2 of the agreement called for Hot Developers to make a second deposit of $200,000 at the conclusion of the due diligence period. Hot Developers paid both deposits. Afterwards, Hot Developers obtained an appraisal that erroneously undervalued the property at $3,000,000.

The agreement required that closing "take place no later than 45 days after the expiration of the Due Diligence Period, unless otherwise extended pursuant to the provisions of § 2.4." Pursuant to section 2.4, Hot Developers extended the closing date to August 1, 2005. Under section 2.4, as consideration for the closing date extension, Hot Developers directly paid Willow Lake $250,000. Section 2.4 described this money as "an additional non-refundable deposit" which "shall not be held in escrow and shall instead be immediately released to Seller (and credited toward the total purchase price)." Containing a "time is of the essence" provision, section 2.4 provided that Hot Developers would be in default if it failed to close on or before August 1, 2005.

Hot Developers was unable to close on August 1 because of the error in the first appraisal. Although the agreement contained no provision allowing Hot Developers to extend closing beyond August 1, Hot Developers sought a second extension. Hot Developers and Willow Lake negotiated the terms of an addendum to the agreement. The addendum extended the closing date to "Wednesday, August 24, 2005, time being absolutely of the essence." Hot Developers agreed to release the escrowed deposits of $100,000 and $200,000 to Willow Lake pursuant to Section 3.1 of the addendum, which provided:

*539 Buyer directed its attorney to release, and pay by wire transfer to seller on or before 5:00 p.m. on Monday, August 1, 2005, to seller an additional deposit of $300,000, which deposit shall be non-refundable, all other provisions of the Agreement for Purchase and Sale to the contrary notwithstanding.

Hot Developers was again unable to close on August 24 because it had not yet secured a second appraisal.

On August 25, 2005, Willow Lake served Hot Developers with a notice of default. Section 18 of the agreement provided:

If Buyer defaults in the performance of Buyer's obligations under this Agreement for any reason other than Seller's default, Seller at its sole and exclusive option, shall have the right to:
18.1 terminate the Agreement and/or
18.2 retain the Deposit as liquidated and agreed damages and terminate all remaining obligations of the parties under the Agreement.

Willow Lake notified Hot Developers that it was retaining the non-refundable deposits as liquidated damages pursuant to section 18 of the agreement.

Shortly thereafter, Willow Lake secured a contract to sell the property to another party for $5,800,000—$100,000 more than the price under the agreement with Hot Developers. However, the second contract did not close. By the time the second contract was terminated, Hot Developers's second appraisal was completed. Hot Developers contacted Willow Lake and expressed its desire to proceed under the agreement or execute a new one. Willow Lake declined and refused to return the $550,000 deposit (i.e. $100,000 initial deposit + $200,000 deposit after due diligence + $250,000 deposit for closing date extension).

In an amended complaint, Hot Developers sought a declaratory judgment pursuant to chapter 86, Florida Statutes. The pleading alleged that (1) the liquidated damages clause in the agreement was unenforceable as a penalty and (2) the liquidated damages clause was unconscionable because the $550,000 deposit lost was grossly disproportionate to any damages that might reasonably have resulted from Hot Developers's default. Hot Developers requested that the court declare the liquidated damages clause to be unenforceable, and enter an order requiring the return of the deposit.

On May 8, 2006, the trial court granted Willow Lake's motion for summary judgment and entered a final judgment. In its order, the court accepted certain facts presented by Hot Developers at the summary judgment hearing—that an expert witness would testify that the property was worth, at a minimum, the same amount as the contract price when Hot Developers failed to close on the closing date.

At oral argument, Willow Lake contended that Hot Developers purchased closing date extensions, so that under Waksman Enterprises, Inc. v. Oregon Properties, Inc., 862 So.2d 35 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003) the deposits were not refundable under the terms of the agreement and the addendum. Waksman observed that it

is entirely reasonable for a seller to exact from the buyer a payment—which the buyer cannot recover except as a credit at closing—to compensate the seller for keeping the seller's property off the market for a period of time that extends beyond the time for closing initially contemplated and agreed to by the parties.

Id. at 41. However, Waksman also acknowledged that "a deposit forfeiture provision may constitute an unenforceable penalty in certain circumstances," citing to *540 Hyman v. Cohen, 73 So.2d 393, 401 (Fla. 1954), and Lefemine v. Baron, 573 So.2d 326, 329 (Fla.1991). Waksman, 862 So.2d at 42. Waksman

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
950 So. 2d 537, 2007 WL 837180, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hot-developers-inc-v-willow-lake-estates-inc-fladistctapp-2007.