Hubbard v. American Alliance Life Insurance

514 P.2d 253, 20 Ariz. App. 500, 1973 Ariz. App. LEXIS 770
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedSeptember 25, 1973
DocketNo. 1 CA-CIV 1907
StatusPublished

This text of 514 P.2d 253 (Hubbard v. American Alliance Life Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hubbard v. American Alliance Life Insurance, 514 P.2d 253, 20 Ariz. App. 500, 1973 Ariz. App. LEXIS 770 (Ark. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

OPINION

JACOBSON, Chief Judge . of Division One.

This appeal raises the issue of whether there exists a genuine issue of material fact which would preclude the granting of a motion for summary judgment against plaintiffs on their complaint alleging fraud in connection with the sale by plaintiffs to defendant American Alliance Life Insurance Company of certainn real property.

Plaintiffs-appellants Gerald Hubbard and Rita Hubbard brought an action against the defendants’ appellees, American Alliance Life Insurance Company (American), Arthur Herzberg, Gerald Barnes, and Seymour N. Tash, former employees of American, and Security Life Insurance Company, successor in interest of American. Plaintiffs’ complaint alleged that they were induced to transfer the real property involved to American, based upon four false representations: (1) that plaintiffs would receive shares of Class B stock in the defendant American Alliance Life Insurance Co., having a value of $21,000.-00; (2) that they would receive the sum of $101.25 per month for as long as they or their successors in interest owned the stock; (3) that the defendant’s Class B stock would be marketable in the “over-the-counter” market on January 1, 1968, and that it would have a reasonable value in that market of $6.50 per share; and (4) that the transaction would result in a tax-free exchange to plaintiffs.

After depositions of all the principals to the transaction were taken, defendants collectively moved for summary judgment in their favor, which the trial court granted, apparently on the basis that the representations made would not support an action in fraud or that the plaintiffs had any right to rely thereon. Plaintiffs have appealed the judgment entered in defendants’ favor.

Taking the plaintiffs’ depositional testimony in a light most favorable to them it appears that the plaintiffs were an elderly couple who owned certain non-income producing property in Phoenix, Arizona. Prior to their dealings with defendant American, the plaintiffs had received at least two offers to purchase their property for about $18,000.00, but had refused, believing them to be insufficient. Defendant Barnes estimated that the property had a value of $25,000 at the time the purchase was consummated.

It appears that defendant Herzberg was acquainted with the plaintiffs through prior insurance dealing and had previously sold the plaintiffs 150 shares of American stock.

In 1967 defendants Herzberg and Barnes went to plaintiffs’ home in connection with policies held by the plaintiffs and in the course of conversation indicated that American had allocated a certain amount of stock for the acquisition of real property for the purpose of constructing a building. Plaintiff Rita Hubbard jokingly suggested that defendants buy their property. Barnes and Herzberg said that they would look into it.

Several days later Barnes and Herzberg, after apparently conferring with the officers of American, returned to plaintiffs’ home to discuss the purchase of the real property in question. At this time, according to plaintiffs, Herzberg and Barnes agreed on behalf of American that the property would be purchased for $21,000.00 [502]*502worth of stock in addition to assuming a $1,500.00 mortgage. Also Barnes and Herzberg told plaintiffs that the entire transaction would be tax free; that the American Alliance stock would be “over-the-counter” stock on January 1, 1968; and that plaintiffs or their successor in interest would receive the sum of $101.25 per month as long as they held the stock. Barnes and Herzberg then gave the plaintiffs a “receipt” which stated that plaintiffs had given to defendants a check for $13,500.00 for the purchase of shares of American. Plaintiff Rita Hubbard did not understand what this was and stated she hadn’t given them a check for that amount and that at any rate the $13,500.00 wasn’t the correct sum. The number of shares to be purchased was left blank. (After this meeting, it was filled in at 2250 shares.) When Rita objected to this receipt, defendants stated, “Well, we’ll fix it up.” They represented that the “receipt” was a mere form.

After delivery of the deed by plaintiffs and the subsequent receipt by them of shares of stock, Barnes and Herzberg returned a week or so later and told plaintiffs that their secretary had made a mistake and had issued to plaintiffs more shares than they were supposed to get. Defendants told them that their signatures were needed in order to void the extra stock shares which had been erroneously issued to them, the inference being that defendants Barnes and Herzberg had originally delivered to the plaintiffs the correct number of shares necessary to meet the purchase price of $21,000 (3500 shares) and used the device of the secretarial mistake to obtain back some of these shares. Plaintiffs were then asked to and did sign six stock certificates in blank.

Plaintiffs at this timé had not computed the number of shares necessary to equal their selling price but trusted that defendants had given them the correct amount and therefore did not discover until a year later that in fact 3500 shares should have been received.

Contrary to plaintiffs’ testimony as to the negotiations surrounding the sale of the property, both defendant Barnes and Herzberg testified by way of deposition, that the purchase price of the property was to be $15,000, American to assume a $1,500 mortgage and plaintiffs were to receive stock in American equal to $13,000 (2250 shares).

In support of plaintiffs’ contention that they were to receive 3500 shares of stock, they point to American’s petition to the Arizona Corporation Commission which stated that the property was being acquired “in exchange for petitioner assuming the mortgage of approximately $1,500 and 3500 shares of Class B stock, par value of $1.-00,” and also to a prospectus of American Alliance which stated,

“In September, 1967 the Company acquired a lot on 12th Street in Phoenix, Arizona, just south of Camelback Road [the property in question.] The Company assumed the mortgage of $1,500 and gave 3,500 shares of stock in exchange for the property.”

As to the difference between the 2,250 shares actually received and the 3,500 bargained for, Barnes in his deposition indicated that quite possibly he had received the difference of 1,250 shares as a “commission.”

As to the $101.25 per month which plaintiffs alleged was to have been paid to them as long as they held the stock, the first payment was not made until March of 1968, and only a total of twelve payments was ever made. These payments were made on checks paid by the defendant American Assurance and Associates (American Assurance) of which Herzberg was president and Barnes was vice-president. American Assurance was a corporation owned by Barnes and Herzberg. Plaintiff Rita Hubbard indicated that defendants Barnes and Herzberg represented that the entire transaction would be tax-free to plaintiffs and that she considered this tax-free status part of the deal. [503]*503Plaintiffs subsequently had to pay income tax on the exchange. The stock never beéame negotiable “over-the-counter”, and American Alliance subsequently merged into Security National.

Approximately one year after all of these transactions between the parties, the plaintiff executed a release to American, which on its face would appear to exonerate all the defendants from further liability to plaintiffs.

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Bluebook (online)
514 P.2d 253, 20 Ariz. App. 500, 1973 Ariz. App. LEXIS 770, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hubbard-v-american-alliance-life-insurance-arizctapp-1973.