Jones v. Pizon

2018 WI App 62, 921 N.W.2d 3, 384 Wis. 2d 271
CourtCourt of Appeals of Wisconsin
DecidedAugust 29, 2018
DocketAppeal No. 2017AP2024
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2018 WI App 62 (Jones v. Pizon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jones v. Pizon, 2018 WI App 62, 921 N.W.2d 3, 384 Wis. 2d 271 (Wis. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

HAGEDORN, J.

¶ 1 A jury concluded that Raymond Jones, Sr., was incompetent when he entered into two contracts to sell real estate to Brian Pizon. Pizon appeals from a judgment invalidating the transfers on several grounds. Most notably, he argues that incompetency to enter a contract must be proven by clear and convincing evidence, not by the greater weight of the credible evidence as the jury was instructed. Pizon also takes issue with the court's decision to allow certain testimony regarding Jones' competence and the court's denial of a motion for mistrial. We find no error in the proceedings and affirm.

BACKGROUND

¶ 2 Jones owned two parcels of land in Oshkosh-a thirty-acre parcel and a five-acre parcel. Jones listed the parcels for sale in late 2014 for $689,000 and $199,000 respectively.1 The thirty-acre parcel had an appraised value of $155,000, and the five-acre parcel had an appraised value of $38,000. The first offer Jones received was from Pizon on May 14, 2015, who offered to buy the thirty-acre parcel for $100,000-substantially lower than the appraised value and list price. Jones initially rejected the offer, but changed his mind after a few days. Pizon closed on the thirty-acre parcel on June 4, 2015. While the parties were still in the title building, Pizon also offered to purchase the five-acre parcel for $16,500-again, substantially below both the appraised value and the list price. Jones accepted this offer, and the parties closed on June 16, 2015.

¶ 3 Less than two weeks after the sales closed, Jones was placed under emergency protective placement due to dementia. His son was eventually appointed as his guardian and brought this lawsuit to undo the transactions. Jones argued that he did not have "sufficient mental ability to know what he was doing when he signed the offers to purchase, deeds, closing statements and other documents related to the transfer of the" properties.

¶ 4 The action proceeded to a two-day jury trial where numerous witnesses testified. Jones presented evidence of a number of incidents calling into question his mental capacity around the time of the contracts. The following are some of the noteworthy incidents:

• On April 11, 2015, police were called after Jones-while pounding on his neighbor's door-shouted a number of statements to the effect of "she left me for a lesbian, she needs to go see Perry before she gets hurt and I used to be married to her and [she] left me with three kids." Jones' wife was deceased. The police report indicated that it appeared Jones was suffering from "early dementia or [A]lzheimer symptoms."
• On April 24, 2015, police performed a welfare check prompted by Jones showing up at a hospital in a confused state to look for a friend who was not there. During the check, Jones identified his internet modem as his phone and could not explain how to use his telephone.
• On May 13, 2015-one day prior to Pizon's first offer-Jones went to the sheriff's department to report he thought someone had broken into his home and stolen his wallet. The deputy who took the report testified that Jones "was somewhat hard to understand meaning that he was kind of confused." Upon investigating Jones' residence, the deputy found no signs of break in, and the wallet was found in the bathroom.
• On May 26, 2015, Jones' next-door neighbor became concerned and contacted social services. She testified that Jones had exhibited some strange behavior around late April through May. Jones had wrapped his phone in aluminum foil and put it in the refrigerator "[a] couple times," had pulled wires out of a working television, and would visit the neighbor several times a day to report that his wife was having heart surgery. Once, Jones came to the neighbor's house and brought over a wad of cash. The neighbor also testified that Jones had barricaded himself in his garage.
• On June 5, 2015, the day after closing on the thirty-acre parcel, Jones caused an accident by failing to yield. When questioned about the accident, Jones misstated the date as April 18, 2005. Jones could not remember who the president was or his ethnicity.
• On June 22, 2015, five days after closing on the five-acre parcel, a neighbor reported that Jones was outside and confused. Police assisted Jones in getting back inside his home.
• On June 27, 2015, police were again called due to Jones visiting a neighbor's home in an agitated state four to five times worried that someone was stealing his mail.
• On June 29, 2015, police were called for another welfare check because neighbors had seen Jones climbing in and out of his front window.

¶ 5 Pizon countered by producing four witnesses who had observed Jones around the time of the contested real estate transactions. Jones' real estate listing agent testified she did not "notice anything unusual or erratic or uncommon" about Jones' behavior from late 2014 through early to mid June 2015. She was present at both closings. Two closing agents similarly testified they did not observe anything out of the ordinary with Jones' behavior during the closings; both testified that Jones had no trouble understanding the closing process. Finally, a lifelong friend of Jones who accompanied him to both closings testified that Jones seemed excited to make the deal. She averred that she observed nothing suggesting Jones was not in possession of his faculties.

¶ 6 Both Pizon and Jones introduced expert testimony regarding Jones' mental condition at the time he entered into the contracts to sell the parcels, setting up a battle of the experts. Pizon presented the testimony of Dr. Deborah Collins. After reviewing Jones' history, Collins testified there was no "support for a conclusion that at the times in question Mr. Jones was not competent." Jones presented the testimony of Dr. Allen Hauer; it is this testimony Pizon challenges on appeal. Hauer offered a contrary view to that of Collins, stating that Jones was "definitely incompetent" long before June 2015 due to dementia. He explained that Jones' dementia, apparent when he was placed under emergency protective placement on June 29, "did not appear overnight" or "in the last month" but was "a persistent and deteriorating condition that has an onset" of at least one year prior. When asked about Jones' seemingly normal behavior at times, Hauer dismissed those instances as mere "apparent lucidity." Hauer opined that Jones could not make rational decisions due to his condition despite appearing lucid at times. Hauer explained that around the time of the transactions "any lucid, rational moment was brief and that [Jones'] actions during that time ... were not products of rational and considered thought and planning."

¶ 7 At the close of evidence, Pizon sought a jury instruction to the effect that incompetency must be proven by "clear, convincing, and satisfactory evidence." The circuit court did not give Pizon's desired instruction. Rather, the jury was instructed that the burden of proof was the greater weight of the credible evidence. The jury concluded Jones was mentally incompetent when he signed the contracts to sell the two parcels. The circuit court entered judgment accordingly, ordering the parcels returned to Jones and the purchase price refunded. Pizon appeals.

DISCUSSION

¶ 8 We address three arguments.2 First, Pizon argues the circuit court incorrectly instructed the jury regarding the burden of proof.

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Bluebook (online)
2018 WI App 62, 921 N.W.2d 3, 384 Wis. 2d 271, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-pizon-wisctapp-2018.