Kearney Investment Corp. v. Capitol Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n

452 P.2d 1010, 169 Colo. 30, 1969 Colo. LEXIS 524
CourtSupreme Court of Colorado
DecidedApril 21, 1969
DocketNo. 21949
StatusPublished

This text of 452 P.2d 1010 (Kearney Investment Corp. v. Capitol Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kearney Investment Corp. v. Capitol Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n, 452 P.2d 1010, 169 Colo. 30, 1969 Colo. LEXIS 524 (Colo. 1969).

Opinion

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Lee.

Plaintiffs in error, The Kearney Investment Corporation, Norbert E. Simpson, and C. C. Propps, Jr., were defendants in the trial court. They are herein referred to as “Kearney,” “Simpson,” and “Propps,” or as “defendants.”

Defendants in error, Capitol Federal Savings and Loan Association of Denver, Commerce Motor Hotel Corporation, Raymond L. Payne, Sr., and Jack M. Winton, were plaintiffs below and are herein referred to' as “Capitol,” “Commerce,” “Payne,” and “Winton,” or as “plaintiffs.”

Plaintiffs in error seek to reverse and set aside the adverse judgment of the trial court in upholding the right of defendants in error to foreclose a deed of trust, to have a receiver appointed, and to terminate a ground lease. They contend there were no substantial defaults in the performance of their obligations under the promissory note, deed of trust and lease to justify the foreclosure, receivership proceedings, and the termination of the lease.

Plaintiffs in error specify as error for reversal that the findings of fact and conclusions of law entered by the trial court were manifestly contrary to the evidence, and that there was insufficient competent evidence to fairly support the judgment.

A review of the factual background is necessary to an understanding of the controversy between the parties. Commerce as the fee owner of an unimproved tract of [33]*33land at 4755 Vasquez Boulevard, 'Denver, Colorado, on March 6, 1961, entered into a 99-year lease with Kearney. Kearney then constructed a large motel complex on the property which was known as the Premier Motor Hotel and which opened for business in July of 1961. Simpson and Propps were the principal officers of The Kearney Investment Corporation. Simpson was the principal contractor for the construction of the motel and, in addition to supervising the construction, both he and Propps, a carpenter by trade, personally contributed substantial labor and services to the enterprise. Simpson invested approximately $8,000 in cash toward the construction costs and took his contractor’s fee of approximately $50,000 in capital stock of The Kearney Investment Corporation. Propps contributed approximately $28,000 toward the costs of construction and the initial operation of the motel. In addition, both Simpson and Propps contributed time and services to Kearney in the management and operation of the motel from the time it was opened until the foreclosure proceedings.

The 9 9-year ground lease provided for the annual rent payments, in advance, of $12,000 commencing June 6, 1961. The lease further required, as additional rental, payment of all general and special taxes, assessments and water or other charges “levied, charged, assessed or imposed on or on account of the land.” The lease granted Kearney an option to purchase the land for $200,000, exercisable on ninety days notice.

The permanent loan on the motel was obtained from Capitol in the initial amount of $341,000 for which a promissory note was executed on December 15, 1961, by Kearney, Simpson and Propps. This indebtedness was secured by a deed of trust in favor of Capitol, executed by Commerce and Kearney who were designated therein as “landlord” and “tenant borrower,” respectively. Commerce as the fee owner subordinated its equity in the property to the lien of Capitol under the deed of trust. Pursuant to a Loan Modification Agreement on March [34]*3427, 1963, an additional advance was made by Capitol, thereby raising the indebtedness owing to Capitol to $402,000. .

The trust deed, in paragraph 1, required Kearney to pay into a reserve fund, concurrently with the monthly payments, one-twelfth of the annual insurance premiums, the annual taxes, and the annual ground rents under the lease. Capitol would pay out of the reserve account the insurance premiums, taxes and rents as they became due and payable. The trust deed, in paragraph 3 of the tenant borrower’s obligations, required Kearney to “* * * pay promptly all taxes, assessments, levies, water rents, insurance premiums and all other liabilities, obligations and encumbrances as they come due.”

Monthly payments of principal and interest were $3,544. The total monthly payment, including principal, interest, rent, insurance premiums and taxes, was $5,887, all of which was due on the fifth of each month.

The note and deed of trust each contained an acceleration clause which provided that if default occurred and continued for a period in excess of thirty days, then Capitol could “declare all the remainder of said debt due and collectible.”

The record showed that prior to June 6, 1964, very few payments had been made on the fifth of the month when due. Capitol would sometimes assess “late charges” as provided in the note. On June 6, 1964, only $10,000 of the annual $12,000 rent due at that time was paid to Commerce, there being a shortage in the reserve account. A $1,000 payment was made later in the summer, leaving a delinquent rent balance of $1,000 which was never paid to Commerce by Kearney. The loan account was delinquent on June 30, 1964, by $6,506.97, and on July 5, 1964, by $12,951.43. Notice of the delinquency was given Kearney by letter advising that if it were not paid within ten days appropriate action would be taken.

On August 5 Kearney reduced the delinquency to $10,008.43. Capitol and Kearney then agreed in writing [35]*35that Kearney would pay an additional $7,065 by August 31 (thus reducing the delinquency to $2,943 which was equal to one-half month’s payment) and Capitol would allow Kearney ninety days within which to pay the one-half month’s delinquency. Kearney paid the $7,065 on August 31, but thereafter failed to pay the payments due on September 5 and October 5. The delinquency on October 6, 1964, was $14,717.43.

In addition, the record showed that as of October 6 Kearney was delinquent in the payment of various taxes, city, state and federal, in the sum of approximately $4,400. Kearney also owed unpaid water rents, and past due business obligations, some of which had been reduced to judgments and liens, in the approximate amount of $87,000.

There was considerable testimony in the record relating to failure of 'Simpson and Propps as agents of Kearney to maintain the motel premises, which Capitol contended resulted in unnecessary deterioration and waste.

On October 9, 1964, Capitol gave Notice of Election and Demand for Sale to the Public Trustee, and on the same date applied to the district court of Denver County for appointment of a receiver. The court appointed Jack M. Winton, who was a vice president of Capitol, as receiver. Some six weeks later Commerce served a series of notices on Kearney to terminate and cancel the 99-year lease, which specified as reasons therefor the failure to pay rents, failure to pay taxes and to deliver receipts therefor, default in payment of indebtedness due Capitol, failure to keep the premises in good repair, filing of mechanics’ liens, and failure to furnish evidence of public liability insurance, all in accordance with the terms of the lease.

It is here noted that the trust deed provided that Commerce as “landlord” had “thirty days after the termination of the lease or thirty days after receipt of written notice of any default” under the promissory note and trust deed within which to either, first, assume the liability of Kearney under the note and deed of trust, [36]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
452 P.2d 1010, 169 Colo. 30, 1969 Colo. LEXIS 524, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kearney-investment-corp-v-capitol-federal-savings-loan-assn-colo-1969.