Knieper v. United States

38 Fed. Cl. 128, 1997 U.S. Claims LEXIS 105, 1997 WL 287668
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedMay 23, 1997
DocketNo. 94-376C
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 38 Fed. Cl. 128 (Knieper v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Knieper v. United States, 38 Fed. Cl. 128, 1997 U.S. Claims LEXIS 105, 1997 WL 287668 (uscfc 1997).

Opinion

OPINION

HORN, Judge.

The above-captioned case comes before the court on the parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment, pursuant to Rule 56 of the Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims (RCFC). The plaintiffs, Kenneth J. Knieper and Mary L. Knieper, allege that the defendant, the United States, acting through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), committed a breach of contract and a breach of warranty, or, in the alternative, a mutual mistake was committed,1 due to the absence of a serviceable well on the property purchased by the plaintiffs from the defendant. Plaintiffs argue that they are entitled to damages or, in the case of mutual mistake, the plaintiffs seek to have the contract voided, and to recover the amounts they have expended, plus other damages incurred by the plaintiffs.

Plaintiffs contend, based on documents signed by the parties and included in the record, that the defendant represented that the property purchased by the plaintiffs was serviced by a well located on the premises. In fact, the well on the property did not provide water to the property. Plaintiffs argue, therefore, that the defendant breached the “Sales Contract,” dated October 10, 1989, by failing to provide water to the plaintiffs as agreed.

Plaintiffs further contend that the defendant provided a warranty through the Deed that the premises were conveyed with all appurtenances, which they allege included water from the well located on the premises, and that the existence of the warranty was material to the bargain. Because the well on the property did not service the premises, the defendant is alleged to have breached the warranty.

In the alternative, plaintiffs allege that both the plaintiffs and the defendant were unaware that a serviceable well was.not located on the property, and that both parties believed that the well shown within the boundaries of the property on the “Improvement Location Certificate” provided water to the premises. Therefore, according to the plaintiffs, the absence of a working well on the premises amounted to a mutual mistake of material fact. Furthermore, plaintiffs state that: “The Defendant has been re[131]*131stored to the status quo by receiving the property as a result of the foreclosure.”

Defendant denies liability and has moved for summary judgment. Defendant asserts that summary judgment is appropriate because there are no material issues of genuine fact in dispute, and that contract interpretation is a question of law. Defendant contends that plaintiffs have failed to come forward with sufficient evidence to prevail on the plaintiffs’ breach of contract, breach of warranty, and mutual mistake theories of relief. Furthermore, defendant argues that the conditions of the Sales Contract do not provide any basis for relief, and, in fact, expressly preclude plaintiffs from prevailing in this action because the Sales Contract, through the “Conditions of Sale,” contains explicit conditions to the contrary. Defendant also relies on provisions in the “Inspection Addendum” to the Sales Contract, which provided that, if plaintiffs did not cancel the Sales Contract before the expiration of the stated inspection period, they accepted the property and its appurtenances “AS IS,” and in the “condition existing” on the date of the Sales Contract.

After careful consideration of the record in the above-captioned case, and, as is discussed more fully below, the court, hereby, GRANTS defendant’s motion for summary judgment and DENIES plaintiffs’ cross-motion for summary judgment.

FACTS

In December 1988, HUD acquired a single family home at 29554 Lee Road, Evergreen, Colorado, under the Federal Housing Administration single family home mortgage insurance program. Plaintiffs entered into a Sales Contract with HUD to purchase the property on October 10,1989, for the amount of $75,833.00.2 The record shows that the plaintiffs are experienced home owners and have owned approximately five homes.

In Line 12 of the Sales Contract, entered into on October 10, 1989, for the property at issue, the contract was made subject to certain Conditions of Sale, which are located on the reverse side of the Sales Contract. The relevant provisions of the Conditions of Sale read as follows:

B. Purchaser will accept the property in the condition existing on the date of this contract. Seller does not warrant the condition of the property, including but not limited to mechanical systems and dry basement, or compliance with code requirements and will make no repairs to the property after execution of this contract.
$ * * * * #
E. Risk of loss or damage is assumed by Seller until sale is closed, unless Purchaser takes possession of the property prior thereto, in which case state law shall apply. ... ^ s}: % %
G. Purchaser understands that Seller’s listing price is Seller’s estimate of current fair market value.
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L. The effective date of this contract is the date it is signed by the Seller.
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O. This contract contains the final and entire agreement between Purchaser and Seller and they shall not be bound by any terms, conditions, statements, or representations, oral or written, not contained in this contract.

An Inspection Addendum to the Sales Contract, which was signed on October 6, 1989 by one party and by the other party on October 10,1989, provided an opportunity for the plaintiffs to inspect the property before closing the sale. Subsequently, the plaintiffs requested, and received, two time extensions to complete an inspection of the septic system by the County Health Department and an engineer. The only problem the plaintiffs identified with respect to the property prior to the closing concerned the septic system, and was resolved satisfactorily prior to closing.

Although the “Inspection Addendum” gave plaintiffs the opportunity to personally in[132]*132spect or to hire an agent to inspect and approve the major operating systems of the property, including plumbing, or any “other aspects and components of the property,” no such inspection was performed by the plaintiffs.3

The Inspection Addendum to the Sales Contract provided, in its entirety, as follows:

This contract is specifically contingent upon Purchaser’s inspection and approval of the major operating systems of the property by Purchaser or Purchaser’s representative. Said inspection shall be at Purchaser’s expense. Major operating systems shall be defined as the structural, plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning (if any) systems and the roof. No representation as to the condition of the property with respect to the major operating systems is made by HUD, its agents, sub-agents or-employees unless such representation is disclosed to the Purchaser in writing.
Purchaser may, at Purchaser’s option and expense, inspect other aspects and components of the property; however, this inspection contingency pertains to the above described major operating systems only.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
38 Fed. Cl. 128, 1997 U.S. Claims LEXIS 105, 1997 WL 287668, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/knieper-v-united-states-uscfc-1997.