Liberty Hills Development, Inc. v. Stocksdale

742 S.W.2d 209, 1987 Mo. App. LEXIS 4839, 1987 WL 1157
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 3, 1987
DocketNo. WD 38994
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 742 S.W.2d 209 (Liberty Hills Development, Inc. v. Stocksdale) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Liberty Hills Development, Inc. v. Stocksdale, 742 S.W.2d 209, 1987 Mo. App. LEXIS 4839, 1987 WL 1157 (Mo. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

GAITAN, Judge.

This suit involves plaintiff-appellant, Liberty Hills Development, Inc. and defendant-respondent, Ruth Stocksdale. It was originally filed in three counts. Count I, against Ruth Stocksdale and the Commercial Bank of Liberty, N.A., (hereinafter referred to as “the bank”) for breach of an alleged oral contract guaranteeing payment of a third party’s promissory note for $19,500. Count II, against.both defendants, sought actual and punitive damages for fraudulent misrepresentation in connection with the alleged oral guaranty contract. Count III was against Ruth Stocks-dale only, seeking actual damages for breach of a fiduciary duty she owed to plaintiff as a member of its board of directors.

As a consequence of defendants’ motion for summary judgment, Count II was dismissed by the court, and plaintiff dismissed Count III prior to the commencement of trial. At the close of plaintiff’s evidence the defendants jointly moved for a directed verdict as to Count I. That motion was sustained as to defendant Commercial Bank only. This jury found in favor of defendant, Ruth Stocksdale. This appeal was solely directed to Count I and defendant Ruth Stocksdale. The judgment is reversed and remanded.

The evidence presented in this case may be summarized as follows. Plaintiff corporation was formed to establish a country club in the area of Liberty, Missouri. Plaintiff purchased approximately 600 acres of developed real estate in that area for that purpose. Of the 600 acres purchased, 300 acres was used to develop a golf course and a remaining 300 acres was to be used for residential development. The real estate development was financed by Commercial Bank of Liberty. Defendant Ruth Stocksdale owned 90% control of the voting rights in Commercial Bank of Liberty. She was also vice-president of the plaintiff corporation.

In an effort to develop the real estate it owned, plaintiff sold a lot to a developer named Miller in 1980. The lot Miller purchased will be referred to as lot 26. Miller purchased the lot to build a home for sale in the $150,000.00 price bracket. In payment for that lot, plaintiff took Miller’s second mortgage on the property in the amount of $17,500.00. His first mortgage on that property was a construction loan held by Commercial Bank of Liberty in the amount of $95,000.00. Miller eventually sold the house on that lot to Mr. & Mrs. Emrich. The Emrichs arranged to finance this purchase with a first mortgage from Commercial Bank of Liberty in the amount of $122,900.00. However, Miller did not receive cash for the sale, taking an older home on trade instead.

Plaintiff, through its president Jewett Fulkerson, testified that in order to insure the sale of this property, he was asked by the defendant to release the Miller’s second mortgage and take instead a mortgage executed by the Emrichs which would be second to the bank’s first mortgage in the amount of $122,900.00. Mr. Fulkerson testified that he was concerned about making such a release without some assurances of payment. He testified that he communicated this to the defendant who in turn told him “she would take care of it”. He interpreted this as a guaranty by the defendant of the Emrichs’ second mortgage.

The defendant testified that she did not have such a conversation with Mr. Fulker-son and denies that she would ever consider guaranteeing a second mortgage in the manner that he has testified to. Mr. Fulk-erson testified that in exchange for the commitment by the defendant, he executed a release of the Miller’s second mortgage. The Emrichs eventually defaulted on their payment for the home and the bank foreclosed on the property leaving no money to cover the second mortgage held by the plaintiff. As a consequence, the plaintiff filed its lawsuit which was ultimately sub[211]*211mitted to the jury on Count I relative to Ruth Stocksdale only. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the defendant.

The plaintiff appeals, contending the trial court erred in the following respects. First, by permitting the defendant’s converse instruction which failed to track the plaintiffs verdict directing instruction. Second, that said converse instruction failed to define technical legal terms used therein. Third, by allowing defense counsel to comment on claims in plaintiffs petition that had been dismissed prior to trial. Fourth, by permitting defense counsel to inject into the case evidence which was not relevant or material to any issue in the case. Defendant has asserted that there was insufficient evidence of a contract to submit the issue to the jury.

I.

The first point to consider is whether or not the alleged discussions between plaintiffs president, Jewett Fulkerson, and defendant created an oral contract binding on all parties. We must review the testimony of Mr. Fulkerson which is stated as follows:

Q. All right. And did you get involved in any respect with that transaction between Miller and Emrich?
A. Oh, yes, we got involved. I got a call from Mrs. Stocksdale.
Q. All right.
A. And she said to me, “Would you mind going down — ” She said, “The house has been sold. Mr. Miller has sold the house. And would you mind going down to the title company and signing a release on that lot?” And I said to her, “Why, if they’ve sold it, we're entitled to be paid for the lot.” And she indicated to me that Mr. Miller didn’t take in too much cash and took an older house in on it. And I said, “I’d like to come down and see you before I go sign any release.” So I went down to Mrs. Stocksdale’s office.
Q. There at the Commercial Bank?
A. At the Commercial Bank. I’ve banked there for over 40 years. That’s why I went in to see her.
Q. When you went in to see her, tell us what conversation transpired.
A. Well, I said, “Ruth, we’re now behind a $95,000 first mortgage and you’re asking us to go behind a $122,-900 first mortgage for a Mr. Emrich, who — ” I know, I’d never heard of the man. And I checked with our board, and no one on our board had ever heard of the man. And I said, “We have no idea who we’re dealing with; and you’re asking us to increase our obligation to the place where we’ll now be behind a $122,900 loan instead of a $95,000 loan.”
And she said, “Well, now, Jewett, we didn’t take in very much, as I told you— or, Miller didn’t. He got an older house in on it.” And she didn’t give me any amounts of money besides that, but mentioned an older house. And she said, “I wish you’d go down and sign that release.” And I said, “Well, if you think it’s all right, why, that’s fine.” And she said, “You know me, and you know we’ll make it.”

[Emphasis added.]

Q. Did you ever ask her for any assurance that you’d get paid for the lot?
A. Well, certainly I asked her. I didn’t want an increase of that much without some assurance. And she said she—
Q. Tell me what she said, and what you responded.
A. I said, “Ruth, we would need some assurance, since we’re increasing it. I would want some assurance of some kind.” And she said, “Jewitt[sie], you know we’ll take care of it when we settle with Mr. Emrich.”
Q. All right. And what did you take that to mean?
A.

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Bluebook (online)
742 S.W.2d 209, 1987 Mo. App. LEXIS 4839, 1987 WL 1157, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/liberty-hills-development-inc-v-stocksdale-moctapp-1987.