Magill v. Schwartz

105 P.3d 867, 197 Or. App. 334, 55 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1002, 2005 Ore. App. LEXIS 94
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedFebruary 2, 2005
Docket99-2200; A110704
StatusPublished

This text of 105 P.3d 867 (Magill v. Schwartz) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Magill v. Schwartz, 105 P.3d 867, 197 Or. App. 334, 55 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1002, 2005 Ore. App. LEXIS 94 (Or. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

ARMSTRONG, J.

Plaintiff appeals from a foreclosure judgment. Plaintiffs sole assignment of error is that the trial court erred in ruling that a loan extension agreement between the parties was not definite enough to be specifically enforced. We affirm.

Defendant made an unsecured loan of $20,000 to Baypack Fisheries, LLC, a company in which plaintiff owned a 24 percent interest and in which defendant owned about a three percent interest. Shortly thereafter, defendant offered to loan an additional $500,000 to Baypack Fisheries. Having committed to look out for defendant’s best interests after defendant suffered a severe head injury and received a multimillion dollar settlement, plaintiff offered his own property as collateral for the loans.

In January 1996, the parties drew up a loan agreement, a promissory note, and a deed of trust. The agreement provided that, as security for the $520,000, plaintiff would give defendant a mortgage on property that plaintiff owned in Cannon Beach and security interests in one of plaintiffs fishing vessels and his airplane. The loan agreement also provided that the loan was payable on or before January 1997; that the loan was for a commercial purpose so that plaintiff could, in turn, lend the money to Baypack Fisheries; and that the loan would be governed by the laws of the State of Washington. The promissory note provided that the due date could be extended by mutual consent. Both parties envisioned that Baypack Fisheries would be the source for repayment of the loan.

However, that spring Baypack Fisheries experienced severe financial difficulties that it blamed on a fish-marketing company, Nelbro, with which it had contracted. In fall 1996, Baypack Fisheries filed an action against Nelbro for breach of contract and tortious interference with contract.

As a result of Baypack Fisheries’s financial difficulties, plaintiff was unable to repay defendant by the January 1997 deadline. In February 1997, plaintiff and defendant reached an agreement to establish a new payment schedule. [337]*337Under the terms of that agreement, plaintiff was to convey to defendant title to plaintiffs real property in Cannon Beach. Defendant would credit plaintiff $200,000 towards the balance due and would develop and sell the Cannon Beach property. Defendant would also credit to plaintiff any amount defendant received for the property in excess of $200,000 and would pay to plaintiff any amount of the net profits that exceeded the amount plaintiff owed on the promissory note. Defendant also agreed that he would not initiate any collection action on the promissory note until he had developed and sold the Cannon Beach property. In accordance with that agreement, plaintiff gave defendant a warranty deed to his property in Cannon Beach. The parties now stipulate that the warranty deed was in fact an equitable mortgage.

In 1998, plaintiff learned that defendant had entered into a contract to sell the Cannon Beach property for $250,000, far less than plaintiff believed the property to be worth. Plaintiff filed an action to enjoin the sale. Defendant filed a counterclaim in the action, seeking to foreclose the mortgage on the Cannon Beach property due to plaintiffs breach of the loan agreement and promissory note.

On August 24,1998, plaintiffs attorney sent a settlement offer to defendant’s attorney. On August 26, 1998, defendant’s attorney faxed to plaintiffs attorney a document consisting of a fax cover sheet and a marked-up copy of plaintiffs settlement offer. On the cover sheet, defendant’s attorney wrote:

“Enclosed is a copy of [your] August 24,1998 letter that I have marked to show those matters on which we have agreement and those few other matters where we would be in agreement with minor modifications. Please review with your client and call me. The details of some of these matters will need to be worked out, but I think this letter should serve as a good outline. I note that there are other matters, previously addressed, such as the stand-still agreement, that will need to be incorporated into the final document.”

On August 27,1998, plaintiffs attorney sent a letter to defendant’s attorney purporting to accept defendant’s counteroffer. That series of documents is the settlement agreement that plaintiff seeks to specifically enforce as a defense to [338]*338defendant’s attempt to foreclose the mortgage on the Cannon Beach property.1

As modified by defendant’s attorney, the purported settlement agreement contained the following terms:

“1. Cannon Beach Property
“[Defendant] would transfer the property back to [plaintiff] and would take a deed of trust on the property, with a due on sale clause. [Plaintiff] would then be responsible for the back taxes owed and for the actual invoiced cost of the geotechnical work-up on the property which would be added to the principal balance of the note. Any attorneys’ fees incurred by [defendant] specifically in connection with efforts to develop and sell the property would be reimbursed by [plaintiff], upon confirmation of the nature of the services rendered from time entries, also by adding to the loan balance. He would have until the end of the forbearance agreement (30 days after final resolution of the Baypack v. Nelbro action, including any appeals) to obtain at his cost and expense engineering and geologic recommendations, building permits, etc. and/or to obtain a binding purchase and sale agreement from a qualified buyer through a realtor of his choice. [Plaintiffs] proposal with respect to the above is conditioned upon confirmation that the re-conveyance of the property under these circumstances would not be deemed a sale for purposes of the listing agreement between [defendant] and his realtor, which is also a condition of [defendant].
“2. [FISHING VESSEL] SANDMAN
“[Defendant] would agree not to foreclose on the first preferred mortgage he holds on the vessel until default under the note. [Plaintiff] would be free to sell the vessel at any time prior to that date, the first $150,000.00 of which would be paid to [defendant] in satisfaction of his mortgagee,] to a disinterested third party. Any sale of the vessel by [plaintiff] on terms would include the usual protections for a mortgagee, such as an assignment of sale proceeds, [339]*339naming [defendant] as a loss payee on the vessel’s hull and machinery policy, etc. In the event of any sale on terms the mortgage shall remain a hen on the vessel until first $150,000 paid, unless otherwise agreed by [defendant].
“3. Petersburg Property
“[Plaintiff] would grant to [defendant] a deed of trust on Lot 8, with a due on sale clause.
“4. Baypack v. Nelbro Chose in Action
“[Plaintiff] would grant to [defendant] a security interest in his right to any recovery in the above-referenced action, and will warrant that right has not been assigned, pledged, etc.
“5. Loan Extension Fee
“In consideration of the above, [plaintiff] would pay a loan extension fee of $25,000.00, which would be added to the principal balance of the Note.
“6. [Plaintiff] to pay attorney’s fees and costs of [defendant] in connection with loan modification, restructuring * * *, provided that fees under 1. and 6.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
105 P.3d 867, 197 Or. App. 334, 55 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1002, 2005 Ore. App. LEXIS 94, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/magill-v-schwartz-orctapp-2005.