McAdoo, A. v. Caruso, C.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedOctober 31, 2017
Docket1802 EDA 2016
StatusUnpublished

This text of McAdoo, A. v. Caruso, C. (McAdoo, A. v. Caruso, C.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McAdoo, A. v. Caruso, C., (Pa. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

J-A10026-17

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

ANDREW MCADOO IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA Appellant

v.

CHERI CARUSO

Appellee No. 1802 EDA 2016

Appeal from the Order Entered May 10, 2016 In the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County Civil Division at No(s): 2013-04549

BEFORE: FORD ELLIOTT, P.J.E., DUBOW, J., and SOLANO, J.

MEMORANDUM BY SOLANO, J.: FILED OCTOBER 31, 2017

Appellant Andrew McAdoo appeals from the order allocating owelty of

$46,627.92 to him in this partition action. We affirm.

In 2006, McAdoo, his wife Michelle McAdoo, and Appellee Cheri Caruso

(Michelle McAdoo’s sister) purchased property in Bensalem, Bucks County

(“the Property”). See Deed, Bucks Cnty. Deed Book 5195, p. 1323 (Dec. 1,

2006).1 The purchase price was $200,000, but at the time of trial, the

Property was appraised as having a value of only $170,000. Each party

owns a 50% interest in the Property. At the time of purchase, McAdoo made

an initial deposit of $5,000 and a down payment of $97,500. The parties

took out a mortgage for the remaining $97,500. As of May 20, 2015, the

mortgage balance was $87,575. The equity value as of that date therefore ____________________________________________ 1 Michelle McAdoo died in 2007. Trial Ct. Op., 8/4/16, at 8. Prior to her death, Michelle and Andrew had owned their 50% share as tenants by the entireties. J-A10026-17

was $82,425 ($170,000 minus $87,525). Trial Ct. Decision, 5/10/16, at 1-

3; Trial Ct. Op., 8/4/16, at 3-4.

On June 18, 2013, McAdoo filed a complaint against Caruso for

partition of the Property. Paragraph 6 of the complaint stated: “The

[P]roperty was purchased for $195,000. [McAdoo] paid cash for his half

interest and [Caruso] took out the mortgage for her half.”

The trial court appointed a Master to hear all evidence and to provide a

report and recommendation regarding the partition of the Property. One of

the issues at the hearing was the Property’s fair market value. The Master

stated that McAdoo provided a report from a “real estate broker . . . dated

May 6, 2015, not[ing] quite simply that the fair market rental value of [the

P]roperty would be ‘$1,200.00 per month with a tenant paying the utilities.’

There [was] no documentation or information provided for what time span

the $1,200 per month would be applicable.” Master’s Report, 6/26/15, at 4.

Caruso did not present any evidence to contradict this amount.

The Master filed his report on June 26, 2015. On July 6, 2015,

McAdoo filed exceptions to the Master’s Report. In his exceptions, McAdoo

“request[ed] that [he] be paid $85,000.00 for his 50% interest in [the

P]roperty.” McAdoo’s Mem. of Law in Supp. of his Exceptions to the Rep. of

the Master, 7/6/15, at 4. That amount is equal to half of the appraised

value of the Property, without any deduction for the mortgage. On

August 11, 2015, Caruso filed a response to McAdoo’s exceptions, and on

April 20, 2016, the trial court held oral argument on the exceptions. -2- J-A10026-17

On May 10, 2016, the trial court resolved McAdoo’s exceptions and

awarded credits to the parties under Rule of Civil Procedure 1570(a)(5).2

Specifically, the trial court held that McAdoo “receives credit for $102,500

for an initial deposit on the [P]roperty of $5,000.00 and a down payment at

settlement of $97,500.00.” Trial Ct. Decision, 5/10/16, at 2. The trial court

granted Caruso the following credits, based on payments made by her:

Mortgage Payments of Principal and Interest totaling $64,269.00.

Property Taxes Paid of $10,212.00.

Homeowner’s Insurance Paid of $4,195.00.

Total of these amounts: $78,676.00.

Id.; Master’s Report, 6/26/15, at 4. McAdoo does not dispute any of these

findings of fact, stating that “the application of the numbers is in dispute.”

McAdoo’s Brief at 6.

The amount of the total credits awarded by the trial court, $181,176,

is greater than the current equity of the Property. The trial court’s equitable

solution to this arithmetic conundrum is as follows: ____________________________________________ 2 Rule 1570(a) includes requirements for a decision rendered in a partition action, stating:

The decision shall include findings of fact as follows: ....

(5) the credit which should be allowed or the charge which should be made, in favor of or against any party because of use and occupancy of the property, taxes, rents or other amounts paid, services rendered, liabilities incurred or benefits derived in connection therewith or therefrom . . . .

-3- J-A10026-17

[E]ach party owns a 50% interest in a property that has a total net value of $82,425.00. The real issue is how to fairly address the existing equity in this property either through a buy-out or a sale. . . . [T]he [trial c]ourt finds that [Caruso]’s total contribution to the [P]roperty is $78,676.00 [and] that [McAdoo]’s total contribution to the [P]roperty is $102,500.00. The total contributions to the [P]roperty are therefore $181,176.00. [Caruso]’s ratio contributions to the whole [are] therefore 43.43% and [McAdoo’s] ratio contribution to the whole is therefore 56.57%.

Accordingly, the [trial c]ourt finds that if [Caruso] wants to buy out the interests of [McAdoo], [Caruso] would be required to pay [McAdoo] 56.57% of the equity in the [P]roperty, or $46,627.82. ($82,425.00 x 56.57% = $46,627.82). Should [Caruso] wish to buy-out [McAdoo]’s interest in the [P]roperty, [Caruso] must arrange to have [McAdoo]’s name removed from the mortgage or be able to re-finance the [P]roperty to have [McAdoo]’s name removed from the mortgage.

Should [Caruso] decide not to buy-out [McAdoo]’s interest in the [P]roperty, then said property should be listed for sale with a reputable realtor, familiar with the marketplace of the specific geographic area of the [P]roperty at a reasonable selling price[,] and the net proceeds of the sale shall be distributed 56.[5]7% to [McAdoo] and 43.43% to [Caruso].

Trial Ct. Decision, 5/10/16, at 2-3.

McAdoo now raises four issues on appeal:

A. Did the [trial court] err by failing to find that the mortgage was obtained by [Caruso] to purchase her half of the real estate as stated in paragraph 6 of the complaint on which a default judgment was entered?

B. Did the [trial court] err when it failed to properly apply the statute of frauds and follow the order for partition?

C. Did the [trial court] err by placing no value on the fact [that Caruso] had sole and exclusive use of the real estate for ten years and by awarding a credit to [Caruso] for payment of [taxes, the mortgage,] and insurance?

-4- J-A10026-17

D. Did the court abuse its discretion in reaching a result that is inequitable and unjustly enriches [Caruso] at the expense of [McAdoo]?

McAdoo’s Brief at 4 (all-capitalization omitted).

Our standard of review of an order resolving an action for partition,

which is an equitable remedy, is deferential: “Trial courts have broad

equitable powers to effectuate justice and we will find an abuse of discretion

only if the trial court has misapplied the law or failed to follow proper legal

procedures.” Nicholson v. Johnston, 855 A.2d 97, 102 (Pa. Super. 2004)

(citation and internal brackets omitted), appeal denied, 868 A.2d 453 (Pa.

2005). A trial judge’s findings of fact in an equitable matter “have all the

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