McDonald v. McCallum

CourtSuperior Court of Maine
DecidedMarch 26, 2013
DocketCUMcv-12-01
StatusUnpublished

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

Bluebook
McDonald v. McCallum, (Me. Super. Ct. 2013).

Opinion

STATE OF MAINE BUSINESS AND CONSUMER COURT CUMBERLAND, ss Location: Portland Docket No.: BCD-CV-~21:1 / /1 /v1 w -- Cutv\- ~j:.:;_'~/:z_o,y ) BERRY HUFF McDONALD ) MILLIGAN, INC. cl/b/a BH2M, ) ) Plaintiff ) ) v. ) ) MARK McCALLUM ) d/b/a GROUP I REALTY ) cl/b/a COUNTRY CLUB ESTATES, ) d/b/a MOUNTAIN ROAD TRUST, ) MOUNTAIN HEIR FINANCIAL ) CORP., and GOOSEFARE ACRES, ) LTD., INC., ) ) Defendants )

ORDER ON PLAINTIFF BH2M'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON DEFENDANTS' COUNTERCLAIMS

Plaintiff Berry Huff McDonald Milligan, Inc. (BH2M), doing business as BH2M,

initiated this action on December 2, 2011, by filing a fotn·-cotmt complaint in Cumberland

County Superior Court. 1 On December 22, 2011, Defendants answered and counterclaimed for:

I) "money had and received,"!2 2) fraud, and 8) professional negligence. The case was

transferred to the Business and Consumer Court on January 4•, 2012. On December 10, 2012,

the Court denied Defendant Mark McCallum's M.R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss.

Currently pending is Plaintiffs motion for summary judgment on Defendants' cotmterclaims,

along with the Defendants' opposition and related materials. The court elects to decide the

Plaintiffs motion without oral argument. See M.R. Civ. P. 7(b)(7).

1 Plaintiffs allege the following causes of action against all Defendants: 1) breach of contract; 2) violation of 10 M.R.S. § IllS (2011), (Count II); unjust enrichment (Count III); and quantum mer·uit (Count IV). 2 The nature of this count is discussed further in the o1·der. FACTUAL BACKGROUND The following facts are undisputed, except where noted. 3 McCalltun is a real estate

develope•· based in Saco, and has been a client of BH2M for almost so years, either individually

or through his entities:t- (S.S.M.F. 1f 5, 12; O.S.M.F. ~f ~f 5, 12.) BH2M is an engineering firm

in Gorham, and Lester Berry is a professional engineer and shareholder of BH2M who

provided engineering work for McCallum's subdivisions. (S.S.M.F. ~ ~~ 1, 4, 16; O.S.M.F. ~~ ~~

I, 4., 16). BH2M performed a variety of professional services for McCallum in fmtherance of

development and approval of his subdivision projects. (S.S.M.F. ~~ 14; O.S.M.F. 1f 14<.) All

professional services agreements between McCallum and BH2M were oral agreements.

(S.S.M.F. ~ 13; O.S.M.F. 1f 13.)5 Through the lawsuit, BI-I2M is seelcing payment fi·om

McCallum and/or his entities for approximately $50,000 worth of professional services on

McCallum's various subdivision projects. (S.S.M.F. 1f 1f 17-20; ~ 1f O.S.M.F. 17-20.)6

Defendants' first counterclaim asserts that McCallum paid $3,537.50 to BH2M 111

error-as an overpayment-and seel{s judgment in that amount. (Answer 5.) The actual claim

asserted, however, is not clear. The gravamen is that on one invoice, Defendants overpaid

:I Defendants did not file an additional statement of material facts with their· opposition, but on Febnmr·y 15, 2018, Defendants submitted "Defendants' Response to Plain tin's Reply Statement of Material Facts." Such response is not permitted plll'suant to M.R. Civ. P. 56(h)(s), nor did Defendants receive leave of the court to file their "response." The bulk of the "response" is legal argument regarding Plaintin's objections to Defendants' opposition and is not considered. Several of the numbered paragr·aphs, however, appear to be revisions to Defendants' opposing statement of material facts, changing several responses fi·om "denied" to "admitted," and the Cour·t has considered those in this order. In its r·eply brief, BH2M ar·gues that the Court should not treat the affidavit of Mark McCallum submitted in opposition to the motion for summar·y judgment as Defendants' additional statement of material facts. Although the Court does not understand that to be the intent of the affidavit, as it is cited in Defendants' opposing statement of material facts, the Court does not treat it as a statement of material fhcts pm·suant to M.R. Civ. P. 56. ·~ McCallum is the president and sole shareholder of Defendants Mountain Heir F'inancial Corp. and Goosefare Acres, Ltd., Inc., and Mountain Road Realty Trust. (S.S.l'vJ.F. ~~ 8-9, II; O.S.M.F. ~~ 8-9, II.) McCallum had an ownership interest in Gr·oup 1 Realty, Inc., but the company ceased doing business in 2009. (S.S.l'vl.F. ~ 7; O.S.M.F'. 11 7.) s Defendants qualify this statement to note that since 2001, all surveying contracts had to be in writing and ther·e were three such wl'itten agreements between BH2M and McCallum. (O.S.M.F'. ~ IS.) r. Defendants deny that McCallum is personally liable or responsible for these amounts. (O.S.M.F'. ~ 19.)

2 BH2M by $3,537.50, although through discovery, Defendants allege that the amount of the

overpayment is actually $6,350. (Answer +-5; S.S.M.F. ~ ~ 23-2·1·; O.S.M.F. ~ ~ 23-24.) The

claim could be a claim for setoff, or it could be a claim for "money had and received," because

those are the first four words of the counterclaim. Defendants also assert the affirmative

defense of recoupment based on the same set offc'lcts. (Answer •1•.) The parties do not appear to

dispute that McCallum's entities owe money to BH2M, but the amount is not fixed as of yet

and McCallum's personal liability is disputed. (S.S.M.F. ~~ ~ 25-28; O.S.M.F. ~ ~ 25-28.)

Defendants' second counterclaim relates to the conveyance of a parcel of land that was

part of the Juniper Knoll subdivision in Saco, and appears to be either an intentional or

negligent misrepresentation claim. McCallum owned a portion of the land underlying Lot 12

of the subdivision in question. (S.S.M.F. ~ ~ so, 32; O.S.M.F. ~ ~ 30, 32.) McCallum contends

that Berry told him in September or October of 2009 and again in the fall of 2010 that all the

land in the subdivision had to be held in one name for it to be approved by the City of Saco, but

Berry denies maldng such a statement. (S.S.M.F. ~~ 34-36; O.S.M.F. ~ ~ 3'1•-36.) In Aug·ust of

2010, however, the Saco City Planner told McCallum via e-mail that not all the property had to

be held in the same name. (S.S.M.F. ~ 37; O.S.M.F. ~ 37.) McCallum transferred his interest

in Lot 12 to Mezoian Development, LLC (Mezoian) in November of 2010. 7 (S.S.M.F. ~ 40;

O.S.M.F. ~ '1·0.) McCallum contends he had an oral agreement with Mezoian that Mezoian

would convey Lot 12 back to him after approval, but Mezoian has refused to do so. (S.S.M.F.

~~ ~~ 43-45; O.S.M.F. ~~ •J..S-·1·5.) McCal.lmn contends that he relied on Berry's

misrepresentation to the effect that the under1ying property had to be in one ownership to

secure the subdivision's approval,. (S.S.M.F. ~ '1·6; O.S.M.F. ~ 4·6.)

7 Although not explicit in the statements of material f.1cts, p•·esumably Mewian is the entity developing the

subdivision in Saco with McCallum.

3 Defendants' third counterclaim is tor professional negligence related to road

specifications in the Green Acres Court subdivision in Waterboro. Defendants assert that the

road specifications created by BH2M for the subdivision far exceed the requirements of the

Waterboro road ordinance. (S.S.M.F. ~ 1·9; O.S.M.F. ~ 4•9.) \Vaterboro, LLC, owns the land

underlying the Green Acres Comt subdivision; McCallum's corporation Mountain Heir

Financial Corp. (MHFC) is a 29% owner of \Vaterboro, LLC. (S.S.M.F. ~~ 51-52; O.S.M.F.

~ ~ 51-52.) Neither McCallum nor MHFC is the manager of m· can control Waterboro, LLC;

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Halfway House, Inc. v. City of Portland
670 A.2d 1377 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1996)
Francis v. Stinson
2000 ME 173 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2000)
Searles v. Trustees of St. Joseph's College
695 A.2d 1206 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1997)
Chapman v. Rideout
568 A.2d 829 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1990)
Miller v. Commissioner of Correction
976 A.2d 6 (Connecticut Appellate Court, 2009)
Garland v. Roy
2009 ME 86 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2009)
Inniss v. Methot Buick-Opel, Inc.
506 A.2d 212 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1986)
Corey v. Norman, Hanson & DeTroy
1999 ME 196 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1999)
Waterville Industries, Inc. v. Finance Authority
2000 ME 138 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2000)
Curtis v. Porter
2001 ME 158 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2001)
Harmony Homes Corp. v. Cragg
390 A.2d 1033 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1978)
Fischer v. Estate of Flax
816 A.2d 1 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 2003)
Reliance National Indemnity v. Knowles Industrial Services, Corp.
2005 ME 29 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2005)
Darling v. Western Thrift & Loan
600 F. Supp. 2d 189 (D. Maine, 2009)
Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. v. Saunders
2010 ME 79 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2010)
Kenny v. Department of Human Services
1999 ME 158 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1999)
Yim K. Cheung v. Wing Ki Wu
2007 ME 22 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2007)
Marquis v. Town of Kennebunk
2011 ME 128 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2011)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
McDonald v. McCallum, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcdonald-v-mccallum-mesuperct-2013.