MH Investment Co. v. Transamerica Title Insurance

785 P.2d 89, 162 Ariz. 569, 50 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 86, 1989 Ariz. App. LEXIS 363
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedDecember 21, 1989
Docket2 CA-CV 89-0113
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 785 P.2d 89 (MH Investment Co. v. Transamerica Title Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
MH Investment Co. v. Transamerica Title Insurance, 785 P.2d 89, 162 Ariz. 569, 50 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 86, 1989 Ariz. App. LEXIS 363 (Ark. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

OPINION

FERNANDEZ, Chief Judge.

Appellants Transamerica Title Insurance Company and the owners of 15 condominium units (collectively referred to as Trans-america) appeal from the granting of summary judgment against them in appellees’ suit for foreclosure of two deeds of trust on the property. Appellants contend that factual issues exist on their affirmative defenses and counterclaims for promissory estoppel, equitable estoppel, fraud, and unjust enrichment that precluded entry of summary judgment. We agree in part.

In April 1983, a limited partnership named Points West Limited Partnership was created to develop a 108-unit condominium project known as Points West Condominium III. The general partner of Points West was Griffin & Associates, a general partnership comprised of Philip Reznik and Scott Griffin. The two limited partners of Points West were appellees MH Investment Company and MGM Investment Company. Both MH and MGM are themselves partnerships. Garry Shuster is a general partner in MGM and an agent with a power of attorney for MH.

In September 1983, Griffin and Reznik borrowed $3,380,000 from Sun State Savings and Loan Association and secured the loan with a first deed of trust on the property. In October 1984, they borrowed an additional $850,000 from Sun State and secured that loan with a second deed of trust on the property.

MH and MGM had contributed funds to Points West Limited Partnership that were to be returned to them with interest by late October 1983. Because that money was not repaid, MH and MGM entered into an agreement with Griffin, Reznik, and Points West on November 16, 1984. Pursuant to that agreement, Griffin and Reznik executed a promissory note for $142,772 in favor of MH and MGM. The note was secured by a third deed of trust on the property. The agreement provided that proceeds from unit sales would be applied first to the obligations owed to Sun State and then to MH and MGM’s note. MH and MGM agreed to execute releases on the third deed of trust for units that were sold, provided that the proceed distribution scheme was recognized.

Also on November 16, 1984, Griffin and Reznik entered into an agreement with Condominium Consulting Services, Inc. (CCS), a corporation of which Shuster was president. That agreement called for CCS to consult and advise on completion of the project for a fee of $166,000, evidenced by a promissory note signed the same day and secured by a fourth deed of trust on the property. Payment on this note was to be made from proceeds of unit sales after payment to Sun State and to MH and MGM.

A month before the third and fourth trust deeds were executed, Griffin & Associates executed an irrevocable assignment of proceeds authorizing Transamerica Title Insurance Company, the escrow officer for sales of the condominiums, to pay all sales proceeds to Sun State.

A total of 39 units in' the project were sold. The sales closed through Trans-america between November 19, 1984 and August 2,1985. Shuster authorized releases as to the third and fourth trust deeds on 24 of the sales, and the trustee executed the releases. One release executed on No-vemer 30,1984 covered 14 sales that closed *572 between November 19 and December 18. The others were all executed individually on the date of closing. Shuster sent a letter to Transamerica dated May 13, 1986 in which he stated that Griffin and Reznik had defaulted on their November 1984 agreement with MGM and MH and that he would authorize no more releases until the defaults were corrected. Shuster submitted an affidavit with appellees’ summary judgment motion in which he stated that the actual date of the letter was May 13, 1985.

Transamerica closed the sales of the 15 units at issue and issued title insurance on the properties. No releases were executed on the third and fourth deeds of trust. Because Sun State’s first and second deeds of trust were released on those units, the third and fourth are now in first and second position. Griffin and Reznik defaulted on the promissory notes secured by those trust deeds, and MH, MGM, and CCS sued to foreclose on the trust deeds.

Transamerica answered and filed a counterclaim, contending that Shuster had executed escrow instructions on November 30, 1984 on behalf of all three entities that authorized Transamerica to obtain and record partial releases on the third and fourth deeds of trust on all units sold and that provided that no proceeds would be paid to appellees until a total of 90 units had been sold. Transamerica also contends that Shuster orally agreed to provide releases in accordance with the escrow instructions.

Appellees filed a summary judgment motion, arguing that they were entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Shuster submitted an affidavit in which he denied entering into an oral agreement or executing the escrow instructions. Appellees also submitted the affidavit of Jack Rudel, the trustee on the third and fourth deeds of trust and Shuster’s attorney, in which he stated that Transamerica never requested that he execute releases on the 15 units. He also stated that two originals of the escrow instructions are in the safe at his office. The attached copies of the originals show that they were signed only by Griffin. Griffin stated in an affidavit that he did not see Shuster sign the instructions at the time Griffin signed them. Appellees argued in the motion that any claimed oral agreement is barred by the statute of frauds.

Transamerica responded to the summary judgment motion and cited the deposition testimony of Phyllis Neal and the statement in the affidavit of James Harper, both Transamerica employees, that they witnessed both Shuster and Griffin execute five or six originals of the escrow instructions on November 30, 1984 and heard Shuster agree to provide partial releases until 90 units had been sold. Both Neal and Harper stated that the escrow instructions were prepared at the request of Griffin and Shuster. Harper testified that he took all the signed originals to Reznik’s office for his signature. They were left at his office because he was not there at the time. Transamerica has only unsigned copies of the instructions in its possession.

The trial court granted summary judgment, stating that Transamerica was unable to demonstrate that it could refute Shuster’s and Rudel’s affidavits to the effect that Shuster never signed the instructions. Transamerica contends on appeal that the trial court improperly weighed the evidence in ruling on the motion and that fact issues exist on the question of Shus-ter’s execution of escrow instructions. It also argues that, in any event, the statute of frauds does not bar proof of the oral agreement.

IMPROPER WEIGHING OF EVIDENCE

Transamerica contends that the trial court made a finding of fact in its ruling on the summary judgment motion and thus impermissibly weighed the evidence, citing Boozer v. Arizona Country Club, 102 Ariz. 544, 434 P.2d 630 (1967). The alleged finding is the court’s statement in its minute entry that Transamerica was unable to demonstrate that it could refute appellees’ affidavits that Shuster did not sign the escrow instructions. Because of our conclusion that a factual question exists in this case, we need not address this contention.

*573

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

Related

White v. White
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2025
Owens v. M.E. Schepp Ltd. Partnership
165 P.3d 674 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2007)
Arnold & Associates, Inc. v. Misys Healthcare Systems
275 F. Supp. 2d 1013 (D. Arizona, 2003)
Chevron v. Schirmer
11 F.3d 1473 (Ninth Circuit, 1993)
Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Schirmer
11 F.3d 1473 (Ninth Circuit, 1993)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
785 P.2d 89, 162 Ariz. 569, 50 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 86, 1989 Ariz. App. LEXIS 363, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mh-investment-co-v-transamerica-title-insurance-arizctapp-1989.