Mickam v. Joseph Louis Palace Trust

849 F. Supp. 516, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8970, 1994 WL 124504
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedMarch 1, 1994
Docket92-77324
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 849 F. Supp. 516 (Mickam v. Joseph Louis Palace Trust) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mickam v. Joseph Louis Palace Trust, 849 F. Supp. 516, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8970, 1994 WL 124504 (E.D. Mich. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND GRANTING PHILIP SEAVER TITLE COMPANY’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

EDMUNDS, District Judge.

Plaintiffs, Mauricio and Kathleen Mickam and their company, U-Wash of Pontiac, Inc., 1 brought suit against Defendants, alleging that they have been damaged as a result of their purchase of property encumbered by outstanding federal and state tax liens. Defendants include: Joseph Louis Palace Trust; Victoria Palace and Paul Palace, Cotrustees of the Trust; Philip R. Seaver Title Company; the United States; and the State of Michigan. Plaintiffs and Seaver Title have filed motions for summary judgment.

I. Facts

Joseph Louis Palace created the Joseph Louis Palace Trust, a revocable trust, in May of 1984. Joseph Palace was the grantor and trustee, and Victoria Palace and Paul Palace were appointed as successor trustees. After Joseph Palace’s death in 1989, Victoria Palace and Paul Palace became cotrustees of the Trust.

In 1989, Paul Palace obtained a title insurance commitment from Seaver Title, for insurance covering the property that is the subject of this lawsuit. Seaver Title, as agent of Security Union Title Insurance Company, issued a commitment dated September 25, 1989, showing the property owners as Mahlon Benson, Jr. and Edward McNamara and indicating that the party to be insured was Paul Palace. This 1989 commitment listed as exceptions unspecified federal and state tax liens that had been filed against “Paul F. Palace/Paul F. Palace *519 Jr./Joseph Louis Palace.” No title policy was ever issued pursuant to this commitment.

Then, in 1990, U-Wash became interested in acquiring the real estate. U-Wash obtained its own title insurance commitment from Seaver Title. Seaver title issued a commitment dated October 30, 1990, showing the property owners as Mahlon Benson and Joseph L. Palace Trust. The' commitment indicated that the party to be insured was U-Wash Pontiac, Inc., and it did not list any federal or state tax liens as exceptions to title.

In 1991, U-Wash purchased the Trust property via a land contract. The land contract, dated February 1, 1991, provided that upon payment in full, the Cotrustees acting on behalf of the Trust would provide a warranty deed to U-Wash. There were no exceptions to title made for any state or federal tax liens. As part of the land contract transaction, the Cotrustees executed a warranty deed to U-Wash. The deed was dated February 1, 1991, and was placed in escrow. The Cotrustees’ deed to U-Wash was never delivered out of escrow nor was it ever recorded, because subsequently U-Wash assigned its interest in the land contract to the Mickams.

Pursuant to the second commitment and as part of the land contract transaction, Seaver Title, as agent for Security Union, issued a title policy to U-Wash dated February 4, 1991. The title policy did not list as exceptions any federal or state tax liens on the property.

In October of 1991, the Trust was found to be invalid in a state court condemnation action regarding a portion of the Trust property. There, the federal and state governments claimed that the condemnation proceeds should be paid to them in satisfaction of their liens against the Trust property. The Trust argued that condemnation proceeds should be paid to it because the tax liens had been filed against Joseph Palace, not against the Trust.

The state court held an evidentiary hearing and found that the Trust was not a valid trust for the purpose of avoiding Joseph L. Palace’s tax liabilities. City of Pontiac v. Estate of Joseph H. Palace No. 89-374045 (Oakland County Cir.Ct. Oct. 1, 1991). There was no evidence of trust documents or registration of the Trust. The court further found that even if some sort of trust existed, the transfer of the property to the Trust was a fraudulent conveyance.

In light of all the evidence (and lack of evidence) the Court concludes that the transfer of property was a fraudulent conveyance. As such, the conveyance did not extinguish the tax liens and does not preclude Defendants U.S. and State of Michigan from collecting condemnation proceeds.

Id.

Subsequently, in May of 1992, the Cotrus-tees executed and delivered a warranty deed to Mauricio and Kathleen Mickam, as assignees of U-Wash. This deed was recorded, and again, no title exceptions were made for tax liens.

In August of 1992, the Mickams applied for a’ mortgage on the property. The lender refused to lend them money after conducting a title search and discovering that federal and state tax liens had been filed against the property. 2 As a result, Plaintiffs filed a complaint alleging the following:

*520 1. Breach of contract against the Trust and the Cotrustees
2. Negligent misrepresentation and breach of insurance contract against Seaver Title 3
3. Quiet title against the United States requesting that the federal tax liens be discharged
4. Quiet title against the State of Michigan requesting that the state tax liens be discharged
5. Fraud and misrepresentation against the Trust and the Cotrustees

Plaintiffs filed a motion for summary judgment on all of their claims.

As a result of this lawsuit, the Trust and the Cotrustees filed a cross complaint against Seaver Title alleging breach of insurance contract, breach of warranty, and indemnity. Seaver Title has filed a motion for summary judgment on the complaint and on the cross complaint.

II. Analysis

A. Plaintiffs’ claims against the Trust and the Cotrustees

Plaintiffs contend that the Trust and the Cotrustees are liable for breach of contract and fraud because they warranted that the property was free of encumbrances when they transferred the property to U-Wash by land contract and then to the Miek-ams by warranty deed. In an action for breach of contract for sale of land, Plaintiffs can recover the price paid for the land plus interest. Dubay v. Kelly, 137 Mich. 345, 100 N.W. 677 (1904). In an action for fraud, Plaintiffs can recover the actual value of the interest in the land which was lost. Id. That is, Michigan courts have approved of the “English Rule” which provides that a buyer may recover benefit of the bargain damages from a seller who sold realty in bad faith by concealing known title defects. Such damages are the difference in value between the contract price and the value of the property as encumbered. Soloman v. Western Hills Development Co., 110 Mich.App. 257, 312 N.W.2d 428, 433 (1981).

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Bluebook (online)
849 F. Supp. 516, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8970, 1994 WL 124504, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mickam-v-joseph-louis-palace-trust-mied-1994.