Miller v. Johnson

1998 NMCA 059, 958 P.2d 745, 125 N.M. 175
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 18, 1998
Docket17537
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 1998 NMCA 059 (Miller v. Johnson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Miller v. Johnson, 1998 NMCA 059, 958 P.2d 745, 125 N.M. 175 (N.M. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

OPINION

BUSTAMANTE, Judge.

{1} This case arises out of Plaintiffs Dana and Audrey Miller’s (Buyers) complaint for declaratory judgment and injunctive relief to halt Defendants Floyd O. and V. Marie Johnson’s (Sellers) termination of Buyers’ rights under a New Mexico real estate contract for the purchase of a mobile home park. After a bench trial on the merits, the trial court ruled in favor of Sellers and awarded them $16,473.97 in attorney’s fees.

{2} Buyers appeal, raising three issues: (1) whether disrepair, not amounting to waste, is a legally sufficient basis for terminating the real estate contract; (2) whether the trial court erred by failing to order reinstatement and specific performance of the real estate contract or abused its discretion by allowing Sellers to declare a forfeiture of the contract; and (3) whether the trial court abused its discretion in awarding Sellers attorney’s fees. Determining that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in awarding attorney’s fees or in allowing the forfeiture based on a combination of the failure to repair and the failure to cure the delinquent monthly installments, we affirm.

FACTS

{3} Sellers were the owners of a mobile home park located in the City of Las Cruces. In 1979, they sold the mobile home park by real estate contract to Russell C. Keithline and Josephine Perry. Keithline and Perry defaulted below and are not part of this appeal. Keithline and Perry agreed to pay $180,000 to purchase the mobile home park. They paid $40,000 to Sellers at the time of closing and agreed to pay monthly installments of $1,272.18 on the balance due. The contract provided that the property shall be kept “in good condition, and [that the Buyers] shall not permit any waste to be committed upon the property.” The contract also required Sellers’ consent prior to any assignment or transfer of the contract, and payment of attorney’s fees to the prevailing party in any court action to enforce the contract.

{4} In 1988, Keithline and Perry sold and assigned their interest in the mobile home park to Buyers. Buyers agreed to pay a total purchase price of $220,000 and assumed all obligations to Sellers under the contract with Keithline and Perry, including the obligation to pay monthly installments of $1,272.18. Sellers were aware of Buyers’ purchase and assumption of the contract and consented to the transaction.

{5} On June 1, 1993, Buyers sold and assigned their interest in the mobile home park to Vaughn Bourget for a purchase price of $284,000. Buyers received a down payment from Bourget of $29,000. In their arrangement with Bourget, Buyers agreed to continue paying Sellers the monthly installments of $1,272.18. While Bourget assumed the other obligations under the original real estate contract, it is undisputed that Buyers remained directly obligated to Sellers. Sellers were not aware of the sale to Bourget and did not consent to that transaction.

{6} In November 1994, Bourget failed to make the monthly installment under his contract with Buyers. Buyers in turn failed to pay the monthly installment to Sellers. In December 1994, Bourget failed to make a second monthly installment, and Buyers then caused a written default notice to be sent to him. Buyers also failed to make the December 1994 installment to Sellers. Bourget then failed to make the January and February 1995 payments, and Buyers in turn failed to pay these installments to Sellers. Bourget attempted to sell the mobile home park to a third party, and Buyers awaited the outcome of the proposed sale rather than terminate Bourget’s interest under the real estate contract. Sellers became aware of Buyers’ transfer to Bourget when the defaults began to occur. Sellers were consulted to seek their consent to Bourget’s potential sale to a third party. In February 1995, Bourget’s attempted sale fell through. On February 10, 1995, Buyers terminated Bourget’s interest under the contract and retook possession of the property.

{7} On February 10, 1995, Sellers caused written notice of default to be sent to Keith-line and Perry and to Buyers. Sellers’ written notice of default listed four events of default: (1) failure to pay monthly installments of $1,272.18 for the months of November and December 1994 and January and February 1995; (2) failure to pay property taxes and irrigation district levies for the years 1993 and 1994; (3) failure to keep the premises in good condition and state of repair; and (4) Buyers’ transfer to Bourget without Sellers’ consent. The real estate contract provided for thirty days to cure the default; the final day to cure defaults was March 13,1995.

{8} After recording the special warranty deed from Bourget, Buyers inspected the park on February 10, 1995. Buyers testified they found the park to be in “deplorable” shape and in “terrible” condition. The parties’ testimony conflicts about what steps Buyers took to remedy the default relating to failure to keep the premises in good repair. Buyers testified that they took steps to begin repairing the property and restoring it to “good condition .” Buyers testified that they talked to a representative of the New Mexico Environment Department to agree on a four to six month time frame for completing repairs to the septic system and that they hired a park tenant to be a temporary manager and to begin doing repair and clean-up work, including instructions to contact a local septic system contractor to visit the park and see what repairs needed to be done on the system. Buyers further asserted they talked to park tenants and notified them of their resumption of management and paid some bills for septic tank and repair work. Buyers hired an attorney to pay the back taxes and irrigation district levies and to otherwise cure the defaults. After retaking possession on February 10,1995, Buyers left on a trip to England on February 17, 1995. Prior to March 13, 1995, Buyers’ attorney delivered a check in the amount of $1,272.18, one monthly installment, to the escrow agent. This cheek was returned since the amount tendered did not satisfy the payment defaults.

{9} Sellers testified that after Buyers received notice of default on February 10,1995, they did nothing to repair the problems, but instead took an extended trip to England. Sellers submitted photographs of the property taken after they resumed possession of the park on March 14, 1995, to corroborate their testimony. Sellers’ witnesses testified there had been a total lack of maintenance for a considerable number of years and that Buyers were repeatedly informed of these conditions even prior to their sale to Bourget.

{10} Charles Lamb at the Environment Department testified he had records of complaints from park tenants and adjoining property owners due to surfacing raw human sewage dating from January 1994. Lamb could not recall the specifies of a conversation with Buyers in February 1995. Lamb testified that the Department was willing to work with any responsible party as long as the Department was assured the nuisance and public health risks from surfacing sewage were being eliminated.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1998 NMCA 059, 958 P.2d 745, 125 N.M. 175, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/miller-v-johnson-nmctapp-1998.