Packer v. Donaldson

492 P.2d 1232, 16 Ariz. App. 294, 1972 Ariz. App. LEXIS 511
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedJanuary 26, 1972
Docket1 CA-CIV 1525
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 492 P.2d 1232 (Packer v. Donaldson) 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
Packer v. Donaldson, 492 P.2d 1232, 16 Ariz. App. 294, 1972 Ariz. App. LEXIS 511 (Ark. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

CASE, Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the trial court, sitting without a jury, in favor of defendants-appellecs and against plaintiffs-appellants.

Prior to 3 March 1962, Penguin Motor Hotel, Inc., an Arizona corporation (hereinafter referred to as Penguin), was formed with thirteen original incorporators. The corporation, with the intention of establishing a motel thereon, obtained real estate leases on certain real property located in Dona Ana County, New Mexico, from Anthony A. and Margaret K. Standish and Sigurd and Virginia Johansen. The Standishes were two of the thirteen shareholders of Penguin.

On 3 March 1962 Penguin, for interim financing, borrowed $165,000 from the First National Bank of Arizona and First National Bank of Las Cruces. The latter named bank was subsequently known as the First National Bank of Dona Ana County. The security for the loan took two forms. The Standishes and Johansens, the fee owners of the land, signed a real estate mortgage. They had previously, through their leases with Penguin, agreed to subordination of their fee interest to the $165,000 mortgage. The thirteen incorporators also executed joint and several guarantees as security for the loan.

On 16 August 1962, Penguin borrowed an additional $100,000 from the same banks for the purpose of financing the purchase of furnishings for the motel. This loan was secured by security agreements covering various chattels located in the motel and by joint and several guarantees of the corporation’s incorporators.

Penguin became in default on both loans and the guarantors were so notified by the banks. Plaintiffs, Packers, Bettinis, Good-wins, and Stuckeys, all incorporators, except the Stuckeys, after notice and demand upon remaining guarantors and stockholders of Penguin, honored their guarantees by paying the principal and accrued interest on the notes in the total sum of $265,576.31. In return for payment, the plaintiffs were assigned the real estate mortgage, together with other security for the notes which included the individual guarantees of defendants, Donaldson, Knutsen and the Phillips, all original incorporators and stockholders.

Plaintiffs initiated a lawsuit in New Mexico against Penguin, James and Freeda Donaldson, Grace Lelies, C. and Ruth Porterfield, Anthony and Margaret Standish, Sigurd and Virginia Johansen, all original incorporators and stockholders of Penguin. This lawsuit resulted in two judgments, one dated 14 May 1965 and one dated 29 June 1965.

The New Mexico action contained three counts. The first count sought to foreclose the real estate mortgage, the second sought to foreclose the personal property security agreements and the third sought judgment for any deficiency against the defendants-guarantors following the foreclosure and sales. The 14 May 1965 judgment dealt only with the second count, granted summary judgment in favor of plaintiffs for $110,756.46, directed foreclosure of the security interests and preserved any deficiency against Penguin and the guarantors. On 7 December 1965, a public sheriff’s sale was held. Defendant Donaldson bid $20,000 for the property but plaintiffs bid $25,000 and had the property struck off to them at that price. The judgment of 29 June 1965 contained numerous findings of fact and conclusions of law which determined the issues presented by Count I of plaintiffs’ complaint. The real property subject to the foreclosed mortgage was sold at a sheriff’s sale. Defendants Donaldson and Phillips bid $200,-000 but were outbid by plaintiffs who bid $206,108.55, the full amount of the judgment on Count I, leaving no deficiency thereon. The New Mexico court on 6 *296 April 1966 determined the deficiency under Count II to be $95,404.61 and awarded plaintiffs’ judgment of $51,371.67, plus interest, derived by subtracting plaintiffs’ pro rata share of the deficiency.

Thereafter, on 22 March 1968, appellants sold the Penguin Motel to Todric, Inc. and Maranco Motels, Inc. for the sum of $346,-750.00. As a result of said sale, plaintiffs profited in the amount of $115,641.45 [$346,750.00 — ($206,108.55 + $25,000.00)] which is the sale price minus the purchase price.

Plaintiffs brought the instant action to domesticate the New Mexico judgment setting the deficiency at $51,371.67 and also to set aside as fraudulent conveyances certain transfers of property from the Donaldsons to Faye and J. W. Phillips. The trial court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law from which this appeal is taken, issued 22 May 1970, found for defendants and against plaintiffs on Counts I and II of the complaint.

Plaintiffs’ main contention on appeal is that the findings of fact and conclusions of law issued by the trial court fail to give full faith and credit to the New Mexico findings and conclusions in that certain of them are alleged to be in conflict. They further complain that the trial court erred in granting judgment to defendants on Count II of plaintiffs’ complaint.

I. DID THE TRIAL COURT GRANT FULL FAITH AND CREDIT TO THE NEW MEXICO JUDGMENT?

Article IV, Section 1 of the United States Constitution provides in part:

“Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and Judicial Proceedings of every other State.”

Appellees do not contest that the New Mexico judgment must be and was accorded full faith and credit by the trial court. The trial court’s finding of fact number 18 in fact provides:

“That Cause No. 19356 in the District Court of Dona Ana County, New Mexico, went to trial on Counts I and III and the Court docketed its Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law therein on the 29th day of June, 1965. These Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law are in evidence here as Exhibit 22, and being entitled to full faith and credit in this Court are therefore adopted as Findings in this cause.”

Plaintiffs contend that the following findings of fact and conclusions of law made by the trial court conflict with the findings and conclusions of the New Mexico court. These findings and conclusions made by the Arizona trial court are as follows:

FINDINGS OF FACT

“27. That the Plaintiffs purchased the said assets at a judicial sale in New Mexico for $206,108.55.

28. That when Plaintiffs acquired the assets of Penguin Motor Hotels, Inc. at the aforesaid judicial sale, the corporation was rendered insolvent and assetless.

29. That Plaintiffs did not pay the full value of the property purchased at the judicial sale and the price paid was grossly inadequate.

* 5¡í * * * *

31. That as a result of the sale evidenced by Exhibit 15, Plaintiffs profited in the principal sum of $81,171.69 (exclusive of interest) constituting the difference between the sales price of $346,750.00 recited in Exhibit 15 and the $265,578.31 constituting the price paid by Plaintiffs at the judicial sale.

‡ ‡ # ‡ * *

34. That Plaintiff, Kemper Goodwin, and Plaintiffs, S. A. Bettini and Floyd Packer, acted in concert and as joint venturers in their dealings with the Defendants and Penguin Motor Hotels, Inc.

35. That Plaintiff, Jay Stuckey, and Plaintiffs, Floyd Packer, S. A.

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Bluebook (online)
492 P.2d 1232, 16 Ariz. App. 294, 1972 Ariz. App. LEXIS 511, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/packer-v-donaldson-arizctapp-1972.