Parker v. Weston

695 So. 2d 11, 1996 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 752, 1996 WL 614845
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Alabama
DecidedOctober 25, 1996
Docket2950640
StatusPublished

This text of 695 So. 2d 11 (Parker v. Weston) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Parker v. Weston, 695 So. 2d 11, 1996 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 752, 1996 WL 614845 (Ala. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

RICHARD L. HOLMES, Retired Appellate Judge.

On February 26,1993, Hazel Parker filed a multi-count complaint against Peter Weston, individually, and d/b/a WESBAN Financial Consultants; American Agri-Corp; Fred Behrens; Robert Wright; and George L. Schreiber (hereinafter collectively referred to as defendants). Parker substituted the estate of George L. Schreiber after the defendants filed a suggestion of death, which provided notice of the death of Schreiber.

The complaint alleged fraud, deceit, suppression of material facts, false representations, breach of contract, fraudulent inducement to contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and conspiracy to defraud on the part of the defendants.

The defendants filed answers to the complaint and maintained that Parker’s claims were barred by the applicable statutes of limitations. Thereafter, the defendants filed a motion for a summary judgment, along with depositions, affidavits, other evidentiary submissions, and a brief in support of their summary judgment motion. The defendants maintained that there was no genuine issue of a material fact and that they were entitled to a judgment as a matter of law because, they said, Parker’s claims were barred by the applicable statutes of limitations.

Parker filed a brief in opposition to the summary judgment motion, along with affidavits and depositions in support of her position. Thereafter, the trial court issued an order, entering a summary judgment in favor of the defendants.

Parker appeals. This ease is before this court pursuant to Ala.Code 1975, § 12-2-7(6).

On appeal Parker contends that the summary judgment was improper in this ease because, she says, there existed a genuine issue of a material fact regarding whether the statute of limitations for fraud had been tolled or whether she should have discovered the alleged fraud more than two years prior to the filing of the present action.

Our review of the record reveals the following pertinent facts: In the spring of 1983, Liberty National Life Insurance Company (Liberty National) offered early retirement to Parker, a 35-year employee. At the time of her retirement in May 1983, Parker was 56 years of age and was an executive assistant/seeretary to a senior vice president at Liberty National.

The financial package offered by Liberty National gave Parker the opportunity to receive a one-time payment of $50,000 as an incentive for early retirement. This incentive was over and above the $92,000 that Parker had in her retirement account at Liberty National. Liberty National gave Parker the option of placing the money in an annuity with Liberty National or taking her money in a lump-sum distribution.

Parker testified that because she did not understand the financial aspects of her choices, she sought the services of a financial planner to aid her in making her decision. Parker indicated that a friend recommended Weston “as a good Christian man and a very knowledgeable financial planner.” In either April or May 1983, Parker met with Weston, who owned WESBAN Financial Consultants (WESBAN).

Parker stated that at this initial meeting, she discussed her goals and needs with Weston. Parker was not old enough to qualify for Social Security benefits, and her husband did not have a steady income. Parker stated that she told Weston that she wanted “things set up” in such a way that she and her husband would have regular income to meet living expenses.

Parker testified that she “didn’t know anything about financial planning” and that she “left it up to [Weston] to do what was best for [her].” In her affidavit Parker stated, “I trusted Weston during this period of time and thought that he was a good Christian man. When I visited with Weston, we often prayed together.” Weston admitted that he [13]*13prayed regularly with Parker “to seek the Lord’s guidance for discernment in the way [they] operate[d], and for help with the resources.” Weston indicated that he prayed with Parker because he “knew her to be a member of a Christian church.”

On May 31, 1983, Parker executed a service agreement with WESBAN and paid her first-year retainer of $3,000. Thereafter, Parker acted upon Weston’s advice and liquidated her retirement plan at Liberty National. Parker received $92,000 in a lump-sum payment from her retirement plan, in addition to the $50,000 retirement incentive cash payment.

Weston recommended that Parker invest in Dixie Pecan Associates (Dixie Pecan), a California limited partnership formed for the purpose of acquiring and operating pecan orchards and other agricultural pursuits. American Agri-Corp was the managing agent of Dixie Pecan. Behrens, Schreiber, and Wright were the general partners in Dixie Pecan.

On September 1, 1983, Parker followed Weston’s recommendation and invested $55,-000 in Dixie Pecan as a tax shelter. Parker’s investment purchased 55 units in Dixie Pecan.

Parker testified that no one advised her of the risks associated with such an investment before she invested in Dixie Pecan. Parker also testified that Weston told her the following regarding the benefits of her investment:

“[A]fter two years of being in the Dixie Pecan that [she] would receive five thousand annually for eight to ten years, and at the time they sold it, after eight to ten years, that [she] would receive [her] fifty-five thousand back plus any profits that were made would be divided among the partners.”

Parker recalls receiving a Confidential Private Placement Memorandum (placement memo) from Dixie Pecan in 1984, after she had invested in Dixie Pecan. The placement memo outlined the minimum income requirements for investors who were considering the purchase of limited partnership interests in Dixie Pecan.

Parker stated that when she received the placement memo in 1984, she filed it without reading it. Parker admitted that she chose to file the placement memo without reading it and that no one ever told her that she did not need to read the placement memo. Parker repeatedly stated that she trusted Weston to do whatever was best for her.

Parker testified that she did not receive any dividend payments from Dixie Pecan between 1985 and 1990. Parker further testified that she called Weston once or twice each year to inquire as to the reason she did not receive her dividend payments. Parker indicated that Weston always gave her explanations that sounded reasonable and believable as to why there were no dividends— blight or periods of low rain, which caused a lower production of pecans for the year, no profits were made because the prices for pecans were so low, ete. Parker stated that Weston would always assure her that she would begin receiving dividend payments the following year. Parker indicated that the last time she spoke with Weston was in 1990 because in 1991 she learned that Weston had defrauded her.

Although Parker did not receive any dividend payments, she did receive K-l Partnership Schedules (tax information) from American Agri-Corp for the years 1983 through 1990. This tax information for the years 1986 through 1990 showed ordinary income, ranging from $607 to $11,665, attributable to Parker’s interest in Dixie Pecan.

Parker testified that each year she would give this tax information to her son, Sammy, without looking at it. Parker further testified that Sammy prepared the Parkers’ federal income tax returns during this period.

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Related

Liberty Nat. Life Ins. Co. v. McAllister
675 So. 2d 1292 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1995)

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Bluebook (online)
695 So. 2d 11, 1996 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 752, 1996 WL 614845, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/parker-v-weston-alacivapp-1996.