Peery v. Hansen

585 P.2d 574, 120 Ariz. 266, 1978 Ariz. App. LEXIS 605
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedSeptember 20, 1978
Docket2 CA-CIV 2883
StatusPublished
Cited by55 cases

This text of 585 P.2d 574 (Peery v. Hansen) 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
Peery v. Hansen, 585 P.2d 574, 120 Ariz. 266, 1978 Ariz. App. LEXIS 605 (Ark. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinions

OPINION

HATHAWAY, Judge.

This is an appeal by Neal and Adda Lee Hansen, husband and wife, defendants in a contract action, from an order of the court commissioner denying their motion for a new trial. Plaintiff-appellee John Peery, seller of a retail business known as Fair Wheel Bikes, filed a complaint against appellants, buyers, for breach of a Deposit Receipt and Sales Agreement. Appellants answered and counterclaimed, seeking rescission of the contract and damages for fraud.

Trial was to the court sitting without a jury. Peery and Neal Hansen testified. Counsel stipulated that the deposition of Charles Spears, appellee’s accountant, could be considered by the court as evidence. A transcript from the trial is not a part of the record on appeal. The evidence before us consists of Spears’ deposition, the exhibits admitted at trial and certain pre-trial stipulations.

On February 2, 1976, Neal Hansen made a $1,000 down payment to Krones Realty Corporation, appellee’s agent, and agreed to purchase appellee’s business for $13,500. The purchase price included a merchandise inventory of $5,000. The buyer and seller were to jointly appraise this merchandise and if its worth exceeded $5,000, then the purchase price was to be adjusted upward for that amount. Counsel stipulated that the value of the inventory at the time of the transfer of the business was $5,906.23 and that pursuant to the terms of the agreement, appellants would owe appellee an additional $906.23.

The closing date was February 18, 1976. Counsel further stipulated that the contract was consummated, that appellants entered into possession of the bike shop, that two days after closing, appellants abandoned the premises and repudiated the contract, and that on February 26, 1976, appellee sold the property to a third party for $9,000. Appellee sought damages of $5,406.23, the difference between the agreed on sale price of $14,406.23 and the resale price of $9,000.

Appellants alleged that appellee caused a newspaper advertisement to be published in connection with the sale of his business and that it contained false representations. Appellants sought damages in Count One of their counterclaim for violation of the Consumer Fraud Act, A.R.S. § 44-1522, and in Count Two for common law misrepresentation.

The ad for appellee’s bicycle shop contained this statement: “Owner claims $20,-000 yr. gross over $70,000 p/yr.” Spears’ deposition testimony was that appellee contacted him in November 1975, told him that he was interested in purchasing Fair Wheel Bikes and wanted to know the amount of sales the business had done in the past. After an examination of the poorly kept record of the previous owner, Spears’ best determination was that gross sales were approximately $86,500 for 1974 and $38,000 for the first ten months of 1975. He did [268]*268not see any information indicating net on these sales. Appellee then purchased the business. Gross sales for the two months he owned the shop were approximately $1,200 for December 1975 and $4,600 for January 1976.

The judgment of the court was as follows:

“THE COURT FINDS that the Defendants breached the contract to purchase the bicycle business. However,
THE COURT FURTHER FINDS that the measure of damages is the difference between the sales price and the market value of the business at the time of the breach. Since no evidence was presented concerning the market value of the property at the time of the breach, no Judgment for damages can be awarded in favor of the Plaintiff.”
On the Defendant’s Counterclaim,
“THE COURT FINDS that the Defendants knew, or should have known after the investigation he made, that the statements of the agent were not true. Based on the foregoing, the Defendant is not entitled to recover for the alleged fraud. IT IS ORDERED, on the Plaintiff’s Complaint, that Judgment be entered in favor of the Defendants.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, on the Defendants’ Counterclaim that Judgment be entered in favor of the Plaintiff.”

Appellee, contending that resale price was evidence of market value at the time of the breach, thereafter made a motion for a new trial and/or an amended judgment. Appellants did not file a written opposition to the motion. After a hearing on the motion and argument by counsel, the court amended its judgment and ordered that appellee have judgment against appellants for $5,406.23, plus costs. Appellants then moved for a new trial, both on the issue of damages and on their counterclaim under the Consumer Fraud Act. The motion was denied.

On appeal, appellants argue that in regard to appellee’s complaint, the court erred in failing to apply the proper measure of damages. The proper measure of the vendor’s damages upon the purchaser’s breach of contract is the difference between the purchase price and the fair market value at the time of the breach. While a subsequent sale is evidence of the market value at the time of the breach and is properly admitted as one of the factors in determining market value, it is not conclusive and the court must properly establish the market value at such time. Dehahn v. Innes, 356 A.2d 711 (Me.1976); Aboud v. Adams, 84 N.M. 683, 507 P.2d 430 (1973); Andreasen v. Hansen, 8 Utah 2d 370, 335 P.2d 404 (1959).

Appellants contend that the only evidence of market value of the bicycle shop was that of resale price.

“Where the appellant questions the sufficiency of the evidence and no transcript of the evidence is submitted to the reviewing court, it will be assumed that the evidence- sustained the judgment. Che-mi-Cote Perlite Corp. v. Harborlite Corporation, 4 Ariz.App. 268, 419 P.2d 398 (1966); Payne v. Payne, 12 Ariz.App. 434, 471 P.2d 319 (1970).” Wing v. Jimenez, 114 Ariz. 346, 560 P.2d 1253 (App.1976) (Emphasis in original)

We are thus compelled to presume that the court had sufficient evidence before it to determine that resale price was equivalent to fair market value at the time of the breach of the sales agreement.

Appellants next contend that insofar as Count One of their counterclaim is concerned, the court erred in entering judgment for appellee. Appellants alleged in Count One that the published newspaper ad was “ . . .a misrepresentation of material facts with intent that others rely thereon and an act which has been declared unlawful by A.R.S. § 44-1522.”1

[269]*269In Count Two, appellants alleged:

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Bluebook (online)
585 P.2d 574, 120 Ariz. 266, 1978 Ariz. App. LEXIS 605, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/peery-v-hansen-arizctapp-1978.