Remler v. Shiver

408 S.E.2d 139, 200 Ga. App. 391, 1991 Ga. App. LEXIS 1012
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedJune 27, 1991
DocketA91A0497
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 408 S.E.2d 139 (Remler v. Shiver) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Remler v. Shiver, 408 S.E.2d 139, 200 Ga. App. 391, 1991 Ga. App. LEXIS 1012 (Ga. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

McMurray, Presiding Judge.

Edith Shiver, formerly known as Edith Griner, and attorney Albert N. Remler have been involved in the case sub judice since January 29, 1987. Shiver then sued attorney Remler and Bankers First Federal Savings & Loan Association (“Bankers First”) and alleged that she purchased two subdivision lots from Bankers First; that Bankers First financed the sales and that attorney Remler closed the transactions. Shiver claimed that the lots turned out to be unmarketable because of “perceived title defects ...” and sought to rescind the sales contracts and to recover “general[,] punitive and exemplary” damages, alleging that Bankers First breached warranties of title; that Bankers First and attorney Remler fraudulently induced her to purchase the unmarketable subdivision lots and that attorney Remler was professionally negligent in “failing to discover, to reveal and to inform [her] of title defects, which, if disclosed, would have caused her either not to purchase said properties or to purchase same only with additional considerations, terms and assurances.” (Shiver also sought to enjoin Bankers First from foreclosing her interests in the lots.) Attorney Remler answered and admitted that he closed the sales transactions between Bankers First and Shiver, but denied the remaining material allegations of the complaint.

On May 27, 1987, Shiver filed an amended complaint and more particularly alleged that Bankers First and attorney Remler fraudulently induced her to purchase the subdivision lots; that Bankers First had breached warranties of title and that attorney Remler was professionally negligent. Shiver also claimed defamation (“libel”) and sought recovery for intentional infliction of emotional distress, alleging that Bankers First and attorney Remler wrongfully foreclosed her interest in the subdivision lots and that the foreclosure advertise-[392]*392merits damaged her business reputation.

On March 8, 1988, Shiver filed a second amended complaint and admitted that the alleged title deficiencies were resolved in her favor via a superior order “dated” September 4, 1987, but alleged that she “expended approximately $4,100.00 ... to correct the title defect.”1 Shiver then reasserted her claims of professional malpractice, breach of warranties of title, fraudulent inducement of contract and defamation. However, on July 15, 1988, attorney Remler and Bankers First moved for summary judgment on these claims.

On August 17, 1988, Shiver filed a third amended complaint, alleging that Bankers First and attorney Remler “engaged in unfair and deceptive practices in consumer transactions in violation of the Fair Business Practices Act of 1975 and are liable to [her] for treble damages.”

On September 16, 1988, attorney Remler filed an answer and denied the material allegations of the amended complaints. He also filed a counterclaim for abusive litigation.2

On October 4, 1988, Shiver dismissed without prejudice her claim that Bankers First and attorney Remler “engaged in unfair and deceptive practices in consumer transactions in violation of the Fair Business Practices Act of 1975 and are liable to [her] for treble damages.”

On November 21, 1988, the trial court granted Bankers First’s and attorney Remler’s motion for summary judgment and Shiver filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia. On May 25, 1989, the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia affirmed the order granting summary judgment to Bankers First and attorney Remler. Bankers First filed a motion for attorney fees and expenses of litigation pursuant to OCGA § 9-15-14. The trial court denied this motion, finding that Shiver’s claims against Bankers First were not substantially frivolous, substantially groundless or substantially vexatious. The trial court based its order on the following findings of fact:

“Defendant attorney Albert N. Remler whose testimony was offered by defendant Bankers First in support of its motion for attorney’s fees was inconsistent and equivocal in portions of his testimony particularly with respect to his contention that Bankers First was his [393]*393client rather then the plaintiff[, Shiver]. Defendant Remler insisted that plaintiff Shiver was not his client at the closing on Lots 11 and 12 although he had accepted a fee from her for examining the title. This was in addition to fees received from defendant Bankers First at the closing which were deducted from the proceeds of the loan. . . . An internal memorandum generated by defendant Remler’s law firm showed defendant Remler’s client to be Edith Griner Realty. . . . Defendant Remler sent two letters to third parties four days prior to the closing stating that he represented both defendant Bankers First and plaintiff Griner (later Shiver) in connection with the two properties. The above circumstances are inconsistent with defendant Remler’s contention that he represented only defendant Bankers First. . . . Defendant Remler sent letters to various real estate lawyers in Savannah stating that plaintiff Shiver, whom he knew to be a real estate broker and contractor, had stopped making payments on her loans from defendant Bankers First before she claimed that the title to the two lots was defective. Defendant Remler acknowledged that at the time he made the statement he did not know it to be true. Defendant Bankers First, in response to [Shiver’s] request for admissions, had admitted that plaintiff [Shiver] notified it of alleged title defects before she ceased making payments. . . . Defendant Remler admitted that he did not do a full title search on titles to Lots 11 and 12 Lake-view Subdivision but that he reviewed abstracts done by other attorneys to the back title of the subdivision. Plaintiff Shiver would not have purchased the properties from defendant Bankers First if she had known that defendant Remler had not performed a complete title examination. . . . During the period prior to the trial of this case and before granting the motion for summary judgment, defendant Bankers First extended three settlement offers to plaintiff [Shiver]. The final offer was extended three days prior to the date set for trial. It offered to forgive [Shiver’s] indebtedness on one of the properties, to take one of the properties back, to forgive the accrued interest, and perhaps to forego recovery of attorney fees incurred. The approximate value of the final settlement offer exceeded one hundred thousand ($100,000.00) dollars. This offer was extended by defendant Bankers First in light of the possibility that the bank could lose the trial.”

On July 2, 1990, Shiver filed a motion for summary judgment as to attorney Remler’s counterclaim for abusive litigation. Shiver also filed an expert’s affidavit wherein it was deposed that Shiver was “justified in asserting litigation claims or defenses based on a breach of warranty of title.” In opposition, attorney Remler relied on expert affidavits wherein it was deposed that “Shiver’s claims as set forth in her Amended Complaint regarding defective title to the subject property are unfounded, incorrect, misplaced and without any legal basis or merit.” The trial court granted summary judgment to Shiver, [394]*394adopting the findings of fact contained in the order on Bankers First’s OCGA § 9-15-14

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
408 S.E.2d 139, 200 Ga. App. 391, 1991 Ga. App. LEXIS 1012, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/remler-v-shiver-gactapp-1991.