Rose v. Myers

724 P.2d 176, 223 Mont. 13, 1986 Mont. LEXIS 1005
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 21, 1986
Docket85-405
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 724 P.2d 176 (Rose v. Myers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rose v. Myers, 724 P.2d 176, 223 Mont. 13, 1986 Mont. LEXIS 1005 (Mo. 1986).

Opinions

MR. CHIEF JUSTICE TURNAGE

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

Appellants, H. Rose and R. Rose, brought an action in the Yellowstone County District Court seeking to declare a sheriff’s sale of appellants’ horses invalid as held under the agisters’ lien statutes, and attempting to nullify the certificate of sale. The District Court found that the sale was valid, that the appellants were not denied their due process by the manner of the notice and sale, and that the remaining horses be returned to appellants upon their posting a $30,000 bond pending resolution of the underlying contract dispute. From this order the Roses appeal.

We affirm the District Court in this case because the appellant had actual notice of the sale.

Appellants raise the following issues on appeal:

1. Whether the sale should have been declared invalid as unconstitutional for failure to provide for notice and an opportunity to be heard prior to deprivation of property?

2. Whether the District Court erred in holding that the notice provisions were complied with in this case?

3. Whether the court erred in failing to declare that the sale was void or voidable?

4. Whether the court erred in using faulty figures in taking judicial notice that the parties’ contract price was too low to include feeding, and in applying that decision to justify the court’s order?

This dispute arose from an oral contract entered into in April 1984. Myers agreed to care for the Roses’ horses at a cost of $12 per head per month. The parties dispute whether Myers was responsible for feeding the horses or merely pasturing them. On November 30,1984, Myers sent notice to the Roses that an agister’s lien sale would take [15]*15place in December. Money was paid to Myers and the sale was not held. Over the course of the winter, Myers found it necessary to feed the horses at his own expense as the pasture would not support the horses in the winter. Myers contends the agreement was for pasturing only, while the Roses contend it was for the care and feeding of the horses.

On March 1, 1985, Myers again caused to be issued from the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s office, a notice of an agister’s lien sale scheduled for March 11, 1985. The notice was postmarked March 1, 1985, and notices were posted in Yellowstone County. The sale was held March 11, 1985. The Roses contend they did not receive the notice until March 12, 1985. Myers stated he informed the Roses of the sale by telephone on March 2, and 3, 1985.

At the sale, 55 of 129 horses were sold for $6,830 which was then applied by the sheriff to the outstanding bill. The Roses claim the horses’ value was far in excess of $6,830, but that none of the horses were sold as registered and most were sold by lots or in gross.

On March 20, 1985 the Roses filed their petition for declaratory relief, and to set aside the sale. Following a hearing before Judge Barz, the District Court held that the sale was valid and the Roses were not denied their due process. The Roses appeal that order.

Appellants’ horses were sold pursuant to the agisters’ lien statutes, Section 71-3-1201, MCA, et seq. Section 71-3-1201, MCA, states:

“(1) If there is an express or implied contract for keeping, feeding, herding, pasturing, or ranching stock, a ranchman, farmer, agister, herder, hotelkeeper, livery, or stablekeeper to whom any horses, mules, cattle, sheep, hogs, or other stock are entrusted has a lien upon such stock for the amount due for keeping, feeding, herding, pasturing, or ranching the stock and may retain possession thereof until the sum due is paid.”

Enforcement of the lien is found at Section 71-3-1203, MCA. That statute says:

“If payment for such work, labor, feed, or services or material furnished is not made within 30 days after the performance or furnishing of the same, the person entitled to a lien under the provisions of this section may enforce said lien in the following manner:
“(1) He shall deliver to the sheriff or a constable of the county in which the property is located a statement of the amount of his claim against said property, a description of the property, and the name of the owner thereof or of the person at whose request the work, labor, or services were performed or the materials furnished.
[16]*16“(2) Upon receipt of such statement, the sheriff or constable shall proceed to advertise and sell at public auction so much of the property covered by said lien as will satisfy same.
“(3) Such sale shall be advertised, conducted, and held in the same manner as provided by law for the sale of mortgaged personal property by sheriffs. Such notice shall be given for not less than 5 or more than 10 days prior to the date of sale.
“(4) The proceeds of the sale shall be applied by the sheriff to the discharge of the lien and the cost of the proceedings in selling the property and enforcing the lien, and the remainder, if any, or such part as is required to discharge the claims, shall be turned over by the sheriff to the holders, in the order of their precedence, of the chattel mortgages or other lien claimants of record against said property, and the balance of the proceeds shall be turned over to the owner of the property.
“(5) However, before making seizure of any property under the provisions of this section, the sheriff may require an indemnity bond from the lienor in [sic] not to exceed double the amount of the claim against said property, said bond and the surety or sureties thereon to be approved by said sheriff.”

Our decision in this case is arrived at on other than constitutional grounds. We find it unnecessary to decide whether Section 71-3-1203, MCA, is constitutional and therefore do not consider appellants’ first issue.

The attention of the Montana Legislature is respectfully directed to the due process provisions of Article II, Section 17, of the Montana Constitution, the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States and their application to the notice provisions of Section 71-3-1203, MCA.

The agister’s lien statute was first enacted in 1895 and is an important part of our commercial law, serving as a practical matter both the interest of debtors and creditors. If in a future case this statute was found to be unconstitutional, it would invite chaos and confusion in this area of law.

Appellants’ second issue is whether the District Court erred in holding that the notice requirements were met in this case. Appellants argue that the notices of the sale were untimely and deficient, and that the District Court incorrectly interpreted the statutes in regard to notice.

The Roses claim the notice was untimely as they did not receive notice until one day after the sale. The District Court found that [17]*17two notices were mailed to the Roses on March 1, 1985, 10 days before the sale. In addition, the Roses received notice in the form of two telephone calls from Myers on March 2, and 3, 1985. The District Court correctly concluded that the Roses received timely notice.

Appellants also claim the notices were deficient in that the notice failed to adequately describe the location of the sale or the property to be sold. The notice stated that the sale was to be held at “10:00 o’clock a.m.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Folsom V.Whitefish Police MPEA
2017 MT 204 (Montana Supreme Court, 2017)
Cox v. Yellowstone County
795 F. Supp. 2d 1128 (D. Montana, 2011)
Poulsen's, Inc. v. Wood
756 P.2d 1162 (Montana Supreme Court, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
724 P.2d 176, 223 Mont. 13, 1986 Mont. LEXIS 1005, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rose-v-myers-mont-1986.