Shaffran v. Holness

93 So. 2d 94
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedMarch 6, 1957
StatusPublished
Cited by53 cases

This text of 93 So. 2d 94 (Shaffran v. Holness) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shaffran v. Holness, 93 So. 2d 94 (Fla. 1957).

Opinion

93 So.2d 94 (1957)

Abraham SHAFFRAN, Appellant,
v.
J.E. HOLNESS, Jr., a/k/a Joseph E. Holness, Jr., and ---- Holness, his wife, if married, and Mildred S. Holness, a single woman, Appellees.

Supreme Court of Florida, Special Division B.

March 6, 1957.

Ward & Ward, Simon & Hays, Miami, John E. Born and Warwick, Paul & Warwick, West Palm Beach, for appellant.

Farish & Farish, West Palm Beach, and Wm. A. McRae, Jr., Bartow, for appellees.

B.F. Paty, West Palm Beach, as amicus curiae.

O'CONNELL, Justice.

Abraham Shaffran, the appellant, was the plaintiff in an action to foreclose a second mortgage on real property. The appellees, Joseph E. Holness, Jr. and Mildred S. Holness, were the defendants.

To the plaintiff's bill of complaint, the defendants filed an answer in which they denied making the mortgage and note and also alleged that:

"10. * * * the alleged note and mortgage * * * does not comply *95 with chapter 687 of the Florida Statutes [F.S.A.] and is in violation of said chapter 687, Florida Statutes [F.S.A.], and as such is a void and usurious loan contract.
"11. That there has been certain amounts of monies demanded, charged and accepted and/or exacted from the defendants by the plaintiff or by his officer, agent or other representative of the plaintiff that are in violation and do not conform to chapter 687, Florida Statutes [F.S.A.]."

In due course the plaintiff filed a motion for summary final decree without supporting affidavits. The defendants then filed their motion for summary final decree, to which they attached affidavits executed by themselves and an affidavit executed by Joseph E. Holness, Sr., father of Joseph E. Holness Jr.

Depositions were taken of the defendants by the plaintiff and the defendants took the deposition of plaintiff and of A. Neil Sawyer, one of the partners of United Mortgage Company (not inc.). As will appear below, United Mortgage Company, mortgage brokers, arranged the making of the mortgage in question between the parties to this action. The mortgage company will be referred to herein as United.

Thereafter the parties entered into a stipulation providing:

"* * * That depositions have been taken by both the plaintiff and defendants and that there have been affidavits filed by the defendants in response and in support of the respective motions for summary final decree. That neither party desires and does hereby agree that they will not submit any further affidavits or evidence and that the respective motions for summary final decree will be considered by the Court after argument on the record, pleadings, affidavits and depositions as are now on file in the cause. * * *"

The chancellor entered a summary final decree finding the note and mortgage to be usurious in violation of F.S. Sections 687.03 and 687.07, F.S.A., declaring the mortgage and note to be null and void, and assessed penalties against the plaintiff. The plaintiff petitioned for rehearing which was denied. The chancellor then entered a final decree, affirming the summary final decree, except for correction as to a finding relating to the date of execution of the note and mortgage.

From the pleadings, the affidavits, the depositions and the exhibits attached to the depositions, which were before the chancellor when he entered his summary final decree and which are now before us, the following facts appear.

Defendant Joseph E. Holness, Jr. was in need of funds. He made this known to an "associate friend", Harry Silett, who put him in touch with Murray Sawyer, a representative of United Mortgage Company and brother of A. Neil Sawyer, abovementioned. Holness, Jr. advised Murray Sawyer that he wanted to borrow $20,000 through a second mortgage on his home. United Mortgage Company knew plaintiff as one who made mortgage loans. It appears that they had arranged one or more loans with plaintiff prior to the one in controversy here. The mortgage company contacted plaintiff and with Murray Sawyer and Holness, Jr. plaintiff inspected the property proposed to be mortgaged. It does not appear that it was made known to Holness, Jr. that plaintiff was the prospective lender. Holness, Jr. stated he thought plaintiff was an appraiser for United. After looking at the property plaintiff advised United that he would only lend $15,000. Holness, Jr. accepted this figure.

The defendants executed a document wherein they engaged the services of United to secure for them a second mortgage loan in the sum of $15,000, payable at the rate of $500 per month, said monthly payments to include interest at 10% per annum. This document bears date December 5, 1954 and provides that defendants were *96 to pay United the sum of $3,000, said sum to cover their services and all costs of the loan.

The defendants also executed a note and mortgage in accordance with the terms above set forth, both bearing date of December 5, 1954. A closing statement prepared by United dated December 13, 1954 was also signed by defendants.

Although defendants admit that the signatures on the above documents are theirs, in both their depositions and affidavits they contend that the documents were not completed when they signed them and that they signed them not on December 5, 1954 but on December 13, 1954. They insist that they visited the office of United together on only one occasion, December 13, 1954 the day the loan was closed, and that they signed no documents on any other occasion.

The loan was closed on December 13, 1954 at which time United gave defendants the sum of $11,881.43, which according to the closing statement was the sum of $15,000, less the sum of $3,000 mentioned in the agreement abovementioned and less the sum of $118.57 for additional hazard insurance on the mortgaged property.

Defendants say that they protested the deductions but were told by United that if they wanted the money they would have to take it with the above deductions being made. Defendants accepted the money.

Defendants say that they did not know plaintiff was the lender until they received a letter dated December 21, 1954 from United's attorney advising them to make their payments to plaintiff. They say they thought they were borrowing from United.

Defendants made a total of six (6) monthly payments in accordance with the mortgage. Some payments were delinquent when made. On one of these occasions, the attorney for United wrote defendants demanding payment on behalf of plaintiff.

It appears that plaintiff, through his attorney who represented him in the making of the loan, gave to United the sum of $15,000 by cashier's check dated December 14, 1954 and it follows that United had advanced the sums necessary to close the loan the previous day, December 13th.

After argument on the motions for summary final decree the chancellor entered such a decree, in which he stated that he found three questions to be answered: (1) did the note, mortgage and charges in connection therewith constitute a violation of F.S. Sec. 687.03, F.S.A. by charging more than 10% interest, or (2) did they constitute a violation of F.S. Sec. 687.07, F.S.A. by charging more than 25% interest and (3) was United Mortgage Company the agent of plaintiff?

The chancellor in answering question (1) found that plaintiff charged interest from December 5, 1954, the date on the note and mortgage, but that defendants did not receive the proceeds of the loan until the loan was closed eight days later, i.e.

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93 So. 2d 94, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shaffran-v-holness-fla-1957.