United States v. Hartwig

152 F. Supp. 874, 1956 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2263
CourtDistrict Court, D. Montana
DecidedJanuary 6, 1956
DocketNo. 1089
StatusPublished

This text of 152 F. Supp. 874 (United States v. Hartwig) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Montana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Hartwig, 152 F. Supp. 874, 1956 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2263 (D. Mont. 1956).

Opinion

PRAY, District Judge.

In the above entitled cause this court on October 4, 1950, filed its decision denying the motion to dismiss by defendants ; it is a civil action brought by plaintiff under the provisions of § 2(a) (6), Title III, of the Second War Powers Act (56 Stat. 176, 50 U.S.C.A.Appendix, § 633), Sections 7(a) and 7(c) of the Veterans Emergency Housing Act of 1946 (60 Stat. 207, 50 U.S.C.A.Appendix, § 1821 et seq.).

The cause was next before this court on the motion of plaintiff to strike certain portions of the answers filed by the defendants, and also on plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment upon part of the plaintiff’s claim as set forth in the amended complaint, pursuant to Rules 12 and 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A., which said part of the plaintiff’s claim pertained solely to Yellowstone County Rural Special Improvement District Number 73 tax lien levied and assessed against the 24 dwellings involved herein; pursuant to Section 944.54(g) (ii) of Priorities Regulation 33; that the above mentioned motions were granted in the decision of this court filed on July 30, 1951. The decision of this court of November 21, 1951, denied the motion of defendants seeking to change the language of the above order, and made the finding that the summary judgment was a final judgment.

Thereafter defendants appealed from the partial summary judgment, 9 Cir., 209 F.2d 604, and the opinion filed January 14, 1954, reversed the partial summary judgment and remanded the cause to this court for such further proceedings as may appear to this court to be necessary and proper.

Following the remand of the cause the file reveals that under date of April 16, 1954, the plaintiff filed and served written interrogatories upon defendants A. W. Hartwig and Jeff Tingle; on May 7, 1954, the defendants filed joint answers to the said interrogatories, and by reason of the prior decisions of this court herein referred to it appears that the issues therein were previously disposed of in the pleadings or in the master’s report and the decision of the court herein.

Upon motion of plaintiffs this court on November 18, 1954, appointed a special master to hear and determine the issues of fact involved herein, pursuant to the provisions of Rule 53 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and to report to the court his findings of fact and his conclusions thereon, i. e.,

(a) The amounts, if any, charged to or paid by the purchasers and each of them or their successors in interest, in excess of the maximum authorized sales price of $8,000 for each dwelling as detailed in Exhibit A of the amended complaint on file herein;

(b) The reasonable value of the construction defects and omissions, if any, of each dwelling as detailed in Exhibit A of the amended complaint on file herein.

After a preliminary meeting with counsel for both sides on December 6, 1954, the special master held hearings at [876]*876Billings, Montana, on January 17th and 18th, 1955.

The report of the special master herein was filed on May 7, 1955, and after a review of the transcript of the proceedings and exhibits filed in the hearing before the special master, and after due consideration of all the mattei-s therein and briefs of counsel, this court is now of the opinion that the findings of fact and conclusions thereon of the special master should be accepted and approved by this court and incorporated herein and made a part hereof, and such is the order of this court.

In the proceedings before the special master the counsel for defendants interposed numerous objections upon the various grounds stated therein, which said objections were overruled by the special master, and, after due consideration by this court it appears that the said objections should be overruled by this court, especially in view of the said prior decisions of this court, and such is the order of court herein.

The findings of fact and conclusions thereon of the special master are as follows:

Findings of Fact.

(a) The Special Master makes the following findings of fact as to the amounts, if any, charged to or paid by the purchasers, and each of them, or their successors in interest, in excess of the maximum authorized sales price of $8,000 for each dwelling as described in Exhibit A of the amended complaint on file herein:

1. That said sum of $8,000 was charged to or paid by the purchasers, and each of them, or their successors in interest.

2. That in addition thereto the amount of the special improvement taxes assessed against each lot as hereinafter set forth was charged to or paid by the purchasers, and each of them, or their successors in interest.

3. That the maximum authorized sales price of $8,000 was intended by the parties to include the special improvements for which said special improve•ment taxes were levied. This finding of fact is compelled by Exhibit 15 in the face of which subsequent conflict in the testimony and argument by learned counsel for the defense must fail. The representations by the defendants that street and utility improvements would be installed by them and included in the sale price and that the purchasers would not be required to pay any special assessments, as made in said Exhibit 15, are clear and unambiguous and were not altered by other exhibits or testimony.

(b) The Special Master makes the following findings of fact as to the reasonable value of the “construction defects and omissions”, if any, of each dwelling as described in Exhibit A of the amended complaint on file herein:

1. That the reasonable value of the variations in construction of said dwellings is the same amount as reflected in said Exhibit A as being “construction defects and omissions”.

2. That the construction of said dwellings was subject to inspection and was inspected by representatives of the Federal Housing Administration, which representatives indicated both verbally and in writing that the variations were not such as to cause non-compliance with the plans and specifications.

3. That it is the opinion of the Special Master that the approval of the variations by the representatives of the Federal Housing Administration was not within the scope of their authority. (See decision of the above-entitled Court dated July 30, 1951).

Conclusions.

Wherefore, the Special Master after fully considering the evidence and the objections to the admission thereof and being fully advised in the premises, concludes as follows:

(a) The amounts charged to or paid by the purchasers, and each of them, or their successors in interest (being the Rural Special Improvement District No. 73 tax liens levied and assessed against each lot) in excess of the maximum authorized sales price of $8,000 for each dwelling as described in Exhibit A of the amended complaint on file herein, are as follows:

[877]*877Lot Name of purchaser Block Amount
17 Swan C. Anderson 2 $1,095.97
8 Leonard 0. Apps 2 1.095.97
6 E. R.

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Related

Hartwig v. United States
209 F.2d 604 (Ninth Circuit, 1954)

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Bluebook (online)
152 F. Supp. 874, 1956 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2263, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-hartwig-mtd-1956.