Wagoner v. Mountain Savings & Loan Ass'n

29 F.R.D. 138, 5 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 897, 1961 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5281
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedDecember 8, 1961
DocketCiv. A. No. 6411
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 29 F.R.D. 138 (Wagoner v. Mountain Savings & Loan Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wagoner v. Mountain Savings & Loan Ass'n, 29 F.R.D. 138, 5 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 897, 1961 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5281 (D. Colo. 1961).

Opinion

DOYLE, District Judge.

On April 5, 1961, the above-named defendants filed motions supported by affidavits seeking summary judgment. Counter affidavits were thereafter filed by plaintiffs and a hearing was held before Judge Royce H. Savage on August 10, 1961. On .that occasion the motion was granted as to the third and fourth claims against both defendants. Theretofore, the first and second claims of the second amended complaint as against the defendant Donald E. Barnes had been dismissed by stipulation of the parties; thus, there remain two claims to be determined and these are the first and second claims against the Mountain Savings and Loan Association.

At the August 10, 1961 hearing, Judge Savage was uncertain as to whether plaintiffs’ affidavits displayed the existence of genuine issues of fact and on that date the judge ordered plaintiffs to file additional affidavits explaining conclusions which appeared in the original affidavits. Thereafter, on August 25, 1961, the plaintiff Fred K. Wagoner filed an additional affidavit and following this the parties submitted further memorandum briefs. An oral argument was held on December 1, 1961, and the cause is now before the Court on defendant Mountain Savings and Loan Association’s motion for summary judgment addressed to the first and second claims for relief directed to it. Thus, the issue for determination is a rather narrow one as to whether the existence of a genuine issue of fact is apparent as a result of the filing by the plaintiff Fred K. Wagoner of the additional affidavit. Notwithstanding that the cause now appears in this restricted posture, it will be helpful to outline somewhat the facts which have preceded this determination whereby the issue has become narrowed in the manner indicated.

In its first claim plaintiffs allege that on June 29, 1955, they entered into an oral and written agreement with defendant under the terms of which they conveyed certain real property to corporations controlled by defendant and in exchange for these conveyances defendant agreed to underwrite plaintiffs’ outstanding obligations in connection with the construction of certain homes, which [140]*140obligations were in the amount of $85,-000.00, and agreed further to furnish plaintiffs with loans and financing for the construction of homes and finally to re-convey the property to plaintiffs upon their paying $85,000.00, the amount of the outstanding indebtedness. Copies of two warranty deeds conveying the property referred to are appended to the complaint. It is said that the defendant violated the contract by refusing to furnish the loans or to re-convey the property.

The second claim for relief is somewhat similar. It alleges that on July 24, 1955, an oral and written agreement was entered into between the plaintiffs and the defendant whereby in exchange for the conveyance by plaintiffs of certain property, defendant agreed to pay plaintiffs a total of $120,000.00 by crediting an outstanding indebtedness of $96,-000.00 and paying over the balance between $96,000.00 and $120,000.00. The agreement, according to the allegations, further contemplated that defendant would re-convey this property to plaintiffs for the sum of $120,000.00.

In the appended deeds the plaintiffs appear as grantors and in one instance Graceland Estates, Inc., as the grantee, recites “good and valuable consideration and $100.00”; and in another of the deeds the plaintiffs are grantors and Garfield’s Ltd. is the grantee, and the consideration is similar. The final appended deed is from the plaintiffs to The Roxwood Company, and it recites a consideration of “good and valuable consideration and Ten Dollars.” One of the deeds excepts three trust deeds to the Mountain Savings and Loan Association (defendant).

In its answer defendant denies the contract although admitting that several loans were made to plaintiffs, and as an affirmative defense it is alleged that two general releases were executed by plaintiffs and that these are dated July 28, 1955, and June 19, 1956. It is alleged that these effectively released defendant from any liability whatsoever connected with the subject transactions. The answer also pleads the statute of frauds.

The July 28, 1955 release recites that: whereas, the defendant had accommodated the plaintiffs in making loans for the construction of homes and the purchase of land; and that, whereas, The Roxwood Company had taken title to certain parcels of land in the described area, and had accommodated plaintiffs by assuming deeds of trust which the plaintiffs were obligated to pay; and that whereas certain proceeds of the loans were to be used to pay off plaintiffs’ obligations, that the release was given in consideration of $10.00 and other good and valuable considerations, and it released and discharged defendant, its officers and agents, of and from any and all manner of action or actions which the plaintiffs had, now have, or hereafter have, arising out of any and all sundry transactions “which we have had with any of the above in relation to any and all kinds of land transactions, loans and transfers of land or property in the SEi/4 of Sec. 33, T 1 N.R. 70 West of the 6th P.M., and more particularly the property known as Wagoner Manor and First Addition to Wagoner Manor and the three parcels of land adjoining said First Addition to Wagoner Manor heretofore conveyed to The Roxwood Company.”

The second release, that which bears June 19, 1956 as the date, is less specific, but no less extensive in its provisions. It purports to release and forever discharge the defendant from any and all manner of action or actions, etc., “and demands whatsoever which we ever had, now have, or may have for, on or by reason of any matter, cause, or thing whatsover from the beginning of the world to the day of the date of these presents.”

The above-described releases were appended to the affidavit filed on behalf of defendant in connection with its motion for summary judgment.

In their counter affidavit the plaintiffs made the following statement:

[141]*141“Affiants and each of them allege that the said execution of said release as aforesaid was made without their knowledge and consent and without any consideration therefore.”

Due to the vagueness of these statements, Judge Savage entered an order as follows:

“1. Plaintiffs are hereby ordered to file another or other affidavits in opposition to defendant Mountain Savings and Loan Association’s Motion for Summary Judgment within 15 days from the date of this Order, clarifying the statements made by plaintiffs in Paragraph 3 of plaintiffs’ affidavit in opposition to Motion by defendant Mountain Savings and Loan Association for Summary Judgment, now on file herein, to-wit: ‘Affiants and each of them allege that the said execution of said release as aforesaid was made without their knowledge and consent and without any consideration therefore.’ stating specifically what occurred with respect to the execution of these releases and stating with particularity why plaintiffs did not know that the releases were being executed or why they were executed without their knowledge and consent, also stating with particularity why the execution of said releases were made without any consideration therefor.”

As indicated above, a supplementary affidavit was then filed by the plaintiff, Fred K. Wagoner. Some sample paragraphs from this affidavit indicate the continued vagueness on the part of the plaintiffs:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
29 F.R.D. 138, 5 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 897, 1961 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5281, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wagoner-v-mountain-savings-loan-assn-cod-1961.