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Category Archives: Business & Civil Litigation

Real Estate 101: Breach of general warranty covenants can be costly mistake

Author By Finney Law FirmPosted on

A common form of conveyance when selling real estate is the general warranty deed. With a general warranty deed, not only does the seller transfer title to the property, but also promises that she has good, marketable title and will defend any claims against the property otherwise.

For example, if you sell property using a warranty deed and there is an unpaid lien against the property, you must either pay an attorney to defeat the lien, or you must pay off the lien. Failure to do so is a breach of the warranty; and will entitle the buyer to damages, and attorney fees. Read more about types of deeds here.

Hollon v. Abner (1997 WL 602968), a 1997 Hamilton County Court of Appeals case, illustrates the point precisely. The sellers failed to account for tax liens that had attached to the property during the brief time that the property was in their son’s name.

The Abners came to own the property when their son, under contract to purchase the property, was unable to complete the purchase. The Abners stepped in and gave him the money to complete the purchase. Title transferred to the son’s name, and he immediately transferred the property into the parents’ names. But just that one moment during which the property was in the son’s name was enough for IRS liens for the son’s unpaid taxes to attach to the property.

After owning the property for five years, the Abners sold the property to Hollon (by general warranty deed). When Hollon later tried to sell the property, a title report the buyer insisted on revealed the tax liens.

In order to complete the closing, Hollon was forced to place over fifteen thousand dollars in escrow. Despite repeated demands from Hollon, the Abners refused to either defend against or pay off the liens. Eventually, Hollon brought suit against the Abners for breach of warranty, because the title they transferred to him was not free of encumbrances, and the Abners refused to defend or pay off the liens.

Hollon was granted summary judgment against the Abners, and the trial court ordered the Abners to pay damages in the amount of the tax liens, plus the escrow fees, and Hollon’s attorney fees.

While it is generally understood that attorney fees are only awarded in a breach of warranty claim where the buyer incurred attorney fees in defending against the lien, in this case, the Court Appeals ruled that that the trial court’s award of attorney fees was appropriate because Hollon only incurred fees because the Abners both failed to convey marketable title, and refused to defend or pay the liens; that is, it was only because of the Abners’ failure to live up obligations that the lawsuit was necessary.

The lesson being, if you sell real estate via general warranty deed and the buyer later contacts you regarding a lien that had attached before you sold the property, live up to your obligations before the court forces you to.

New construction: The “When”

Author By Christopher P. FinneyPosted on 2 Comments on New construction: The “When”

This article is the second in a series on new construction.  The contents of this series of articles apply to commercial as well as residential projects.

In this blog entry, we discuss the “what” is to be built under a new construction contract, residential or commercial.  The problem is that, unlike with an existing building, in order to properly contract for the construction of a new building, the parties must carefully define “what” is to be built using words and drawings.

I teach continuing education classes on new construction, and there I define this problem of describing the improvements to be built as a 4-dimensional problem, with the first three dimensions being the height, width and depth of a project — the physical description of what is to be built.  The 4th dimension, then,  is “when” the project is to be delivered.

This blog entry addresses that topic — the 4th dimension of a construction project — when will the finished product, or substantially finished product, be delivered to the buyer.

There are a myriad of issues that can impact the “when,” starting with selections to be made by the buyer.  Here are just a few of the issues impacting the timing of completion:

  • The buyer’s inability to make timely design and selection decisions for finish items.  This is the item most frequently cited by builders as to why the buyer has slowed the project and driven up costs.
  • Design changes.
  • Unexpected site conditions, such as bad soil or environmental problems.
  • Regulatory issues,such as zoning and building permits and roadway access..
  • Utility availability at the property line.

The timing issues encountered in a construction contract significantly impact both construction costs and operational issues confronted by both buyer and seller.  Thus, having a realistic understanding of timing issues at the front end of a construction project is important, and deciding how to allocate the risk of timing issues is a critical contract consideration.

This article is one in a series on the Finney Law Firm blog on new construction.  Read more here:

New construction: The problem of “what” is to be built >>

New construction: Change orders, allowances and selections can significantly impact price >>

New construction: On whose land are you building? >>

New construction: Cost-plus versus fixed-price >>

New construction: What form of contract?

New construction: Ohio residential buyers absolutely protected from liens in limited circumstances

New construction: The problem of “what” is to be built

Author By Christopher P. FinneyPosted on

This article is the first in a series on new construction.  The contents of this series of articles apply to commercial as well as residential projects.

Defining “what” is to be built in a new construction contract can be tricky.

For starters, when buying an existing commercial building or house, you can see, touch, feel and inspect what is there, and based upon those observations decide whether or not to buy.   But in a new construction contract, we must define — using words and drawings — the end product.  And it is an end product with hundreds and thousands of components.  Thus, we must carefully use the contract to describe what the builder will build.

This would include dimensions, construction materials, fixtures, mechanical systems and equipment, appliances, and finish materials, such as millwork (cabinets), countertops, flooring, landscaping, etc.

Some of these items are left out of the contract, and references as “allowances,” which are to be addressed in a later article.  Be cautious with allowances, as they are frequently the basis for price disputes between builders and buyers.

Second is the intangible of “quality.”  The flatness of concrete floors, the waviness of walls, the precision of miter joints, are all exceedingly difficult to describe.  One way to tackle this drafting challenge is to refer to a “model” or “sample” that the builder has held out as the general quality of construction.  For example: “the general quality of construction — to the finishes and selections — will equal or exceed that of the model home shown to buyer by builder located at 1234 Main Street.”  Others try to reference objective standards of quality, but this can be cumbersome to wade through– and be cautious of who drafted these standards as they will invariably be tilted towards the drafter.

So, consider carefully how you define what is to be built, and the quality of the construction.  It can mean the difference between a quality project and a disappointment.

This article is one in a series on the Finney Law Firm blog on new construction.  Read more here:

New construction: The “when” >>

New construction: Change orders, allowances and selections can significantly impact price >>

New construction: On whose land are you building? >>

New construction: Cost-plus versus fixed-price >>

New construction: What form of contract?

New construction: Ohio residential buyers absolutely protected from liens in limited circumstances

Forcing a reluctant seller to close

Author By Christopher P. FinneyPosted on

We discuss here the power of a lis pendens action, which is the combination of a law suit to force a seller to perform combined with a public notice to all prospective purchasers and mortgage lenders that the buyer in the litigation has a claim to the title to the real estate.

In addition to litigation — which always runs the risk of becoming expensive, there is another tool available under Ohio law that should have the effect of preventing a seller from conveying title to a second buyer or mortgage lender free from claims of the buyer number 1: An Affidavit of facts relating to title.

Ohio Revised Code Section 5301.252 sets forth the requirements for an Affidavit of Facts Relating to Title.  Essentially, one includes the legal description of the disputed land, and then  recites the name of the owner and the recording reference for his deed, along with the facts underlying the buyer’s claim.  So, if a buyer has a contract to buy real estate that the seller is breaching, one attaches that contract to the Affidavit, recites that pursuant to that Contract the buyer has the right to buy the subject property and places that claim of record.

A subsequent buyer “should” not buy the land, as long as his title examiner catches the claim (which he should).  (We have seen circumstances where subsequent buyers blow past these claims.)

Thus, the seller of real property is placed in the position of needing to address the buyers’ claims before he can sell the property to another, or mortgage the property.

An Affidavit of Facts Relating to Title can be a powerful tool to force sellers to deal with a title claim from a buyer whom he would rather ignore.

 

Indemnities and Warranty Deeds: Open-ended access to your checkbook

Author By Christopher P. FinneyPosted on

In contracts, leases, loan documents and other agreements, we frequently see a request that one party indemnify the other against certain occurrences.

As a simple and general proposition, indemnity provisions are ill-advised for the indemnitor.  They are open-ended access to one’s checkbook for all sorts of claims, and are usually accompanied by a duty to defend against those claims (i.e., pay for an attorney to defend a suit), whether meritorious or frivolous.  Thus, a short indemnity paragraph could lead to hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars of unexpected and unintended liability.  As a rule: Not a good idea.

Taking this concept over into the world of real estate sales, as is explained in this blog entry, Real Estate 101: Types of Deeds in Ohio, when a seller executes and delivers a warranty deed in Ohio (General Warranty Deed or Limited Warranty Deed), he is essentially providing an open-ended indemnification to a buyer of that property — and his successors down the chain of title — against certain title claims.  Among other things, a warranty covenant is a promise to defend against certain claims to the title from a third party.

Ohio Courts have ruled that the failure to provide that defense will mean the grantor must pay the attorneys fees of the grantee to so defend the title.  Hollon v. Abner, 1997 WL 602968 (Ohio App. 1 Dist., 1997).

Thus, although it is “standard operating procedure” in real estate transactions to provide a warranty deed, sellers may want to re-think that (starting with the signing of the contract as that instrument dictates what form of deed is required at the closing) and understand their open-ended exposure from a warranty deed.

Have you read our “Pillars of Strength” series?

Author By Christopher P. FinneyPosted on

We have a 3-part blog series on some fundamentals of protecting personal assets when using a corporate form.  We recommend these for every small business owner and manager.

Pillars of Strength: Formatting a corporate signature to protect the “corporate veil.”

Pillars of Strength: Three tips for protecting your personal assets when forming and operating a company

Pillars of Strength: Effectively using your corporate form for limited liability protection

Contact Isaac Heintz ([513] 943-6654) for help with forming or growing your small business.

Extinguishing a Land Installment Contract where the buyer is in default

Author By Christopher P. FinneyPosted on

We recently completed a litigation project for a commercial client to extinguish a Land Installment Contract where the buyer was in default and the owner wanted to lease or sell the property to another party by judicially extinguishing the buyer’s rights under the Land Installment Contract.

As a starting point, this article explains, in seller financing situations involving real property, there are several options available to structure and document the transaction.  As we explain, a Land Installment Contract is more difficult to extinguish than a lease with option to purchase, but less involved than a foreclosure action under a note secured by a mortgage against the property to be sold.

Thus, in the specified assignment, we proceeded with an action for “forfeiture” in Common Pleas Court before Hamilton County Judge Beth Myers.

Ohio’s Land Installment Contract statute requires that a foreclosure action be pursued in situations where the buyer has made payments under contract for more than five years or paid more than 20% of the principal portion of the purchase price.  O.R.C. Section 5313.07.  (In such case, the buyer is then entitled to any excess of the sale price from foreclosure sale over the remaining balance of the purchase price under the Land Installment Contract.)  However, Ohio Courts have found that this protection extends only to residential purchasers, and does not protect buyers in commercial real estate transactions.  See, e.g., P.M.D. Land Co. v. Warner Realty, 2009-Ohio-6704 (11th Dist., 2009).

Therefore, simple judicial action for “forfeiture” of the rights of the buyer is called for in a commercial setting.  It is not a truncated, expedited proceeding such as an eviction, but it is far less involved than a foreclosure action would be, and vests fewer rights in the buyer.

As it turns out, in our case the buyer defaulted and we then were able to quiet title in the name of our client, the property owner, the Land Installment Contract was judicially extinguished, and the title was thus quieted in favor of our client, freeing him to lease or sell the property to another tenant or buyer.

 

 

 

Advanced commercial real estate law: The power of Lis Pendens in Ohio

Author By Finney Law FirmPosted on 1 Comment on Advanced commercial real estate law: The power of Lis Pendens in Ohio

Lis Pendens, Latin for “suit pending,” means that any interest in real property acquired while a case is pending relating to that property is subject to the final determination of the case.

As set forth in R.C. 2703.26: “When a complaint is filed, the action is pending so as to charge a third person with notice of its pendency. While pending, no interest can be acquired by third persons in the subject of the action, as against the plaintiff’s title.”  Under this doctrine, the outcome of the litigation applies to, and is binding upon, any person who acquires an interest in the property; whether a party to the lawsuit or not. Indeed the purpose of the doctrine is to bind non-parties.

“The effect of lis pendens is that if a third party acquires an interest in the property while the lawsuit is pending, the third party takes the property subject to the final outcome of the suit.” Gunlock v. Z.B.P. Partnership, 1997 WL 598394, at *1 (Ohio App. 12 Dist., 1997). Indeed, “if the trial court awards the plaintiff rights in the property, the plaintiff takes free of any interest acquired by third parties during the lawsuit.” Martin, Rochford & Durr v. Lawyer’s Title Ins. Corp., 619 N.E.2d 1130, 1131, 86 Ohio App.3d 20, 22 (Ohio App. 9 Dist., 1993).

“In order for the plaintiff to utilize the doctrine of lis pendens, the property that is described for the purpose of invoking lis pendens must be at the very essence of the controversy between the litigants.” Levin v. George Fraam & Sons, Inc., 585 N.E.2d 527, 530, 65 Ohio App.3d 841, 846 (Ohio App. 9 Dist., 1990).

If the property is Unregistered Land, and the lawsuit is filed in the same county in which all of the property is located, Lis Pendens attaches upon the initial filing of a complaint relating to the ownership of real property and a description of the property in the complaint. Any interest in the property that is recorded after the filing of the lawsuit is subject to the Judge’s final ruling. If the suit is brought in a county other than that in which the property is located, a certified copy of the complaint must be filed with the Common Pleas Court in which the property is located (this also applies to property that straddles two or more county lines). See Civil Rule 3(F).

In a recent case we represented a buyer in a specific performance case.  Our client was under contract to purchase a parcel of unregistered land in Hamilton County. The seller informed our client that the seller would not complete the sale; rather he would sell to another buyer for a higher price. Our client was insistent on completing the purchase and forcing the sale.

Before the seller recorded the deed transferring the property to the third party, we filed suit for specific performance and included a notice of Lis Pendens in the complaint. After we filed the complaint, not only did the third party record a deed, that third party then sold the property to another third party who also recorded a deed. Bear in mind though, that each of these deeds were recorded after the lawsuit had been initiated, and thus those purchasers’ interests were subject to the outcome of our lawsuit.

Ultimately, we prevailed and the property was re-titled in the name of our client and the interests of the two third party purchasers were extinguished.  The third party purchasers now have to look to the original seller to recoup their money.

For Registered Land, Lis Pendens does not attach until after the complaint is filed with the Court and a Notice of Lis Pendens is filed with the County Recorder. Civil Rule 3(F) also applies where the suit is brought in county other than that in which all of the property is located.  What this means for purchasers of Unregistered Land is that certainty of your interest requires not only that you search the title, but that you also search the court filings for any litigation involving the property.

For a party seeking to invoke Lis Pendens over registered land, the process is slightly more complex. The party must first file the complaint with the court, then present a certified certificate of the pendency of the suit with the county recorder and a memorial of the suit entered on the certificate of title by the county recorder.

While the road to Lis Pendens against registered land is more cumbersome for the plaintiff, the third party buyer can rest easy that he has good title by simply looking at the county recorder’s certificate of title for the property to see if there is a memorial of a lawsuit on the certificate. Simply stated with registered land, the certificate of title tells the whole story.

Recreational Activity and Liability for Injury

Author By Finney Law FirmPosted on

SoccerWe’ve heard it from television commentators and even youth league coaches, “injuries are part of the game.” Nearly every game; from football to soccer, baseball, basketball, cycling, and running; whatever the sport, there comes with it a chance of injury.

And it’s not just sports commentators and coaches who understand the risk of injury. Ohio’s courts recognize the old maxim as well. Ohio law protects against liability for injuries sustained during recreational activity, where that injury was the result of mere negligence.

As enunciated by Ohio’s Supreme Court: “Where individuals engage in recreational or sports activities, they assume the ordinary risks of the activity and cannot recover for any injury unless it can be shown that the other participant’s actions were either ‘reckless’ or ‘intentional’” Marchetti v. Kalish.

Underlying this rule is the assumption that by voluntarily participating in a recreational activity, one has consented to the ordinary risks inherent in that activity.

This rule has been applied not only on the field of traditional sports, but even in some rather unusual “recreational activities.” In Konrad v. Morant, the “recreational activity” involved two children and one BB gun. They took turns chasing each other and shooting at each other, all very fair and sportsmanlike. Likewise, in Marcum v. Zerkle, there was no liability for injuries sustained in a paintball game.

This same rule has also been applied to injuries sustained by spectators.

In Ohio, whether you’re on the field or in the stands, you’ve assumed the ordinary risks associated with the activity you’re engaged in or even merely watching.

Finney Law Firm wins for client important appellate victory in $3.5 million case

Author By Christopher P. FinneyPosted on

In an important decision for this firm and several of our clients, the Finney Law Firm this week won an important victory in a $3.5 civil conspiracy case.

The case involved a 2004 sale of real property in Hamilton County Ohio.  There, the buyer quickly marked up and “flipped” the property to several tenant-in-common owners as part of tax-free 1031 exchanges.  The middleman was accused of making certain fraudulent misrepresentations in the sale to its buyers.  Our clients, the first sellers, knew nothing about the transaction between the initial buyer and the ultimate investors, yet was charged at the trial with being part of a civil conspiracy to defraud the TIC owners.

Another firm handled the six week jury trial.  We were hired as appellate counsel.  The First District Court of Appeals correctly ruled that Plaintiffs in a civil conspiracy “must at least show ‘a common understanding or design, even if tacit, to commit an unlawful act.'”  Because in this case there was not a shred of evidence that our clients knew of, much less participated in the acts to defraud the TIC owners, summary judgment should have been rendered in our client’s favor.  The Court of Appeals ruled that the matter never should have been presented to a jury.

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