Articles Posted in Contract

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Judicial reference, unlike arbitration, works within the court system. A lawsuit is filed, and the judge appoints a referee to assist in the case, or decide it on their own. Parties can agree, in their contracts, that disputes are to be determined by a general judicial reference. This means the entire dispute is to be resolved by a referee. An advantage of judicial reference over other forms of dispute resolution (read ‘binding arbitration’) is that a referee’s decision is treated like a judge’s decision for purposes of appeal. On the other hand, an arbitrator’s decision cannot be appealed for errors of fact or law, as I have railed about several times in this blog. But as some parties found out in a 2011 decision, a judicial reference provision is not a guaranty that the dispute will be decided by a referee, and parties interested in reference should consult with a Sacramento business and real estate attorney as to what is possible. In this case the California Supreme Court concluded that a judge could decline to appoint a referee if there is a possibility of conflicting rulings on a common issue of law or fact.

Sacramento judicial reference attorney.jpgIn Tarrant Bell Property, LLC v. The Superior Court, 120 residents of a mobile home park in Alameda County sued the park owners complaining that they had not maintained the common areas of the park and subjected residents to substandard living conditions. Of those residents, 100 residents’ leases had a provision that provided that disputes were to be resolved, first, by arbitration, or should the arbitration provision be found to be unenforceable, by general judicial reference. Key here is that the remaining 20 residents, 17% of the total, had leases that did not require arbitration and reference.

The plaintiffs asked the judge to order arbitration or reference, the park owners opposed either. The trail court judge refused to order arbitration or reference. The opinion does not describe why the court denied arbitration, but focuses instead on denial of reference.

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Let’s get this out of the way – the only essential terms for a real estate sale contract are the identities of the buyer and seller, the property in question, and the purchase price. Essentially, that is the law in California. Of course, the courts have found ways around the rule, but the trend of the law favors carrying out the parties’ intent once the court has determined that the parties had intended to make a contract. The courts will hear evidence of the parties’ intent to explain essential terms. (Okun v. Morton, 203 Cal. App. 3d 805) Sacramento real estate attorneys are occasionally asked about contracts in which all the standard details are left out, and asked how to enforce, or deny, the contract. When there is no time for payment specified, I always advise the “a reasonable time” is inferred, whatever that means in the circumstances. Such a situation was addressed by the Supreme Court when a tenant wanted to enforce a purchase option that was included in the lease.

sacramento real estate purchase attorney.jpgIn Patel v. Liebermensch, the tenants leased a condo in San Diego. The lease included the following purchase and sale option:

“Through the end of the year 2003, the selling price is $290,000. The selling price increases by 3% through the end of the year 2004 and cancels with expiration of your occupancy. Should this option to buy be exercised, $1,200.00 shall be refunded to you.”

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California commercial leases often include options for renewal of the lease beyond the initial term. Option terms can provide the duration of the renewal, and describe the future rent, or provide a mechanism for calculating the rent to be paid. But, frequently commercial lease attorneys encounter leases that are not so specific. They can describe the procedure for exercising the option, and the future term or terms, but only provide that the rent was to be as agreed upon. Lessors and landlords do this to provide some assurance to the potential tenant that they may be able to stay in the location for another tenant without committing themselves to rent terms, or even that this tenant. The tenant who has not consulted a real estate attorney enters the lease with the false comfort that they have the right to stay if they want. Such was the case in a Supreme Court decision where the tenant, who had made significant improvements to the property, learned that they did not have a right to stay.

ElDorado real estate and leasing attorney.jpgIn Ablett v. Clausen the Lease provided these option terms:

the lessees ‘shall have the first right and a prior option to secure a lease upon said premises before the same are offered to any other person, firm or corporation for lease or rental and that said option shall contemplate a lease for a period of five (5) years upon terms to be then agreed upon.’

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Sometimes possible real estate buyers do want to close the deal unless they can obtain certain benefits, such as a zoning change, or lot split. To lock up the property and make their investment worthwhile, they enter an option contract. An option is a unilateral contract under which a property owner, for consideration, agrees to sell its property to another (optionee) if, within a specified time period, the optionee elects to exercise the right to purchase. The owner has made an irrevocable offer to sell at the specified terms in return for the consideration. To be enforceable, the option contract must have consideration paid by the optionee, and sufficiently describe the purchase terms – parties considering such a deal may want to consult with a Sacramento real estate attorney to ensure its enforceability.

The optionee is not required to buy, but if they follow the terms for exercising the option, it becomes a simple purchase contract. Otherwise, it expires. In one court decision, the question arose of whether there was adequate consideration, or just an illusory promise that was not legally binding. the buyer had an escape clause that did not require him to do anything. The plaintiff who then decided not to sell was disappointed to learn that the buyer’s part performance made the promise binding.

Sacramento option contract attorney.jpgIn Steiner v. Thaxton, Steiner entered a contract to buy 10 acres of bare land. However, the agreement provided that Steiner could cancel the deal at any time at his sole discretion. It states:

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A condition in a contract is a fact, the happening or nonhappening of which creates or extinguishes a duty on the part of the promisor. If the promisor makes an absolute or unconditional promise, he must perform when the time arrives. But if the promisor makes a conditional promise, he must perform only if the condition precedent occurs. The promise may be dependent upon the performance of another condition, in which case they would be dependant and concurrent conditions. In this case neither party is in default until one party performs or tenders performance. In the typical real estate contract seen by Sacramento real estate attorneys, delivery of the deed and payment of the purchase price are dependent and concurrent conditions. There must be performance or tender thereof by one party to put the other in default. In a recent decision, the court agreed with the swindled would-be buyer, who argued that return of their $3 million dollar deposit was an independent condition

Sacramento real estate contract attorney.jpgIn Rutherford Holdings, LLC v. Plaza Del Rey, Rutherford contracted to buy a mobile home park from Plaza, and provided a deposit of $3 million dollars. The agreement provided that the deposit was nonrefundable unless Plaza materially breached the purchase agreement or failed or refused to close.

Prior to the closing date, Plaza told the buyer that Plaza could reduce its property tax bill for the year if it was not in this contract for sale. The contract would increase the value that the tax was based on. If they did not close by the closing date, the tax would be based on a lesser value. Plaza promised the buyer that they would sell the property after the closing date, and after Plaza filed it tax returns. The buyer agreed! The closing date came and went and neither party performed; Plaza never tendered the deed to Rutherford, and Rutherford never tendered the full purchase price to Plaza. Plaza paid less in taxes, then said they would not sell the property to Rutherford, plus they were keeping the deposit, ha ha! This suit followed.

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I have written in the past about Sham Guaranties – this is a guaranty of a loan where the guarantor has such a close identity with the borrower that they are in effect providing a guaranty of their own loan. Such a sham guaranty is not enforceable. A typical scenario would be with a limited partnership. The general partner is fully liable for the debts of the limited partnership. If all the principals of the general partner sign the guaranty, the question arises of whether anything has been added by the guaranty. This is a sham especially when the lender takes a role in encouraging the formation of the entity, and only investigates the financial wherewithal of the individual guarantors. Business and real estate attorneys for lenders usually pay special attention to make sure they really will have an effective guaranty. In a recent decision. the guarantors were unhappy to learn that they were liable on the guaranty – there was too much separation between themselves and the borrowers, which they did on purpose so that they would not occur direct liability on the loan.

Sacramento real estate loan sham guaranty attorney.jpg In California Bank & Trust v. Lawlor, the bank loaned millions to Heritage Partners, secured by numerous real estate projects. Smith and Lawlor owned and controlled Covenant Management, which owned and controlled Heritage Capital, which was the general partner of the Heritage partnerships. They really tried to isolate themselves from the borrower to avoid personal liability. The lender required Smith and Lawlor to sign continuing guaranties. The borrower went into default, the lender foreclosed, and had a deficiency of $15 million dollars. California Bank and Trust brought this action to collect on the loan guaranties. Smith and Lawlor argued that the guaranties were sham guaranties and therefore they were actually the primary obligors on the loans, not true guarantors. As primary obligors, Smith and Lawlor claimed that they were entitled to the protection of California’s antideficiency statutes. This should prohibit the lender from obtaining a judgment against them for the difference between the value of the security and the outstanding loan balances.

The antideficiency statutes strictly limit the right to recover deficiency judgments for the amount the debt exceeds the value of the security. The antideficiency laws promote several public policy objectives:

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Parties can provide in their contracts that any dispute be resolved by “general reference.” A general reference directs a referee to try all issues in the action. The hearing is conducted under the rules of evidence applicable to judicial proceedings. In a general reference, the referee prepares a statement of decision that stands as the decision of the court and is reviewable as if the court had rendered it. This results in a trial by a referee and not by a court or jury. “Judicial reference,” on the other hand, differs in that in that it involves sending a pending trial court action to a referee for hearing, determination and a report back to the court. The BIG DIFFERENCE between reference and arbitration is that a judgment obtained by reference can be appealed, but an arbitrator’s may not be appealed, regardless of how flawed it is. Sacramento real estate and business attorneys know that all the CAR forms have arbitration provisions, which are usually initialed by the parties without truly understanding them. I have railed before about how arbitrators are not held accountable for erroneous rulings.

The general referee’s statement of decision “stands as the decision of the court,” and once the statement of decision is final and filed by the referee, judgment must be entered thereon “in the same manner as if the action had been tried by the court.” After judgment is entered, the losing party may make post-trial motions for a new trial, and/or to vacate the judgment. The judgment entered on the general referee’s statement of decision may be appealed like any other judgment.

SACRAMENTO CONTRACT DISPUTE ATTORNEY.jpgIn a recent decision the court enforced a general reference provision that did not include an explicit waiver of a jury trial. In O’Donoghue v. Superior Court (Performing Arts LLC), a developer obtained a $20 million dollar construction loan for condos at 973 Market Street in San Francisco. Several individuals signed personal guarantees for the loan; the guaranty instrument had a general reference provision. Default occurred, a lawsuit filed, and the court enforced the reference, appointing a referee. The reference provision did not include a jury waiver; the guarantors appealed.

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When California real estate is bought or sold, there is always a period of time between signing the purchase and sale contract, and when the title is transferred. With commercial properties the period could last for months, as the buyer completes their due diligence. But what happens if the building burns down in the interim? Does the buyer still pay full price? Is the contract cancelled? When it comes to allocation of this risk, The more detailed the sale contract, the better. Residential purchase agreements rarely provide for this issue, and rely on the California Civil Code. Commercial Sale agreements often contain provisions that covers the topic, and some in great detail. parties concerned about this issue should consult with a Sacramento and El Dorado real estate attorney to ensure that they are protected, as there are can be some surprises for both buyers and sellers.

Sacramento real estate catastrophe.jpgThe Civil Code

California Civil Code §1662 (the Uniform Vendor and Purchaser Risk Act, or “UVPA”) provides that in sale contracts;

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Liquidated damages provisions in California real estate contracts provide that the parties, at the time they enter into the contract, determine what the damages will be if there is a specified breach of the contract. It must represent a reasonable attempt to anticipate the losses to be suffered. It will not be enforced if it is primarily a penalty for punishing the party at fault. It must bear some relationship to what they parties may foresee as the actual damages that will occur. However, the parties could also have negotiated for alternative performance, where one side has a choice; Do things A & B, and you get paid something. Do just A, and you get paid something less.

A recent decision out of San Joaquin County shows how important it is to be clear in the contract, and one may need to consult a Sacramento real estate and business attorney for clarification. If the provision is not to be determined a penalty, you must actually have a reasonable basis for calculating the amount at the time of entering the contract, and also the contract must have language describing the parties agreement that the actual dollar amount has some relationship to the likely damages. If the number appears reasonable, it may qualify as both liquidated damages OR alternative performance. If it is not reasonable, the only hope is that if it is found to be alternative performance.

sacramento liqudated damages attorney.jpgIn Brian McGuire v. More-Gas Investments, LLC, McGuire had a contract to buy property to build a house. The property sold for over $1 million dollars, and was amongst vineyards in Acampo. The buyer wanted to make sure his view would be protected.

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Option agreements for sale or lease of property often have a form of lease or purchase agreement attached, to be entered on exercising the option. The expectation is that, if the option is exercised, the attached contract will be signed by the parties and govern the transaction. Occasionally the option will contain all the terms, and not attach a form contract, and may or may not refer to entering an agreement. Sacramento and ElDorado real estate attorneys advise clients to prepare the Agreement and attach it to the option, otherwise there could be a dispute when the option was exercised. In pone such case, after the option to lease property was exercised, the property owner backed out. His legal argument was that the option was only a contract to enter a contract, and did not affect title to his property. The court said no, in this case, the option was sufficient as a lease.

In John Gavina v. Lon Smith, Plaintiff Gavina granted Defendant an option for an oil and gas lease on Gavina’s property. The option stated all the details of the lease, (set out below), but also had an attached lease form that, on exercise of the option, was to be signed by the parties. Smith exercised the option and deposited the money in escrow. Gavina refused to accept the money from the escrow, did not sign the formal lease form, offered to give Smith the option fee back. Essentially, they told Smith to get lost. The lawsuit resulted.

sacramento lease attorney.jpgThe judge was not impressed by Gavina’s conduct. Because of the nature of the suit (quiet title), it first addressed the question of whether the option itself created a contract, or was merely an executable contract to make a lease. It found the intent of the parties, as expressed in the option agreement, to set forth in both the option and the attached form of lease all the terms and conditions on which Gavina’s offer to lease was made. By exercising the option, Smith accepted the offer and agreed to the lease on the those terms. The requirement of a written lease was satisfied. (Statute of Frauds) Nothing more was required to make a binding lease.

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