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Nature of Suit Code: 220
Nature of Suit: Foreclosure
Cause of Action: 

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Unit!su.~sLC ED 

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS 

FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT 

"' ourt of Ap 1 ienth Circuit .Pea 8 

MAR 1 41989 

MCLEAN FINANCIAL CORPORATION, ) 

) 

Plaintiff-Appellee, ) 

) 

ROGER D. BICHON; DONNA J. BICHON, ) 

) 

Defendants-Appellees, ) 

) 

and ) 

) 

JOYCE POSTIER, County Treasurer of ) 

Garfield County; BOARD OF COUNTY ) 

COMMISSIONERS OF GARFIELD COUNTY, ) 

) 

Defendant, ) 

) 

v. ) 

) 

JUSTICE MORTGAGE COMPANY, INC., ) 

a Texas corporation, ) 

) 

Third-party-defendant- ) 

Appellant. ) 

ORDER AND JUDGMENT* 

ROBERT L. HOEc 

Clerk KER 

No. 87-1758 

(D.C. No. 86-724-W) 

(W.D. Okla.) 

Before MCKAY, BARRETT, and SEYMOUR, Circuit Judges. 

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel 

has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially 

* This order and judgment has no precedential value and shall not 

be cited, or used by any court within the Tenth Circuit, except 

for purposes of establishing the doctrines of the law of the case, 

res judicata, or collateral estoppel. 10th Cir. R. 36.3. 

Appellate Case: 87-1758 Document: 010110024596 Date Filed: 03/14/1989 Page: 1 
' . J 

assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 

34(a); 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. 

submitted without oral argument. 

The cause is therefore ordered 

Justice Mortgage Company appeals from the judgment on a jury 

verdict concluding on special interrogatories that (1) certain 

loan documents executed by the Bichons and Justice contained 

alterations that were not consented to by the Bichons, and (2) 

that the note, which was not altered, was superseded by the 

graduated payment loan rider, which was altered. Justice argues 

there was insufficient evidence to support the jury's answers to 

these special interrogatories. We disagree. While the evidence 

was conflicting, there was clearly evidence to support the jury's 

findings. 

Justice also contends the court erred in its Instruction No. 

11 and Instruction No. 12. On the contrary, we conclude the 

district court correctly determined that the note, loan rider, and 

mortgage were ambiguous when read together, creating a fact issue 

for the jury. 

issue. 

The court properly instructed the jury on this 

Finally, Justice argues the court erred by concluding, as a 

matter of law, that the alteration to the loan rider was material 

and required vitiation of the note. However, the court applied 

the law of Oklahoma in determining that the alterations were 

material within the meaning of Okla. Stat. tit. 15, S 239, and 

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Appellate Case: 87-1758 Document: 010110024596 Date Filed: 03/14/1989 Page: 2 
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that the alterations required the note to be extinguished. See 

Goss v. Trinity Sav. & Loan Ass'n, P.2d , No. 67,298 (Okla. 

Ct. App. filed Aug. 23, 1988). See also Doyle v. Trinity Sav. & 

Loan Ass'n, F.2d , Nos. 86-2236, 86-2309 (10th Cir. filed 

March 9, 1989). 

The judgment of the United States District Court for the 

Western District of Oklahoma is AFFIRMED. 

The mandate shall issue forthwith. 

ENTERED FOR THE COURT 

Stephanie K. Seymour 

Circuit Judge 

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Appellate Case: 87-1758 Document: 010110024596 Date Filed: 03/14/1989 Page: 3