Source: https://www.californiaestatelawyerblog.com/category/partition-litigation
Timestamp: 2018-05-20 17:28:44
Document Index: 319469168

Matched Legal Cases: ['§686', '§872', '§872', '§413', '§686', '§872', '§872', '§4022', '§812', '§1801', '§686']

Partition Litigation Category Archives — California Estate Lawyer Blog Published by Newport Beach, CA Estate Planning Lawyer - Trust Litigation Attorney — Theodore M. Hankin, Attorney/CPA
Articles Posted in Partition Litigation
Posted in: Co-Ownership, Partition Litigation, Real Property and Trial
Updated: July 7, 2015 9:35 am
You Cannot Divide A Single Family Residence; Partition By Sale Is The Remedy
So here was the situation; my client and her brother owned their mother’s residence as tenants in common (California Civil Code §686). My client’s brother did not agree with the appraisal that was made of the residence and refused to buy-out my client. Since it is impractical to divide a single family residence in two, my only alternative was to bring an action for partition (California Code of Civil Procedure §872.230) against my client’s brother, requesting that the court order the sale of the real property (California Code of Civil Procedure §872.820).
I filed the lawsuit in Superior Court of Los Angeles County North East District (in Pasadena), because the residence was within that district’s boundaries. I served the summons and complaint (California Code of Civil Procedure §413.10) on my client’s brother. He responded within the thirty day time period allowed for responses to service of a summons and complaint. His responses (technically referred to as an “answer”) basically said that he did not want the residence sold, although it was my client’s right to do so.
The matter was set for hearing. I intended to call my client and the appraiser as witnesses. My client’s brother, who was representing himself, intended to call my client and provide his own testimony.
Updated: July 7, 2015 9:23 am
When Co-Tenants Are Fighting A California Court Can Order That The Property Be Sold
In my last post, I described how my client and her brother came to own, as tenants in common (California Civil Code §686), the single family residence of their mother. My client wanted her mother’s home to be sold; her brother did not. Pursuant to my recommendation, my client authorized me to file a complaint for partition (California Code of Civil Procedure §872.230) in Superior Court of Los Angeles County Northeast District (which is where the residence was located).
Generally speaking, when real property is owned by two people as tenants in common, each person has an undivided and equal interest in the real property. The problem arises when the only improvement on the real property is a single family residence. You cannot, as a practical matter, divide up such an improvement to the real property. What can be done is that one co-tenant can buy the other out (if they can agree on a price) or a co-tenant can seek court intervention to have the real property sold to the highest bidder (this is called “partition by sale” in accordance with California Code of Civil Procedure §872.820).
In this case, I hired an appraiser to value the single family residence; I communicated that value to the other side and suggested that my client would be willing to pay one-half of that amount to acquire her brother’s interest in the property or alternatively, my client would accept that amount for her interest. The problem was that my client’s brother did not agree with the appraisal.
Posted in: Co-Ownership, Partition Litigation and Real Property
What To Do When Co-Owners of Real Property in California Don’t Agree
Every now and then I receive calls from clients where the resolution of their problem would at first appear to be a trip to probate court, but sometimes has a twist that takes me to the world of civil litigation.
In this case, my client told me that she needed to sell her mother’s residence to pay for bills she had received for her mother’s nursing home care. No problem I said; do you have power of attorney for your mother (California Probate Code §4022) that would allow you to sell the residence? No. Is she competent (California Probate Code §812) to give you a power of attorney? No. Should we consider establishing a conservatorship (California Probate Code §1801), with you as the conservator, and then sell the property? No. Well, if the answer to all the foregoing is no, when did your mother die? She’s not dead; my mother gifted the residence to my brother and me and he does not want to sell it. Oh …..
So being much wiser now, I asked how is title to the residence held… my client said that it was held as tenants in common (California Civil Code §686) with her brother. The solution: I recommended that my client consider a partition action (a means by which co-owners of property can divide it or sell it under court supervision), that would result in the house being sold so that she would have funds for her mother’s nursing care.