Opinion ID: 1092837
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: whether the trial court erroneously applied the statute of limitations to allred's claims.

Text: ¶ 16. In order to properly analyze a statute of limitations question, an understanding of the chronology of events and the limitations in question is necessary. Allred and Fairchild enter into the agreement in December 1973; the sale of the Windham properties is closed on February 1, 1974; and Allred files suit on December 19, 1990. In other words, a total of 17 years passed between the oral contract and the filing of suit. The applicable statutes of limitations which might control are Miss.Code Ann. §§ 15-1-7, 15-1-9, 15-1-29, 15-1-39, & 15-1-49 (1995). Section 15-1-7 requires suits involving recovery of land to be brought within 10 years of right to make entry. Section 15-1-9 is also a 10 year statute of limitations for actions claiming land in equity. Section 15-1-29 establishes a 3 year statute of limitations upon actions on unwritten accounts or contracts. Section 15-1-39 imposes a 10-year limit on actions seeking or concerning trusts, and § 15-1-49 is a catchall provision establishing a three-year deadline on all matters without specified limitations. Miss.Code Ann. §§ 15-1-7, 15-1-9, 15-1-29, 15-1-39, 15-1-49 (1995). ¶ 17. Although 17 years is obviously not within any of these limits, Allred argues that the statute of limitations did not begin to run until he could enforce his rights. See Burwell v. Planters Lumber Co., 220 Miss. 79, 70 So.2d 71 (1954). Since there is undisputed testimony that payout occurred sometime in July 1981, Allred contends this date is the true time of accrual for statute of limitations concerns. See Southern Wholesalers, Inc. v. Stennis Drug Co., 214 Miss. 461, 59 So.2d 78, 79 (1952). Therefore, the action would not be barred by §§ 15-1-7, 15-1-9, and 15-1-39. Furthermore, Fairchild made numerous false representations and swore under oath to them, including: denying the existence of an oral contract, until presented with evidence of one; denying the existence of any documented proof of a contract when P-67 (a February 1974 memo) evidenced the existence of a contract; sworn testimony that payout records were never kept when, in fact, his long-time secretary testified that they were; and failure to turn over many highly relevant documents, even after compelled to do so. This litany of violations clearly justifies any delay in filing. As this Court has repeatedly held, fraudulent concealment of the truth tolls all statutes of limitations. Van Zandt v. Van Zandt, 227 Miss. 528, 539, 86 So.2d 466, 470 (1956). There is also statutory authority for this position: If a person liable to any personal action shall fraudulently conceal the cause of action from the knowledge of the person entitled thereto, the cause of action shall be deemed to have first accrued at, and not before, the time at which such fraud shall be, or with reasonable diligence might have been, first known or discovered. Miss.Code Ann. § 15-1-67 (1995). Under this rule, accrual did not begin until the late 1980s when Allred discovered that payout had already occurred. Thus, the suit was filed well within all of the applicable statutes of limitation. ¶ 18. Allred testified that he asked about the payout status of the properties several times and was consistently lied to. Since accrual of his rights did not occur until 1981 and Fairchild fraudulently concealed the truth, the statutes of limitations do not bar Allred's various claims.