Opinion ID: 1059070
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Proceeding

Text: On March 22, 2002, Mrs. Beckner filed a bill of complaint against Friendly and FriendCo seeking rescission of the amendment to the lease on four grounds: fraud, gross inadequacy of consideration, unjust enrichment, and undue influence, Counts I through IV, respectively. [1] The fraud count was dismissed by agreed order prior to trial and Mrs. Beckner abandoned the unjust enrichment count at trial. Friendly and FriendCo (collectively Friendly's) filed a motion for summary judgment asserting that Mrs. Beckner was not entitled to rescission because she had acquiesced to the terms of the amended lease when she cashed checks she received pursuant to the terms of the amended lease. The chancellor denied this motion as not appropriate for summary judgment. Following an ore tenus hearing, the chancellor entered a decree in favor of Mrs. Beckner on Counts II and IV. The chancellor found that the amendment to the lease was the product of undue influence because Mrs. Beckner produced clear and convincing evidence that she suffered from great weakness of mind, Hughes had a confidential relationship with her consisting of a formal and informal relationship regarding business matters, and the consideration for the amendment to the lease was grossly inadequate and occurred in suspicious circumstances. The chancellor rescinded the amendment to the lease and required Mrs. Beckner to pay $5,888.23, the amount she received under the amended lease exceeding that which she would have received prior to the amendment. We awarded Friendly's an appeal.