Opinion ID: 1731808
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: whether the trial court erred in failing to hold the guarantors liable for reasonable attorney's fees.

Text: ¶ 17. In the trial court's order granting partial summary judgment in favor of the guarantors, the trial court stated, [a]s the guaranty agreement contains no provisions for the collection of attorneys fee[s] from the guarantors this is hereby denied. Thus, One South contends the trial court erred by not reading the guaranty agreement together with the lease agreement and finding the guarantors liable for reasonable attorney's fees, in addition to the past-due rental payments. On the other hand, the guarantors assert that, without the guaranty agreement specifically obligating the guarantors to pay attorney's fees, the guarantors are not liable for attorney's fees. ¶ 18. To support its contention in support of an award of attorney's fees, One South points to the guaranty agreement signed by the guarantors on October 15, 2001. The agreement reads as follows: FOR GOOD AND VALUABLE CONSIDERATION, the undersigned shareholders of HOLLOWELL MERCANTILE COMPANY, INC. do hereby, jointly and severally, personally guarantee the obligations under the above and foregoing Lease Agreement. The personal guaranty appears on the same page, directly below the signatures of the signatories to the lease agreement. The signatures of the individual guarantors appear directly below the personal guaranty, and likewise on the same page as the signatures of the signatories to the lease agreement. Like the lease agreement, the guaranty agreement is a contract, and a contract must be interpreted according to the four corners of the document unless it is ambiguous. Additionally, under general principles of contract law, separate agreements executed contemporaneously by the same parties, for the same purposes, and as part of the same transaction, are to be construed together. Doleac v. Real Estate Professionals, LLC, 911 So.2d 496, 506 (Miss.2005) (quoting Neal v. Hardee's Food Systems, Inc., 918 F.2d 34, 37 (5th Cir.1990) (although the parties used multiple agreements to delineate their relationship, each agreement was dependant upon the entire transaction. . . . The individual agreements were integral and interrelated parts of the one deal.)). By construing the contracts together, the intent of the parties and the meaning of the two documents must be determined from the entire transaction. That being said, the only logical inference is that the intent of the parties and the meaning of the two documents should not be construed from isolated portions of the contracts. Therefore, the trial court erred in its finding that, since the guaranty agreement did not contain specific language addressing the payment of attorney's fees, an assessment of attorney's fees against the guarantors was inappropriate. ¶ 19. According to the guaranty agreement, the guarantors are liable to the extent that Hollowell Mercantile would be liable. Thus, we look at the lease agreement to determine if Hollowell Mercantile would be liable for attorney's fees. As to attorney's fees, the lease agreement states: 4.00 Rental Payments . . . . In addition, if any such rental or other payment is not received by Landlord by the due date, Tenant agrees that it shall reimburse Landlord for all costs and expenses incurred by Landlord in collection of same (including, but not limited to Landlord's reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses). Additionally, section 18.01 states: This Lease (including any Rider attached hereto) contains the entire agreement between the parties hereto, and the same may not be altered, varied, or modified in any way except in a writing making specific reference to this Lease and signed by the parties hereto. The terms and provisions of any Rider attached hereto and executed by the parties are incorporated herein and constitutes part of this Lease. ¶ 20. Since the lease agreement and the guaranty agreement were executed at the same time and by the same parties as part of the same transaction, the two documents are to be construed as one instrument. Under the instrument, the guarantors are liable for One South's reasonable attorney's fees and expenses for collecting the $20,000 past-due rental payments. Therefore, we find this issue to have merit, and we are thus compelled to remand this issue to the trial court to conduct an evidentiary hearing on the amount of reasonable attorney's fees and expenses to be assessed against the guarantors and in favor of One South.