Opinion ID: 1794638
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Constitutionality as to Homeowners.

Text: Conseco and the Wrens argued in the trial court that section 700.525 permits a homeowner to be found to have abandoned the home if the homeowner is even a small amount behind in rent, so long as the utilities have been turned off or the landlord claims that there are other indications of abandonment; [3] that the statute allows deprivation without a pre-deprivation hearing to contest what rents are owing or whether indications of abandonment exist; that the statute forfeits all of the owner's equity in the home merely because the owner owes a few hundred dollars or less in rent, unless the owner pays all rents within 30 days; and that these provisions result in deprivation of the owner's property rights in the manufactured home and in the proceeds of the home without due process. After considering the above arguments, the trial court declared AMHTD unconstitutional because it deprives homeowners of their property without adequate notice or opportunity to be heard and because it is unconstitutionally vague. This Court agrees that serious constitutional issues would be raised were this Court to construe AMHTD to permit a landlord to retain the proceeds of sale of a manufactured home, over and above the amounts due in rents and related expenses, and should it permit a finding of abandonment without constitutionally adequate notice and opportunity to be heard. [4] It is premature for this Court to finally resolve these issues, however, for, while the Wrens were added as parties in the second amended petition, the ruling permitting that filing occurred on the same day the court issued its permanent injunction. No order was first issued allowing the department to show cause why a permanent injunction should not issue, nor was it otherwise given the opportunity to answer, conduct discovery or present evidence on the issues raised by the petition. The department alleges that numerous issues need to be explored, such as whether the Wrens indeed owned the home in question, whether they abandoned it, whether their home was forfeited under AMHTD, what rents were owing, what notice the Wrens received, if any, and so forth. A defendant is entitled to file an answer before the court rules in favor of the plaintiff on the allegations of the petition, and a permanent injunction should not issue until the pleadings have been joined and the evidence necessary to the court's determination has been developed. See, e.g., Rule 55.01; State ex rel. Woytus v. Ryan, 776 S.W.2d 389, 391 (Mo. banc 1989) (purpose of discovery is to provide access to information needed to develop issues framed by pleadings); Simms v. Ford Motor Credit Co., 605 S.W.2d 212, 214 (Mo.App. E.D.1980) (pleadings must be made up and issues developed); Frimel v. Humphrey, 555 S.W.2d 350, 352 (Mo. App.1977) (same). While the department did have the opportunity to respond to the allegations in Conseco's petition as to the alleged unconstitutionality of AMHTD as to homeowners, Conseco is not the owner of the manufactured home and has not offered arguments showing it has standing to raise these issues on behalf of the Wrens or other owners, or in its own right because the alleged unconstitutionality of the provisions as to homeowners affected its rights as a secured party, or because it has an ownership interest in one or more homes it has repossessed which might be directly affected by the homeowner provisions. Standing is antecedent to the right to relief. State ex rel. Williams v. Marsh, 626 S.W.2d 223, 227, n. 6 (Mo. banc 1982). Persons seeking relief have no right to do so in the absence of standing. State ex rel. Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit v. Jones, 823 S.W.2d 471, 475 (Mo. banc 1992). For these reasons, this Court remands this cause to the trial court with directions that it permit the department an opportunity to answer and undertake discovery as to the allegations of unconstitutionality as to homeowners.