Opinion ID: 2382878
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Biggus

Text: Appellant, Charles T. Biggus (Biggus), bought a used Ford van from Sherwood Ford (Sherwood) in Baltimore City. Biggus signed a contract titled, Maryland Vehicle Retail Instalment Contract. The contract was printed on a single sheet of paper approximately twenty inches long by eight and one-half inches wide. The front side contained the material terms. The cash price was $5,050.47, Biggus was given credit for a $350 down payment and a trade-in allowance of $1,500. Added to the unpaid balance of the cash price were itemized charges for taxes, tags, filing fees, credit life insurance, credit disability insurance, and an extended service warranty. The amount financed was payable in twenty-four monthly installments at an annual percentage rate of twenty-four percent. The reverse side of the contract was covered in smaller print. The bottom half of that side contained the terms of an assignment of the contract by Sherwood to the appellee, Ford Motor Credit Company (Ford Credit). The top portion, headed Additional Agreements, contained seven subsections. They included the grant of a security interest in the vehicle to Sherwood, and the following: G. General: Any change in this contract must be in writing and signed by you and the Creditor. The law of Maryland applies to this contract including Subtitle 10 of the Maryland Commercial Law Article. If the applicable law does not allow all of the agreements in this contract, the ones that are not allowed will be void. The rest of this contract will still be good. Biggus failed to make scheduled payments due on July 21 and August 21, 1989. In September 1989, Ford Credit sent Biggus a Notice of Default and Intent to Repossess. The van was repossessed in Baltimore City. In November Ford Credit sent Biggus a Notice of Repossession and Right to Redeem or Reinstate. That notice informed Biggus that the van was being stored at 7151 Brookdale Drive, which is the location of the Baltimore-Washington Auto Exchange in Howard County. The van was sold at a public auction for $700 in December. In February 1990, Ford Credit sent Biggus a Statement of Sale, which itemized a deficiency of $2,248.92. Ford Credit sued to collect the deficiency in the District Court of Maryland, sitting in Baltimore City. Biggus argued that RISA, with which Ford Credit had not complied, governed. The District Court agreed with Biggus. Ford Credit appealed de novo to the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, which held that CLEC applied. Judgment was entered for Ford Credit for $1,948, [2] plus interest from December 12, 1989. We granted Biggus's petition for a writ of certiorari.