Court Opinion

ID: 6471532
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-06-26 14:18:47.258467+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:53:49.616822
License: Public Domain

RANSOM, Justice (specially concurring). I concur on separate grounds that the judgment of the trial court should be affirmed. Under the unambiguous language of the note and deed of trust prepared by Preferred Risk, no prepayment penalty applied to the principal and accrued interest owing in case of a conveyance to which Preferred Risk did not consent. I would not, however, support affirmance on the grounds of accord and satisfaction. Principal and accrued interest were due promptly in the event of a conveyance to which Preferred Risk did not consent. That fact was not contested by either party. Only an obligation to pay a prepayment penalty was contested. An accord and satisfaction, like any other valid contract, requires a consideration. When Los Atrevidos paid the principal and accrued interest it was paying a liquidated amount, and no more, as and when required by the note, all according to the claim of Los Atrevidos. There was, therefore, no consideration for the accord and satisfaction which Los Atrevidos claims was created on the prepayment penalty issue. See Clark Leasing Corp. v. White Sands Forest Prods., Inc., 87 N.M. 451, 535 P.2d 1077 (1975) (the payment by obligor of a liquidated sum he is already legally bound to pay is not a sufficient consideration for the promise of the obligee to accept payment in satisfaction of an unpaid balance that is in dispute). There is no showing that the law of Colorado applicable to this case is any different. General statements of law supporting the majority opinion are readily available. See 1 S. Williston, A Treatise on the Law of Contracts § 129 (Payment of Admitted Part of Unliquidated or Disputed Claim) (3d ed. 1957); 6 Corbin on Contracts § 1289 (Discharge of Unliquidated Claim by Performance of a Part that is Admittedly Due) (1962). However, a review of the cases does not reflect general recognition of accord and satisfaction where (1) the amount tendered by the obligor is a liquidated sum not in dispute, (2) no more than the undisputed sum is tendered by the obligor and no claim is foregone by the obligor, (3) it is only the liability of the obligor for a liquidated balance that is in dispute, and (4) the tendered sum is accepted under protest. These four criteria are present in the instant case. In my opinion, there is no consideration to support an accord and satisfaction under such circumstances.