Court Opinion

ID: 9408327
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-07-12 15:05:49.498455+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:20:43.109189
License: Public Domain

COURT OF CHANCERY
                                  OF THE
                            STATE OF DELAWARE
  LORI W. WILL                                                LEONARD L. WILLIAMS JUSTICE CENTER
VICE CHANCELLOR                                                   500 N. KING STREET, SUITE 11400
                                                                 WILMINGTON, DELAWARE 19801-3734
                           Date Submitted: April 4, 2023
                            Date Decided: July 11, 2023

Lydell Davis                               Wali W. Rushdan II, Esquire
1629 W. Ruscomb St.                        Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Philadelphia, PA 19141                     222 Delaware Ave. Suite 1200
                                           Wilmington, DE 19801

      RE:    Partition of the Real Estate of Lydell Davis and Shanna Veasley,
             C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW

Dear Mr. Davis and Counsel:

      In this action, the petitioner sought a partition of real property in New Castle,

Delaware. The property was partitioned and sold. The remaining dispute concerns

the distribution of proceeds from the sale of the property. Each party seeks offsets

for various payments or improvements.       Below, I consider these arguments and

determine the parties’ respective shares of the sale proceeds.
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 2 of 16

I.       BACKGROUND1

         On March 26, 2004, petitioner Lydell Davis and respondent Shanna Veasley

purchased a home together as joint tenants with the right of survivorship.2 The

property is located at 16 Jennings Court in New Castle, Delaware (the “Property”).3

Along with their child, the two lived at the Property until September or October 2010

when Davis moved out.4 In January 2013, Davis returned to live at the Property

until December 2014.5

         In January 2015, Davis vacated the Property permanently.6 Veasley continued

to live at the Property with their child.7 Although Veasley acted as the child’s sole

custodial parent and primary caretaker,8 she never pursued formal child support

1
  The facts in this decision are found after the April 4, 2023 evidentiary hearing or drawn
from undisputed allegations in the pleadings. Testimony from the evidentiary hearing is
cited as “[Name] Tr.” See Tr. of April 4, 2023 Evidentiary Hr’g (Dkt. 51).
2
 Pet. for Decree and Order of Distribution (Dkt. 40) (“Veasley Suppl. Submission.”) ¶ 4;
Davis Tr. 3; Pet. for Partition of the Real Estate of Lydell Davis and Shanna Veasley
(Dkt. 1) (“Davis Pet.”) Ex. 1 at 2-4 (deed for the Property).
3
    Davis Pet. ¶ 1.
4
    Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶¶ 5-6; Davis Tr. 4.
5
    Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶ 7; Davis Tr. 5-6.
6
    Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶ 7; Davis Tr. 6.
7
    Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶ 8; Davis Tr. 6.
8
    Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶ 8; Davis Tr. 6.
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 3 of 16

proceedings against Davis.9 Instead, Davis voluntarily made monthly payments to

Veasley to support their child and maintain the Property.10 Between September or

October 2010 and January 2015, Davis contributed at least $1,200 per month to the

household.11 From January 2015 to August 2022, he contributed $500 per month.12

         On December 3, 2021, Davis filed a pro se petition for a partition of the

Property.13 On March 9, 2022, I held an initial hearing and gave Veasley an

opportunity to file a written submission showing cause why a partition should not

issue.14 She opted not to. After the parties unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate a

resolution, I informed the parties that I would proceed to order a partition and

solicited recommendations for a Delaware attorney to serve as a trustee.15

9
    Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶ 9; Davis Tr. 9.
10
     Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶ 9; Davis Tr. 23-26.
11
     Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶ 11; Davis Tr. 21.
12
     Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶ 14; Davis Tr. 25.
13
     Dkt. 1.
14
     See Dkts. 16, 50.
15
     Dkt. 21.
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 4 of 16

           On May 11, I entered an order confirming that a physical partition of the

Property would be impractical and detrimental to the interests of the parties.16 I

explained that:

           The only practical and equitable way to achieve a partition of the
           parties’ interests is by sale of the Property and a division of the net sale
           proceeds, consistent with their ownership interest in the Property, after
           payment of court costs and sale costs, and after accounting for any
           expenditures each party has made for, or revenue or benefits he or she
           has received from, the Property.17
I therefore ordered a partition sale of the Property and appointed a Trustee to

complete the sale.18

           On August 17, the Trustee sought approval for a private sale of the Property

for $180,000.19 I approved the sale on August 25.20 After accounting for expenses,

including the mortgage loan payoff, the sale netted $88,747.84.21 I then granted the

16
     Dkt. 24.
17
     Id. ¶ 2.
18
     Id.
19
     Dkt. 25.
20
  Dkt. 28. Concurrently, I approved an amended order allowing the property to be sold at
a private sale in the Trustee’s sole discretion. Dkt. 27.
21
  Dkt. 30 ¶ 7 (Trustee’s return of sale). I approved the return of sale on November 23,
2022. Dkt. 36.
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 5 of 16

Trustee’s request for fees, which totaled $3,291.22 This left $85,456.84 remaining

in escrow from the sale of the Property.

          After the sale, the parties filed supplemental submissions on the distribution

of the sale proceeds.23 On April 4, 2023, I held an evidentiary hearing at which three

witnesses testified.24

II.       ANALYSIS

          Davis and Veasley owned the Property as joint tenants with the right of

survivorship.25      There is no evidence that the parties intended their original

ownership to be anything other than a 50% split. “[E]quity compels an equal

division based upon each co-tenant’s ownership interest. Therefore, I will split the

proceeds on an equal basis between the parties, subject to specific contributions and

offsets.”26 “The party claiming contributions for taxes, repairs, or other costs has

the burden of proof.”27

22
   Dkts. 33 (Trustee requesting $3,013.75), 38 (approving the request), 44 (Trustee
requesting $277.25), 46 (approving the request).
23
     Dkts. 39-41.
24
     Dkts. 49, 51
25
     Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶ 4; Davis Tr. 3; Davis Pet. Ex. 1 at 2-4 (Property deed).
26
     Green v. Shockley, 2022 WL 275975, at *3 (Del. Ch. Jan. 31, 2022).
27
     Id. at *7.
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 6 of 16

          Davis argues that he is entitled to 75% of the remaining sale proceeds because

a 2015 mortgage modification was undertaken by Veasley without his consent.28

Veasley avers that she is entitled to $49,032.83 compared to Davis (before the

remaining proceeds are split) because of her payments on the mortgage principal,

property insurance, property taxes, and repairs and improvements to the Property.29

Veasley also seeks attorneys’ fees.30

          After considering each party’s position, I conclude that Davis’s share of the

proceeds should be decreased by $6,477.42. Correspondingly, Veasley’s share

should be increased by that amount. Veasley is not entitled to attorneys’ fees.

          A.      Child Support Payments

          Davis appears to seek an offset for certain child support payments he made to

Veasley.31 Insofar as he is pressing the argument, such payments are not relevant to

28
     Suppl. Submission from Lydell Davis (Dkt. 39) (“Davis Suppl. Submission”) at 2.
29
     Veasley Suppl. Submission at 14-15.
30
     Id. at 15.
31
     Davis Tr. 87-88.
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 7 of 16

this partition action.32 “The accounting in a partition action is confined to matters

relating to the common land or estate in personal property.”33

         B.     Mortgage Payments

         Both Davis and Veasley seek offsets for their payments toward the principal

of the Property’s mortgage. “[A] cotenant not in possession [] has a duty to

contribute to the cotenant in possession as to any payments on a mortgage or for

taxes.”34 How the mortgage payments were allocated between Veasley and Davis is

not a picture of clarity. Based on the record, I have distilled who made mortgage

payments during two time periods: July 2015 to September 2022; and March 2004

to June 2015.

                        1.      July 2015 to September 2022

         I begin with the mortgage payments for the period from July 2015 to

September 2022.35 In January 2015, when he permanently vacated the property,

Davis reduced his monthly household contribution to $500.36 This reduction made

32
  59A Am. Jur. 2d Partition § 137 (“[A]ccounting in a partition action . . . does not extend
to such unrelated matters as conversion of personal property, marital matters, or unpaid
child support.”) (footnotes omitted).
33
     Id. (footnotes omitted).
34
     Haygood v. Parker, 2013 WL 1805602, at *3 (Del. Ch. Apr. 30, 2013).
35
     The sale of the Property closed in October 2022. See Dkt. 30 Ex. 1.
36
     Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶ 14; Davis Tr. 25.
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 8 of 16

it difficult for Veasley to maintain the monthly mortgage payments, so she pursued

a mortgage modification.37

         The mortgage modification, which was effective in July 2015, reduced the

monthly mortgage payments but extended the term of the loan.38 The mortgage

modification also provided principal deduction incentives.39           These incentives,

which totaled $10,000, were awarded for timely and consistent payment of the

monthly mortgage obligations over a six-year period.40

         As of July 2015, Veasley alone made the mortgage payments.41 Annual tax

and interest statements reflect the following annual payments on the principal:42

37
     Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶¶ 14-20; Veasley Tr. 53-54; Davis Tr. 4-5.
38
   Davis Pet. Ex. 1 (“Mortgage Modification Agreement”) at 6-14. To the extent Davis
avers that the modification reset the mortgage, there is no supporting evidence in the
record. See Verification and Aff. of Shanna Veasley in Supp. of Pet. (Dkt. 40) (“Veasley
Aff.”) Ex. A (tax statement reflecting that the beginning mortgage principal for 2015 was
$103,274.38, which is less than the original loan amount of $128,881); Mortgage
Modification Agreement at 1 (listing original loan amount to be $128,881).
39
     Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶ 21.
40
  Id.; Letter to Court from Lydell Davis Regarding the Exhibits for Hr’g (Dkt. 47) (“Davis
Ltr.”) Ex. D; Veasley Aff. Ex. B.
41
   Veasley Pet. ¶ 24; Veasley Aff. ¶ 8. Veasley maintains that she was the sole contributor
to the mortgage starting in April 2015. Based on the evidence, however, it seems more
likely that she took over payments in July 2015, which was the effective date of the
mortgage modification.
42
     Veasley Aff. Ex. A.
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 9 of 16

              Year               Incentive Payments on         Direct Payments on
                                        Principal                    Principal
            2015                           $0                          $043
     July to Dec. 2015                     $0                           $0
            2016                         $1,000                     $1,924.65
            2017                         $1,000                     $2,043.77
            2018                         $1,000                     $2,167.79
            2019                         $1,000                     $2,493.55
            2020                         $1,000                     $2,439.20
            2021                         $5,000                     $2,470.60
     Jan. to Sept. 2022                    $0                  $1,852.95 (estimated)
            Total                        $10,000                    $15,392.51
 (July 2015 to Aug. 2022)

         To estimate the amount of principal Veasley paid from January to September

2022, I prorate the amount she paid in 2021 by nine months.44 In total, I find that

Veasley paid $15,392.51 of principal and obtained $10,000 of incentive payments

towards the principal.

         As a matter of equity, however, I decline to credit the $10,000 of incentive

payments to Veasley. Davis credibly testified that he was not aware of the mortgage

43
   Veasley contends that the mortgage principal decreased by $1,434.71 in 2015. But the
2015 annual tax and interest statement indicates that the mortgage principal increased that
year. The beginning principal balance was $103,274.38 and the ending balance was
$104,709.09. Id. As such, I decline to attribute her any credit for the 2015 mortgage
principal payments.
44
     $2,470.60 * (9 ÷ 12) = $1,852.95.
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 10 of 16

modification and that he did not sign the associated documentation.45 When Davis

learned of the modification six years later,46 he contemplated filing a police report

but declined to do so to protect Veasley.47 Accordingly, I credit the $10,000 in

incentive reduction payments to Davis.

                        2.   March 2004 to June 2015

         From March 26, 2004 (when the parties purchased the Property) to June 2015,

Davis alone paid the mortgage.48

45
   Davis Tr. 4-5, 9-10; cf. Veasley Tr. 38-40, 61. The parties’ testimony diverges on
whether Davis signed the modification agreement. Based on the record, it seems more
likely that he did not. Compare Mortgage Modification Agreement at 7 (Davis’s signature
on the mortgage modification agreement) with Davis Ltr. Ex. B (Davis’s signature on his
driver license); see also Dkts. 1, 34, 39 (Davis’s signature on various court filings); Davis
Tr. 9-10; cf. Veasley Tr. 61.
46
     Davis Tr. 22-23.
47
   Id. at 10. Veasley submitted a text message that purportedly references Davis’s
agreement to the mortgage modification. Resp’t’s Resp. in Opp’n to Pet’r’s Request (Dkt.
41) ¶ 8, Ex. A. But the message is from October 2021, six years after the fact. Id. The
text message seems to indicate that Davis eventually supported the modification—not that
he originally assented to or signed the written agreement. See Davis Tr. 78.
48
   Davis Suppl. Submission at 1; Davis Tr. 3-4, 6. Veasley’s testimony that the two
contributed equally is inconsistent with the record. See Veasley Tr. 33-34, 57. Davis
earned more income than Veasley, who was unemployed for 2011 to 2013. Davis Tr. 15;
Veasley Tr. 34-35. The parties also agreed that Davis contributed at least $1,200 per month
to the household to pay various bills and expenses. Davis Tr. 21; Veasley Tr. 36. Veasley
estimated the monthly mortgage (before 2015) to be around $900 per month and utilities
to cost approximately $150 to $230 per month. Veasley Tr. 56-57. Davis’s contribution
of $1,200 covered the mortgage and utilities bills. Further, Veasley provided no evidence
of how much she contributed during this time. See Veasley Aff. ¶ 5; Veasley Suppl.
Submission ¶¶ 10-13.
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 11 of 16

         The original mortgage loan on the Property was $128,881.00.49 The American

Land Title Association (ALTA) settlement statement for the Property confirms that

there was a $79,666.26 mortgage loan payoff, meaning this amount of principal

remained as of September 2022.50 Thus, the mortgage principal was reduced by

$49,214.74 from the time Davis and Veasley bought the property to when they sold

it in September 2022.51 Given that the principal was reduced by a total of $25,392.51

during the period from July 2015 to September 2022, it follows that the principal

was likewise reduced by $23,822.23 between March 2004 and June 2015.52

         I find that Davis paid $23,822.23 of principal on the mortgage from March

2004 to June 2015. Accounting for the $10,000 in incentive reduction payments,

Davis is credited a total of $33,822.23.

                                     *        *   *

         In sum, Davis contributed $33,822.23 to mortgage principal payments and

Veasley contributed $15,392.51. Davis’s share of the sale proceeds is increased by

$9,214.86. Veasley’s share is decreased by that amount.

49
     Mortgage Modification Agreement at 1.
50
     Dkt. 30 Ex. 1.
51
     $128,881.00 – $79,666.26 = $49,214.74.
52
     $128,881.00 – $79,666.26 – $25,392.51 = $23,822.23.
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 12 of 16

         C.     Property Insurance and Property Tax Payments

         “Delaware law requires cotenants to share equally the taxes imposed on

jointly owned property and insurance costs associated with the property, even when

one cotenant has exclusive possession of the property.”53

         From 2015 until the sale of the property, Veasley paid a total of $18,884.57:

$7,967.50 in property insurance and $10,917.07 in property taxes.54 These payments

were as follows:

            Year                      Property Insurance          Property Tax
            2015                          $1,001.00                 $1,387.94
    July to Dec. 201555               $500.50 (estimated)       $693.97 (estimated)
            2016                          $1,040.00                 $1,386.17
            2017                          $1,054.00                 $1,554.35
            2018                          $1,065.00                 $1,660.19
            2019                          $1,088.00                 $1,684.88
            2020                          $1,113.00                 $1,688.03
            2021                          $1,204.00                 $1,681.97
    Jan. to Sept. 202256              $903.00 (estimated)      $1,261.48 (estimated)
            Total                         $7,967.50                 $10,917.07
 (July 2015 to Aug. 2022)

53
     Est. of Weber v. Weber, 2014 WL 589714, at *5 (Del. Ch. Feb. 17, 2014).
54
     Veasley Aff. ¶¶ 16, 20, Ex. A.
55
  I calculate this figure by prorating the total amount paid in 2015 by six months. See
supra note 44.
56
  I calculate this figure by prorating the total amount paid in 2022 by nine months. See
supra note 44.
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 13 of 16

         Davis proffered no evidence that he made any insurance or tax payments on

the Property. Therefore, Davis’s share of the proceeds is decreased by $9,442.28

and Veasley’s share is increased by that amount.

         D.    Repairs and Improvements

         This court “may, as a matter of equity, take into consideration improvements

by one [co-owner] and, ‘to the extent those improvements have enhanced the value

of the property, the improving [co-owner] will be compensated proportionally out

of the proceeds of the sale.’”57 The party seeking contribution for the improvements

must prove that the improvements increased the market value of the property.58

         Veasley submitted evidence that she made renovations to the home’s

bathroom, heat pump system, and electric water heater. She invested approximately

$7,094 in material costs and $4,600 in labor costs to repair the bathroom.59 She

further invested approximately $5,989 in material and labor costs for the installation

of a heat pump system and electric water heater.60

57
  Ponder v. Willey, 2020 WL 6735715, at *4 (Del. Ch. Nov. 17, 2020) (quoting Weber,
2014 WL 589714, at *5); see also Wilson v. Lank, 107 A. 772, 773 (Del. Ch. 1919).
58
     Ponder, 2020 WL 6735715, at *4.
59
  Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶¶ 51-57; Veasley Aff. ¶¶ 21-27, Exs. C-E; Veasley Tr.
48-51.
60
  Veasley Suppl. Submission ¶¶ 58-60, Ex. B; Veasley Aff. ¶¶ 28-34; Veasley Tr. 45-48,
50-51.
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 14 of 16

         At the evidentiary hearing, Jacob Lipton, a licensed real estate broker with

two decades of experience in the industry, testified that the improvements increased

the market value of the Property by approximately $10,000 to $15,000.61 Lipton’s

estimate is consistent with the evidence concerning costs that Veasley incurred in

making the improvements.62

         I adopt the midpoint of Lipton’s analysis—$12,500—as the amount of value

attributable to these repairs and improvements. Davis’s share of the sale proceeds

is decreased by $6,250 and Veasley’s share is increased by that amount.

         E.     Attorneys’ Fees

          “Delaware follows the ‘American Rule,’ which provides that each party is

generally expected to pay its own attorneys’ fees regardless of the outcome of the

litigation.”63 Exceptions to the American Rule include the bad faith exception and

the common benefit doctrine.64 I have no grounds to conclude that either exception

61
     Veasley Suppl. Submission Ex. A; Lipton Tr. 66-71, 75.
62
     Veasley incurred $17,683 in costs.
63
  Green, 2022 WL 275975, at *9 (quoting Shawe v. Elting, 157 A.3d 142, 149 (Del.
2017)).
64
   Delaware courts have awarded attorney’s fees for bad faith conduct when “parties have
unnecessarily prolonged or delayed litigation, falsified records or knowingly asserted
frivolous claims.” Kaung v. Cole Nat. Corp., 884 A.2d 500, 506 (Del. 2005) (quoting
Johnston v. Arbitrium (Cayman Islands) Handels AG, 720 A.2d 542, 546 (Del. 1998)).
“The common benefit doctrine . . . is designed to equitably spread the costs of producing a
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 15 of 16

(or any other) applies here.65 Veasley’s request for attorneys’ fees is denied. Each

party will bear their own fees and costs.

III.     CONCLUSION

         Tallying up the various offsets described above, Davis’s share of the sale

proceeds is decreased by $6,477.42 and Veasley’s share is correspondingly

increased by that amount. Assuming $85,456.84 remain in escrow and no further

Trustee’s fees or costs are deducted, Davis is entitled to $36,251.00 from the

escrowed sale proceeds. Veasley is entitled to the remaining $49,205.84. This

comes out to a 58% to 42% split in favor of Veasley. The below table summarizes

my analysis:

                                                           Davis     Veasley
            Adjustment for Mortgage Principal            $9,214.86 ($9,214.86)
     Adjustment for Property Tax and Property Insurance $(9,442.28) $9,442.28
         Adjustment for Repairs and Improvements        $(6,250.00) $6,250.00
                     Total Adjustment                   $(6,477.42) $6,477.42
                     Amount in Escrow                         $85,456.84
        Amount in Escrow (Equal 50% Distribution)       $42,728.42 $42,728.42
               Distribution from Partition              $36,251.00 $49,205.84
              (Accounting for Adjustments)

benefit realized by a group, which benefit, absent the Plaintiff’s efforts, would not exist.”
Moore v. Davis, 2011 WL 3890534, at *2 (Del. Ch. Aug. 29, 2011) (emphasis omitted).
65
     See Green, 2022 WL 275975, at *3.
C.A. No. 2021-1053-LWW
July 11, 2023
Page 16 of 16

     To the extent necessary for this decision to take effect, IT IS SO ORDERED.

                                          Sincerely yours,

                                          /s/ Lori W. Will

                                          Lori W. Will
                                          Vice Chancellor