Court Opinion

ID: 9668336
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 02:09:45.795642+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:15:44.713417
License: Public Domain

SABERS, Justice
(concurring in part and dissenting in part).
We made a mistake in Lengkeek /. It was an honest mistake. It was based on the fact that we believed the Bank had the use of the 1984 and 1985 payments. This was not the case because the Bank returned the payments to Zwach. This fact was not known to us because it was not contained in the prior settled record. Lengkeeks do not deny this fact. Instead, they admit it and urge it as new basis for liability against the Bank. This unknown fact caused our mistake and led to further mistakes by the trial court.
We should correct the mistake we made in Lengkeek I and eliminate the Bank’s liability to Lengkeeks for the 1984 and 1985 payments. The Bank did not assume Zwach’s obligations as contract for deed (CFD) buyer by having Zwach’s CFD assigned to it for security purposes. Therefore, Zwach, and not the Bank, was liable to the Lengkeeks for the 1984 and 1985 payments. In addition, Lengkeeks are clearly entitled to pursue specific performance against Zwach because Zwach agreed in the CFD to buy the land and make the payments.
Therefore, in the interest of simple justice I would reverse both # 16105, (the sequel to Lengkeek I) and # 15932, (Leng-keeks’ specific performance claim against Zwach) and remand all cases for further proceedings consistent with this writing. This would make all of the issues raised in # 15786 and # 15802 moot. More importantly, it would correct our mistake, right substantial wrongs, and prevent further mistakes below.