FERANDO MUNILLA AND NORKA MUNILLA, HIS WIFE, APPELLANTS,
v.
ARMANDO PEREZ-COBO, APPELLEE

Fla. 3d DCA | 1976-06-15
No. 75-1442
Before PEARSON, HENDRY and HAVERFIELD, JJ.
335 So. 2d 584 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (1976) Caution
Cited by 3 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.

Synopsis

In this mortgage foreclosure appeal, defendants challenged a summary judgment on a note and mortgage executed as part of a settlement of an earlier dispute over usurious loans. The court affirmed, holding that the settlement stipulation was valid and enforceable, and that defendants were estopped from raising usury and other defenses that arose prior to the settlement.


Holding

The court held that the $11,725 note and mortgage is valid and enforceable because defendants voluntarily assented to a new contract with lawful interest terms, and defendants are estopped from asserting defenses arising prior to execution of the settlement stipulation. Usury is a personal defense that may be waived, and defendants' acceptance of the settlement benefits without taking affirmative action to rescind it bars their defenses.


Headnotes

[1] A new contract, voluntarily agreed to by the obligor, is enforceable even if the original loan contained a usurious interest rate, provided the usurious loan is abandoned…

[2] Usury is a personal defense that may be waived by the borrower through actions such as executing a written stipulation, which is binding on the parties.

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Key Quotes

“If the first loan contracted charged to be usurious is abandoned and the obligor assents to a new or substituted contract in which he voluntarily agrees to pay the obligation with lawful interest, the new contract will be enforceable”

Establishes that a new contract with lawful interest terms replaces and supersedes an allegedly usurious original loan when the obligor voluntarily agrees

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Facts & Procedural History

Plaintiff Perez-Cobo advanced $20,000 in loans to a corporation controlled by defendants' family at 8% interest pursuant to a participation agreement …

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Opinion of the Court
HAVERFIELD, Judge.

HAVERFIELD, Judge.

Defendants seek reversal of a final summary judgment for plaintiff in this mortgage foreclosure action.

Pursuant to the terms of a participation agreement on the construction and sale of houses, plaintiff, Armando Perez-Cobo, was to receive a guaranteed profit from the sale in consideration for advancing loans totalling $20,000 at an interest rate of 8% per annum to the Los Angeles Building Corporation controlled by the family of the defendants. When the loans became due the corporation defaulted and plaintiff filed a complaint seeking to obtain a judgment for $17,0001 plus interest. In exchange for the execution of a $6,000 note and mortgage by the corporation and $11,725 note and mortgage by defendants Fernando and Norka Munilla individually, plaintiff agreed to forbear from pursuing this lawsuit. The court approved the settlement, the suit was dismissed, all the rights of plaintiff to the participation agreement were cancelled and plaintiff consented to look only to the new notes, mortgages and makers. Thereafter, the corporation defaulted on the $6,000 note. Plaintiff filed suit and when the parties reached a settlement it was dismissed. Defendants defaulted when the $11,725 note reached maturity and plaintiff filed the instant mortgage foreclosure action. Defendants answered alleging as affirmative defenses usury, lack of consideration and duress. Subsequently, plaintiff filed a motion for summary judgment which was granted and defendants appeal.

In the instant case Gunn Plumbing, Inc. v. Dania Bank, Fla.1971, 252 So. 2d 1 is controlling and enunciates the following principles of law: (1) If the first loan contracted charged to be usurious is abandoned and the obligor assents to a new or substituted contract in which he voluntarily agrees to pay the obligation with lawful interest, the new contract will be enforceable; (2) usury is a purely personal defense which may be waived by the borrower in several ways including the execution of a written stipulation, the effect of which is binding upon the parties and may be recognized in another proceeding; (3) in order to obtain relief against stipulations, the regular course is not to ignore or attempt to evade it, but to make a seasonable and affirmative application by formal motion to the court, on notice and supported by affidavit for its withdrawal or revocation.

In light of the above principles of law, we have determined that the $11,- 725 note and mortgage is valid and enforceable. Pursuant to the terms of the stipulation, plaintiff cancelled all his rights in the original agreement and defendants voluntarily assented to the execution of the instant note and mortgage at a lawful rate of interest. Defendants also are estopped from asserting any set-off, counterclaim or defense, including usury, which arose prior to the execution of the stipulation. Defendants took no affirmative action to rescind, reform or void the terms of the stipulation; they accepted its benefits and were represented by counsel in the prior suit which resulted in the stipulation that was supported by a good and valuable consideration

and was acted upon by the parties.

Defendants’ remaining affirmative defenses being legally insufficient, the cause was ripe for summary adjudication. See Tippett v. Frank, Fla.App.1970, 238 So. 2d 671, 673.

Affirmed.

. $3,000 had been repaid.

. See Gabel v. Drewrys Limited, U.S.A., Inc., Fla.1953, 68 So. 2d 372.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Credit Alliance Corp. v. Timmco Equip., Inc., 457 So. 2d 1102 (Fla. 4th DCA 1984)
    …entering into the stipulation and settling the first replevin suit. We reject that argument because the stipulation did not involve an abandonment of the usurious note and the execution of a new note at lawful interest as did Munilla v. Perez-Cobo, 335 So. 2d 584 (Fla. 3d DCA 1976), relied on by CAC. Next, CAC suggests the transaction was exempt from the usury statutes by virtue of Section 687.04(1), Florida Statutes (1981). However, the evidence in this case clearly demonstrates the inapplicability of the s…
  • Park Ave. Inv. & Dev., Inc. v. Barkheimer, 471 U.S. 1108 (U.S. 1985)
    …appeal or petition for writ of certiorari is frivolous, the Court may award the appellee or the respondent appropriate damages.” Nor could any such allegation be made; Gunn Plumbing has been followed consistently. See, e. g., Munilla v. Perez-Cobo, 335 So. 2d 584 (Fla. App. 1976), cert. denied, 344 So. 2d 325 (Fla. 1977). See also Morgan Walton Properties, Inc. v. International City Bank & Trust Co., 404 So. 2d 1059, 1062 (Fla. 1981).…
  • L'Arbalete, Inc. v. Zaczac, 474 F. Supp. 2d 1314 (S.D. Fla. 2007)

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