Bartsch v. BMC Farms, LLC

• Decision Date: 30 April 2019
• Docket Number: WD 81750
• Citation: 573 S.W.3d 737
• Parties: Ruth F. BARTSCH, Appellant, v. BMC FARMS, LLC, Respondent.
• Court: Missouri Court of Appeals

573 S.W.3d 737

Ruth F. BARTSCH, Appellant,

v.BMC FARMS, LLC, Respondent.

WD 81750

Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District.

OPINION FILED: April 30, 2019

Ruth Bartsch, Appellant Pro Se.

Michael L. McDorman, Lake Ozark, MO, for respondent.

Before Division Two: Thomas N. Chapman, Presiding Judge, Mark D. Pfeiffer, Judge and Cynthia L. Martin, Judge

Cynthia L. Martin, Judge

Ruth F. Bartsch ("Bartsch") appeals from the trial court's judgment entered to enforce an earlier judgment that partitioned in kind several tracts of real property owned by Bartsch and BMC Farms, LLC ("BMC Farms") pursuant to the terms of a settlement agreement. Bartsch argues on appeal that the trial court erred because a proper survey was not prepared to partition the real property and because BMC Farms misled the trial court. Bartsch also argues that we should remand this matter because the legal file does not contain necessary exhibits. Finding no error, we affirm.

Factual and Procedural History

In September 2015, Bartsch filed a petition ("petition") for the partition of approximately 731.68 acres of real property in Miller County ("property"). The petition alleged that Bartsch owned a one-third interest in the property as a tenant in common with Donald R. Brown, Gerald R. Brown, Stephen E. Brown, Susan Bloomquist, Sandra Washburn, and Sharron Wolf (collectively "six co-tenants in common"), each of whom owned a one-ninth interest. The petition further asserted that the six co-tenants in common were attempting to sell their interests in the property to BMC Farms and that Bartsch did not wish to sell her interest in the property. Thus, the petition asked the trial court to enter judgment partitioning Bartsch's one-third interest in the property from the collective two-thirds interest of the six co-tenants in common.

Bartsch filed a first amended petition for partition ("first amended petition") in December 2015. The first amended petition alleged that, on information and belief, the six co-tenants in common had transferred their collective interests in the property to BMC Farms. The first amended petition added BMC Farms as a defendant. The first amended petition reiterated that Bartsch did not wish to sell her interest in the property to BMC Farms and again asked the trial court to enter judgment partitioning Bartsch's interest in the property.

In September 2016, BMC Farms filed both an answer to Bartsch's first amended petition and a counterclaim. The answer alleged that BMC Farms was now Bartsch's sole co-tenant in common. The answer further alleged that the property was not susceptible to being partitioned in kind without causing prejudice to the parties. Thus, the answer asked the trial court to deny the petition's request for partition in kind and to order instead that the property be sold with the proceeds divided between Bartsch and BMC Farms according to their respective interests. BMC Farms' counterclaim reiterated the request to partition the property by sale and to divide the proceeds.

On March 1, 2017, Bartsch voluntarily dismissed all defendants other than BMC Farms, and the trial court set the case for a bench trial on November 8, 2017.

On the day of trial, Bartsch and BMC Farms announced that they had reached a settlement. BMC Farms explained that the property is comprised of five tracts, and that Bartsch and BMC Farms had reached an agreement to divide the tracts so that BMC Farms would receive three tracts, and Bartsch would receive one tract. The parties agreed the remaining tract would be divided with Bartsch receiving the portion of the tract that lies south of a creek bisecting the tract, while BMC Farms would receive the portion of the tract to the north of the creek. The parties agreed to split the cost of a survey to establish the centerline of the creek, since that would serve as the dividing line for that tract. In addition, because the division of the property pursuant to the terms of the settlement did not equitably divide the property based on its value, the parties agreed that BMC Farms would pay Bartsch $ 62,000, with $ 31,000 paid within thirty days of the entry of a judgment incorporating the terms of the settlement, and with the remaining $ 31,000 paid following the creek survey and the exchange of required deeds. On January 12, 2018, the trial court entered a judgment ("January 12, 2018 judgment") incorporating the terms of the settlement agreement. Neither Bartsch nor BMC Farms appealed the January 12, 2018 judgment.

On April 18, 2018, BMC Farms filed a motion to enforce the January 12, 2018 judgment pursuant to Rule 74.07¹ ("motion to enforce the judgment"). The motion to enforce the judgment alleged that BMC Farms had satisfied all of its obligations under the judgment, including providing a payment of $ 31,000 to Bartsch; preparing and executing a warranty deed to Bartsch reflecting the transfer of property to her that was required by the January 12, 2018 judgment; paying for the survey of the tract of land on the property to be divided along the creek; and making an agreement with Bartsch's attorney that BMC Farms would deduct Bartsch's half of the cost of the creek survey from the second $ 31,000 payment to Bartsch. The motion to enforce the judgment further alleged that Bartsch had failed and refused to execute and deliver a warranty deed to BMC Farms transferring the property to it required by the January 12, 2018 judgment. BMC Farms' motion to enforce the judgment alleged that, upon receipt of a warranty deed from Bartsch transferring the property to BMC Farms or upon entry of a judgment by the trial court conveying the property to BMC Farms, it would remit to Bartsch the second $ 31,000 payment, less Bartsch's share of the cost of the creek survey. The motion to enforce the judgment asked the trial court "to enter judgment divesting the title of the property from [Bartsch] ... and vesting it in the name of [BMC Farms] in lieu of directing a conveyance thereof, with such judgment having the effect of a conveyance executed in due form of law."

Bartsch filed a response to the motion to enforce the judgment. She disputed BMC Farms' assertion that it had complied with the January 12, 2018 judgment. Bartsch's response asserted that the survey, titled a "conditional line description," and warranty deeds she received were unacceptable. Bartsch argued that, contrary to assurances she received, the survey did not identify the twenty-seven acres she agreed to sell to BMC Farms in exchange for $ 62,000. Further, Bartsch asserted that the survey she received did not include the amount of total acreage Bartsch and BMC Farms would each receive, the date the survey was completed, a surveyor's seal or stamp, or the name of the surveyor. Bartsch claimed that the warranty deeds she received were also inaccurate in that they did not show the total amount of acreage awarded to Bartsch and BMC Farms, and they were not dated or certified. Bartsch summarized her argument as follows:

I am entitled to know exactly how many acres I am selling; just as I am entitled to know how many acres I am receiving in the parcel that is being divided.

... I am entitled to 1/3 of the total farm (732 acres) and the survey and warranty deeds should clearly state I own 244 acres minus the 27 acres I agreed to sell which brings the total to 217 acres.

(Emphasis omitted.)

The trial court issued a Rule 74.07 judgment ("Rule 74.07 judgment") on April 30, 2018. The Rule 74.07 judgment concluded that Bartsch "failed to comply with the Judgment entered on January 12, 2018, in that [Bartsch] ... failed to transfer ownership of the above described property to [BMC Farms]." As such, the Rule 74.07 judgment, using the legal descriptions of the various tracts making up the property at issue, divested Bartsch of her interest in the property awarded to BMC Farms and vested said interest in BMC Farms in lieu of directing that Bartsch execute a deed, and divested BMC Farms of its interest in the property awarded to Bartsch and vested said interest in Bartsch in lieu of directing that BMC Farms execute a deed. The Rule 74.07 judgment further ordered BMC Farms to pay Bartsch the second $ 31,000 payment less $ 1,750, Bartsch's share of the cost of the creek survey.

Bartsch appeals.

Motion to Dismiss

Before addressing the merits of Bartsch's appeal, we must consider BMC Farms' motion to strike Bartsch's brief and to dismiss her appeal ("motion to dismiss the appeal"). The motion to dismiss the appeal asserts that Bartsch's brief fails to comply with Rule 84.04 in several respects: (1) the statement of facts does not comply with Rule 84.04(c) in that it does not include specific page references to the record on appeal; (2) the points relied on do not substantially follow the form required by Rule 84.04(d); (3) the argument does not comply with Rule 84.04(e) in that the points relied on are not separately stated, there is no statement indicating whether the claimed errors are preserved for appellate review, and the applicable standard of review is not included; and (4) Bartsch's cited authorities are abstract statements of the law and her brief fails to explain how the statements of law interact with the facts of this case.

" ‘An appellant who proceeds pro se is subject to the same procedural rules as parties represented by counsel, including the rules specifying the required contents of appellate briefs.’ " Johnson v. Mo. Dep't of Corr. , 534 S.W.3d 869, 871 (Mo. App. W.D. 2017) (quoting Nichols v. Div. of Emp't Sec. , 399 S.W.3d 901, 902 (Mo. App. W.D. 2013) ). " ‘Compliance with Rule 84.04 briefing requirements is mandatory in order to ensure that appellate courts do not become advocates by speculating on facts and on arguments that have not been made.’ " Wallace v. Frazier , 546 S.W.3d 624, 626 (Mo. App. W.D. 2018) (quoting Summers v. Mo. Dep't of Corr. , 459 S.W.3d 922, 923 (Mo. App. W.D. 2015) ). The failure to comply substantially with Rule 84.04 preserves nothing...