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WILLIAMS NATIONALEASE, LTD., Plaintiff-Appellant, v. KATHLEEN J. MOTTER, Defendant-Appellee

Illinois Appellate Court1995-03-31No. No. 4—94—0784
271 Ill. App. 3d 594

Summary

Holding. The appellate court affirmed the trial court's judgment, holding that Kathleen Motter did not enter into a valid guaranty agreement because there was no meeting of the minds—the specific terms of the lease obligation did not exist when she signed the credit application, and a guaranty requires the guarantor to know and assent to the terms of the underlying obligation being guaranteed.

Williams Nationalease sued Kathleen Motter to enforce a personal guarantee of a truck lease agreement entered into by her husband's business, Motter Enterprises. Kathleen had signed an application for credit submitted by the business, which listed her name and included signature lines for a corporate guarantor. However, the actual lease agreement was executed several days later and contained different terms, with no mention of Kathleen. The trial court ruled against Nationalease, finding no valid guaranty contract existed.

The appellate court affirmed, holding that a guaranty requires a "meeting of the minds" between the guarantor and creditor regarding the specific terms being guaranteed. Because the terms of the lease obligation did not exist when Kathleen signed the credit application, she could not have understood what she was guaranteeing. A guaranty must contain definite terms and conditions; signing a general credit application before a specific lease agreement is executed cannot constitute a binding guaranty of that later lease. The court also rejected an argument that Kathleen's affidavit statement constituted a judicial admission, as it merely acknowledged signing the application rather than clearly admitting liability for lease payments.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Whether a credit application signed before a lease agreement is executed can constitute a binding personal guaranty of that lease
  • Whether a guaranty contract requires mutual assent to definite and specific terms
  • Whether an affidavit statement that one 'signed the application for credit as guarantor' constitutes a judicial admission of liability for lease payments

Procedural posture

Williams Nationalease appealed from a trial court judgment dismissing its action against Kathleen Motter for failure to establish a valid guaranty contract.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

JUSTICE LUND

delivered the opinion of the court:

In the process of leasing trucks for use in its business, Motter Enterprises, Inc. (Motter Enterprises), furnished an APPLICATION FOR CREDIT” to Williams Nationalease, Ltd. (Nationalease). This application contained the signature of Ronnie Motter and, under WIFE’S NAME,” the name of Kathleen Motter. It also listed the business name as Motter Enterprises and, under the title of PRINCIPALS: OFFICERS OR PARTNERS,” listed Ron Motter.” It then provided that Ron Motter” was WHO IS AUTHORIZED TO PURCHASE.” The APPROXIMATE MONTHLY PURCHASES ANTICIPATED” was $2000.[00]-$4000.00.” Minimum information as to trucks already owned by Motter Enterprises, as well as employment information relating to the WIFE,” was provided. Credit references were listed. The second page of the application was a BLANKET SALES TAX EXEMPTION CERTIFICATE” dated June 3, 1992, and executed by "Ron Motter, President.” The third page was the following:

"MUST BE SIGNED BY OWNER OR DULY AUTHORIZED OFFICER IF A CORPORATION

PRINT NAME: Ron Motter WITNESS: Nancy L. Pierce

SIGNED: Ron Motter DATE: 6-3-92

TITLE: President

DATE: 6/3/92

IF CORPORATION, INDIVIDUALLY GUARANTEED BY:

NAME: Ron Motter

SIGN: Ron Motter

ADDRESS: 4901 Apollo Dr.

DATE: 6/3/92

NAME: Kathleen J. Motter

SIGN: Kathleen J. Motter

ADDRESS: 4901 Apollo Dr.

DATE: 6-3-92.”

On June 8, 1992, Ron Motter, as president of Motter Enterprises DBA PCS Express,” executed a four-page, single-spaced, small-print VEHICLE LEASE AND SERVICE AGREEMENT,” as well as two attached schedules. Both the agreement and the two schedules were executed for Nationalease. Schedule A listed leased vehicles, weight-load limits, monthly lease charges, and mileage rates per mile. Schedule B referred to the truck lease and service agreement, and it provided equipment specifications. Kathleen is not listed in the agreement or attached schedules.

Ron Motter died, and Motter Enterprises was delinquent in payments due Nationalease. Nationalease brought this action against Kathleen, contending she was a guarantor. The trial court found there was no guaranty contract, on the basis that there was no meeting of the minds between Nationalease and Kathleen.

We find the initial application for credit was not a guaranty agreement for the subsequent lease agreements. The terms of the lease agreement were not known at the time the application was made. A guaranty, like all contracts, must have definite terms and, until the lease agreement was prepared and executed, there could be no determination as to what was being guaranteed.

In order for an agreement to be binding, the agreement must be definite and contain its terms and requirements. (17A Am. Jur. 2d Contracts § 192 (1991); Snead & Co. Iron Works v. Merchants’ Loan & Trust Co. (1907), 225 Ill. 442, 80 N.E. 237.) A guaranty is an agreement by one or more parties to answer to another for the debt or obligation of a third party. (38 C.J.S. Guaranty § 1 (1943).) In "order to constitute a contract of guaranty the minds of the parties must meet in the same sense on the same proposition, or, as generally stated, there must be mutual assent to the terms of the guaranty.” 38 C.J.S. Guaranty § 9 (1943).

General rules of construction apply in interpreting terms and conditions of contracts guaranteeing payments of rent under a lease or guaranteeing performance of other terms of a lease. (38 C.J.S. Guaranty § 50 (1943); 20 Ill. L. & Prac. Guaranty § 35 (1992).) A guaranty may contain various limits. (20 Ill. L. & Prac. Guaranty § 38 (1992).) Any material change in the obligation subject to the guaranty operates to discharge the guarantor. 20 Ill. L. & Prac. Guaranty § 51 (1992).

We conclude that a guaranty necessarily requires a meeting of the minds and, for there to be such an understanding, the guarantor must know the terms of the obligation which is the subject of the guaranty.

In the present case, the terms of the lease obligations between Nationalease and Motter Enterprises were not in existence when Kathleen signed her name to the application for credit. Thus, there could not be a meeting of the minds at the time Kathleen signed the application.

We find the burden on businesses such as Nationalease created by this decision is hardly significant. In most cases, the guaranty is by a separate written instrument which sets forth the specific terms guaranteed.

Motter Enterprises argues Kathleen’s statement in an affidavit filed with the court that states she "signed the Application for Credit as guarantor” is a judicial admission of her liability for the lease obligation. A judicial admission is a statement made during a judicial proceeding or contained in a document filed with the court. (See Bishop v. Crowther (1980), 92 Ill. App. 3d 1, 12, 415 N.E.2d 599, 608; Vincent v. Wesolowski (1967), 87 Ill. App. 2d 477, 480, 232 N.E.2d 120, 122; 18 Ill. L. & Prac. Evidence § 136 (1956 and Supp. 1994).) Judicial admissions are binding upon a party and may not be contradicted, whereas an evidentiary admission may be controverted or explained. (International Harvester Co. v. Industrial Common (1988), 169 Ill. App. 3d 809, 814, 523 N.E.2d 1303, 1305-06.) For a statement to constitute a judicial admission, it must be clear, unequivocal, and uniquely within the party’s personal knowledge. The statement must also be an intentional statement which relates to concrete facts and not an inference or unclear summary. (Poelker v. Warrensburg-Latham Community Unit School District No. 11 (1993), 251 Ill. App. 3d 270, 286, 621 N.E.2d 940, 952.) The statement in Kathleen’s affidavit could well be viewed as a simple admission that she signed the application for credit rather than an admission of a guarantee of the lease payments. In the context of this case, her statement was not a clear and unequivocal admission of a guarantee of the lease payments. The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.

Affirmed.

GREEN and STEIGMANN, JJ„ concur.