In Surrisi v. Bremner, a 2011 Indiana Court of Appeals decision, the court held the Bill of Sale issued to the buyer (Bremner) invalid, as the Bill of Sale named business personal property which was not included in the Notice of Sheriff’s Sale.
Bremner, a creditor of the sellers (Surrisis), was the highest bidder at the Sheriff’s Sale and the sheriff issued a Bill of Sale that included business personal property that was not included in the Notice of Sale. The court noted that although the Agreed Judgment between the two parties stated the Sheriff’s Sale would include both real and personal property, the Notice of Sheriff’s Sale, praecipe of sale, and tax documentation, only listed the real property as being sold at the sale. Relying on a 2000 Colorado Court of Appeals decision, the court found that no notice of sale was given with respect to the business personal property, so such property could not have been sold at the sheriff’s sale. The court also stated that nothing in the settlement agreement prevented the business personal property from being sold at another sheriff’s sale, leading the court to further presume that only real property was to be sold at the Sheriff’s Sale in question.
Jeremy Fetty is a partner in the law firm of Parr Richey Frandsen Patterson Kruse with offices in Lebanon and Indianapolis. He often advises businesses and utilities (for profit, non-profit and cooperative) on organizational, human resources, and transactional matters and drafts and reviews commercial contracts.
The statements contained herein are matters of opinion and general information only and are not to be considered legal advice and should not be construed to form an attorney-client relationship. If you have any questions regarding this article, please contact an attorney.