EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
A property sale dispute has resulted in a lawsuit filed against several defendants, including Liberal Mayor Jose Lara.
Ricardo Villareal has filed a suit claiming that after purchasing the property located at 25 S. Sherman from Lara and Imperial Rentals, LLC, of which Lara signed on behalf of the company, that Lara had also sold the property to Brianne Williams, even though the agreement with Williams was never signed.
According to the court filing, the dispute began when Lara executed a mortgage for Villareal on July 30, 2019 for a loan to Lara of $99,879.
The documents also state that Lara then signed a contract to sell the property to Williams for $50,000, Sept. 18, 2020, but the contract contained in the complaint was never signed by Williams, and Villareal claimed the contract sale was done in violation of the loan agreement with Lara which Villareal claimed Lara and Imperial Rentals also violated the loan agreement by not making monthly payments. Villareal in his filing is claiming to foreclose on the property that was mortgaged to him since Lara did not fulfill his contractual obligations, according to the filing.
By December, 2023, Lara sold the property to Villareal for $50,000 and provided a Quit Claim deed which was filed with the Register of Deeds Dec. 29, 2023.
But when Villareal went to the home, Delecia Anthony and Danny Griffin, both listed as defendants on the lawsuit, were residing there and claimed to be the owners of the property.
No deed or record indicates they were ever given possession of the property despite their claim.
In Lara’s response, he claimed that Williams did not comply with the agreement and denies anyone other than Villareal has a claim to the property.
Villareal is seeking all other claims to the property be nullified, and if the court finds that Williams has a claim to the property, that Lara repay the $50,000 Villareal paid for the property plus fees related to the suit and title work.
