Brief Fact Summary. Salisbury Livestock Co., (Plaintiff) brought suit against Colorado Central Credit Union, (Defendant) for wrongful repossession and trespass.
Synopsis of Rule of Law. If there is no confrontation and the timing and manner of a creditor’s entry are found to be reasonable then the entry is privileged.
Consent of the possessor or another authorized to consent is an absolute defense to trespass.
View Full Point of LawIssue. Whether a reasonable jury must find that entry to repossess was privileged either by the self-help statute or by consent.
Held. No. A reasonable jury could find that entry was not privileged.
Discussion. Confrontation or violence is not necessary to finding a breach of the peace. The possibility of immediate violence is sufficient. Two elements of this case might lead a reasonable jury to find a breach of the peace. First, this was an entry onto the premises of a third party not privy to the loan agreement. This could trigger a breach of the peace. Second the location of the incident was a secluded ranch yard adjacent to a residence on an isolated ranch where the vehicles sought were not visible form a public place. The location and setting of this entry warrant a jury determination as to whether the entry was reasonable or whether the peace may have been breached.