Foreclosure Sale Of Guest Ranch Property Averted

The owners of a high-end guest ranch in western Montana and a Helena construction company have reached an agreement that canceled the sale of some ranch property to satisfy a construction lien.

Officials with the Resort at Paws Up and Dick Anderson Construction declined to comment on the amount of the settlement.

Dick Anderson sued Paws Up owner David Lipson's Monroe Property Co. in 2001, seeking $800,000 for cost overruns on a $10 million contract for an equestrian center and other work on Lipson's property.

The Montana Supreme Court ruled that Lipson made changes to the project and was responsible for the additional costs. The Missoula County sheriff's department says the amount owed was over $2.1 million as of November.

The sale was scheduled for Thursday.

Associated Press