Acadiana Bank v. Foreman

352 So. 2d 674
Supreme Court of Louisiana·Decided November 14, 1977·No. 59800·Published·Cited by 14 cases

Opinion

352 So.2d 674 (1977)

ACADIANA BANK
v.
Kimball Aubrey FOREMAN et al.

No. 59800.

Supreme Court of Louisiana.

November 14, 1977.
Rehearing Denied December 14, 1977.

*675 David S. Cook, DeVillier & Ardoin, Eunice, for plaintiff-respondent.

Jacque B. Pucheu, Pucheu & Pucheu, Eunice, for intervenor-applicant.

DIXON, Justice.

This case involves the ranking of privileges on movables in a drive-in restaurant. The contest is between Acadiana Bank, which holds a chattel mortgage on the furniture and fixtures, and intervenor, Wilson J. Moosa, owner and lessor of the building. The trial court rejected the demands of the intervenor-lessor, holding that the bank's lien under the chattel mortgage was superior in rank. The Court of Appeal, with one judge dissenting, affirmed (343 So.2d 1138 (La.App.3d Cir. 1977)), and we granted writs to review that ruling.

Helen Doty operated a "Frostop" restaurant in Eunice in a building owned by Wilson J. Moosa. Kimball Aubrey Foreman and his wife arranged with Mrs. Doty and Moosa to take over the business. Mrs. Doty sold the movables to Foreman and his wife, who agreed with Moosa to rent the building for $160.00 a month through December 31, 1974. These agreements were completed on September 18, 1974, at which time a written lease was executed between the Foremans and Moosa for a period of five years at a rent of $400.00 a month, to begin on January 1, 1975. On the same day, September 18, 1974, the Foremans borrowed $12,000 from Acadiana Bank, evidenced by a hand note. The Foremans also executed a collateral mortgage on the equipment Mrs. Doty sold them, and pledged a collateral mortgage note in the amount of $17,000, to secure the hand note.

The officers of the Acadiana Bank participated in the arrangements, and were aware that the mortgaged property was in the building owned by Moosa and leased to the Foremans. The lease, which was to have commenced on January 1, 1975, was recorded on September 20, 1974. The collateral chattel mortgage was not recorded until October 3, 1974.

The indebtedness to the bank was reduced from $12,000 to $5000 by August 14, 1975. On that date Mrs. Foreman executed a $5000 hand note and delivered it to the bank; the September 18, 1974 note for $12,000 was apparently marked paid and returned to the Foremans.

Matrimonial difficulties between the Foremans resulted in a dissolution of their marriage later in 1975. Apparently, as a part of the settlement of the community property, arrangements were made, and the bank returned Mrs. Foreman's $5000 note to her on October 6, 1975, and took a note from Mr. Foreman on October 7, 1975 in the amount of $6234.24. Each note was secured by a continuing pledge of the collateral mortgage note, which never left the hands of the bank.

Foreman did not make the payments on the $6234.24 note dated October 7, 1975, and the bank proceeded to foreclose by executory process. Moosa intervened, contending that his lessor's lien and privilege for unpaid rent primed the bank's chattel mortgage.

The privilege of the chattel mortgage is effective as to third persons from the date of its recordation. R.S. 9:5354.[1]

Since it was recorded on October 3, 1974, the chattel mortgage primes only those liens arising thereafter. The oral lease between Moosa and Foreman, commencing on September 18, 1974 and ending December 31, 1974, gave the lessor a lien superior to that of the bank's chattel mortgage.

The questions, then, are (1) did Moosa's lien continue without interruption, even though the written lease superseded the oral lease on January 1, 1975? (2) did the bank's privilege arising from the chattel mortgage continue without interruption in spite of renegotiation of Foreman's indebtedness *676 during the term of the written lease?

The affirmative answer to the second question is supplied by C.C. 3158.[2] When a collateral chattel mortgage note is pledged to a creditor, and when the note remains in the hands of the creditor, to secure a particular loan or any other obligation, existing or thereafter arising (as provided in the chattel mortgage note in the instant case),[3] the pledge continues against third persons, and the new liabilities or *677 loans are "secured by the collateral to the same extent as if they came into existence when the instrument or item was originally pledged and the pledge was made to secure them . . ." C.C. 3158. New Orleans Silversmiths, Inc. v. Toups, 261 So.2d 252 (La.App. 4th Cir. 1972), cert. den. 262 La. 309, 263 So.2d 47 (La.1972), noted in 47 Tul.L.Rev. 211). Nathan and Marshall, "The Collateral Mortgage," 33 La.L.Rev. 497, 510; LeVan, "Security Devices," 33 La.L.Rev. 228.[4]

The answer to the first question, however, is negative. Except in cases of tacit reconduction, the life of the lessor's privilege, in effect, spans only the duration of the lease in existence when the privilege first attached, to secure only the rent arising under the lease. If one lease is superseded by another lease, the effectiveness of the old lessor's privilege ends and a new lessor's privilege arises.

(Tacit reconduction (C.C. 2688, 2689) is said to result in a continuation of the old lease and the security of the privilege. Comegys v. Shreveport Kandy Kitchen, 162 La. 103, 110 So. 104 (1926); McKesson Parker Blake Corp. v. Eaves & Reddit, Inc., 149 So. 294 (La.App. 1st Cir. 1933). This interpretation of the civil code provisions was criticized in "Tacit Reconduction—A New Lease," Lapeyre, 1 La.L.Rev. 439).

In the absence of reconduction, however, the lessor's privilege is dependent upon a particular lease. The conflict between the privilege of the chattel mortgage and the lessor's privilege is discussed in "Problems of Chattel Mortgages," Dainow, 13 La.L.Rev. 537, 543:

"Lessor. The existence of the lessor's privilege is dependent upon two elements: (1) a lease between the parties, (Fisk v. Moores, 11 Rob. 279 (La.1845)) and (2) the presence of the effects in the premises. (Arts. 2705-2709, 3217(3), 3218, La.Civil Code of 1870). Accordingly, the earliest point of time when these two elements concur is the date on which the lessor's privilege arises. (Youree v. Limerick, 157 La. 39, 101 So. 864 (1924)). This is not dependent upon any rent being due, (Ibid.) the privilege is protection for a continuing relationship.
The lessor's privilege is predicated upon a lease; therefore, it must be a particular lease. Consequently, if either by agreement or operation of law there comes into existence a new lease, that also means a new privilege with a new date of creation. Thus, if the lessor and lessee (under a monthly lease for an indefinite term) agree upon a change in the rent, they are deemed to have made a new lease, (McGuffin v. Barkett, 44 So.2d 195 (La.App.1950); Weaks Supply Co. v. Werdin, 147 So. 838, and 154 So. 378 (La.App.1933, 1934), criticized in Note, 9 Tulane Law Review 124 (1934)) and the privilege deriving from the new lease cannot have a date of creation any earlier than the concurrence of the new lease and the presence of the effects on the premises. This means that a chattel mortgage which came into existence after the first lease but before the new lease thereby moves into first rank ahead of the lessor's privilege. (Cf. Easterling v. Brooks, 213 La. 519, 35 So.2d 132 (1948)).

In Youree v. Limerick, 157 La. 39, 101 So.

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