Adams v. Eastex Finance Company

379 S.W.2d 355, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2529
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 14, 1964
Docket35
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 379 S.W.2d 355 (Adams v. Eastex Finance Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Adams v. Eastex Finance Company, 379 S.W.2d 355, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2529 (Tex. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinion

MOORE, Justice.

This suit was filed by appellee, Eastex Finance Company, against appellant, L. L. Adams, a used car dealer, for the recovery of a deficiency judgment upon a series of promissory notes which Adams had theretofore executed for the purchase of twenty-two automobiles which the finance company had financed under what was termed as a “floor plan” method of financing, as well as for the recovery of damages resulting from a breach of contract by appellant in failing and refusing to repurchase from appellee thirty-nine automobiles, which ap-pellee repossessed from customers of appellant under the “retail plan” of financing.

Appellant answered with a plea of accord and satisfaction and a general denial. Although his answer shows that he is not in accord with any of the steps taken by the finance company in the termination of the business relationship, he does not seek any affirmative relief by reason of the method employed by appellee.

Under the “Floor Plan” the finance company agreed to advance Adams the funds with which to purchase automobiles for resale, according to the following agreement.

"FLOOR PLAN Notes representing loans secured by motor vehicles purchased for resale shall be payable one month after date. Out of the proceeds of each of said loans, we shall retain a discount of $3.00 flat, and place in reserve the sum of $10.00 for credit to your collateral reserve account. All such loans draw interest at the rate of 7% per annum from date. The net advance to you on floor plan loans shall not exceed our estimated wholesale value of the motor vehicle given as security, as determined by Wholesale Value Schedules furnished you from time to time. Prior to the renewal or extension of any note, we may at our option, require a reduction to reduce the note commensurate with the current wholesale value of the security. * * *
“We are to retain in our possession certificates of title and/or other evidence of ownership to all motor vehicles floor planned until the notes secured by same are fully paid.”

Under the retail plan the parties agreed as follows:

“RETAIL PLAN Unless otherwise agreed upon in writing at the time of purchase, notes are to be endorsed without recourse, provided however, that any vehicle repossessed by us for non *357 payment of the note, for any other reason, will be repurchased by you when delivered to your place of business, for the amount of the unpaid balance then owing, less a reasonable allowance for unearned discount and insurance; and providing further, that in the event we are unable to repossess any motor vehicle within the period of six months after default, by reason of conversion, seizure by any Governmental Agency, or for any other reason, the unpaid balance of any such note may be charged to reserves hereafter accumulating to your credit.”

Approximately seven months after commencing operations under these plans, appellant fell in arrears in the payment of all twenty-two notes which he had executed to the finance company on automobiles which he had purchased and was offering for sale under the “Floor Plan”. Twelve of the notes were secured by chattel mortgages upon the respective vehicles, granting mortgagee the authority to take possession of and sell same at public or private sale, with the mortgagor agreeing to pay the deficiency. There were no separate chattel mortgages granting such power on the other ten automobiles; however, the notes executed by appellant did recite that the vehicles were mortgaged as security for the debt in accordance with an agreement theretofore made by the parties.

During the latter part of November, 1960, appellee, Eastex Finance Company, after having given appellant a week’s notice, went upon appellant’s used car lot at Grand Saline, Texas, and repossessed all twenty-two automobiles financed under the “Floor Plan”, taking them to Tyler where they were sold.

At the time of the trial appellee had been compelled to repossess the thirty-nine automobiles which appellant had sold his customers and which had been financed by the company under the “Retail Plan” because of the failure of appellant’s customers to pay the installment notes.

After a trial before the court, without a jury, the court, in his finding of fact and conclusions of law, found that all twenty-two promissory notes executed by appellant to the finance company covering automobiles financed on the “Floor Plan” was past due and no cash payments had been made thereon ; that the deficiency, after allowing credit for the sale price of the twenty-two automobiles and the allowance for appellant’s reserve account, was $7,952.04, including interest; that appellant gave no express consent to appellee to remove the automobiles from his lot, and that the price at which appellee sold the automobiles after repossessing same were reasonable prices; that appellant endorsed to appellee “without recourse” thirty-nine promissory notes executed by his customers for the purchase of automobiles; that all thirty-nine customers defaulted in the payment of the notes and appellee repossessed all thirty-nine automobiles because of non-payment; that some of the repossessed automobiles were offered to appellant for repurchase, but that he refused to repurchase same; that the difference between the face amount of the thirty-nine notes and the amount appellee received for the automobiles upon resale was $16,229.86, after allowing all reserves and other credits.

The court concluded, as a matter of law, that all of the twenty-two notes executed by appellant under the “floor plan” were due and unpaid; that appellant’s failure to repurchase the vehicles repossessed by ap-pellee under the “retail” notes constituted a breach and an anticipatory breach of the contract; that appellee was forced to repossess the thirty-nine vehicles in order to mitigate its damages for breach of the contract and that since appellant breached the “Retail Plan” contract appellee was entitled to be placed in the same position he would have occupied had the contract been completely performed by the appellant, i. e., appellee was entitled to judgment for damages in an amount equal to the unpaid balance due on retail notes in default after allowance of all credits.

*358 Based upon such findings and conclusions, judgment was rendered for appellee, Eastex Finance Company, for $24,181.90, to which appellant excepted and perfected this appeal.

Appellant excepted to the findings made by the trial court, and has assigned seven points of error for a reversal of the judgment.

By point one, appellant alleges that the finding by the court that the market value of the twenty-two automobiles repossessed from appellant’s used car lot was not comparable in value with the unpaid balance due on all the notes is contrary to the great weight and preponderance of the evidence. The finding on “comparable value” was in no way essential in support of the judgment and was immaterial. Appellant’s point of error assigned thereto therefore becomes immaterial and is therefore overruled.

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Bluebook (online)
379 S.W.2d 355, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2529, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/adams-v-eastex-finance-company-texapp-1964.