AHCI, Inc. v. Short

878 S.W.2d 112, 1993 Tenn. App. LEXIS 719
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedNovember 18, 1993
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 878 S.W.2d 112 (AHCI, Inc. v. Short) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
AHCI, Inc. v. Short, 878 S.W.2d 112, 1993 Tenn. App. LEXIS 719 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

OPINION

SANDERS, Presiding Judge,

Eastern Section.

The pivotal issue on this appeal is whether or not the Plaintiff held such title in certain restaurant equipment as to permit it to maintain a suit for conversion against Defendant Bank of East Tennessee for selling the equipment under a security agreement with a third party.

The salient facts in this case are not in material dispute. Although there were originally five Defendants in the case at bar, the issues on appeal relate only to the Plaintiff-Appellant, AHCI, Inc., and Defendant-Ap-pellee Bank of East Tennessee (BET).

In 1987 one Linda Poland borrowed approximately $80,000 from BET to purchase equipment for opening a restaurant in Knoxville called Bon Vivant. Ms. Poland executed an open ended security agreement to BET on all business property “now owned or hereafter acquired by debtor.” The security agreement was duly perfected by BET.

In the summer of 1988, Plaintiff AHCI, Inc., borrowed funds from Sovran Bank for the purpose of opening an ice cream shop. The shop was called Plumb Nelly and was located next door to Bon Vivant. Sovran took a perfected security interest in the Plumb Nelly equipment and inventory. The Plumb Nelly business failed in the spring of 1989 and around that same time, Linda Poland took on a partner, Thomas Short, to assist her in running Bon Vivant.

In September, 1989, AHCI entered into an agreement with Poland and Short for the partnership to purchase the Plumb Nelly equipment. The contract provided for monthly payments to be paid by the partnership to AHCI. AHCI would remain responsible for the Sovran loan until it was paid down an additional $10,000, to a principal amount of $80,000, at which point Sovran had apparently agreed to allow the partnership to assume the loan. The contract contained no provision relating to the delivery of title to the equipment nor did the partnership ever receive a bill of sale or any title document, and no security agreement was executed in connection with the sale.

The Plumb Nelly equipment was never moved from the ice cream shop. Rather, Poland and Short arranged for the removal of a portion of the partition wall between the two businesses. In November, 1989, Poland and Short began operating as one business under the name of Bon Vivant.

Short withdrew from the partnership not long after the expánsion of Bon Vivant was completed. The partnership made only one payment to AHCI before lapsing into default. Thereafter, Ms. Poland became delinquent on her loam payments to BET as well.

In March, 1990, BET decided to close Bon Vivant and take possession of the equipment under its security agreement. In doing so, it also took the equipment which AHCI had conveyed to Bon Vivant and placed it in a warehouse, all of which was subsequently sold by BET.

AHCI filed suit in which it alleged it sold its equipment to the partnership of Poland and Short; Poland and Short failed to live up to the conditions of the sale and they, accordingly, never received title to the property and AHCI still held title to the property. It alleged the security agreement held by BET was executed by Ms. Poland when she was doing business as a sole proprietorship and the “after acquired property” provision in BET’s security agreement could not attach to partnership property. The complaint asked the court to render a declaratory judgment pursuant to T.C.A. § 29-14-101, et seq., and Rule 57, TRCP, declaring the interest of the parties in the property. It also asked for a judgment against BET for compensatory and punitive damages.

[114]*114Upon the trial of the case, the chancellor found the issues in favor of BET and dismissed the complaint.

AHCI has appealed, saying the court was in error. We cannot agree, and affirm for the reasons hereinafter stated.

In her determination of the case, the chancellor held that title to the equipment passed to Bon Vivant on the date of the sale pursuant to T.C.A. § 47-2-401(3)(b). She held that even if AHCI had retained title to the equipment, since it had delivered the equipment to Bon Vivant, its only interest would be a security interest pursuant to T.C.A. § 47-2-401(1) and, since it held no perfected security interest in the equipment, it was not enforceable against “third parties” (BET) pursuant to T.C.A. § 47-9-203(1). We concur in this holding by the chancellor.

The U.C.C. provides, as the chancellor found, that under a sales . agreement such as the one between AHCI and the Poland/Short partnership, where goods are to be delivered in place and there is no provision as to when a bill of sale or any other document of title is to be delivered, title passes at the time of contracting. T.C.A. § 47-2-401(3) provides:

(3) Unless otherwise explicitly agreed where delivery is to be made without moving the goods:
(a) if the seller is to deliver a document of title, title passes at the time when and the place where he delivers such documents; or
(b) If the goods are at the time of contracting already identified and no documents are to be delivered, title passes at the time and place of contracting.

We, accordingly hold AHCI divested itself of title to the Plumb Nelly property at the time of the execution of the sales agreement. And a party “cannot recover for conversion of property, the title of which is in another.” Kemble v. Wolfe, 14 Tenn.App. 545, 550 (1931).

The agreement between AHCI and Poland and Short which AHCI insists constitutes a title retained contract is, as pertinent here, as follows:

“This document, entered into in good faith, is between Linda D. Poland and Thomas A. Short d/b/a Bon Vivant, and Ahci, Inc. and Mathis bush.
“The sole and complete reason for this document is to establish the purchase of all equipment, furniture, supplies and any other benefits which may arise from the sale or use of these items located in the Commons at 221 N. Peters Road known as Plumb Nelly.
“For this and the mutual exchange of ten ($10.00) dollars, receipt of which is mutually acknowledged, Bon Vivant agrees to assume a portion of a note entered into between Aehi, [sic] Inc. and Sovran Bank (Loan No. 0134-1102466-0-001001) in the amount of principle of $30,000.00 plus pro rated interest. Upon fulfilling their (Bon Vivant’s) portion of this agreement, it is understood by both parties that the equipment, rights and use thereof, shall belong then and forever to Bon Vivant. Any and all monthly payments due by Aehi, [sic] Inc. and guaranteed by Mathis Bush shall be immediately due monthly and payable to Sovran Bank. Failure to do so shall constitute default on his part and be remedied with a life insurance policy dated July 6, 1989. Sovran note will be signed by Linda D. Poland and Thomas A. Short as required by Sovran.

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878 S.W.2d 112, 1993 Tenn. App. LEXIS 719, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ahci-inc-v-short-tennctapp-1993.