American Bank, FSB v. Cornerstone Community Bank

903 F. Supp. 2d 568, 2012 WL 5195804, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 150605
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Tennessee
DecidedOctober 19, 2012
DocketNo. 1:11-cv-324
StatusPublished

This text of 903 F. Supp. 2d 568 (American Bank, FSB v. Cornerstone Community Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Bank, FSB v. Cornerstone Community Bank, 903 F. Supp. 2d 568, 2012 WL 5195804, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 150605 (E.D. Tenn. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

SUSAN K. LEE, United States Magistrate Judge.

Before the Court is a supplemental motion for summary judgment [Doc. 38] filed by Plaintiff American Bank, a cross-motion for summary judgment [Doc. 44] filed by Defendant Cornerstone Community Bank, and a motion to certify a question of law to the Supreme Court of Tennessee [Doc. 48] filed by Defendant. For the reasons explained below, Defendant’s motion to certify a question of law to the Supreme Court of Tennessee [Doc. 48] will be DENIED, Plaintiffs supplemental motion for summary judgment [Doc. 38] will be GRANTED, and Defendant’s cross-motion for summary judgment [Doc. 44] will be DENIED.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Plaintiff seeks a declaratory judgment that it had a perfected security interest in certain funds Defendant applied to a debt owed to it by U.S. Insurance Group (“USIG”) [Doc. 1 at PagelD # 1], Plaintiff asserts in its Complaint that USIG had an agreement with Defendant whereby Defendant would lend money to USIG through a line of credit and Defendant asserted security interests in USIG’s commissions on insurance premium accounts [id. at PagelD # 3]. USIG also maintained an operating account, numbered 103019130, with Defendant [id,.]. In 2008, USIG acted as broker for an agreement between Saberline Transportation Inc. (“Saberline”) and Plaintiff whereby Plaintiff would finance insurance agreements for Saberline [id.]. As part of the agreement between Plaintiff, USIG, and Saberline, Plaintiff financed $429,991.41 to fund Saberline’s insurance policies after a $50,000 down payment [id.]. USIG negotiated the terms of the insurance policies with Praetorian Insurance Company (“Praetorian”) on behalf of Saberline, and the policies were effective as of November 1, 2008 [id.]. The agreement gave Plaintiff a security interest in any unearned return premiums and gave Plaintiff full authority to cancel policies upon default [id.]. Pursuant to the agreement, Plaintiff wired $379,333.64 to the account USIG held with Defendant on November 12, 2008, and wired another $50,657.77 to the account on November 13, 2008 [id.; Doc. 21-5 at Pa-gelD # 137-38],

Based on an agreement between USIG and Defendant under which Defendant would perform daily sweeps of USIG’s operating account as long as the balance did not go below $50,000 and would apply the funds to USIG’s line of credit with Defendant, Defendant swept funds out of USIG’s account on November 12 and 13, 2008 [Doc. 1 at PagelD # 4; Doc. 25 at PagelD # 229; Doc. 21-5 at PagelD # 139; Doc. 25-3 at PagelD # 250]. Defendant swept $376,579.46 on November 12 and $58,196.59 on November 13 [Doc. 25 at PagelD # 229; Doc. 21-5 at PagelD # 139]. Saberline subsequently failed to make its initial payment to Plaintiff and was in default; therefore, Plaintiff sent Notices of Cancellation to Praetorian and its agent on December 22, 2008 [Doc. 1 at PagelD # 4], USIG could not refund the unearned premiums to Plaintiff from its account with Defendant due to Defendant’s sweeps of the account, so USIG repaid Plaintiff $413,739.00 on April 1, 2009 with funds drawn from a USIG account at Park Avenue Bank [id. at PagelD # 4-5].

[571]*571On April 22, 2009, USIG filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee [Doc. 1 at PageID #2]. The case was later converted to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy and Richard P. Jahn, Jr. was appointed USIG’s Chapter 7 trustee (the “Trustee”) [id]. On January 20, 2010, the Trustee filed a complaint against Plaintiff seeking to recover the $413,739.00 payment USIG made to Plaintiff [id. at PagelD # 5], The Trastee asserted the payment was a preferential transfer because Plaintiff lost its secured creditor status after Defendant swept the funds out of USIG’s operating account and the money subsequently paid to Plaintiff was property of USIG and could therefore be avoided pursuant to the bankruptcy proceeding [id]. Following discovery, the Trustee and Plaintiff negotiated a settlement whereby Plaintiff agreed to pay $310,304.25 to settle the avoidance action [id]. The settlement was approved by the Bankruptcy Court and did not affect Plaintiffs rights to pursue an action against Defendant [id]. Before Plaintiff paid the funds to the Trustee, Plaintiff made demand on Defendant for payment of the funds Defendant swept from USIG’s account, but Defendant refused to pay any funds to Plaintiff [id at PagelD # 6], Therefore, Plaintiff made payment to the Trustee on June 10, 2011 [id].

Plaintiff alleges that it was exposed to the preference action because Defendant swept the funds out of USIG’s operating account to apply to USIG’s line of credit with Defendant, thereby violating Plaintiffs senior, perfected security interest in the funds [Doc. 1 at PagelD # 5]. In its Complaint, Plaintiff seeks a declaration that Plaintiffs perfected security interest in the funds in USIG’s operating account with Defendant were superior to any other claim on the funds held by Defendant on November 12 and 13, 2008 [id. at PagelD # 6]. Plaintiff also claims that Defendant is liable for conversion for using the funds in USIG’s operating account for its own benefit to pay down USIG’s line of credit with Defendant, thereby violating Plaintiffs perfected security interest and exposing Plaintiff to the Trustee’s avoidance action [id. at PagelD # 7].

Plaintiff previously moved for summary judgment [Doc. 20] and, by an order dated June 29, 2012, the Court granted the motion in part and denied it in part (hereinafter the “June Order”) [Doc. 36]. Specifically, the Court held that Plaintiff had a perfected security interest in the funds at issue pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated § 56-37-112 that took priority over any other interests and existed until the funds were swept from the account by Defendant. Because the parties had focused their arguments on perfection, the Court declined to address other crucial questions, such as what happened to Plaintiffs security interest at the time of the sweeps, whether Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (“UCC”) would apply to the transaction, and whether Defendant’s sweeps constituted conversion of the funds. The parties then engaged in some discovery and have now filed cross-motions for summary judgment.

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

Summary judgment is mandatory where “there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact” and the moving party “is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a). A “material” fact is one that matters — i.e., a fact that, if found to be true, might “affect the outcome” of the litigation. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The applicable substantive law provides the frame of reference to determine which facts are material. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505. A “genuine” dispute exists with respect to [572]*572a material fact when the evidence would enable a reasonable jury to find for the non-moving party. Id.; National Satellite Sports, Inc. v. Eliadis Inc., 253 F.3d 900, 907 (6th Cir.2001).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
903 F. Supp. 2d 568, 2012 WL 5195804, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 150605, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-bank-fsb-v-cornerstone-community-bank-tned-2012.