AMERICAN BK. & TRUST CO. v. Sunbelt Environmental

451 So. 2d 1111
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 26, 1984
Docket83 CA 0248
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 451 So. 2d 1111 (AMERICAN BK. & TRUST CO. v. Sunbelt Environmental) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
AMERICAN BK. & TRUST CO. v. Sunbelt Environmental, 451 So. 2d 1111 (La. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

451 So.2d 1111 (1984)

AMERICAN BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
v.
SUNBELT ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS, INC., et al.

No. 83 CA 0248.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

February 28, 1984.
On Rehearing June 26, 1984.

*1113 Michael H. Rubin, Baton Rouge, for plaintiff-appellee American Bank & Trust Co.

Robert L. Kleinpeter, Baton Rouge, for defendant-appellant, Sunbelt Environmental Systems Inc., Lynn Foster and James Kelly.

Before PONDER, WATKINS and CARTER, JJ.

WATKINS, Judge.

American Bank and Trust Company, Baton Rouge, sued Sunbelt Environmental Systems, Inc., a Texas corporation not licensed to do business in Louisiana, but doing business in this state, and James Kelly and Lynn Foster, who are domiciled in Texas, under the Louisiana Long-Arm Statute, LSA-R.S. 13:3201 et seq. Basically, the American Bank alleges that Sunbelt is maker of a note in the principal sum of $366,592.96, with interest at a variable rate of 2% above commercial prime, and that Foster is an endorser of the note. American Bank further alleges that both Foster and Kelly executed a Continuing Guaranty as security for the note in the sum of $375,000.00. American Bank seeks to recover the principal sum of the note, interest and 25% attorney's fees from Sunbelt, Foster, and Kelly. Foster and Kelly filed a joint exception to the jurisdiction of the court, which exception the trial court overruled after a hearing. American Bank then moved by separate pleadings for summary judgment against each of the three defendants, using the entire record, including the transcript of the hearing on the exception of Foster and Kelly to the jurisdiction of the court. The trial court granted summary judgment in the sum of $366,592.96 in favor of American Bank and against Sunbelt, Foster, and Kelly, with interest at 2% above commercial prime, and 25% attorney's fees. We affirm the judgment of the trial court in overruling the exceptions of Foster and Kelly to the jurisdiction of the court, but reverse the judgment of the trial court granting summary judgment for American Bank, and remand the case for further proceedings.

JURISDICTION

American Bank contends the courts of this state have jurisdiction over Foster and Kelly under the Long-Arm Statute, LSA-R.S. 13:3201 et seq., and Foster and Kelly contend that due process under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States *1114 Constitution acts as bar to this state's having jurisdiction, and also that the Long-Arm Statute is not so broad as to confer jurisdiction under the facts presented in this case.

The facts of the case, as established by the trial on the exception to the jurisdiction, the transcript of which, together with exhibits, was used as well by mutual consent of plaintiff and defendants on motion for summary judgment may be succinctly stated as follows.

This suit involves an action by American Bank and Trust Company, Baton Rouge, Louisiana ("American Bank"): on a note against Sunbelt Environmental Systems, Inc., a Texas corporation; against Lynn Foster, a Texas resident, who is a shareholder in Sunbelt, who signed the note on behalf of Sunbelt, who personally endorsed the note, and who gave a continuing guaranty of the note; and James Kelly, a Texas resident who is a shareholder in Sunbelt and who gave a continuing guaranty of the Sunbelt note.

In early 1979, defendants Lynn Foster and James B. Kelly entered into various negotiations with Van Calhoun, Murry Decoteau, and Tom Nolan, residents of Louisiana, concerning the possible structure of a transaction involving several corporations owned by Calhoun, Decoteau, and Nolan. One of the corporations involved was American Environmental Systems, Inc., a Louisiana corporation. At the time of the negotiations, American Environmental Systems, Inc. was indebted to American Bank.

In March 1979, a letter of intent was given in which Kelly and Foster stated they had an interest in buying from Nolan, Calhoun, and Decoteau, stock in Environmental Resources Group, Inc., a Louisiana corporation (indebted to American Bank), which held as wholly owned subsidiaries American Environmental Systems, Inc., a Louisiana corporation, and American Environmental Systems Southwest, Inc., a Texas corporation. Various written drafts concerning the structure of the transaction went back and forth from Foster and Kelly, the Texas purchasers, to Calhoun, Nolan, and Decoteau, the Louisiana sellers.

On April 7, 1979, a draft of the purchase agreement was sent by Foster and Kelly to Nolan, Decoteau, and Calhoun. The draft contemplated an agreement "by and between Lynn Foster and James B. Kelly, on behalf of and as sole owners of a Texas corporation to be formed for the purposes of this transaction."

As the transaction further evolved, Kelly and Foster agreed to purchase assets of American Environmental Systems. As part of the continuing negotiations, Mr. Melvin J. Marque, then a vice-president of American Bank, became involved and traveled with some of the sellers to Houston to meet with both Mr. Foster and Mr. Kelly; American Bank's interest was in visiting those who were negotiating to buy the business and to check the inventory and accounts receivable that were then pledged to secure existing loans at American Bank.

Mr. Kelly later personally came to the Hilton Hotel in Baton Rouge to negotiate with Nolan, Calhoun, and Decoteau in April 1979; Mr. Marque was also present for some of these negotiations. At defendant James Kelly's request, American Bank was asked to consider financing the acquisition by the Texas purchasers.

Eventually the transaction was structured so that Foster and Kelly would form a corporation, defendant Sunbelt Environmental Systems, which would buy the physical assets (but not the incorporeal assets) of American Environmental Systems. As part of the transaction, and in contemplation of American Bank's financing the acquisition, Kelly and Foster sent their personal financial statements to American Bank. During the course of the various negotiations, there were several telephone conferences between Mr. Kelly in Texas and Mr. Marque in Louisiana. In September 1979, there was an attempted closing and on September 20, 1979, a note in the sum of $366,592.26 was signed by Lynn Foster on behalf of Sunbelt Environmental Systems, Inc. No money was ever disbursed on this note by American Bank.

*1115 Finally, in November 1979, Sunbelt Environmental Systems, Inc. through Lynn Foster, President, signed a negotiable promissory note in the sum of $366,592.96 payable to the order of American Bank and Trust Company, payable ninety days after date. Foster endorsed the note personally. This note was signed in Texas and hand-delivered to Melvin Marque, Vice-President of American Bank. Melvin J. Marque had telephone conferences with Mr. Kelly, Mr. Marque being in Baton Rouge, Mr. Kelly being in Texas, concerning the finalizing of the structure of the November closing.

The continuing guaranty of Lynn Foster and James Kelly was signed in Texas guaranteeing the Sunbelt note. As additional security, American Bank received continuing guarantees of the Sunbelt obligation from Decoteau, Nolan, Calhoun, and Bishop.

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Bluebook (online)
451 So. 2d 1111, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-bk-trust-co-v-sunbelt-environmental-lactapp-1984.