Baldwin Rental Centers, Inc. v. Case Credit Corp. (In re Baldwin Rental Centers, Inc.)

277 B.R. 152, 2000 Bankr. LEXIS 1948
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Georgia
DecidedJuly 31, 2000
DocketBankruptcy No. 97-50930-JDW; Adversary No. 99-5008-JDW
StatusPublished

This text of 277 B.R. 152 (Baldwin Rental Centers, Inc. v. Case Credit Corp. (In re Baldwin Rental Centers, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Baldwin Rental Centers, Inc. v. Case Credit Corp. (In re Baldwin Rental Centers, Inc.), 277 B.R. 152, 2000 Bankr. LEXIS 1948 (Ga. 2000).

Opinion

REVISED MEMORANDUM OPINION

JAMES D. WALKER, Jr., Bankruptcy Judge.

This matter comes before the Court on separate Motions for Summary Judgment filed by each of the defendants, Case Credit Corporation (“Case Credit”) and Falcon Power, Inc. (“Falcon Power”). Plaintiff, Baldwin Rental Centers, Inc. (“Debtor”) filed an adversary proceeding captioned “Objection to Claim of Case Credit Corporation and Complaint for Damages Against Case Credit Corporation and Falcon Power.” In this adversary, Debtor objects to the amended proof of claim filed by Case Credit Corporation in the pending chapter 11 case. The complaint seeks recovery of damages for breach of an oral contract against Case Credit and Falcon Power in an amount exceeding $3,000,000.00. The complaint also asserts a claim and seeks recovery against Case Credit pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 51-1-8 for breach of a private duty. The Court held a hearing to consider the motions for summary judgment on March 28, 2000. This is a core matter within the meaning of 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2). After careful consideration of the pleadings, evidence, and applicable authorities, the Court hereby enters the following findings of fact and conclusions of law in compliance with Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 7052. The Court will consolidate the motions for summary judgment in this memorandum opinion.1

Findings of Fact

For purposes of the objection to claim and the motions for summary judgment, the following facts are treated as not being [154]*154in dispute. Debtor, Baldwin Rental Centers, Inc., filed a petition under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code on August 20, 1997. Debtor is in the short-term equipment rental business and rents equipment to building contractors and home owners. Mr. Jerry Baldwin (“Mr. Baldwin”), Debt- or’s president, started the business by opening one store in Waycross, Georgia, in 1989 as a sole proprietorship. The business was incorporated in 1994 and, by that time, had expanded its operation to include several stores in South Georgia. In approximately 1994, Debtor developed a business relationship with the Case Company store in Jacksonville, Florida, from which Debtor would purchase Case equipment for its rental business. Typically, Case Credit Corporation would finance these transactions. In November 1994, Falcon Power, a company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, bought out the Case Company store in Jacksonville. Thereafter, Falcon Power became a dealer for Case Corporation and sold or leased Case equipment. After the acquisition, many of the former Case employees remained as Falcon Power employees. Debtor continued to do business with Falcon Power and Case Credit. Prior to 1995, a typical transaction among Debtor, Falcon Power, and Case Credit would involve Debtor purchasing a piece of Case equipment through the Falcon Power store with financing by Case Credit. Case Credit retained the right to approve or disapprove of the financing on a transaction by transaction basis.

Sometime in March 1995, Debtor, through Mr. Baldwin, had a meeting with Mr. Lou Fiala, the sales representative for Falcon Power, and Mr. Duane Murph, the Jacksonville store manager for Falcon Power.2 At this meeting, the parties discussed several matters which included the sale or lease of equipment to Debtor, having Falcon Power sales representatives refer short-term (daily or weekly) rentals to Debtor and Debtor’s sales representatives refer long-term (more than 3 months) rentals or purchases to Falcon Power, having Falcon Power set up a parts department for Case equipment in some of Debt- or’s stores on a consignment basis, having Falcon Power provide training to Debtor employees on Case equipment for maintenance purposes, and transporting equipment throughout South Georgia with an 18-wheel tractor-trailer. There are no notes or any form of written documentation evidencing the discussions of this meeting.

After this meeting, beginning on March 31, 1995, Debtor entered into a series of lease agreements with Falcon Power for the acquisition of various types of Case equipment. Debtor entered into twenty-three lease agreements between March 31, 1995 and October 31, 1996. The majority of these leases, seventeen of the twenty-three, were entered between March 31 and July 20, 1995. Each of Debtor’s proposed lease applications and agreements was prepared by a Falcon Power representative and submitted directly to Case Credit, typically by an electronic transmission. Case Credit would either approve or disapprove of the lease application on a transaction by transaction basis. If the transaction was approved, a Falcon Power representative would prepare and complete the appropriate paperwork for Debt- or to execute. If Case Credit disapproved the transaction, then the proposed lease agreement would be terminated. Each lease agreement was signed by Mr. Baldwin on behalf of the Debtor. Each lease agreement contains the following language: “In this Lease, T, ‘my’, ‘me’ and ‘Customer’ means the lessee; ‘you’, ‘your’ [155]*155or ‘Dealer’ means the lessor.” Baldwin Rental Center is listed as the Customer (lessee) and Falcon Power is listed as the Dealer (lessor). In addition, each lease agreement entered into by Debtor contains a clause referred to as “Totality of Agreement” which states the following:

This Agreement contains the entire agreement between you and me unless a change is agreed to in writing by you and me and accepted by any party to whom you assign this Agreement.

The terms of each lease provide that it was to be immediately assigned to Case Credit. The twenty-three lease agreements constitute the only written evidence of transactions among Debtor, Falcon Power, and Case Credit.

As a result of Debtor entering into the series of lease agreements for various types of Case equipment, Debtor was greatly increasing the size of its inventory. The equipment Debtor was leasing included, but was not limited to, backhoes, wheel loaders, crawler dozers, and skid steerers. Some of this equipment was new to Debt- or’s inventory. Some of this equipment was similar to other types of equipment made by other manufacturers that Debtor had in its inventory prior to March 1995. Debtor was becoming one of the largest customers for the Falcon Power store in Jacksonville, Florida. At the same time, Debtor was incurring a substantial liability with Case Credit. At some point during their relationship, Case Credit established a credit limit for Debtor in the amount of $1.5 million. On more than one occasion, Debtor reached this credit limit and would have to “pay down” the credit limit prior to acquiring more equipment.

In addition to acquiring the equipment in March 1995, Debtor purchased a 18-wheel tractor trailer. This vehicle was to be used to transport equipment throughout South Georgia. Debtor opened new stores in Albany and Valdosta, Georgia, sometime after March 1995. These stores increased Debtor’s store number to seven throughout South Georgia. In four of Debtor’s stores, Falcon Power set up a department for Debtor to carry and sell Case parts. The parts department was set up on a consignment basis whereby a Falcon Power representative would stock the parts in the store and maintain the inventory on a monthly basis.

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Bluebook (online)
277 B.R. 152, 2000 Bankr. LEXIS 1948, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/baldwin-rental-centers-inc-v-case-credit-corp-in-re-baldwin-rental-gasb-2000.