Bank of America, NT & SA v. Pengwin

175 F.3d 1109, 1999 A.M.C. 1905, 99 Daily Journal DAR 3527, 99 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2707, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 7191, 1999 WL 212231
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedApril 14, 1999
DocketNo. 97-36050
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 175 F.3d 1109 (Bank of America, NT & SA v. Pengwin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bank of America, NT & SA v. Pengwin, 175 F.3d 1109, 1999 A.M.C. 1905, 99 Daily Journal DAR 3527, 99 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2707, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 7191, 1999 WL 212231 (9th Cir. 1999).

Opinion

RYMER, Circuit Judge:

In this appeal we are asked to resolve the priority of various maritime liens against the vessel PENGWIN. Seattle-First National Bank (“Bank”)1 caused the vessel to be arrested, and the PENGWIN, together with its fishing rights, were sold at a marshal’s auction May 7, 1997. Fishing Vessel Owners & Marine Ways, Inc. (“FVO”) intervened. The district court confirmed the sale and determined that the Bank, which had recorded two preferred ship mortgages before FVO had completed work on the vessel that gave rise to a necessaries lien, as well as a series of mortgages thereafter, had priority to the extent of the outstanding balance on the indebtedness secured by both of the earlier mortgages as of the time FVO’s lien arose. The main issues presented by FVO’s appeal are whether the two earlier mortgages should have been consolidated and treated as replaced and renewed, and whether partial priority should have been accorded the outstanding balance on those mortgages in the face of subsequent mortgages that substantially exceeded the amount of the prior indebtedness. We conclude that the mortgages recorded before the necessaries lien arose were not extinguished and therefore take priority at least to the extent that they remained unpaid when FVO’s lien was perfected. As the district court did not otherwise err, we affirm.

I

The transactions relevant to our decision are as follows:

• June 23, 1988: The Bank recorded a mortgage on the PENGWIN securing a promissory note for $735,000 with interest at 1.75 over prime and semiannual principal payments of $46,000 until November 1, 1996, when the unpaid balance was due and payable.
• September 20, 1990: The Bank recorded a mortgage on the PENGWIN securing a promissory note for $300,000 with interest at 1.75 over prime and semi-annual payments of principal of $30,000 until June 30, 1995, when the unpaid balance was due and payable. The “Prior and Subsequent Liens Affidavit” notes a first PMM in favor of the Bank for $735,000.
• June 26, 1991: FVO completed work on the PENGWIN, giving rise to a $148,208.85 necessaries lien.
• July 10, 1991: The Bank recorded a mortgage on the PENGWIN securing a promissory note for $1,400,000 with interest at 1.675 over prime and semiannual payments of principal of $87,-500 until July 1, 1999, when the unpaid balance was due and payable. The “Prior and Subsequent Liens Affidavit” notes a first PMM in favor of the [1112]*1112Bank for $735,000 and a second PMM for $300,000.
December SO, 1991: The Bank recorded a mortgage on the PENGWIN securing a promissory note for $1,900,-000. The “Prior and Subsequent Liens Affidavit” notes no prior mortgages.
• December 22, 199U: The Bank recorded a mortgage on the PENGWIN securing the debt of Isafjord Fishing Company for $1,150,000. Its “Prior and Subsequent Liens Affidavit” notes a first PMM in favor of the Bank.
• December SO, 199/,: The Bank recorded an “Amendment to Preferred Mortgage” of December 30, 1991, changing the amount to $1,733,750 and securing a new promissory note. The “Prior and Subsequent Liens Affidavit” notes no prior mortgages.
• May 7, 1997: The PENGWIN was sold by the Marshal to the Bank for $575,000.

Meanwhile, on August 21, 1996, the Bank filed a complaint seeking to foreclose on the December 30, 1991 mortgage (for $1,900,000.00, with a balance of $1,741,-607.27) and the December 22, 1994 mortgage (for $1,150,000 with a balance of $1,080,339.97). The First Amended Complaint alleges that the December 1991 mortgage was a renewal of and replacement for the promissory notes secured by the July 1991 mortgage (for $1,400,000), which in turn was a renewal and replacement of the June 1988 mortgage for $735,-000 and the September 1990 mortgage for $300,000. FVO intervened to assert a maritime lien for necessaries in the amount of $148,208.85. The district court entered an order directing the United States Marshal to conduct a sale of the PENGWIN and its fishing rights to satisfy lien claims. Notice of the sale was published for six days prior to the sale as required by Local Admiralty Rule 145(a). FVO objected to confirmation because the notice did not correctly identify the vessel’s location or indicate that fishing rights were included, and because the sale resulted in an inadequate price. The district court confirmed the sale on May 29, 1997.

The Bank then moved for summary judgment to establish the priority of its claim over FVO, which the district court granted. The court acknowledged the general rule that in the absence of a clear indication of contrary intent, execution of a new mortgage in renewal of a former one does not extinguish priority of the former one, and that as long as a portion of the principal debt remains, the new mortgage is presumed to be a renewal regarding the same security. See Southern Reef Fisheries v. O/S Broadfire Leader, 786 F.2d 1523, 1524 (11th Cir.1986). The court also recognized that this rule (sometimes referred to as the “mortgage renewal” rule) only applies to the extent of the amount of the remaining debt at the time of renewal. See Merchants & Marine Bank v. The T.E. Welles, 289 F.2d 188, 194 (5th Cir.1961). Given the Bank’s evidence that the lien balances on the June 1988 and September 1990 mortgages were never less than $745,144.77 in total, and that this remaining $745,144.77 lien had never been extinguished, the court rejected FVO’s argument that the July 1991 mortgage was new and destroyed the Bank’s priority op the June 1988 and September 1990 mortgages. The court also rejected FVO’s contention that the June 1988 and September 1990 liens were separate mortgages and the remainder on each was less than the amount of the vessel proceeds, as FVO provided no evidence that separating the liens would affect their total value. Finally, the court concluded that FVO would not be left in a worse position under the mortgage renewal rule because the amount of the Bank’s lien in June 1991, when FVO perfected its lien, exceeded the total of the sale proceeds.

After the Bank’s motion for summary judgment was noticed, FVO moved to compel discovery and argued that summary judgment should be denied until discovery was completed. The district court found [1113]*1113the circumstances did not come within Rule 56(f) given the time that had elapsed since FVO first raised the issues that were covered by the discovery request.

FVO has timely appealed each of these rulings.

II

A mortgage that complies with the requirements of 46 U.S.C. § 31322(a)(l)-as each of the Bank’s mortgages do in this case-is a “preferred” mortgage that has priority over all claims against a vessel except for expenses allowed by the court and preferred maritime hens. See 46 U.S.C. § 31326(b)(1).

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175 F.3d 1109, 1999 A.M.C. 1905, 99 Daily Journal DAR 3527, 99 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2707, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 7191, 1999 WL 212231, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bank-of-america-nt-sa-v-pengwin-ca9-1999.