Bank of Crockett v. Cullipher

752 S.W.2d 84, 6 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1176, 1988 Tenn. App. LEXIS 29
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedJanuary 21, 1988
StatusPublished
Cited by71 cases

This text of 752 S.W.2d 84 (Bank of Crockett v. Cullipher) 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
Bank of Crockett v. Cullipher, 752 S.W.2d 84, 6 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1176, 1988 Tenn. App. LEXIS 29 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

TOMLIN, Presiding Judge,

Western Section.

The Bank of Crockett County (hereafter “BANK”) brought suit in the Chancery Court of Crockett County against Darius Cullipher (hereafter “Defendant”) as co-maker of several promissory notes then in default and due to Bank. Defendant filed a counter-claim for damages against Bank and a third-party complaint for indemnity against a co-maker of one of the notes. Following a bench trial the chancellor dismissed Defendant’s counter-claim and third-party claim. He awarded judgment for Bank against Defendant for the full amount of one note and for one-third of each of three additional notes. Both Bank and Defendant have appealed. The crux of the issue presented by Bank is whather Defendant is fully liable on all four notes payable to it. Defendant has set forth some sixteen issues on appeal in his brief. In capsulated form the majority of them may be stated as follows: Did Bank violate one or more sections of the Uniform Commercial Code so as to relieve Defendant from liability on the four promissory notes? Defendant also raises as an issue the action of the chancellor dismissing his third-party complaint. However, inasmuch as he fails to address that issue in his brief and argument, we treat it as having been waived. Schoen v. J.C. Bradford, & Co., 642 S.W.2d 420 (Tenn.App.1982); T.R.A.P. 27; Rule 6, Court of Appeals Rules. We hold that Defendant is liable to Bank for the full amount of all the notes less certain credits with the exception of the “master note” sued upon. We are also of the opinion that Bank committed no acts in this transaction so as to void any of the notes in question.

Many of the facts are uncontroverted. In April, 1982, Allen Roberts and Ricky Spitzer formed a partnership known as A & R Best Stop for the purpose of acquiring property near Bells, where they intended to build and operate a convenience store. They obtained a loan from Bank for that purpose. In accordance with standard banking practices of Bank, on April 26, 1982, a note designated “master note” in the amount of $75,000 was executed by Ricky Spitzer and his wife, Fran Spitzer, his father, W.H. Spitzer, Allen Roberts, and Roberts’ mother-in-law, Mrs. Shelby Crossnoe. The note provided on its face that it was to be secured by a deed of trust on the convenience store, a deed of trust on the residences of Allen Roberts and that of Ricky Spitzer and wife, and a financial statement and security agreement on fixtures and inventory of the store.

A deed of trust in favor of Bank covering the convenience store property was also prepared but never recorded for the reason that just prior to closing the purchase of the property by Roberts and Spitzer, an error in the legal description of the subject property was discovered. This necessitated the obtaining of a corrected legal description and a revised warranty deed from the then owners to Roberts and Spitzer. All this was accomplished on May 10,1982, along with the preparation of a new deed of trust containing the revised legal description from Roberts and Spitzer to a trustee to secure Bank. The Bank officer who handled this loan was of the opinion that a new master note was needed and caused such a note to be prepared. Said note was dated May 10, 1982, was also for the sum of $75,000 and carried the same terms and conditions as the first master note, except that it erroneously called for a “warranty deed” on the convenience store and omitted the inventory and fixtures of the store as collateral. This note was signed only by Ricky Spitzer and his wife and Allen Roberts (not by W.H. Spitzer or Mrs. Shelby Crossnoe). The deed of trust securing the second master note as well as the deed of correction was dated and recorded on May 10, 1982. It would appear from the record that the second master note became “lost” among the Bank’s records until the trial in October, 1986.

Each master note contained the following provision:

Each Borrower, endorser, surety and guarantor hereof jointly and severally agrees to pay this Note and guarantees payment hereof and ... consents to any *87 extensions and renewals hereof without notice and consents to the release by the Lender hereof with or without consideration of any of them and exonerates the Lender hereof from all duty and obligation to make demand on anyone for payment of any Collateral now or hereafter securing this Note or to give notice to anyone of non payment thereof ... and consents to the extension, renewal, exchange, surrender or release by the Lender hereof with or without consideration of any such Collateral....

Between May 3, 1982 and July 2, 1982 draw notes against the $75,000 line of credit established by the master note were signed by either Roberts or Spitzer, after which Bank distributed funds to the partnership. The $75,000 credit limit was reached by a fifth and last draw note.

In the fall of 1982, Allen Roberts advised Bank of his intention to withdraw from the partnership with Spitzer and to go into business for himself in Brownsville. In that connection he asked to be relieved of any further legal obligation on the indebtedness of A & R Best Stop to Bank. It was also requested of Bank that Mrs. Shelby Crossnoe, Roberts’ mother-in-law, be relieved from her obligation. It appears that in order to facilitate the sale of Roberts’ house, the deed of trust Bank held on it in connection with this transaction was released in September, 1982. Roberts was advised that he and Mrs. Crossnoe would be released from the indebtedness if a satisfactory endorser was presented to Bank. Defendant had at that time been an oil jobber in Crockett County for many years. He was a person of good reputation and possessed a substantial net worth. As part of the convenience store operation, Defendant had installed several large underground fuel tanks, a concrete island, and several fuel pumps for the sale of Gulf petroleum products distributed by him. Roberts and Spitzer agreed to pay Defendant at the rate of one cent per gallon for each gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel sold at A & R Best Stop.

Defendant agreed to endorse the first master note with the full knowledge and understanding that Allen Roberts and Mrs. Shelby Crossnoe would be relieved from any further liability on that indebtedness. On February 26, 1983, Defendant signed the master note of April 26, 1982, and in his presence the bank officer handling the account drew lines through the names of Allen Roberts and Shelby Crossnoe, writing thereon “Allen and Shelby released on 2-26-83.” On or about that date Roberts quit-claimed his interest in A & R Best Stop to his former partner, Ricky Spitzer, and the partnership was dissolved.

The original draw notes totaling $75,000 matured on April 29, 1983. On April 30, 1983, Ricky Spitzer, his wife, and Defendant went to Bank and executed four promissory notes, each due and payable on November 15,1983. One note was in the face amount of $75,000, representing the renewal of the accumulated draw notes under the first master note. A second note was in the amount of $11,188.47, representing the amount of accumulated interest on the original draw notes. A third was in the amount of $2,500, and a fourth was in the amount of $4,500. The last two were renewals of prior notes given for funds borrowed in the name of A & R Best Stop over and above the original $75,000.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Kyuhwan Hwang v. Sania Holt
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2024
Laquitta Carpenter v. Jourdan Richardson
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2023
Bandy v. Roberts
E.D. Tennessee, 2022
Fatma Adel Sekik v. Nehad Abdelnabi
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2020
Rex Allen Moore v. Silvia Hill
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2020
Wolf Organization, Inc. v. TNG Contractors, LLC
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2020
In Re Gracie H. Y.
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2020
Jennifer Doe v. Austin Davis
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2019
TWB Architects, Inc. v. The Braxton, LLC
Tennessee Supreme Court, 2019
Robert Sawyers, Sr. v. E & R Auto Sales, Inc.
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2018
Little Hurricane Properties, LLC v. Ralph Cafaro
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2018
Sandra Jo Robbins v. Robert Scholze Robbins
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2018
In Re Joshua E.
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2018
Lesa C. Williams v. Renard A. Hirsch, Sr.
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2018
Sandra Buttram v. Kenneth Ramsey
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2018
DL Rummage v. Kimberly Rummage
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2018
Damon Holland v. Brian Sullivan
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2017
Freddy Mora v. David Vincent
Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 2017

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
752 S.W.2d 84, 6 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1176, 1988 Tenn. App. LEXIS 29, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bank-of-crockett-v-cullipher-tennctapp-1988.