Bergquist v. Anderson-Greenwood Aviation Corp. (In re Bellanca Aircraft Corp.)

96 B.R. 913, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 237
CourtDistrict Court, D. Minnesota
DecidedFebruary 22, 1989
DocketBankruptcy No. 4-81-959; Adv. No. 4-81-323
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 96 B.R. 913 (Bergquist v. Anderson-Greenwood Aviation Corp. (In re Bellanca Aircraft Corp.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bergquist v. Anderson-Greenwood Aviation Corp. (In re Bellanca Aircraft Corp.), 96 B.R. 913, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 237 (mnd 1989).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM ORDER REGARDING AVOIDING DEBTOR’S TRANSFER OF THE PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THE B-129, B-130 AND B-138 AIRCRAFT TO ANDERSON-GREENWOOD & COMPANY

MARGARET A. MAHONEY, Bankruptcy Judge.

This decision arises out of a prior decision by me found at In re Bellanca Aircraft Corp., 56 B.R. 339 (Bankr.D.Minn.1985). The Eighth Circuit remanded the matter to me for further findings to determine whether the proceeds received by Bel-lanca as payment for the sale of three aircraft owned by AGCO were property of the debtor within the meaning of the Bankruptcy Code. In re Bellanca Aircraft Corp., (Bergquist v. Anderson-Greenwood Aviation Corp.), 850 F.2d 1275, 1279 (8th Cir.1988). I have jurisdiction to hear this matter under 28 U.S.C. § 1334(b); 28 U.S. C. § 157(a) and the Order of Reference of the District Court. This is a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(F).

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The facts surrounding the relationship and the transactions occurring between Bellanca Aircraft Corporation, the debtor in this matter (Bellanca) and Anderson-Greenwood & Company (AGCO) are detailed in In re Bellanca Aircraft Corp., 56 B.R. 339, and in the Joint Partial Stipulation of Fact between the parties dated December 27, 1988. The facts central to the issue under consideration here begin evolving in 1979 when Bellanca, after continuing to experience financial difficulties, entered into an agreement with AGCO whereby AGCO would purchase a number of aircraft from Bellanca. The agreement called for Bellanca to continue in its efforts to sell the planes to third parties. Three of the aircraft, designated as B-129, B-130 and B-138, were subsequently sold. The B-129 was sold February 20, 1980, to Grane Aviation for $69,675; the B-130 was sold January 24, 1980, to Great Lakes Aviation for $69,528.60; and the B-138 was sold March 5, 1980, to South Raleigh Aviation for $71,-775.40. The third party purchasers each made payments to Bellanca who deposited the sales proceeds into its general corporate checking account and in turn forwarded the proceeds to AGCO.

Bellanca subsequently filed a Chapter 11 proceeding and the trustee filed a complaint seeking to avoid certain preferential and postpetition transfers from Bellanca to AGCO and other creditors and to equitably subordinate AGCO’s claims against the estate. After a lengthy trial, it was determined that sixteen of the aircraft transactions including the transactions involving the B-129, B-130 and the B-138 were not preferential and AGCO was denied equitable subordination of its claims. The District Court, Diana E. Murphy, J. affirmed. On appeal to the Court of Appeals, Lay, J., affirmed in part and remanded to the District Court with directions to remand to the bankruptcy court for further findings.

DISCUSSION

The trustee of the bankrupt estate maintains that the proceeds of the three aircraft sales described above were the property of Bellanca and as such when Bellanca subsequently transferred the proceeds to AGCO, the transfer was preferential under 11 U.S.C. § 547(b)1 and could [915]*915be avoided by the trustee. AGCO argues that Bellanca acted as AGCO’s agent in selling the aircraft, that the proceeds therefore rightfully belonged to AGCO and were subject to a constructive trust in favor of AGCO.

Each of the elements of Section 547(b) must be proved by the trustee in order to avoid a transfer alleged to be preferential including the element that the debtor had an interest in the property transferred.

1. Transfer of an interest of the debtor in property

—A preferential transfer must involve a transfer of property in which the debtor has an interest. 4 Collier on Bankruptcy § 547.03[2] (15th ed. 1979). To avoid the transfer, it must be shown that the transfer deprived the debtor’s estate of something of value which could have been used to satisfy claims of the creditors. In re Newcomb, (Carlson v. Farmers Home Admin.), 744 F.2d 621, 626 (8th Cir.1984); and See Brown v. First Nat’l Bank of Little Rock, 748 F.2d 490 (8th Cir.1984); 4 Collier on Bankruptcy § 547.03[2] (15th ed. 1979).

Bellanca was ultimately successful in selling the three AGCO-owned aircraft to third parties. The funds received in payment of the sales were transmitted to Bel-lanca who deposited the funds in its general corporate account. These deposited funds became the property of Bellanca since it had legally unrestricted use of the funds and the funds were commingled with other funds. In re Dick Henley, Inc., (LaRose v. Bourg Ins. Agency), 45 B.R. 693, 697 (Bankr.M.D.La.1985). “[A]ny funds under the control of the debtor, regardless of the source, are properly deemed to be the debtor’s property, and transfers that diminish that property are subject to avoid-anee.” In re Chase & Sanborn Corp., (Nordberg v. Sanchez), 813 F.2d 1177, 1181 (11th Cir.1987).

No evidence was presented that AGCO instructed Bellanca to segregate these deposits or placed any legal restrictions on the proceeds. Although no evidence was presented that Bellanca had wrongfully deposited the sale proceeds in its account, AGCO now maintains Bellanca acted wrongfully in making these deposits. The three aircraft were sold at different times between January and March 1980, and for each separate sale, Bellanca followed the same procedure of depositing the funds in its account. From this it is clear that AGCO consented to Bellanca’s conduct. When Bellanca subsequently transferred the proceeds to AGCO, it transferred property in which it had an interest. The funds had been deposited in Bellanca’s corporate account and were subject to the claims of Bellanca’s creditors. No third party inspecting the debtor’s bank accounts would have known that some of the monies were ultimately to be paid to AGCO.

AGCO argues that the proceeds were never the debtor’s property in that (1) the proceeds from the sales of the three AGCO-owned aircraft were the property of AGCO, not Bellanca; (2) Bellanca held only legal title and no equitable title in the proceeds; and, (3) Bellanca was acting as AGCO’s agent and as such had no equitable interest in sale proceeds of its principal and equity would impress a constructive trust on the proceeds.

The events taking place after the sales transactions do not support AGCO’s claim that the proceeds were property of AGCO. The sale proceeds were transmitted to Bel-lanca and Bellanca deposited the funds in its general corporate account before trans[916]*916ferring them to AGCO.

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96 B.R. 913, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 237, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bergquist-v-anderson-greenwood-aviation-corp-in-re-bellanca-aircraft-mnd-1989.