Bossier Bank & Trust Co. v. Natchitoches Dev. Co., Inc.

272 So. 2d 731, 1973 La. App. LEXIS 6857
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 29, 1973
Docket4063
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 272 So. 2d 731 (Bossier Bank & Trust Co. v. Natchitoches Dev. Co., Inc.) 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
Bossier Bank & Trust Co. v. Natchitoches Dev. Co., Inc., 272 So. 2d 731, 1973 La. App. LEXIS 6857 (La. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

272 So.2d 731 (1973)

BOSSIER BANK & TRUST COMPANY, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
NATCHITOCHES DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, INC., Defendant-Appellant.

No. 4063.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

January 29, 1973.

*732 Sam J. Friedman, Natchitoches, for defendant-appellant.

Peters, Ward & Phillips, by Hugh T. Ward, Shreveport, for plaintiff-appellee.

Before SAVOY, CULPEPPER and MILLER, JJ.

SAVOY, Judge.

Plaintiff, Bossier Bank & Trust Company (hereinafter sometimes designated as "Bossier"), instituted this suit against defendant, Natchitoches Development Company, Inc. (hereinafter sometimes designated as "Natchitoches"), for the sum of $2,670.48, representing the amount which it alleges is owed to it by defendant on accounts receivable assigned to plaintiff by Tecton, Inc. (hereinafter sometimes designated as "Tecton"). Said assignment was executed in accordance with the requirements of the Louisiana Assignment of Accounts Receivable Act, LSA-R.S. 9:3101 et seq.

Defendant answered and admitted that it executed an acknowledgment of that particular assignment, and that at the time the acknowledgment was executed (June 9, 1971), defendant did owe to Tecton the sum of $2,670.48, the amount sued for herein. Defendant pleads as a defense that subsequent to the execution of this particular assignment, and prior to making any payment thereunder to Tecton, Natchitoches learned that Tecton had suffered financial reverses and had become insolvent, and as a result thereof, demand was made upon Natchitoches by several material suppliers of Tecton and by laborers for labor done for Tecton. Natchitoches then alleged that it became required to pay the labor and materialmen's charges to prevent labor and materialman's liens from being filed on the property, which was the subject of the construction contract between Natchitoches and Tecton. The defendant contended that since the amounts owed by Tecton to materialmen and laborers exceeded the amount owed by Natchitoches to Tecton, and since these funds were used by Natchitoches to pay possible lien claimants, there were no funds available to pay plaintiff. *733 Defendant further alleges that no valid consideration was received by defendant from plaintiff in exchange for the defendant's executing the assignment.

Following a trial on the merits, judgment was rendered in favor of plaintiff for $2,670.48, as prayed for. From that judgment defendant has appealed to this Court.

The material facts are not in dispute. Natchitoches was the principal contractor on a low rental housing project to be erected in Natchitoches, Louisiana. On December 4, 1970, Natchitoches entered into a contract with Tecton, wherein Tecton as a sub-contractor would do certain work on said project, for a contract price of $107,877.00. The contract provided, as is often the case of contracts such as this, that 90% of all labor and materials which have been placed in position by said sub-contractor were to be paid on or about the tenth of the following month by the principal (Natchitoches), except the final payment which would cover all the remaining contract price after it was determined by inspection that the work had been satisfactorily done.

Tecton, in order to have funds readily available to it, established a line of credit with plaintiff, with the security for the line of Tecton's credit being an assignment of accounts receivable that would be due Tecton by defendant as the sub-contract progressed. Plaintiff caused to be recorded on December 4, 1970, in the public records of Bossier Parish, Louisiana, a Statement of Assignment of Accounts Receivable which reads as follows:

"STATEMENT OF ASSIGNMENT OF ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

"December 3, 1970

"Tecton, Inc., represented herein by its President, JERRY DAN WOODALL, duly authorized by resolution of the Board of Directors of said corporation, said resolution on file and of record in the Office of the Clerk of Court, Bossier Parish, Louisiana; has assigned and intends to continue to assign accounts receivable to Bossier Bank and Trust Company in accordance with the Louisiana Assignment of Accounts Receivable Law.
"The assignor is a corporation. The place of business of the assignor at and/or from which is conducted the business or occupation in the course of which accounts to be assigned have been or will be conducted is at 2419 Ashland, Bossier City, Bossier Parish, Louisiana, 71010.
"The assignee is a corporation. The principal place of business of assignee is at 635 Barksdale Boulevard, Bossier City, Louisiana.
"This assignment will continue in effect for two years from date unless rescinded sooner in writing.
"TECTON, INC. "By: s/Jerry Dan Woodall, President "BOSSIER BANK AND TRUST COMPANY "By: s/V. Dale Gosnell, President

"SWORN TO AND SUBSCRIBED before the undersigned Notary, this 3rd day of December, 1970.

"s/Charles E. Welsh Notary Public" (SEAL)

As is readily ascertainable, this Statement of Assignment tracks the language of the form set forth in LSA-R.S. 9:3103, "Statement of Assignment".

Under letter dated June 9, 1971, Bossier wrote Natchitoches as follows:

"June 9, 1971

"Natchitoches Development Company

"Natchitoches, Louisiana "Dear Sir:

"By execution of assignment of Accounts Receivable said assignment being duly recorded, *734 Tecton, Inc., has assigned to Bossier Bank and Trust Company its accounts receivable. This is to notify you, that you are to make all payments owed to Tecton, Inc. to Bossier Bank and Trust Company, 635 Barksdale Blvd., Bossier City, Louisiana 71010.
"Attached you will find the statement of Tecton, Inc., indicating the balance now owed. Please sign the attached copy of this notice, indicating that you have received notice of the assignment and verifying that the amount owed Tecton, Inc. is true and correct and that it has not been paid. After signing, please return the copy to Bossier Bank and Trust Company.
"Sincerely, "s/Edward R. Glover "Bossier Bank and Trust Company "Edward R. Glover "Vice President "s/Jerry Dan WOODALL "Tecton, Inc. "Jerry Dan Woodall "President
"Acknowledgment is made of notice that Tecton, Inc. has assigned its accounts receivable to Bossier Bank and Trust Company. That all accounts now owed to Tecton, Inc. will be paid to Bossier Bank and Trust Company. The balance now owed by Natchitoches Development Company, Inc. is $2,670.48.
Natchitoches Development Company "By: s/James A. Ford."

Attached to the above letter was the statement of Tecton to Natchitoches showing a total for work done and completed to be $2,967.20, and showing "90% payment due—$2,670.48." As can be seen, it was acknowledged by Natchitoches that at the time of this notice of assignment, Natchitoches owed Tecton $2,670.48. Evidence in the record reveals that on at least one prior occasion, plaintiff had, under date of May 28, 1971, written a similar letter, which was similarly acknowledged by Natchitoches, stating that the balance owed as of that time was $11,708.55. The record further reveals that this amount was paid to Bossier Bank and Trust Company shortly after May 28, 1971. This was done by Natchitoches issuing a check jointly payable to Tecton and Bossier.

Mr. R. L.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
272 So. 2d 731, 1973 La. App. LEXIS 6857, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bossier-bank-trust-co-v-natchitoches-dev-co-inc-lactapp-1973.