Bowles v. City National Bank & Trust Co. of Oklahoma City

537 P.2d 1219
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 26, 1975
Docket46694
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 537 P.2d 1219 (Bowles v. City National Bank & Trust Co. of Oklahoma City) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bowles v. City National Bank & Trust Co. of Oklahoma City, 537 P.2d 1219 (Okla. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

BACON, Judge.

The facts of this case are lengthy and involve several parties and two actions which were consolidated for trial and appeal. Case numbered C-72-349 in the District Court of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, styled James A. Bowles, Receiver, Plaintiff, vs. T. H. Arter, Lakeside Heat *1221 ing and Air Conditioning, Inc., Defendants, has been consolidated with C-72-350 in the District Court of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, styled James A. Bowles, Receiver, Plaintiff, vs. T. H. Arter, Lakeside Plumbing, Inc., Defendants. Appellant cross-ap-pellee, City National Bank and Trust Company of Oklahoma City was subsequently made a party defendant. James A. Bowles, Receiver, will hereinafter be referred to as “Receiver”; T. H. Arter will be referred to as “Arter”; Lakeside Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc., as “Lakeside Heating”; Lakeside Plumbing, Inc., as “Lakeside Plumbing”; City National Bank and Trust Company of Oklahoma City as “City Bank”; another entity, though not a party to this suit, Federal National Bank and Trust Company of Shawnee, Oklahoma, as “Federal Bank”; and one other entity, not a party, Pre-Fab Enterprises, Inc., as “Pre-Fab.”

We will attempt to set forth only enough facts for an understanding of the issues we are deciding.

On June 21, 1971, Federal Bank loaned Pre-Fab $325,000 with Federal Bank filing financing statements and security agreements covering Pre-Fab’s inventory, accounts receivable and moneys due as security for the loan. Federal Bank recorded the instruments on June 23, 1971.

On October 31, 1971, Arter as an individual, and as president of Lakeside Heating and as president of Lakeside Plumbing, executed two $200,000 promissory notes to Pre-Fab for the purchase of stock owned by Pre-Fab in Lakeside Plumbing and Lakeside Heating. These two notes were due “on or before June 1974.”

Then on November 22, 1971, Pre-Fab (through its officers, one McGee and one Dickerson) borrowed from City Bank $350,000 and executed a promissory note for $350,000 to City Bank due on demand. Pre-Fab put up the two $200,000 Arter notes as security for the loan. On the back of the two $200,000 Arter notes, McGee endorsed, “Pay to the order of City National Bank & Trust Co. Okla. City by Reece McGee, Chrm. of Board, Pre-Fab Ent., Inc.” City Bank also filed financing statements and security agreements reflecting the transaction with Pre-Fab. Pre-Fab then used part of the money borrowed from City Bank and paid the Federal Bank note down to $157,500.

Thereafter, on March 16, 1972, Federal Bank told Arter that Federal Bank claimed the $200,000 notes as a result of Federal Bank’s financing statement and security agreement on the assets of Pre-Fab. Art-er conveyed this information to City Bank.

On March 21, 1972, Federal Bank sued Pre-Fab and its officers on the $157,500 unpaid balance on its loan to Pre-Fab. Attorneys for Federal Bank gave formal written notice on March 29, 1972, to City Bank of Federal Bank’s claim on the two $200,000 notes held by City Bank. Federal Bank caused a receiver to be appointed for Pre-Fab and Receiver then started attempting to take control of the assets of Pre-Fab.

Two days after it received the written notice of Federal Bank’s claim, on March 31, 1972, City Bank took a new note from Arter for $350,000 in place of the two $200,000 Arter notes City Bank held. For some undisclosed reason, City Bank maintained possession of the two $200,000 notes. On April 14, 1972, Arter sued Pre-Fab for fraud.

Then on June 2, 1972, Receiver sued Arter and Lakeside plumbing on one of the $200,000 notes and also sued Arter and Lakeside Heating on the other $200,000 note. These two suits were consolidated and the trial court issued a “Turnover Order” to City Bank, which was not yet a party to the lawsuits, directing it to turn over the two $200,000 notes to Receiver. City Bank was subsequently made a party to the suit by Receiver. Receiver alleged City Bank was liable for wrongfully disposing of the two $200,000 notes in that City Bank took in lieu of the two notes the $350,000 note from Arter on March 31, 1972, after notice of Federal Bank’s claim.

*1222 Frank Ward, Senior Vice President of City Bank initially stated that when City Bank took the March 31, 1972, $350,000 note from Arter, this discharged and can-celled the two $200,000 Arter notes held by City Bank. Based on this admission, Receiver amended his petition and sued to recover $400,000 lost by Pre-Fab’s estate for which he was the receiver. City Bank’s officer Frank Ward then changed his mind, alleged his first statement about the two $200,000 notes being discharged and cancelled was a mistake and misunderstanding, and denied that the two $200,000 notes were compromised when Arter executed the March 31, 1972, $350,000 note. Arter, however, testified by deposition that he was to receive the two $200,000 notes when he executed the March 31, 1972, $350,000 note, but City Bank could not find them at the time and that he, Arter, never asked for them again.

Both City Bank and Receiver filed motions for summary judgment and the trial court sustained Receiver’s motion. The trial court held City Bank had wrongfully disposed of the two $200,000 notes after notice of Federal Bank’s claim and held City Bank liable for the $157,500 balance due Federal Bank on the Pre-Fab loan from Federal Bank. The trial court also concluded “that Arter is discharged from further liability on the two $200,000.00 notes by knowing acts of City National in violation of this plaintiff’s [Receiver’s] and the Shawnee bank’s [Federal Bank’s] rights.”

City Bank appeals and Receiver cross-appeals, the latter urging the trial court erred in allowing credit against Receiver of amounts previously paid Federal Bank. In other words, Receiver contends the trial court should have held City Bank was liable for $400,000 which was the amount of assets belonging to Pre-Fab that City Bank “wrongfully disposed” of, instead of giving credit to City Bank for the $167,500 PreFab had paid to Federal Bank, leaving the $157,500 balance on Federal Bank’s loan. Receiver reasons he was in effect representing all of Pre-Fab’s creditors, and not acting just for the benefit of Federal Bank, thus the trial court should not have given City Bank credit for moneys already received by Federal Bank.

We find the trial court erred in its basic conclusions, the first of which is that City Bank wrongfully discharged the two $200,000 notes after “constructive and actual notice of the recorded priority claimed by” Federal Bank.

First, Federal Bank’s claim, as will be shown, cannot be accorded priority over City Bank’s claim in the notes, and second, City Bank never “discharged” or “disposed” of the two notes. Federal Bank never perfected a security interest in the two notes because it never took possession of the notes, which is the only method of perfecting a security interest in the two notes. 12A O.S.1971 § 9-304. 1 (It is true Federal Bank might proceed against PreFab for wrongfully disposing of assets by selling stock without Federal Bank’s ap *1223 proval, but that is quite beside the issues before us.) The fact Federal Bank filed a security interest in Pre-Fab’s assets, accounts receivable, etc., does not

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Related

Crosby v. Peoples Bank of Indianola
472 So. 2d 951 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1985)
Bowles v. City National Bank
1977 OK CIV APP 13 (Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma, 1977)

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Bluebook (online)
537 P.2d 1219, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bowles-v-city-national-bank-trust-co-of-oklahoma-city-oklacivapp-1975.