Campbell Leasing, Inc. v. Federal Deposit Insurance

901 F.2d 1244
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedMay 24, 1990
DocketNo. 89-1542
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 901 F.2d 1244 (Campbell Leasing, Inc. v. Federal Deposit Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Campbell Leasing, Inc. v. Federal Deposit Insurance, 901 F.2d 1244 (5th Cir. 1990).

Opinion

CLARK, Chief Judge:

I.

Appellants Campbell Leasing, Inc., Eagle Airlines, Inc., and George A. Day challenge the district court’s entry of summary judgment on a promissory note in favor of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and NCNB Texas National Bank (NCNB). We affirm in part, vacate in part, and remand for further proceedings.

[1247]*1247II.

On February 16, 1984, Campbell Leasing, Inc. (Campbell Leasing) executed a promissory note in the amount of $136,804.24, plus interest, payable to RepublicBank Brownwood (RepublicBank). To secure payment of the note, Campbell Leasing granted RepublicBank a security interest in a 1979 Piper airplane. RepublicBank also obtained the personal guarantee of George A. Day (Day).

In May of 1986, Campbell Leasing defaulted on the note. RepublicBank accelerated the maturity of the note after Campbell Leasing failed to cure its default. On June 12, 1986, RepublicBank seized the airplane but did not gain possession of its maintenance records or flight logs. The seizure prompted appellants to file this lawsuit. RepublicBank counterclaimed for payment of the note, plus interest, costs, and attorneys’ fees.

On July 29, 1988, the successor to RepublicBank, First RepublicBank Brownwood, N.A. (First RepublicBank), was declared insolvent and closed. The Comptroller of Currency appointed the FDIC as receiver. The FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with a federally established bridge bank, which purchased the promissory note, security agreement, and guarantee at issue in this case. The bridge bank became NCNB Texas National Bank.

In August of 1988, the FDIC and NCNB removed the case to federal court and filed a motion for summary judgment. The district court subsequently permitted the parties to amend their pleadings. In their amended complaint, the appellants asserted: (1) that prior to seizing the airplane RepublicBank had agreed to a novation wherein Tex-Star Airlines, Inc. (Tex-Star) executed a note to RepublicBank for the purchase of the plane, thereby relieving Campbell Leasing and Day of their obligations under the Campbell Leasing note; (2) that RepublicBank was guilty of trespass and conversion in connection with the seizure of the airplane; (3) that after seizing the plane, RepublicBank failed to deal with the appellants fairly and in good faith and tortiously interfered with their attempts to lease the plane to a third party; (4) that RepublicBank failed to maintain the plane and dispose of it in a commercially reasonable manner; (5) that Republic-Bank had elected to retain the plane in satisfaction of Campbell Leasing’s debt, and (6) that RepublicBank had caused Day to suffer mental and emotional distress.

The district court granted summary judgment for NCNB and the FDIC, concluding that all of the appellants’ claims and affirmative defenses were barred by the federal common-law doctrine announced in D’Oench, Duhme & Co. v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, 315 U.S. 447, 62 S.Ct. 676, 86 L.Ed. 956 (1942) and the holder in due course doctrine announced in Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation v. Wood, 758 F.2d 156 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 944, 106 S.Ct. 308, 88 L.Ed.2d 286 (1985). The court entered judgment against Campbell Leasing and Day jointly and severally for the amount due on the note, plus interest, and awarded the FDIC and NCNB costs and attorneys’ fees. The court also foreclosed the lien on the plane and its attachments and directed the appellants to deliyer the maintenance records and log books to the FDIC and NCNB. Finally, the court ordered the airplane sold and the amount of the judgment reduced by the proceeds.

The appellants now challenge the district court’s entry of summary judgment. At oral argument, the appellants waived all but the following contentions: (1) the D’Oench, Duhme doctrine is unconstitutional; (2) the federal holder in due course doctrine does not bar their claims against RepublicBank, and if it does bar those claims it is unconstitutional; and (3) the FDIC and NCNB have not acted in a commercially reasonable manner regarding the maintenance and sale of the airplane. We affirm in part, vacate in part, and remand.

III.

A. The D’Oench, Duhme Doctrine.

The appellants concede that the D’Oench, Duhme doctrine bars their claim that the promissory note was extinguished [1248]*1248in a transaction involving Tex-Star, because the transaction was not documented in RepublicBank’s records. They argue instead that the D’Oench, Duhme doctrine violates their rights under the fifth amendment by depriving them of valuable property — their defense to liability on the note— without just compensation or due process of law. We disagree.

The D’Oench, Duhme doctrine is “a common law rule of estoppel precluding a borrower from asserting against the FDIC defenses based upon secret or unrecorded ‘side agreements’ that alter[ ] the terms of facially unqualified obligations.” Bell & Murphy & Assoc. v. Interfirst Bank Gateway, N.A., 894 F.2d 750, 753 (5th Cir.1990). Even borrowers who are innocent of any intent to mislead banking authorities are covered by the doctrine if they lend themselves to an arrangement which is likely to do so. Id. at 753-54. The doctrine thus “favors the interests of depositors and creditors of a failed bank, who cannot protect themselves from secret agreements, over the interests of borrowers, who can.” Id. at 754.

In this case, the appellants were in a position to protect themselves by ensuring that the alleged Tex-Star transaction was adequately documented in Republic-Bank’s records. They failed to do so. Because the absence of documentation was likely to mislead banking authorities as to the value of the Campbell Leasing note, the appellants are estopped from asserting against the FDIC and NCNB any claims relating to the Tex-Star transaction. Id.

The D’Oench, Duhme doctrine does not deprive the appellants of property without just compensation. The appellants have simply deprived themselves of certain defenses to liability by failing to protect themselves in the manner required by the D’Oench, Duhme doctrine. See United States v. Locke, 471 U.S. 84, 107-08, 105 S.Ct. 1785, 1799, 85 L.Ed.2d 64 (1985) (upholding a federal provision extinguishing mineral interests for failure to make a timely annual filing). The government has never been required “to compensate [property owners] for the consequences of [their] own neglect.” Texaco, Inc. v. Short, 454 U.S. 516, 530, 102 S.Ct. 781, 792, 70 L.Ed.2d 738 (1982).

Nor have the appellants been denied due process. The D’Oench, Duhme doctrine is a federal common law rule of general applicability that was established long before the appellants’ claims arose. Because the appellants had “a reasonable opportunity both to familiarize themselves with [its] general requirements and to comply with those requirements,” due process has been satisfied. Locke, 471 U.S. at 108, 105 S.Ct. at 1799.

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901 F.2d 1244, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/campbell-leasing-inc-v-federal-deposit-insurance-ca5-1990.