Capital Bank v. MVB, Inc.

644 So. 2d 515, 1994 WL 479139
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedSeptember 7, 1994
Docket93-0408, 93-0427, 93-0428 and 93-1249
StatusPublished
Cited by97 cases

This text of 644 So. 2d 515 (Capital Bank v. MVB, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Capital Bank v. MVB, Inc., 644 So. 2d 515, 1994 WL 479139 (Fla. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

644 So.2d 515 (1994)

CAPITAL BANK, a Florida Banking Corporation, Appellant,
v.
MVB, INC., a Florida corporation, Appellee,
JASMA CORPORATION, a Florida corporation, f/k/a Comare Corporation; MVB, Inc., f/k/a Curls & Conditioners, Inc.; and Anthony Battaglia, Cross-Appellants,
v.
CAPITAL BANK, a Florida banking corporation, Cross-Appellee.

Nos. 93-0408, 93-0427, 93-0428 and 93-1249.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.

September 7, 1994.
Rehearing Denied November 23, 1994.

*517 Ullman & Ullman, and Michael W. Ullman, North Miami Beach, Cooper & Wolfe, and Sharon L. Wolfe, and Maureen E. Lefebvre, Miami, for appellant/cross-appellee.

Gilbride, Heller & Brown, and James F. Gilbride, and Dyanne E. Feinberg, Miami, for appellee/cross-appellants.

*518 Before HUBBART, GERSTEN and GODERICH, JJ.

GERSTEN, Judge.

Appellant, Capital Bank (bank), appeals a judgment awarding appellee, MVB, Inc. (MVB), compensatory and punitive damages based on claims of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty. Cross-appellants, Anthony Battaglia, MVB and Comare (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Battaglia"), cross-appeal the denial of their motion to conform the verdict to the jury's intent. MVB and Battaglia, individually, also cross-appeal the adverse judgment on a promissory note and guaranty. We affirm in part, and reverse in part.

This case involves the issue of whether a bank owed and breached a fiduciary duty to its customer. Briefly stated, the facts are as follows.

Anthony Battaglia, his company, Comare, and its subsidiary, MVB, were customers of Capital Bank. Comare was a vendor of hair care products. Tellason Products, Inc. (Tellason), a manufacturer of hair care products, also had a loan relationship with the bank.

Battaglia's loan officer at the bank was James Assalone (Assalone). Assalone engineered MVB's purchase of Tellason's assets when Tellason verged on bankruptcy. The manufacturing equipment MVB purchased from Tellason was defective and continuously broke down. Therefore, products were not produced timely, sales were reduced, and Battaglia's business declined. Consequently, Battaglia sold his companies.

MVB sued the bank for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty. MVB asserted that the bank sought to gain its trust and then induced it to purchase Tellason's worthless assets, so that the bank would not bear the loss of Tellason's non-performing loan.

Comare and Battaglia, individually, also sued the bank for fraud. The bank counterclaimed for the amount of the note and the guaranty executed in connection with the Tellason purchase. The jury found in favor of MVB, Comare and Battaglia on all claims.

The trial court entered judgment for MVB, awarding compensatory and punitive damages in accordance with the jury verdict on the fraud and breach of fiduciary duty claims. The court also entered a judgment notwithstanding the verdict against Comare and Battaglia, individually, on their fraud claims. Neither Comare nor Battaglia have appealed that ruling.

In addition, the trial court entered a judgment notwithstanding the verdict against MVB on the promissory note, and against Battaglia, individually, on the guaranty. Finally, the court denied Battaglia's motion to conform the verdict to the jury's intent.

I

We first conclude that the record supports the jury verdict that the bank owed and breached its fiduciary duty to Battaglia. Fiduciary relationships are either expressly or impliedly created. Those expressly created are either by contract, such as principal/agent or attorney/client, or through legal proceedings, such as trustee/beneficiary and guardian/ward. Denison State Bank v. Madeira, 230 Kan. 684, 640 P.2d 1235 (1982).

Fiduciary relationships implied in law are premised upon the specific factual situation surrounding the transaction and the relationship of the parties. Id. Courts have found a fiduciary relation implied in law when "confidence is reposed by one party and a trust accepted by the other." Dale v. Jennings, 90 Fla. 234, 244, 107 So. 175, 179 (1925). Accord Harkness v. Fraser, 12 Fla. 336 (1868); Harrell v. Branson, 344 So.2d 604, 607 (Fla. 1st DCA), cert. denied, 353 So.2d 675 (Fla. 1977).

Generally, the relationship between a bank and its borrower is that of creditor to debtor, in which parties engage in arms-length transactions, and the bank owes no fiduciary responsibilities. Lanz v. Resolution Trust Corp., 764 F. Supp. 176 (S.D.Fla. 1991); Barnett Bank of West Florida v. Hooper, 498 So.2d 923 (Fla. 1986); Watkins v. NCNB Nat'l Bank of Florida, N.A., 622 So.2d 1063 (Fla. 3d DCA 1993), review denied, 634 So.2d 629 (Fla. 1994).

However, fiduciary relationships between lenders and customers have been found to *519 exist in Florida, as well as in other jurisdictions. Hooper, 498 So.2d at 923; Atlantic Nat'l Bank of Florida v. Vest, 480 So.2d 1328 (Fla. 2d DCA 1985), review denied, 491 So.2d 281 (Fla. 1986), and review denied, 508 So.2d 16 (Fla. 1987). E.g., Brasher v. First Nat'l Bank, 232 Ala. 340, 168 So. 42 (1936); Stewart v. Phoenix Nat'l Bank, 49 Ariz. 34, 64 P.2d 101 (1937); Barrett v. Bank of America, N.T. and S.A., 183 Cal. App.3d 1362, 229 Cal. Rptr. 16 (1986); Credit Managers Ass'n of S. California v. Superior Court for Los Angeles County, 51 Cal. App.3d 352, 124 Cal. Rptr. 242 (1975); Earl Park State Bank v. Lowmon, 92 Ind. App. 25, 161 N.E. 675 (1928); First Nat'l Bank in Lenox v. Brown, 181 N.W.2d 178 (Iowa 1970); Broomfield v. Kosow, 349 Mass. 749, 212 N.E.2d 556 (1965); Pigg v. Robertson, 549 S.W.2d 597 (Mo. Ct. App. 1977); Deist v. Wachholz, 208 Mont. 207, 678 P.2d 188 (1984); Walters v. First Nat'l Bank of Newark, 69 Ohio St.2d 677, 433 N.E.2d 608 (1982); Bank of Commerce & Trust Co. v. Dye, 1 Tenn. App. 486 (1926); Hutson v. Wenatchee Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass'n, 22 Wash. App. 91, 588 P.2d 1192 (1978), review denied, 92 Wash.2d 1002 (1979). See Existence of Fiduciary Relationship Between Bank and Depositor or Customer so as to Impose Special Duty of Disclosure Upon Bank, 70 A.L.R.3d 1344 (1976 & Supp. 1989).

In Barnett Bank of West Florida v. Hooper, 498 So.2d at 923, the Florida Supreme Court found that a fiduciary relationship arose between a lender and a customer from the parties' established relationship of trust and confidence. Hooper cites to two cases which elaborate criteria for determining the existence of a fiduciary relationship: Klein v. First Edina Nat'l Bank, 293 Minn. 418, 196 N.W.2d 619 (1972) and Tokarz v. Frontier Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass'n, 33 Wash. App. 456, 656 P.2d 1089 (1982).

Klein declared that a fiduciary relationship arises where "the bank knows or has reason to know that the customer is placing his trust and confidence in the bank and is relying on the bank so to counsel and inform him." 196 N.W.2d at 623. Tokarz

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