Citibank Leasing Corp. v. Van Arnem

39 Fla. Supp. 2d 160
CourtCircuit Court for the Judicial Circuits of Florida
DecidedJanuary 9, 1990
DocketCase No. 88-02543 CT
StatusPublished

This text of 39 Fla. Supp. 2d 160 (Citibank Leasing Corp. v. Van Arnem) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Circuit Court for the Judicial Circuits of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Citibank Leasing Corp. v. Van Arnem, 39 Fla. Supp. 2d 160 (Fla. Super. Ct. 1990).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

ARTHUR M. BIRKIN, Circuit Judge.

ORDER GRANTING PARTIAL FINAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

THIS CAUSE came before the Court for hearing on December 20, 1989 on plaintiff Citibank Leasing Corp.’s (“Citibank Leasing”) Motion for Summary Judgment on its claims against defendants Harold L. Van Amem (“Van Amem”) and Van Amem Financial Services, Inc. (“VAFS”) and defendants’ claims contained within their Third Amended Counterclaim. The Court having reviewed the record, hearing argument of counsel and being otherwise fully advised in the premises, finds that Citibank Leasing’s motion should be granted as to liability against both defendants on Citibank Leasing’s claims and on defendants’ counterclaims. The motion is denied as to the amount of indebtedness owed by defendants to Citibank Leasing. This ruling is based upon the following memorandum opinion.

[161]*161MEMORANDUM OPINION INTRODUCTION

Citibank Leasing’s claim seeks to collect monies owed on a February 20, 1987 Promissory Note executed by VAFS in the amount of $1,564,713.00 (the “Note”) and on a Personal Guaranty executed by Van Amem securing the Note (the “Guaranty”), and to foreclose upon a security interest in the assets of VAFS pursuant to a Security Agreement executed by the parties (the “Security Agreement”).

Defendants assertions are set out in the third amended counterclaim and affirmative defenses. The gravamen of defendants’ asserts set forth in the pleadings and as stated by defendants’ counsel at the hearing on this motion, is that employees of the entity which originally held the Note, Guaranty and Security Agreement — Caribank Leasing Corp. (“CLC”) — engaged in tortious misconduct in inducing defendants to enter into those agreements and, thereafter, in attempting to recover on those instruments.

Citibank Leasing contends that all of defendants’ counterclaims and affirmative defenses are barred by the federal common law doctrine first enunciated in D’Oench, Duhume & Co. v FDIC, 315 U.S. 447, 62 S.Ct. 676 (!942) (the “D’Oench, Duhne doctrine”). According to Citibank Leasing, the D’Oench, Duhme doctrine bars counterclaims and affirmative defenses against the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) and parties who take the assets of a failed financial institution from the FDIC. As set forth below, the Court agrees with Citibank Leasing as to the affirmative defenses and counterclaims asserted here.

Defendants do not dispute the existence of the D’Oench, Duhme doctrine, its binding effect on this Court, or that the doctrine would bar their counterclaims and affirmative defenses as to the assets of the failed financial institution at issue here, Caribank Dania, Florida (“Caribank”). Defendants, however, point out that the Note and Guaranty were not held directly by Caribank, but instead by CLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caribank, and for that reason contend the D’Oench, Duhme doctrine should not apply. The Court rejects defendants’ contention and finds that there are no genuine issues of material facts and that Citibank Leasing is entitled to summary judgment on the issue of liability.

UNDISPUTED FACT

The following facts are not disputed and have been established in the record:

[162]*1621. Caribank was formerly a Florida Banking corporation.

2. CLC was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caribank.

3. On February 20, 1987, VAFS executed and delivered to CLC a Promissory Note in favor of CLC in the face amount of $1,564,713.00.

4. Van Amem personally guaranteed VAFS’s indebtedness to CLC under the Note by executing and delivering to CLC the Guaranty.

5. VAFS further secured the Note by its execution and delivery to CLC of a Security Agreement and an Amendment to Security Agreement (the “Security Agreement”) granting CLC a security interest in the assets of VAFS.

6. VAFS defaulted on the Note by failing to pay the amount due on November 15, 1987 and failing to make all subsequent payments.

7. On December 9, 1988, the Comptroller for the State of Florida determined Caribank to be insolvent. Pursuant to the Comptroller’s petition, the Circuit Court of Broward County appointed the FDIC as Caribank’s Liquidator.

8. On December 9, 1988, the FDIC, as Liquidator of Caribank, entered into a “Purchase and Assumption Agreement” with Citibank in which Citibank, a national banking association, purchased and assets and assumed the deposit and certain other specified and designated liabilities of Caribank.

9. Included among the assets purchased by Citibank from the FDIC was the stock of CLC, whose assets included the Note, the Guaranty and the Security Agreement. The sale to Citibank was approved by the Broward County Circuit Court.

10. Citibank Leasing is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Citibank and is presently the owner and holder of the Note, Guaranty and Security Agreement.

11. While there are numerous allegations of misconduct against the employees of CLC prior to the insolvency of Craibank, there aré no allegations made by defendants and no evidence presented in this action of any misconduct by any person associated with either Citibank or Citibank Leasing.

12. The Note provides that Citibank Leasing is entitled to its costs and attorney’s fees incurred in suing to collect the subject indebtedness.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

Based upon the undisputed facts set forth above, the Court finds that Citibank Leasing is entitled to summary judgment as to liability on its claims and on defendants’ counterclaims based upon the following:

[163]*1631. In D’oench, Duhme & Co. v FDIC, 315 U.S. 447, 62 S.Ct. 676 (1942), the Supreme Court held that a maker of a note that is in the possession of banking authorities is estopped from asserting, as defenses to an action on the note, a failure of consideration or other oral side agreements which would have the effect of misleading banking authorities. Over the succeeding years, this doctrine has been extended to bar defenses and counterclaims based upon virtually every imaginable form of alleged misconduct of the insolvent financial institutions. See e.g., Langley v FDIC, 484 U.S. 86, 108 S.Ct. 396 (1987); FDIC v Roldan-Fonseca, 795 F.2d 1102 (1st Cir. 1986); FDIC v Lattimore Land Corp., 656 F.2d 139 (6th Cir. 1981); FDIC v Hoover-Morris Enterprises, 542 F.2d 785 (5th Cir. 1981); FDIC v Wyndward Pines, INc., 708 F.Supp. 329 (M.D. Fla. 1989); FDIC v Simon, 607 F.Supp. 1254 (D.C. I;;. 1985). The applicable law is clear that the doctrine applies equally to a “successor in interest” of the FDIC, in this case Citibank and Citibank Leasing. RSR Properties, Inc. v FDIC, 706 F.Supp. 524 (W.D. Tex. 1989); First National Bank of Andrews v FDIC, 707 F.Supp. 265, 271 n. 12 (W.D. Tex.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
39 Fla. Supp. 2d 160, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/citibank-leasing-corp-v-van-arnem-flacirct-1990.