Cohen v. Great Guns, Inc. (In Re Sooner Oil & Gas Corp.)

24 B.R. 479, 35 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 972, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 2957
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedNovember 9, 1982
Docket17-11507
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 24 B.R. 479 (Cohen v. Great Guns, Inc. (In Re Sooner Oil & Gas Corp.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cohen v. Great Guns, Inc. (In Re Sooner Oil & Gas Corp.), 24 B.R. 479, 35 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 972, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 2957 (Okla. 1982).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

ROBERT L. BERRY, Bankruptcy Judge.

Statement of the Case

This matter is before the court on motions for partial summary judgment submitted by the defendant, Great Guns, Inc., and the plaintiff, Murray Cohen, trustee in bankruptcy, against the defendant, Citizens National Bank. All three parties herein claim an interest in a certain oil well servicing unit referred to as a perforating truck. Both Great Guns, Inc., and Citizens National Bank claim superior perfected security interests in the truck which are disputed by the trustee.

Facts

On August 13, 1980, the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Corporation issued a certificate of origin to Hudiburg Chevrolet Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas relating to a 1980 4V2 ton Chevrolet truck with Identification No. C17DBAV154676.

On December 3,1980, Gearhart-Owen Industries, Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas, issued a price quotation to Sooner Oil & Gas Corp. for the sale and installation of well logging and surface electronics F/Perforators. This equipment was to be installed on a Chevrolet truck, Model CC7D042 for use in oil and gas operations.

On or about May 4,1981, Hudiburg Chevrolet assigned a Model CC7D042 truck to Gearhart-Owen Industries, Inc., for the incorporation of the equipment onto the truck. No ljen was shown as of the date of the assignment.

On June 30,1981, Citizens National Bank loaned Sooner Oil & Gas Corp. $110,000.00.

On July 7, 1981, Citizens National Bank filed a financing statement with the County Clerk of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, listing Sooner Oil & Gas Corp. as the debtor and the Gearhart-Owen Perforating truck and equipment as collateral. No other financing statement was filed by the Citizens National Bank.

On or about July 22, 1981, Gearhart Industries, Inc. assigned the Certificate of Origin to LRM Servicing Company. No lien was shown as of the date of the assignment.

On or about July 22, 1981, Sooner Oil & Gas Corp. was indebted to Great Guns, Inc. in the approximate amount of $204,981.48, with said sum due on open account for services performed by Great Guns, Inc. pri- or to that date. Larry R. McDaniel, who is the president of LRM Servicing Company and Sooner Oil & Gas Corp., authorized Great Guns, Inc. to take possession of the electronic gear, perforating equipment and truck upon which the equipment was installed. LRM Servicing Company and Sooner Oil & Gas Corp. have never had physical possession of the electronic gear, perforating equipment and truck upon which it is mounted. On or about July 22, 1981, Great Guns, Inc. took possession of the truck at Fort Worth, Texas, and has remained in continuous possession of the truck since that date.

Great Guns, Inc. has reduced the indebtedness of Sooner Oil & Gas Corp. in the amount of $3,712.50 per month since August 1,1981, said amount being the reasonable rental value of the perforating truck.

From July 22, 1981, to the present, the perforating truck has not been in the State of Oklahoma and has been exclusively used on various drill sites in the State of Kansas and driven over the public thoroughfares of the State of Kansas on a day-to-day basis. From November 22, 1981, to the present, Citizens National Bank has filed no financing statement in the State of Kansas involving either Sooner Oil & Gas Corp. or LRM Servicing Co. nor has it ever had its claimed lien noted upon a Certificate of Title relating to the perforating truck.

An application was submitted for a State of Kansas Certificate of Title on January 11, 1982, and a Certificate of Title was issued by the State of Kansas on January *481 21, 1982, showing LRM Servicing Co. as the owner of the vehicle and Great Guns, Inc. as a secured lienholder. Citizens National Bank was not listed as a lienholder upon the Certificate of Title.

With regard to the relationships between himself, Sooner Oil & Gas Corp. and LRM Servicing Co. and the circumstances surrounding the perforating truck transaction, Larry McDaniel testified by deposition on June 25, 1981, as follows:

Q. Would you state your name and business address?

A. Larry R. McDaniel....

‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

Q. What position do you hold with Sooner Oil and Gas?
A. I am president and owner of Sooner Oil and Gas.
Q. Are you hundred percent owner?
A. Hundred percent owner.
Q. What is the relationship, if any, between Sooner Oil and Gas and LRM?

A. They are kind of intertwined. Sooner would be — LRM Servicing would be — -is owned by Sooner.

Q. So is it correct to assume that Sooner Oil and Gas owns the stock of LRM?
A. No.
Q. Who owns the stock?
A. Ido.
Q. Do you own that one hundred percent?
A. Yes.
Q. When did Sooner Oil and Gas or LRM decide to purchase a perforating truck?
A. We decided about a year before we did so I don’t know the dates.
Q. Who made the decision?
A. I did.

* * * * * *

Q. As a result of your decision to purchase the truck what financing arrangements did you make for its purchase?

A. We went and borrowed the money at the bank.
Q. Which bank are you referring to?
A. Citizens National Bank.
Q. Did you discuss with Mr. Zahn your proposed use of the truck?
Q. Did you indicate where you intended to use the perforating truck?
Q. Where did you indicate it would be used?
A. Mostly on our own wells.
Q. Where are your wells located?
A. Okmulgee County, Muskogee County, Creek County.
Q. All within the boundaries of Oklahoma?

Q. At about the time that you were notified that the truck was ready had you been having conversation with Great Guns regarding your indebtedness to them?

Q. What was the approximate amount of the indebtedness at that time?
A. Hundred and seventy, hundred and eighty, hundred and ninety thousand dollars.

s{; * * * *

Q. Was there discussion about methods by which the indebtedness between Sooner and Great Guns could be reduced?

Q. What was the nature of those discussions?

A.

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24 B.R. 479, 35 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 972, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 2957, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cohen-v-great-guns-inc-in-re-sooner-oil-gas-corp-okwb-1982.