Commercial Credit Corp. v. Gaspard Motors, Inc.

147 So. 2d 884, 1962 La. App. LEXIS 2653
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 18, 1962
DocketNo. 687
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 147 So. 2d 884 (Commercial Credit Corp. v. Gaspard Motors, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commercial Credit Corp. v. Gaspard Motors, Inc., 147 So. 2d 884, 1962 La. App. LEXIS 2653 (La. Ct. App. 1962).

Opinion

SAVOY, Judge.

This action was consolidated with suit No. 688 on the docket of this Court for purposes of trial. We have decided suit No. 688, La.App., 147 So.2d 881, this date.

In the instant case, plaintiff sued Gaspard Motors, Inc., hereinafter referred to as the “corporation” and Albert Paul Gaspard, hereinafter referred to as “Gaspard” in solido to recover a money judgment from said defendants.

In the instant case, plaintiff alleged that on or about December 7, 1959, Dan L. Daniels purchased from the corporation a 1960 Plymouth automobile. In connection with the sale of said vehicle, Daniels signed, as maker, a promissory note in favor of the corporation. Said note represented the price paid for the Plymouth.

On or about December 7, 1959, the corporation sold and assigned to plaintiff the note which it had acquired from Daniels. The transfer was accomplished by an endorsement on the back of the note by Ed Cruise, duly authorized to represent the corporation. Said endorsement was a qualified one, namely, “without recourse”. On the same day that the subject note was assigned to plaintiff, the corporation, represented by Cruise, executed in favor of plaintiff “Dealer Guaranty of Purchaser Account”.

Plaintiff alleges that under the terms of the guaranty instrument, the corporation guaranteed prompt payment of the Daniels note, according to its terms and conditions; that on October 23, 1959, Gaspard, in his individual capacity, signed a document la-belled “Guaranty of Wholesale and Demonstrator Transactions”. This instrument bound Gaspard to guarantee payments to plaintiff of notes insofar as they related to retail demonstrator transactions.

Plaintiff alleged that the sale by the corporation to Daniels was a retail demonstrator transaction.

The guaranty agreements ’ mentioned above executed by the corporation and Gas-pard were accepted by plaintiff.

Daniels defaulted on the note given to the corporation, and plaintiff filed this suit against defendants to collect the remaining balance, together with interest, penalties and attorney’s fees specified therein.

Defendants filed an answer in the form of a general denial. After a trial on the merits, the trial judge rejected the demands [886]*886of plaintiff and dismissed its suit. Plaintiff appealed said judgment to this Court.

The evidence discloses that the corporation was engaged in the business of selling new and used cars in the City of Lake Charles, Louisiana, during the latter part of 1959 and the first part of 1960. Gaspard was president of the corporation. Ed Cruise was general manager for the corporation. He was duly authorized to act for the said corporation, by a written power of attorney.

Plaintiff is a corporation engaged primarily in the business of financing automobiles for automobile dealers.

As a condition to doing business with the corporation, plaintiff obtained from Gas-pard, individually, his personal guaranty of promissory notes arising out of “demonstrator transactions” . The document which Gaspard signed was labelled “Guaranty of Wholesale and Demonstrator Transactions”. The pertinent provisions of said instrument read as follows:

“In consideration of, and in order to induce you (Commercial Credit Corporation) to purchase or otherwise acquire any notes * * * or other obligations * * * (herein called ‘Instruments’) * * * executed, endorsed or assigned by the * * * dealer named above (herein called ‘Dealer’) (Gas-pard Motors, Inc.) or in connection with which Dealer has any obligation, direct or indirect, absolute or contingent, under the Instruments or under separate agreements of the Dealer to or with you, and arising out of * * * retail demonstrator transactions with respect to new or used automobiles * * * the Undersigned (Albert Paul Gaspard) * * * guarantee to you * * * the faithful and prompt performance, payment and discharge by Dealer of any and all such Instruments, now or hereafter, held by you, and/or any and all agreements of Dealer with you now in force or hereafter made * * *. If any claim against undersigned hereunder is referred to an attorney for collection, then undersigned shall pay 15% of the amount thereof as an attorney’s reasonable fee.”

On December 7, 1959, Dan L. Daniels, a used car salesman for the corporation, purchased from it a new 1960 Plymouth automobile. In consideration for the sale, Daniels gave the corporation a note to secure the purchase price of said vehicle. The note was sold to plaintiff and assigned by endorsement on the back thereof. Said endorsement was of the qualified type, namely, “without recourse”. LSA-R.S. 7:38.

Plaintiff also secured from the corporation an undated instrument designated as “Dealer Guaranty of Purchaser Account” The agreement reads, in part, as follows:

“Undersigned (Gaspard Motors, Inc.) sent you (Commercial Credit Corporation) for purchase the promissory note * * * (herein called ‘Instrument’) received by Undersigned from the above named Purchaser (Danny L. Daniels) in connection with the sale of the above mentioned motor vehicle (hereinafter called ‘Car’) and Undersigned assigned said Instrument to you without guaranty of payment.
“You require Undersigned’s unconditional guaranty that the Purchaser shall pay his obligation under said Instrument, otherwise you will refuse to purchase the same, or, if purchased, will redraw upon Undersigned for the amount thereof, as agreed. Undersigned requests you to purchase or continue to hold said Instrument, and in consideration thereof, Undersigned hereby guarantees the prompt payment of the same. * * * If any claim against Undersigned hereunder is referred to an attorney for collection, then Undersigned agrees to pay 15% of the amount thereof as an attorney’s reasonable fee.”

The trial court found that the automobile was not sold to Daniels as a demonstra[887]*887tor, nor was it used by him as a demonstrator, but the payment plan was issued to him in the form of a demonstrator plan only for his personal convenience. The trial judge stated that the note given by Daniels to the corporation and in turn assigned by it to plaintiff, was transferred with a qualified endorsement, namely, “without recourse” and found that the “Dealer Guaranty of Purchaser Account” signed by the corporation did not modify the “without recourse” endorsement because it was not shown when that instrument was signed. It is not dated. The court said that Cruise left the employment (February, 1960) a short time after the Daniels transaction, and that the burden was on plaintiff to show that the instrument was executed by Cruise while he was still in the employ of the corporation. The record reflects that Cruise was dead at the time of the trial in the instant case.

Counsel for plaintiff contends that the trial court erred in the following respects:

“1. The trial court erred in finding that the instrument entitled ‘Dealer Guaranty of Purchaser Account’ was without the legal certainty necessary to make it binding on the parties.
“2. The trial court erred in its failure to find the personal guaranty of Albert Paul Gaspard binding upon him, even though the trial court found that the automobile in question was financed in a demonstrator transaction.”

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Related

American Bank & Trust Company v. French
226 So. 2d 580 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1969)
Commercial Credit Corp. v. Gaspard Motors, Inc.
150 So. 2d 587 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1963)

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Bluebook (online)
147 So. 2d 884, 1962 La. App. LEXIS 2653, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commercial-credit-corp-v-gaspard-motors-inc-lactapp-1962.