Commonwealth Cabinet for Human Resources, Division of Unemployment Insurance v. Security of America Life Insurance Co.

834 S.W.2d 176, 1992 Ky. App. LEXIS 127, 1992 WL 106925
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedMay 22, 1992
DocketNos. 91-CA-0067-MR, 91-CA-0068-MR
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 834 S.W.2d 176 (Commonwealth Cabinet for Human Resources, Division of Unemployment Insurance v. Security of America Life Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth Cabinet for Human Resources, Division of Unemployment Insurance v. Security of America Life Insurance Co., 834 S.W.2d 176, 1992 Ky. App. LEXIS 127, 1992 WL 106925 (Ky. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

JOHNSON, Judge.

This is a consolidated appeal from the Lawrence Circuit Court. We find that the trial court misapplied the case of Farmers Bank of White Plains v. Bailey, 221 Ky., 55, 297 S.W. 938 (1927), whereby its decision was clearly erroneous as a matter of law. Accordingly, we reverse, and remand for proof consistent with this opinion.

Appellee, Classic Chevrolet-Pontiac, Inc., (hereinafter “Classic”) sold automobiles in Louisa, Lawrence County, Kentucky. Classic entered in an agreement to sell its assets to appellee, Century Auto Sales, Inc., (hereinafter “Century”) for $100,000. The assets Classic agreed to sell Century were parts inventory, office supply inventory, furniture and fixtures, tools, service and other equipment, parts truck, wrecker, maintenance vehicle and office trailers. The sale constituted a “Bulk Sale” under Article VI of the Kentucky Uniform Commercial Code. The proposed distribution of the sale proceeds was not satisfactory to some of the creditors, and a declaratory judgment action was filed asking the Lawrence Circuit Court to determine priorities of distribution of the assets to the various creditors.

The Complaint alleged, and the parties admitted, that the Internal Revenue Service (hereinafter “IRS”) filed two liens against Classic on March 26, 1987, and August 13, 1988. At the beginning of the lawsuit, the IRS levied on the escrowed funds, was made whole, and filed a disclaimer on April 21, 1989. The IRS claim was for $77,306.45.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky, Cabinet for Human Resources, Division of Unemployment Insurance (hereinafter the “Division”) filed two liens on August 26, 1988, and October 28,1988, for the nonpayment of unemployment insurance contributions due pursuant to KRS Chapter 341 for the first, second and third quarters of 1988 totalling $10,647.18 with additional interest of $139.56 per month beginning April 1, 1989.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky, Revenue Cabinet (hereinafter “Revenue Cabinet”) filed one lien on December 9, 1988, for various unpaid taxes, such as, withholding taxes, corporate income taxes, motor vehicle rental usage taxes, lien fee taxes, and administrative costs taxes for $45,-850.75, plus additional interest at the rate of 10% per annum, plus a 25% judgment penalty.

[178]*178Security of America Life Insurance Company (hereinafter “Security”) also claimed an interest in the sale proceeds. Classic entered into two agreements with Security to sell certain insurance to customers who had purchased automobiles from Classic. The agreements required Classic to collect the premiums. Classic was to retain sixty percent (60%) of the premiums and remit forty percent (40%) to Security. The Lawrence Circuit Court found, and we agree, that pursuant to KRS 304.9-130, James D. Howard was qualified as an individual licensee to purchase the policies for and on behalf of Classic.

Classic failed to remit premium proceeds to Security in the amount of $38,379.67. Security has alleged that the general assets of Classic are subject to a constructive trust in its favor for the unpaid premiums. No evidence was presented to trace the unremitted premiums.

The case was presented to the trial court on cross-motions for summary judgment. The trial court entered an Order and Judgment on September 7, 1990, and an Order and Amended Judgment on December 12, 1990. The trial court held that Security, the IRS and the Revenue Cabinet were not required to trace the unremitted payments to the assets subject to the bulk sales before a constructive trust could be imposed; and that the tax liens never attached to the assets of Classic to the extent that a constructive trust is imposed since the unrem-itted premiums were never the property of Classic. Appeals by the IRS, the Revenue Cabinet and the Division followed. The IRS failed to perfect its appeal, and it was dismissed. The appeals of the Revenue Cabinet and the Division were consolidated, and the IRS is a party to both appeals as an appellee, but has not filed a cross-appeal.

We find that the trial court erred when it failed to require tracing of the proceeds of the constructive trusts into the assets of Classic. We further find that the trial court erred when it held that the tax liens did not have priority over the constructive trust on the grounds that the proceeds in the constructive trust was not property in the possession of Classic and subject to the liens. We further find that the parties are in agreement that on remand the claim of the IRS should be considered a valid claim and this Opinion shall have the same application to the IRS as it does the other parties even though the IRS appeal was dismissed.

It is clear from reading the Order and Amended Judgment that the trial court’s decision was based on a finding that “the requirement that the misappropriated funds be traced into a specific asset is no longer applicable” citing Farmers Bank of White Plains v. Bailey, supra. The trial court erred as a matter of law in its application of Bailey; and therefore, we must reverse and remand the case for the trial court to take proof as to the tracing of all misappropriated funds for which a constructive trust is imposed. We accept much of the argument made by Appellant Division.

In Bailey the bank had deposited with it for safekeeping bonds for which the bank issued certificates acknowledging receipt of the bonds and stating that upon surrender of the certificates that the bonds would be returned to the depositor. The bank, without authorization, sold the bonds for $19,500 and placed the proceeds into an “emergency fund.” The proceeds were commingled with the funds of the bank. The bank became insolvent and unable to honor the certificates for the bonds. At the time of the insolvency, the balance of the “emergency fund” was $17,003.28. The bank closed its door with $3,037.04 in cash in its vaults and owned bonds worth $4,094.85. The court made a determination as to whether the owners of the bonds deposited with the bank were entitled to a constructive trust in either the cash in the bank’s vault or the bonds the bank owned. As to the cash, the court stated:

The old rule that money has no earmarks, and that the blending of trust money with the money of the trustee will defeat the owner’s title and compel him to stand as a mere unsecured creditor, is no longer in force. The modern rule is that confusion does not destroy the equi[179]*179ty entirely, but converts it into a charge upon the entire mass giving to the party injured by the unlawful diversion a priority of right over the other creditors of the possessor.

Id. at 940.

However, the court then decided whether the owners of the bonds deposited with the bank were entitled to a constructive trust in the bonds the bank owned. The court stated:

With respect to the bonds of the market value of $4,094.85, a different question is presented. It does not appear when these bonds were bought or how they were paid for. It is not shown that any of the trust funds were used in their purchase. There is no presumption that they were purchased with the trust funds. On the contrary, the presumption is that the bank used its own funds in making the purchase. It follows that the bondholders failed to trace any of the proceeds of their bonds into the bonds owned by the bank, and, that being true, they are not entitled to a prior claim thereon.

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834 S.W.2d 176, 1992 Ky. App. LEXIS 127, 1992 WL 106925, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-cabinet-for-human-resources-division-of-unemployment-kyctapp-1992.