CommunityBank of Texas, N.A. v. Orange County Insurance Brokerage, Inc. and Ian Garrett

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 1, 2016
Docket09-14-00033-CV
StatusPublished

This text of CommunityBank of Texas, N.A. v. Orange County Insurance Brokerage, Inc. and Ian Garrett (CommunityBank of Texas, N.A. v. Orange County Insurance Brokerage, Inc. and Ian Garrett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
CommunityBank of Texas, N.A. v. Orange County Insurance Brokerage, Inc. and Ian Garrett, (Tex. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

In The

Court of Appeals Ninth District of Texas at Beaumont _________________ NO. 09-14-00033-CV _________________

COMMUNITYBANK OF TEXAS, N.A., Appellant

V.

ORANGE COUNTY INSURANCE BROKERAGE, INC. AND IAN GARRETT, Appellees ________________________________________________________________________

On Appeal from the 136th District Court Jefferson County, Texas Trial Cause No. D-192,523-A ________________________________________________________________________

MEMORANDUM OPINION

The issue to be decided in this appeal is whether an agreed judgment in a

bankruptcy adversary proceeding conclusively proves all elements of collateral

estoppel as a matter of law. Because we conclude the issue of fraudulent

inducement was not fully and fairly litigated by the party against whom the

affirmative defense is sought to be applied, we hold the trial court erred in granting

summary judgment on the basis of collateral estoppel.

1 Appellant CommunityBank of Texas, N.A. (“CommunityBank”) appeals

from a partial summary judgment granted in favor of appellees Orange County

Insurance Brokerage, Inc. (“OCIB”) and Ian Garrett. In three issues,

CommunityBank contends that the trial court erred in concluding that

CommunityBank is collaterally estopped from seeking to collect on a promissory

note and personal guaranty against OCIB and Garrett as a result of an Agreed Final

Judgment entered in a bankruptcy adversary proceeding between the maker of the

note and the bankruptcy debtor. We agree and reverse the trial court’s judgment

and remand the case to the trial court for further proceedings.

Background

In its trial court pleadings, CommunityBank alleged the following facts.

CommunityBank extended credit to Randy Jarrell, both individually and d/b/a the

Beaty Insurance Agency (the “Agency”). To secure repayment of the indebtedness,

Jarrell granted CommunityBank a security interest in certain assets belonging to

Jarrell, including assets arising out of or related to the operation of the Agency. In

May 2009, Jarrell entered into negotiations with Ian Garrett to sell the Agency and

its assets to OCIB, a company owned by Garrett. Ultimately, Jarrell agreed to sell

the Agency to OCIB, and Jarrell and OCIB entered into an asset purchase

agreement (the “Asset Purchase Agreement”). The consideration for the sale

2 included, among other things, the execution and delivery by OCIB of a promissory

note in the amount of $1,500,000 (the “Note”), which was made payable to Jarrell

and was personally guaranteed by Garrett. To facilitate the purchase and sale,

CommunityBank agreed to release its lien on the assets of the Agency and, in

return, together with other consideration, take a collateral assignment of the Note

from Jarrell.

For a period of time thereafter, OCIB made timely payments pursuant to the

terms of the Note to Jarrell, who, in turn, delivered those payments to

CommunityBank. OCIB’s payments on the Note continued until January 2011, at

which time OCIB purportedly ceased making payments due to an alleged dispute

that arose between Jarrell and Garrett. Approximately one year after the sale,

Jarrell filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. During the bankruptcy proceeding,

CommunityBank filed a proof of claim to confirm its first lien collateral interest in

the Note. CommunityBank then obtained an order from the bankruptcy court

lifting the automatic stay and foreclosed on its collateral interest in the Note. The

Note was sold at public sale and was purchased by CommunityBank.

During the bankruptcy proceeding, OCIB and Garrett filed an unsecured

claim against the debtor’s estate. OCIB and Garrett also filed an adversary

proceeding to preclude the discharge of the purported debt that formed the basis of

3 their unsecured claim, alleging that OCIB’s purchase of the agency and its assets

was fraudulently induced by Jarrell. In support of their fraud claim, OCIB and

Garret alleged, among other things, that in reliance upon certain representations

made by Jarrell in the Asset Purchase Agreement, and in further reliance upon

representations by Jarrell that he would use funds provided by OCIB to pay certain

outstanding debts of the Agency and return any excess funds to OCIB, OCIB

executed the Note in favor of Jarrell, and Garrett personally guaranteed payment of

the Note. OCIB and Garrett alleged that following the execution of the Note, OCIB

discovered that some or all of the representations by Jarrell that OCIB had relied

upon in executing the Note were false. Based on these allegations, OCIB and

Garrett alleged that OCIB had been fraudulently induced into executing the Note

and that the Note was therefore “not . . . enforceable due to a total [or] partial

failure of consideration[.]” In addition, OCIB and Garrett alleged that to the extent

OCIB was required to pay anything to CommunityBank on the Note, then OCIB

should recover judgment against Jarrell for such amount and the judgment should

be non-dischargeable.

OCIB and Garrett subsequently amended their pleadings in the adversary

proceeding to add CommunityBank and Wells Fargo as parties and asserted

declaratory judgment claims against both banks to determine “the rights and legal

4 relations” between OCIB, Garrett, and the banks. CommunityBank filed a motion

to dismiss in the adversary proceeding for want of subject matter jurisdiction

contending that the Note was no longer an asset of the Bankruptcy estate.

In its response to the motion for partial summary judgment in the trial court

below, CommunityBank asserted that prior to any hearing on the motion to

dismiss, the bankruptcy court scheduled a management conference in the adversary

proceeding. On the day before the management conference, OCIB, Garrett, and

Jarrell filed a motion to approve a settlement agreement. Without any evidentiary

hearing, the bankruptcy judge entered an agreed final judgment in the adversary

proceeding (the “Agreed Final Judgment”). The Agreed Final Judgment reads, in

part:

IT IS ORDERED THAT Orange County Insurance Brokerage And Ian Garrett, Plaintiffs, recover Judgment from Debtor Randy Alvin Jarrell, in the amount of $750,000.00, plus post-judgment interest on the judgment at the rate of 0.18% per year.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED THAT the judgment for Orange County Insurance Brokerage And Ian Garrett, Plaintiffs, is hereby declared to be non-dischargeable pursuant to 11 U.S.C. Section 523(a)(2)(A).

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED THAT the obligations of Debtor Randy Alvin Jarrell under the Settlement Agreement dated April 19, 2012, are declared to be non-dischargeable.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED THAT all other indebtedness owed by Debtor Randy Alvin Jarrell to Orange County Insurance Brokerage And Ian Garrett, Plaintiffs, is hereby DISCHARGED. 5 IT IS FURTHER ORDERED THAT all other relief requested by Orange County Insurance Brokerage And Ian Garrett, Plaintiffs, against Debtor Randy Alvin Jarrell, in the First Amended Complaint Of Orange County Insurance Brokerage And Ian Garrett For A Declaratory Judgment And To Determine The Dischargeability Of A Debt, is DENIED.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED THAT all claims of Orange County Insurance Brokerage And Ian Garrett, Plaintiffs, against CommunityBank of Texas, N.A. and/or Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., are dismissed, without prejudice.

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CommunityBank of Texas, N.A. v. Orange County Insurance Brokerage, Inc. and Ian Garrett, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/communitybank-of-texas-na-v-orange-county-insurance-brokerage-inc-and-texapp-2016.