Eakin v. Continental Illinois National Bank & Trust Co.

121 F.R.D. 363, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9087, 1988 WL 86390
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedAugust 12, 1988
DocketNo. 87 C 5270
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 121 F.R.D. 363 (Eakin v. Continental Illinois National Bank & Trust Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eakin v. Continental Illinois National Bank & Trust Co., 121 F.R.D. 363, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9087, 1988 WL 86390 (N.D. Ill. 1988).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

BRIAN BARNETT DUFF, District Judge.

In two previous Memorandum Opinions, this court attempted to explain to defendant Continental Illinois National Bank (“Continental”) that it had to live up to the commitments it gave to Allied Fidelity Insurance Company (“Allied”) under a standby letter of credit (“the Letter of Credit”) despite the fact that Allied’s rights had vested in its liquidator, Indiana Insurance Commissioner Harry E. Eakin (“the liquidator”). Eakin v. Continental, 687 F.Supp. 1259 (1988) (“Eakin”); Allied v. Continental, 677 F.Supp. 562 (1988) (“Allied”). Continental, however, refused to listen, and pursued a course of hyper-technical arguments and twisted interpretations of this court’s rulings which prolonged this litigation. Nevertheless, because the liquidator did not request sanctions, see Fed.R.Civ.P. 11 (“Rule 11”), and because Continental’s positions only bordered on the frivolous, this court chose not to inquire into the propriety of imposing Rule 11 sanctions.

Now Continental has done it again, frivolously objecting to the court’s decision to grant the liquidator specific performance of the Letter of Credit. As will become evident below, this time Continental has gone too far.

BACKGROUND

This case originated with Continental’s refusal to pay Allied $805,000 pursuant to the Letter of Credit. Continental’s customer, Bill’s Coal Company, had procured the credit from Continental for the benefit of Allied in return for Allied’s issuance of surety bonds (“the Surety Bonds”) on behalf of Bill’s Coal Company. The Letter of Credit required Continental to pay Allied upon presentation of a sight draft and documents certifying that Allied had incurred liability under the Surety Bond, that it would use the funds only to satisfy that liability, and that it would return to Continental funds not used for that purpose.

On July 8, 1986, Allied’s vice-president provided Continental with a sight draft and certification documents, but Continental refused to honor the draft on the basis of typographical errors in the documents.

By the time Allied received notice of Continental’s rejection, it had gone into liquidation in Indiana. When the liquidator subsequently corrected the documents, signed them on behalf of Allied and presented them to Continental, Continental again rejected them. This time, Continental asserted that, because title to Allied had vested in the liquidator, the liquidator had to promise not that Allied would reimburse unused funds, but that he would. The liquidator refused and filed suit in this court, naming Allied as plaintiff. Continental promptly moved to dismiss on the [365]*365grounds that the liquidator, not Allied, was the proper plaintiff, and that the liquidator’s failure to personally guarantee reimbursement rendered the certification documents non-conforming.

In Allied, this court denied Continental’s motion. The court ruled that, although the liquidator, not Allied, was the real-party-in-interest, Rule 15 permitted the liquidator to substitute as plaintiff. The court further ruled that, because all of Allied’s rights and obligations had vested in the liquidator as a matter of law, the liquidator’s promise that Allied would reimburse complied with the certification requirements. The liquidator then substituted as plaintiff and moved for summary judgment.

In Eakin, the court granted the motion. In so doing, the court rejected for a second time Continental’s re-argument that the liquidator had to personally guarantee that Allied would return any funds not needed to satisfy its liability under the Surety Bond. The court also held that, although the complaint requested “damages” for Continental’s refusal to accept the certification documents and to turn over the $805,-000, the proper relief was specific performance. The reason for this, the court explained, was the Letter of Credit’s “collateral security provision:”

The “collateral security provision” gives the liquidator the right to obtain Continental’s money before Allied has suffered any losses under the surety bond. See Safeco Insurance Co. of America v. Schwab, 739 F.2d 431 (9th Cir.1984); Milwaukee Construction Co. v. Glenns Falls Insurance Co., 367 F.2d 964 (9th Cir.1966). To date, there simply are no damages for this court to award.

Eakin 687 F.Supp. at 1262. Thus, the court ruled that it would grant the liquidator specific performance; that is, the court instructed the liquidator to prepare an order for this court’s signature which would require Continental to turn over the $805,000 in return for the liquidator’s certification documents.

The liquidator did so, and Continental objected, insisting that specific performance is inappropriate in this case. Because Allied had not requested specific performance, the court allowed Continental time to brief its objections (“the Objections”). Continental has now done so, arguing that specific performance is inappropriate for two reasons: first, because the liquidator did not request such relief; and second, because the availability of an adequate remedy at law prevents this court from ordering specific performance.1

DISCUSSION

Failure to Request

Rule 54 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides, in pertinent part:

(c) Demand for Judgment. A judgment by default shall not be different in kind from or exceed in amount that prayed for in the demand for judgment. Except as to a party against whom a judgment is entered by default, every final judgment shall grant the relief to which the party in whose favor it is rendered is entitled, even if the party has not demanded such relief in the party’s pleading. (Emphasis added.)

The rule thus “makes clear that a judgment should give the relief to which a party is entitled, regardless of whether it is legal or equitable or both.” Advisory Committee Notes to Rule 54(c). (Emphasis added.) Accordingly, Continental’s argument that the liquidator’s failure to request specific performance precludes the court from granting it is frivolous.

Adequacy of Legal Remedy

Continental’s second argument, that the court must award damages rather than specific performance because damages provide an adequate remedy at law, is only [366]*366slightly more complicated and equally meritless. As explained above, this court ruled that specific performance was required here because Allied had not yet made payment on the Surety Bond and thus “to date, there simply are no damages to award.” In so doing, the court cited two other cases involving “collateral security provisions” similar to the one at issue here. See Safeco Insurance Co. of America v. Schwab, 739 F.2d 431 (9th Cir.1984);

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

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
121 F.R.D. 363, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9087, 1988 WL 86390, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eakin-v-continental-illinois-national-bank-trust-co-ilnd-1988.