Everman National Bank v. The United States

756 F.2d 865, 1985 U.S. App. LEXIS 14726
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
DecidedFebruary 28, 1985
DocketAppeal 84-1169
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 756 F.2d 865 (Everman National Bank v. The United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Everman National Bank v. The United States, 756 F.2d 865, 1985 U.S. App. LEXIS 14726 (Fed. Cir. 1985).

Opinions

BENNETT, Circuit Judge.

Plaintiff, Everman National Bank (Everman), appeals the decision of the United States Claims Court, 5 Cl.Ct. 118 (1984), dismissing its petition to recover from the United States, pursuant to a contract of guarantee, the major portion of the loss sustained in connection with an emergency livestock loan made by Everman to Truett C. House. We affirm the dismissal.

BACKGROUND

In the early 1970s House began operating a dairy in the Fort Worth milkshed. In 1974 dairymen throughout the country began experiencing severe financial distress. Until this time House had been successful in his dairy operations and enjoyed a good credit record. In September 1974 House requested Everman to loan him $145,000 pursuant to the Emergency Livestock Credit Act of 1974 (Act), Pub.L. No. 93-357, 88 Stat. 391 (1974). The Act authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into contracts guaranteeing loans made by legally organized lending agencies to individuals primarily and directly engaged in certain aspects of livestock production. The Act limited the amount of the guarantee to 80 percent of any loss sustained on the loan. On October 22, 1974, the Secretary of Agrh culture, acting through the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA), issued a contract of guarantee to Everman for the $145,000 loan to House. The primary purpose of the $145,000 loan was to retire an existing debt which House owed to Everman.

The financial condition of House’s dairy operation deteriorated and he was unable to make payments on the loan in a timely manner. In October 1975 House requested Everman to make a new loan of $160,000 pursuant to the Act, amended by Pub.L. No. 94-35, 89 Stat. 213 (1975). The 1975 amendment raised the guarantee limit to 90 percent of the principal and interest of the loan. Upon receiving the January 9, 1976 contract of guarantee from FmHA, Ever-man made the loan to House. House primarily used the proceeds of the loan to retire the existing obligation to Everman arising out of the earlier $145,000 loan. The deterioration of House’s dairy operation escalated and on August 31, 1976, House and his wife filed a petition in bankruptcy.

In the latter part of 1978, Everman filed with the FmHA a claim for its loss on the loan to House. On November 7, 1979, the [867]*867state office of FmHA denied Everman’s claim. Everman met with the State Director of the FmHA who affirmed the original decision to deny the claim. On November 29, 1979, Everman appealed to the national office of FmHA. On March 14,1980, the Administrator of FmHA determined not to honor Everman’s claim. On August 12, 1981, Everman filed its petition for $113,620.33 (plus interest, attorney fees, and costs) in damages in the United States Court of Claims. The United States contended that Everman had breached the contract of guarantee and was consequently precluded from recovering. The United States alleged that Everman (1) had misrepresented the value of House’s planned milk production and (2) had negligently serviced the loan.

The trial court found that prior to disbursing the proceeds of the loan on January 9,1976, Everman had actual knowledge that The City of Fort Worth had revoked House’s Grade A permit. The court considered the revocation to be a material fact which Everman was under a legal duty to disclose. The court held that Everman’s failure to disclose precluded it from recovering under the contract of guarantee. The court thus found it unnecessary to consider the United States’ contention that Everman was negligent in servicing the loan.

DISCUSSION

Local health authorities regularly inspect dairy operations to determine whether the milk is suitable for direct human consumption. Milk suitable for direct human consumption is referred to as “Grade A” milk. Possession of a Grade A milk permit is referred to as “on-grade.” Failure to comply with the requisite Grade A standards results in being “off-grade,” and loss of the Grade A permit. The loss of the Grade A permit may be either temporary (by suspension) or permanent (by revocation). A dairyman who loses his Grade A permit likely will be allowed to sell his milk for manufacturing purposes. Milk sold for manufacturing purposes is referred to as “Grade B” milk. The significance in possessing a Grade A permit as opposed to a Grade B permit is that a dairyman can sell Grade A milk for approximately twice the price of Grade B milk. Consequently, the loss of a Grade A permit is likely to be financially ruinous to one engaged primarily in the production of milk.

On October 24, 1975, Everman requested a contract of guarantee from FmHA in connection with the proposed loan of $160,-000 to House. In its request, Everman valued House’s planned milk production at $349,020. In valuing the planned milk production, Everman assumed that House would sell his milk for direct human consumption.1 The valuation of House’s planned milk production was accurate at the time submitted. 5 Cl.Ct. at 125.

On October 15, 1975, a Fort Worth milk inspector collected a milk sample from House’s dairy. A laboratory analysis revealed that the milk sample exceeded the Grade A bacteria count permitted by Fort Worth. A second sample taken on October 28, 1975, likewise exceeded the allowable Grade A bacteria count. Consequently, on October 30, 1975, Fort Worth health authorities suspended House’s Grade A milk permit. In response to House’s request for reinstatement of his Grade A permit, an inspector informed House that he must sign a document evidencing that during the period of suspension he had not disposed of the milk from his dairy for direct human consumption. House refused to disclose what he had done with the milk. On November 11, 1975, the local authorities reinstated House’s Grade A permit pending a hearing. At the hearing on November 17, 1975, the health authorities gave House the option of either disclosing information concerning the disposition of milk from his dairy during the period of suspension or [868]*868having his Grade A permit revoked. House chose the latter and the health authorities revoked the permit at once. This is a matter of public record.

In supporting its dismissal of Everman’s claim, the trial court stated:

Sometime in December 1975, the Bank learned that Mr. House’s Grade A permit had been revoked by the City of Fort Worth, that Mr. House’s dairy was permanently off grade in the Fort Worth milkshed, and that the milk from the dairy could no longer be sold in that milkshed at Grade A prices for direct human consumption.

5 Cl.Ct. 121; see id. at 127. Everman contends that the trial court’s finding was clearly erroneous. We agree. Everman’s president, Tommie J. Owen, testified that it was not until about January 25, 1976, that he learned of the revocation of House’s Grade A permit. The United States did not present any evidence which contradicted Owen’s testimony. Because Everman did not have actual knowledge of the revocation until after it had disbursed the loan proceeds to House, it could not have misled FmHA with respect to the revocation of House’s permit. The portion of the trial court’s decision, which precludes Everman from recovering on the basis of its failure to disclose the revocation, is in error but is unnecessary to the same result under the facts of this case.

While Everman was not aware of the revocation until about January 25, 1976, it admits that in December 1975, prior to disbursing the loan proceeds, it became aware that the Grade A permit had been suspended.

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Everman National Bank v. The United States
756 F.2d 865 (Federal Circuit, 1985)

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Bluebook (online)
756 F.2d 865, 1985 U.S. App. LEXIS 14726, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/everman-national-bank-v-the-united-states-cafc-1985.