Federal Deposit Insurance v. Herald Square Fabrics Corp.

81 A.D.2d 168, 439 N.Y.S.2d 944, 32 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 558, 1981 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 10509
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedJune 15, 1981
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 81 A.D.2d 168 (Federal Deposit Insurance v. Herald Square Fabrics Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Federal Deposit Insurance v. Herald Square Fabrics Corp., 81 A.D.2d 168, 439 N.Y.S.2d 944, 32 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 558, 1981 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 10509 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Mangano, J.

Three primary issues are raised on this appeal. The first concerns the formal requisites for the enforceability of a contract for the sale of chattel paper. The second involves the authority of a court, on a motion for summary judgment, to interpret a printed contract when there appears on its face a blank space. The third requires the statutory construction of the term “commercial reasonableness”, in the context of section 9-504 of the Uniform Commercial Code, and specifically poses the following question: when there has been a postdefault disposition of collateral by a secured creditor, to what extent or degree will a discrepancy between the collateral’s original sale price and its disposal price be sufficient to raise an issue of fact for trial, and thus defeat a motion for summary judgment?

On December 18, 1970 Leonard Machinery Corporation (Leonard) and Franklin National Bank (the bank) en[170]*170tered into a dealer agreement covering the periodic sale by Leonard to .the bank of “conditional sales contracts, leases, other title retention documents, lien instruments (all hereinafter referred to as ‘Instruments’) and promissory notes (hereinafter referred to as ‘Notes’), arising from the sale of goods and services or leasing of equipment and the extension of credit.” The agreement, apparently drawn up on a preprinted form prepared by the bank, provided that the bank would not be obligated to accept any note or instrument offered for sale, and that: “Any Note and Instrument having a face value in excess of $ [would] be deemed to be and called an ‘Excess Transaction’. All Excess Transactions [would] be excluded from the terms of paragraph 7(b). [Leonard’s] liability on any purchase by [the bank] of an Excess Transaction [would] be subject to such agreement as may be made in connection therewith.” (Emphasis added.) Of particular note is the fact that the blank space in the above-quoted provision was intended for the entry of a money amount, over which any transaction would have been termed an excess transaction. This blank space was never completed. Also of note is the fact that, if the blank space had been completed, and the term excess transaction defined, the only effect would have been the exclusion of all such transactions from the provisions of subdivision (b) of paragraph 7. As will be explained, subdivision (b) of paragraph 7 simply placed a limitation on Leonard’s liability under the agreement in any given year.

Paragraph 2 of the dealer agreement established that Leonard’s liability on any note or instrument purchased by the bank would be determined solely by the agreement. It specifically read in relevant part: “All Notes and Instruments that [the bank] may purchase hereunder shall be respectively duly endorsed and assigned by [Leonard] to [the bank] without recourse, but liability thereunder shall be determined by this agreement.” (Emphasis added.)

Paragraph 4 read in relevant part: “For each Note and Instrument that [the bank] purchase [s] from [Leonard], [Leonard] shall accept a sum equal to the net amount thereof less finance and other charges.”

Subdivision (a) of paragraph 7 specified the extent of Leonard’s liability if the primary promissor, obligor, or [171]*171debtor on any note or instrument should default in any of his obligations thereunder, or if a petition should be filed by or against him under any provisions of the Bankruptcy Act, or if any other event as detailed in subdivision (a) of paragraph 7 should occur to impair the bank’s security or increase the credit risk involved. In such event, Leonard promised, at the bank’s option, and without the requirement of any formal notice, to forthwith “repurchase all of the outstanding Notes and Instruments of the said [promissor, obligor, or debtor] purchased by [the bank] whether in default or not, and [to] pay [the bank] therefor the unpaid amount owing on said Notes and Instruments and any disbursements and legal fees incurred by [the bank] in connection therewith”.

Subdivision (b) of paragraph 7 was a liability limitation clause to the effect that:

“The liability of [Leonard] to repurchase Notes and Instruments under this numbered paragraph only shall be limited as follows:
“(1) At any time during any calendar year [repurchase shall be limited to] 25% of the total balances due on all Notes and Instruments purchased by [the bank] from the date of this Agreement”.

Finally, in paragraph 8 of the agreement it was provided that if Leonard should fail to perform any of the terms or conditions thereof, it would be required to “repurchase all of the outstanding Notes or Instruments purchased by [the bank], whether in default or not, and pay [the bank] the unpaid amount owing on said Notes or Instruments and any disbursements and legal fees incurred by [the bank] in connection therewith”. In paragraph 9 it was agreed that Leonard’s obligation thereunder would “not be affected by any provision of the terms of any Notes or Instruments”. In paragraph 10 the agreement was deemed to have superseded all existing agreements between the parties “and all purchases of Notes or Instruments from the date of this Agreement [were] deemed to have been made under the terms [t]hereof.” And in paragraph 11 there was a clause excluding modification except by a signed writing, to wit: “No provision of this Agreement shall be modified or altered [172]*172except in writing duly signed by [the bank’s] duly authorized officers.”

In March, 1973 Leonard sold six knitting machines to Herald Square Fabrics, Inc. (Herald Square). The sale price was $85,200. In payment thereof, Leonard took a down payment of 10 % ($8,520), leaving an unpaid balance of $76,680. This unpaid balance, plus other charges, resulted in a time balance of $88,192, for which Leonard took back a promissory note. The note was executed by Herald Square, as promissor, for the benefit of Leonard, as promisee, and indorsed “with recourse” by two individuals, Herman and Fred Zucker,1 and “without recourse” by Leonard. It was then secured by, and delivered in connection with, a security agreement, dated March 29, 1973. This agreement between Leonard, as secured creditor, and Herald Square, as debtor, was, in turn, assigned, with the promissory note, by Leonard to Franklin National Bank for value received.

On April 3,1973 a financing statement was filed showing Leonard as the secured creditor of Herald Square, and the bank as Leonard’s assignee. The financing statement also showed the six knitting machines purchased by Herald Square as the subject collateral.

It appears that within the next six months, Herald Square defaulted in its payments on the note and security agreement. Consequently, on or about September 19, 1973, Franklin National Bank served Herald Square with a default notice, followed soon after by several other such notices. Finally, on or about November 16, 1973, the bank made a formal demand on Herald Square for the unpaid balance on the note and agreement, then amounting to $78,-392.88 (plus accrued late charges of $489.96). At almost the same time, Herald Square apparently filed a petition for an arrangement in bankruptcy.

On February 4, 1974 the bank made a formal demand on Leonard, pursuant to the dealer agreement of December 18, 1970, for immediate payment of its “obligation of 25% of the balances due from Herald Square”. The bank claimed a [173]

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81 A.D.2d 168, 439 N.Y.S.2d 944, 32 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 558, 1981 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 10509, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/federal-deposit-insurance-v-herald-square-fabrics-corp-nyappdiv-1981.