FIRST NAT. BANK OF ABBEVILLE v. Greene

612 So. 2d 759, 1992 La. App. LEXIS 4039, 1992 WL 382090
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 21, 1992
Docket91-1104
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 612 So. 2d 759 (FIRST NAT. BANK OF ABBEVILLE v. Greene) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
FIRST NAT. BANK OF ABBEVILLE v. Greene, 612 So. 2d 759, 1992 La. App. LEXIS 4039, 1992 WL 382090 (La. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

612 So.2d 759 (1992)

FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF ABBEVILLE, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Donald GREENE, et al, Defendants-Appellants.

No. 91-1104.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

December 21, 1992.
Rehearing Denied March 4, 1993.

*760 Roy Lilly Jr, Baton Rouge, for defendants-appellants.

Calvin Woodruff, Abbeville, for plaintiff-appellee.

Before STOKER, YELVERTON and COOKS, JJ.

STOKER, Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment recognizing certain in rem collateral mortgages on defendants' property which secure two collateral mortgage notes. The main issues in this case are whether there was a proper pledge of the collateral mortgage notes to secure a hand note and whether the hand note was novated without a repledging of the collateral mortgage notes. We affirm.

FACTS

In 1984, Hardy Tractor of Gueydon, Inc. sought financing for the construction of a new building. Ruby Linscomb Hair LeBlanc and Delores Hair Dietz were relatives of the company's president in 1984, Keith Hair. LeBlanc and Dietz owned the tract of land which Hardy Tractor leased for its business operations. LeBlanc and Dietz agreed to put in rem collateral mortgages on their property in order to secure two loans to Hardy Tractor from First National Bank of Abbeville. Dietz, who lived out of state, executed two powers of attorney in favor of LeBlanc for the sole purpose of confecting the collateral mortgages to secure the two loans to Hardy Tractor (for $100,000 and, later, an additional $20,000).

The collateral mortgage for $100,000 was executed on January 11, 1984 and signed by Keith Hair on behalf of Hardy Tractor and by Ruby Linscomb (now LeBlanc) on behalf of herself and Dietz. However, the collateral mortgage note and the collateral pledge agreement were signed only by Keith Hair for Hardy Tractor. The pledge agreement states that the collateral is pledged by the borrower (Hardy Tractor).

On June 1, 1984, a collateral mortgage for $20,000 was executed and signed by Keith Hair for Hardy Tractor and by Ruby Linscomb for herself and Dietz. Again, the collateral mortgage note and the collateral pledge agreement were signed only by Keith Hair for Hardy Tractor. The pledge agreement states that the collateral is pledged by the borrower (Hardy Tractor).

The debtors delivered both of these notes to the First National Bank of Abbeville (Bank), and these two collateral mortgage notes have remained in the Bank's possession at all times pertinent to the lawsuit.

Hardy Tractor executed five hand notes in 1984 up to the $120,000 total limit, against which the collateral mortgage notes were pledged as security. The hand notes each matured in sixty or ninety days. Subsequently, the hand notes were consolidated and renewed in one note for $120,000, with eleven monthly payments plus a *761 final balloon payment due in August 1985. This note stated that it was also secured by the original pledges. It was signed by Keith Hair and Donald Greene for Hardy Tractor. Donald Greene was a director of Hardy Tractor.

In September 1985, the hand note was again renewed for the balance due of $113,463.96, payable in eleven monthly installments plus a final balloon note due in September 1986. This note was signed for Hardy Tractor by Wayne Zaunbrecker, Donald Greene and Burton Hardy, all directors of Hardy Tractor. A new collateral pledge agreement was drawn up, pledging the two 1984 collateral mortgage notes to secure the new hand note. The 1985 pledge agreement states that it does not have the effect of releasing the original 1984 pledge agreements. The 1985 pledge agreement is signed by Wayne Zaunbrecker, on behalf of himself, Hardy Tractor and three other principals in Hardy Tractor, and by Donald Greene and Burton Hardy. Also, Wayne Zaunbrecker, Donald Greene and Burton Hardy signed a continuing guaranty for the Hardy Tractor note on September 30, 1985.

Sometime in 1986, Hardy Tractor of Gueydon, Inc. became defunct. Donald Greene, Wayne Zaunbrecker and Burton Hardy agreed to divide and personally assume the corporate debts. Donald Greene assumed the debt owed to First National Bank of Abbeville.

In February 1987, First National Bank accepted a new hand note signed by Donald Greene for $108,339.55, for which it renewed the loan for the balance due on the 1985 Hardy Tractor hand note. The new note was payable in eleven monthly installments with a balloon payment due in February 1988. The note stated, "Collateral securing other loans with us may also secure this loan." Also, on February 17, 1987, Burton Hardy and Wayne Zaunbrecker signed a continuing guaranty on the note given by Donald Greene.

Finally, in July 1988, the Bank made the last renewal of the loan on the basis of a note given by Donald Greene for $104,920.92, payable on demand or on January 25, 1989, plus one quarterly interest payment on October 25, 1988. The note states that it is secured by the two 1984 collateral mortgage notes. It is signed by Donald Greene.

Donald Greene became delinquent in payment of the 1988 hand note. The Bank placed him in default and sent a notice of the default to LeBlanc and Dietz, as required by the collateral mortgage. On June 22, 1989, the Bank filed this suit against Donald Greene, Delores Hair (Dietz) and Ruby Linscomb (LeBlanc) for the balance due on the 1988 hand note plus accrued interest ($112,301.83), plus interest until paid, attorney fees and costs, and for recognition of the two 1984 collateral mortgages.

TRIAL COURT ACTION

Dietz and LeBlanc filed an exception of no cause of action alleging that the Bank's petition sets forth only conclusions of law as to its secured interests in the property, rather than facts tending to show a pledge of the collateral mortgage notes to secure the promissory notes sued on by the Bank. They argued that the Bank's allegations that the hand notes are "secured" by the collateral mortgage notes are mere legal conclusions. The trial judge denied the exception. Dietz and LeBlanc then answered with a general denial.

At trial, the Bank introduced evidence of the debt, the in rem collateral mortgages, and the pledges. The loan officer who handled the loan, Steve Griffin, testified that Donald Greene personally took over Hardy Tractor's debt after Hardy Tractor went out of business. Donald Greene testified that neither he nor Hardy Tractor ever released the collateral mortgages on the property which secured the debt.

Dietz, LeBlanc, and their attorney failed to appear at trial, due to having overlooked the notice of the trial date which was sent to them.

The trial judge held in favor of the Bank, granting a judgment against Greene for $113,759.29 and recognizing the collateral *762 mortgages and the in rem collateral mortgage notes pledged to the Bank.

Dietz and LeBlanc filed a motion for new trial which was denied.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

On appeal, Dietz and LeBlanc make the following assignments of error:

First, appellants argue that the Bank's pleadings failed to allege facts showing the hand note was secured by collateral mortgages on their property. Therefore, the evidence of the pledge agreements and collateral mortgage notes was improperly admitted and thus enlarged the pleadings.

Second, they contend that defendants failed to establish a prima facie case by competent evidence.

Third, appellants argue that the hand note issued to Hardy Tractor was extinguished by novation. Therefore, the new hand note to Donald Greene was not secured by the pledge securing the Hardy Tractor note.

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Bluebook (online)
612 So. 2d 759, 1992 La. App. LEXIS 4039, 1992 WL 382090, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-nat-bank-of-abbeville-v-greene-lactapp-1992.