FIRST NAT. COMMERCE, ETC. v. Indiana Nat. Bank

360 So. 2d 791, 24 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 991, 1978 Fla. App. LEXIS 16270
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedJuly 5, 1978
Docket77-1101
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 360 So. 2d 791 (FIRST NAT. COMMERCE, ETC. v. Indiana Nat. Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
FIRST NAT. COMMERCE, ETC. v. Indiana Nat. Bank, 360 So. 2d 791, 24 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 991, 1978 Fla. App. LEXIS 16270 (Fla. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

360 So.2d 791 (1978)

FIRST NATIONAL COMMERCE AND FINANCE COMPANY, Appellant,
v.
The INDIANA NATIONAL BANK, Appellee.

No. 77-1101.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.

July 5, 1978.

*792 Alfred Gustinger, Jr., Miami, for appellant.

Paul, Landy, Beiley & Yacos and Jeffrey S. Tanen, Miami, for appellee.

Before HAVERFIELD, C.J., and PEARSON, J., and CHARLES CARROLL (Ret.), Associate Judge.

PEARSON, Judge.

The defendant, First National Commerce and Finance Company, appeals a summary final judgment for plaintiff, The Indiana National Bank. The appellee, The Indiana National Bank, brought suit to foreclose its recorded security interest in an aircraft. One of the defendants named was First National Commerce and Finance Company, who had purchased the aircraft at a mechanic's lien sale pursuant to Section 85.031(2), Florida Statutes (1975). The order appealed recites the following stipulated facts which have not been controverted on this appeal:

"The above-styled action came on for hearing before the Court on April 14, 1977 upon the Motion of Plaintiff-Counter-Defendant, THE INDIANA NATIONAL BANK, hereinafter called (`INDIANA') for Summary Judgment on Counts I and II of its Complaint and on the Counterclaim asserted by Defendant-Counter-Plaintiff, FIRST NATIONAL COMMERCE AND FINANCE COMPANY, hereinafter called (`FNC'). The Court has reviewed the file, has read the memorandum of law submitted by counsel for the respective parties and has entertained the arguments advanced by counsel for the respective parties.
"Therefore, upon consideration, it is:
"FOUND AND DETERMINED that the following facts have been either stipulated and agreed to by the parties in respect of the subject Motion for Summary Judgment by virtue of their respective memoranda of law or are without contradiction, gathered from the affidavits, depositions and pleadings, to wit:
"On October 19, 1974, INDIANA financed the purchase of a Cessna 401, Serial Number 401-0056, F.A.A. Registry Number N-8007-M, hereinafter called *793 (`SUBJECT AIRCRAFT') by CABAIR, INC. for payments aggregating $123,137.50. The Installment Sales Contract was duly recorded with the Federal Aviation Administration (hereinafter called `F.A.A.') Registry, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 1403 on November 25, 1974, as acknowledged by the F.A.A.
"On April 7, 1975, SUN COUNTRY AIRLINES, INC., assumed the obligation of CABAIR, INC. on the Installment Sales Contract. This Assumption Agreement was duly recorded with the F.A.A., pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 1403 on May 13, 1975.
"SUN COUNTRY AIRLINES, INC. and CABAIR, INC. have made no monthly payments since approximately June of 1976 and, therefore, are in default. As of January 19, 1977, the balance owed INDIANA was $76,279.96.
"The last payment was received on June 8, 1976 and applied to the due and outstanding April 1, 1976 payment. Prior to July 13, 1976, INDIANA received a telephone call from SUN COUNTRY AIRLINES, hereinafter called (`SUN COUNTRY'), in which call SUN COUNTRY advised that it could not meet the payment schedule on its obligation and requested INDIANA pick up the subject aircraft at the North Perry Airport located in Broward County, Florida. SUN COUNTRY did not advise INDIANA that the subject aircraft was being held for a lien or that it was chained to the ground.
"On July 13, 1976, INDIANA advised one Jack L. Rhodes, President of Jack L. Rhodes Aircraft Sales, Inc. that SUN COUNTRY had been in contact with INDIANA and had requested that INDIANA pick up the subject aircraft, that the subject aircraft was located at the North Perry Airport and that one engine was not operational and indicated low cylinder pressure. On a week day following July 30, 1976, Rhodes unsuccessfully went to the North Perry Airport to pick up the subject aircraft.
"Some time after February 1, 1976, CORT AVIATION, INC., a Florida corporation engaged in providing mechanical services and storage space to aircraft owners, hereinafter called (`CORT'), undertook repairs on the subject aircraft. This work resulted in $900.00 of mechanic's charges for labor and parts. The $900.00 was not paid by SUN COUNTRY AIRLINES, INC. No Mechanic's Lien was ever recorded by CORT AVIATION, INC. with the F.A.A.
"On July 30, 1976, to satisfy the Mechanic's Lien, CORT sold the subject aircraft, pursuant to Florida Statutes § 85.031(2) to FNC. No actual notice of the sale was every given to INDIANA."

The court entered its opinion on the question of law presented.

"The issue before the Court is whether the sale of an aircraft conducted pursuant to Florida Statutes § 85.031(2) by a mechanic in possession can extinguish and divest the interest of the holder and owner of a lien validly perfected with the F.A.A. without notice to such secured party. This Court holds that such a sale cannot lawfully extinguish such a prior recorded lien; for holding to the contrary would be itself contrary to Florida law, inequitable in the extreme and unconstitutional in that the holder and owner of the lien would be divested of an interest in property without due process of law.
"The purpose of Florida Statute § 85.031(2) is to allow a mechanic who or which has put labor and materials into a chattel to receive payment for that labor and for those materials. The statute does not expressly or implicitly provide that, by a statutory sale, a prior existing lien on that chattel would be extinguished. It is a rule of statutory construction that a statute enumerating things upon which it is to operate must be construed as excluding from its operation all things not expressly mentioned therein. See, e.g., Ideal Farms Drainage Dist. v. Certain Lands, 19 So.2d 234 (Fla. 1944); Dobbs v. Sea Isle Hotel, 56 So.2d 341 (Fla. 1952). Therefore the concept of extinguishment is excluded. The Court has been presented with no legal authority *794 whatsoever to the effect that the legislature of this State intended to provide that a statutory sale by a mechanic would divest all other parties of record of their respective interests in that property and, thereby, extinguish their respective lien rights.
"FNC has argued to this Court that CORT, a mechanic lienor, had priority over the secured lien of INDIANA, that the operation of the statutory sale extinguished the secured lien of INDIANA, and that, therefore, FNC, as purchaser, took the aircraft free and clear of INDIANA's lien. To the extent that FNC took the position of CORT, and only to that extent, it has a first lien, i.e., to the extent of $900.00. As to extinguishing the $76,279.96 interest of INDIANA, the sale did not, because it lawfully could not, effect the result.
"If Florida Statute § 85.031(2) allowed a mechanic in possession to extinguish by sale prior liens, without notice to secured parties, then that statute would be unconstitutional in that a taking of an interest in property would be authorized under color of state law but without due process of law. Florida law requires, for example, that a holder of a mortgage lien cannot be deprived of that lien without due process of law. See, Seaboard All Florida Railway v. Labiet, 141 So. 886 (Fla. 1932).

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Bluebook (online)
360 So. 2d 791, 24 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 991, 1978 Fla. App. LEXIS 16270, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-nat-commerce-etc-v-indiana-nat-bank-fladistctapp-1978.