First National Bank in Munday v. Lubbock Feeders, L.P.

183 S.W.3d 875, 2006 Tex. App. LEXIS 233, 2006 WL 60812
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided January 12, 2006·No. 11-04-00190-CV·Published·Cited by 23 cases

Opinion

OPINION

TERRY McCALL, Justice.

In this appeal, First National Bank in Munday and Lubbock Feeders, L.P., claim competing security interests in the same cattle. The trial court granted summary judgment to Lubbock Feeders, holding that it had a purchase money security interest in the cattle and the proceeds from the sales of the cattle with priority over the Bank’s security interest in the cattle. In three appellate issues, the Bank argues that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment. Because Lubbock Feeders met its summary judgment burden of establishing that it had a perfected purchase money security interest in the cattle, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Background Fads

The Bank sued Briscoe Cattle Exchange Corp. and John William Cox for sums due *878 and owing on various notes. The Bank alleged that Cox had defaulted on nine notes and that he had guarantor liability on two Briscoe Cattle Exchange notes. The Bank alleged that it had a security interest in all livestock owned by Cox, wherever located and whenever acquired. The Bank sought a writ of sequestration for all of Cox’s livestock, including any livestock located in Lubbock County, Texas. Lubbock Feeders intervened in the suit, alleging claims against Cox for sums due and owing on various loans. Lubbock Feeders also sought a declaratory judgment that it had a superior purchase money security interest in Cox’s Lubbock County cattle. 1

The Bank and Lubbock Feeders moved for summary judgment. Both parties claimed a superior security interest in Cox’s Lubbock County cattle. The Bank did not claim that it had a purchase money security interest in Cox’s Lubbock County cattle. Lubbock Feeders argued that the summary judgment evidence established the following: (1) that it had a purchase money security interest in the cattle under Section 9.103(a) of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) 2 because its loans to Cox enabled him to acquire his interests in the cattle; (2) that it perfected its security interest in the cattle under Sections 9.310 and 9.313 of the UCC 3 by taking possession of the cattle and by filing financing statements covering the cattle; (3) that it was not required to give the Bank notice of its security interest under Section 9.324(d) of the UCC 4 to obtain priority status; and (4) that, even though it was not required to give the Bank notice of its security interest, it gave the Bank notice of its security interest complying with Section 9.324(d). In response, the Bank asserted the following: (1) that Lubbock Feeders failed to perfect its security interest and (2) that Lubbock Feeders failed to give the Bank the required notice of its security interest under Section 9.324(d) of the UCC. Therefore, the Bank argued that it had the superior security interest in the cattle.

The trial court granted summary judgment to Lubbock Feeders. The trial court also entered an order severing the claims between the Bank and Lubbock Feeders from the remainder of the action. Therefore, the summary judgment became final and appealable.

Issues Presented

The Bank attacks the trial court’s granting of summary judgment in three appellate issues. In its first issue, the Bank argues that the trial court applied the wrong summary judgment standard in making an “implied finding of fact” that Lubbock Feeders had a superior right and interest in the cattle. In its second issue, the Bank asserts that the summary judgment evidence created a fact issue as to (1) whether Lubbock Feeders had a perfected purchase money security interest in the *879 cattle and (2) whether Lubbock Feeders complied with requirements for priority of a purchase money security interest in livestock. In its third issue, the Bank contends that Lubbock Feeders’s summary judgment evidence — the affidavit of Kyle Williams — failed to meet its summary judgment burden of establishing that no genuine issue of material fact existed.

Standard of Review

This case involves the review of a traditional motion for summary judgment. We will apply the well-recognized standard of review for traditional summary judgments. We must consider the summary judgment evidence in the fight most favorable to the non-movant, indulging all reasonable inferences in favor of the non-movant, and determine whether the movant proved that there were no genuine issues of material fact and that it was entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Nixon v. Mr. Property Mgmt. Co., 690 S.W.2d 546 (Tex.1985); City of Houston v. Clear Creek Basin Auth., 589 S.W.2d 671 (Tex.1979).

Affidavit of Kyle Williams

Lubbock Feeders presented an affidavit from its yard manager, Kyle Williams, in support of its motion for summary judgment. Williams stated that he had familiarity with Lubbock Feeders’s financed accounts with its customers and that his job duties required him to stay familiar with the accounts.

Williams explained that Lubbock Feeders operates a commercial feed yard and offers its customers feeding programs with several different payment options, including a cattle and feed financed option. Under the cattle and feed financed option, Lubbock Feeders advances a fine of credit to its customer to finance the customer’s purchase of cattle and makes subsequent periodic loan advances for financing feed costs and yardage. Customers choosing the cattle and feed financed option execute a loan and security agreement granting Lubbock Feeders a security interest in the customer’s cattle. Lubbock Feeders documents each money advance to its customers with a loan certificate.

Williams explained in detail Cox’s relationship with Lubbock Feeders. Cox fed cattle at Lubbock Feeders’s feedlot under the cattle and feed financed option. If Cox wanted to purchase cattle and place those cattle with Lubbock Feeders, then Lubbock Feeders would finance 80% of the purchase price of Cox’s interest in the cattle and reasonable feeding costs.

In 2002 and 2003, Cox fed cattle on the following lots, among others, at Lubbock Feeders’s feed yard: Lot 101, Lot 151, Lot 277, and Lot 282. Cox and Lubbock Feeders executed feeding agreements covering all four lots. Cox had a revolving fine of credit with Lubbock Feeders enabling him to borrow the money necessary to purchase his interests in the cattle. Cox signed loan and security agreements evidencing the loans. The security agreements gave Lubbock Feeders a security interest in Cox’s cattle then owned or thereafter acquired.

Cox purchased all of the cattle from third party vendors at sale barn auctions. When Cox wanted to purchase a group of cattle, he submitted an invoice to Lubbock Feeders identifying the cattle by a specific head number, sex, pay weight, and price. As Cox purchased each set of cattle, Lubbock Feeders prepared a loan certificate relating to that set of cattle and showing the amount of the loan advance.

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First National Bank in Munday v. Lubbock Feeders, L.P., 183 S.W.3d 875, 2006 Tex. App. LEXIS 233, 2006 WL 60812 (Tex. Ct. App. 2006).

183 S.W.3d 875 (First National Bank in Munday v. Lubbock Feeders, L.P.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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