Flowers v. United States (In Re Flowers)

78 B.R. 774, 1986 Bankr. LEXIS 6937
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. South Carolina
DecidedJanuary 10, 1986
Docket19-00872
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 78 B.R. 774 (Flowers v. United States (In Re Flowers)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Flowers v. United States (In Re Flowers), 78 B.R. 774, 1986 Bankr. LEXIS 6937 (S.C. 1986).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

J. BRATTON DAVIS, Bankruptcy Judge.

This is an adversary proceeding to determine the nature and extent of Farmers Home Administration’s secured claim, to avoid an unperfected security interest and to avoid post-petition transfers. The plaintiffs have filed a motion for summary judgment. The parties have stipulated there are no genuine issues of material fact involved and have requested the court to decide the case on the applicable law.

FACTS

The plaintiffs, Frank M. Flowers and Margaret S. Flowers (the Flowers), are debtors in this Chapter 11 case which was filed on March 8, 1984. The plaintiff, Marion R. Carrigan, is the trustee in this case.

The financial transactions giving rise to this adversary proceeding began in August 1982 when the Flowers closed a $2,000,000. financial transaction involving four (4) lenders. The lenders assert secured claims in this Chapter 11 case. The Federal Land Bank of Columbia (FLB) has a claim exceeding $1,374,000.; the Small Business Administration (SBA) has a claim of approximately $119,000.; the South Carolina National Bank (SCN) has a claim totaling $300,000.; and defendant Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) has a claim of $648,892.23.

There are six tracts of real estate involved in this adversary proceeding containing 1,619.38 acres, 117.34 acres, 29.59 acres, 16.272 acres, 93.14 acres and 302.66 acres, respectively. The combined fair market values of the first four tracts is $1,400,000. The fair market value of the 93.14 acres tract is $60,000. and the fair market value of the 302.66 acres tract is $80,000.

The real estate mortgages in favor of the four lenders herein were executed on August 11, 1982, and, except for the FmHA mortgage, all were recorded on August 11, 1982. The FmHA mortgage was recorded on August 12, 1982. The rank of the liens attaching to the respective collateral is as follows:

Property First Second Third
1,617.38 acres FLB SBA FmHA
117.35 acres FLB SBA FmHA
29.59 acres FLB SBA FmHA
16.272 acres FLB SBA FmHA
93.14 acres ‘Equitable Life SCN FmHA
Equitable Life SCN FmHA 302.6 acres
* (By mortgage dated 1977)

The Equitable Life’s claim is approximately $94,000.

The total of the claims of the FLB and SBA on the four tracts of land under their respective liens exceeds the fair market value by approximately $25,000. (this takes into consideration the debtors’ $66,000. Federal Land Bank stock). The fair market value of the 93.14 acres and 302.6 acres is exceeded by the total claims of the Equitable Life and SCN by over $180,000. There is no equity in real estate against which FmHA’s mortgage may attach.

On July 1,1982, the Flowers executed an assignment of milk proceeds in favor of the First National Bank of South Carolina (now SCN) in the amount of approximately $8,900. per month, which assignment was duly perfected by the filing of a financing statement with the Clerk of Court of Dar-lington County. On March 3, 1983, the Flowers executed an assignment of milk *776 proceeds in favor of FmHA in the amount of $6,776. per month, a copy of which is attached to Flowers’ petition for preliminary injunction. There is no security interest of FmHA in the Flowers’ cattle. FmHA has not filed any financing statement with the Darlington County Clerk of Court or the South Carolina Secretary of State, relating to a security interest in milk or milk proceeds. Since the filing of the Flowers’ Chapter 11 petition on March 8, 1984, FmHA has been paid through the assignment of milk proceeds, directly from Sumter Dairies, Inc., a total of $90,876.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

I

There is no dispute that the claim of FmHA to real estate is totally unsecured; therefore, the lien supporting the claim is void. 11 U.S.C. § 506(a), (d).

II

Defendants only assert a security interest in the milk and milk proceeds produced post-petition. The right to future milk proceeds is a contract right. S.C.Code § 36-9-106 (1976, as amended) 1 . The definition of “security interest” includes any interest of a buyer of accounts, chattel paper, or contract rights. Section 36-1-201(37). Chapter 9 of Title 36 of the South Carolina Code governing security interest in goods coyers the assignment in question because the assignment embraces contract rights. Section 36-9-102(l)(a). As the assignment in question is governed by Chapter 9 of Title 36 of the South Carolina Code, a financing statement should have been filed in order to perfect FmHA’s security interest in milk and milk proceeds. In re Liles and Raymond, 24 B.R. 627 (Bankr.M.D.Tenn.1982). “As a perfected judgment lien creditor, under South Carolina law, [the trustee's] lien is superior to FmHA’s unperfected security interest. S.C.Code § 36-9-301 (1976).” In re MSC, Inc., 54 B.R. 650 (Bankr.D.S.C.1985).

The exception to the filing of a financing statement created by § 36-9-302(l)(d) does not apply in this proceeding because the contract rights assigned to FmHA are significant rights. As the FmHA has been receiving approximately twelve (12%) percent of the debtors’ total monthly gross income from the sale of milk, the amount is significant as a matter of law. Matter of Bindl, 13 B.R. 148 (Bankr.W.D.Wis.1981). The reasoning of Bindl:

Milk proceeds checks are regularly subject to assignment in varying amounts as the facts of this case demonstrate. First, the presence of subsequent transferees is common. Second, notice to subsequent transferees would in all but the most insignificant of prior assignments be a reasonable consideration. The multiplicity of assignees and the continuing nature of the assignments argue for the completeness of notice. Such notice cannot be assumed to be available from the account debtor (dairy). Dairies are no longer necessary parties to such assignments and farmers are not precluded from changing dairies or selling to more than one dairy. Finally, none of the assignees in this case are unsophisticated. Each is in the business of agricultural financing and sufficiently familiar with filing to file a financing statement on equipment. Each choose not to file on the milk assignment and did so at its peril.

Bindl at 150.

Here, only SCN has filed a financing statement on its milk assignment. FmHA has not.

Since the security interest in the milk and the milk proceeds is unperfected, it is subject to avoidance by the trustee. 11 U.S.C. § 544. Any property transferred as a result of this security interest may be recovered by them. 11 U.S.C. § 550(a)(1).

Ill

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Bluebook (online)
78 B.R. 774, 1986 Bankr. LEXIS 6937, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/flowers-v-united-states-in-re-flowers-scb-1986.