Frankel v. Otiswear, Inc.

576 N.E.2d 955, 216 Ill. App. 3d 204, 160 Ill. Dec. 1, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 1102
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 27, 1991
DocketNo. 1—89—3534
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 576 N.E.2d 955 (Frankel v. Otiswear, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Frankel v. Otiswear, Inc., 576 N.E.2d 955, 216 Ill. App. 3d 204, 160 Ill. Dec. 1, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 1102 (Ill. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

JUSTICE JOHNSON

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff, Kathy Frankel, appeals the order of the circuit court of Cook County denying her motion for a rehearing pursuant to section 2 — 1203 of the Code of Civil Procedure (the Code) (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 110, par. 2 — 1203), and her alternative request to file a fourth amended complaint against defendants, Otiswear, Inc., and Skokie Federal Savings and Loan Association. In addition, plaintiff challenges the trial court’s dismissal of her third amended complaint pursuant to section 2 — 615 of the Code. Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 110, par. 2 — 615.

The following issues are before this court for review: (1) whether this court has jurisdiction over this cause; (2) whether plaintiff’s claims are barred by collateral estoppel; (3) whether the trial court erred when it dismissed count II of plaintiff’s third amended complaint that prayed for the court to impose a constructive trust on the treasury note; (4) whether the trial court properly dismissed count XI of plaintiff’s third amended complaint, which was an action for replevin of the treasury note; (5) whether the trial court erred when it dismissed count XII of plaintiff’s third amended complaint for negligence against Skokie Federal Savings and Loan Association; and (6) whether plaintiff has waived her right to assert allegations that Skokie Federal Savings and Loan Association violated suretyship laws, whether its security interest in the collateral was perfected, and whether renewals of the treasury note by it may be maintained pursuant to the hypothecation agreement.

We affirm.

Background

On July 21, 1986, plaintiff executed a hypothecation agreement which assigned a treasury note to Otiswear, Inc. (Otiswear), in order to allow it to pledge the treasury note as collateral for loans. A hypothecation agreement is an agreement whereby one party pledges specific property as collateral or security for a debt. The lender is not given title to the pledged property; however, the lender may sell the pledged property upon the debtor’s default. Black’s Law Dictionary 669 (5th ed. 1979).

The hypothecation agreement states, in pertinent part:

“Gentlemen: *** for the purpose of enabling said borrower [Otiswear] to obtain credit *** I [Kathy Frankel] do hereby assign, release and transfer unto said borrower all of my right, title and interest in and to said property [the treasury note], and hereby expressly authorize said borrower to pledge or hypothecate all or any part of said property for the indebtedness aforesaid ***.
Furthermore, I request that you give, or continue to give said borrower, credit in the form of loans or renewals, or extensions as aforesaid, and in consideration of all or any such credit so granted by you, I agree that all or any property pledged or hypothecated as aforesaid, shall be subject in your hands or those of your assignees ***. The proceeds of all loans shall be accounted for and paid over to the borrower aforesaid, and said collateral securities may be disposed of and/or paid over, to or upon the direction of said borrower.”

Contemporaneous with the signing of the hypothecation agreement, Otiswear signed a treasury note due on June 30, 1987, in the amount of $92,000, payable to the First National Bank of Morton Grove. Pursuant to the hypothecation agreement, plaintiff pledged the treasury note as collateral for a loan to Otiswear. Plaintiff was given stock in Otiswear by its owner, Steven Otis, in consideration for her execution of the hypothecation agreement.

Approximately one year after obtaining the loan from the First National Bank of Morton Grove, Otis asked Skokie Federal Savings and Loan Association (Skokie Federal) to refinance the debt of Otis-wear. Unbeknownst to plaintiff, Otis used the hypothecation agreement to obtain a $150,000 line of credit from Skokie Federal. Otis agreed to maintain the treasury note as collateral for the loan. A majority of the proceeds of the loan from Skokie Federal were paid to the First National Bank of Morton Grove to close out its loan. Then, the First National Bank of Morton Grove transferred its interest in the treasury note to Skokie Federal. After the treasury note matured, Skokie Federal purchased a substitute treasury note from the proceeds of the treasury note identified in the hypothecation agreement.

Plaintiff was not informed of the aforementioned transactions involving Skokie Federal. Otis later defaulted on his commercial line of credit at Skokie Federal. After plaintiff’s relationship with Steven Otis deteriorated, plaintiff filed suit against him, Otiswear, and Skokie Federal in an effort to recover the treasury note. However, Steven Otis is no longer a defendant in this action.

On March 9, 1988, plaintiff filed a complaint for a writ of mandamus, and a complaint for permanent and preliminary injunctive relief. The subject matter of the complaint was the treasury note owned by plaintiff.

On April 8, 1988, plaintiff filed an amended complaint which included, inter alia, count I for the imposition of a constructive trust on the treasury note, count II for replevin of the treasury note against Skokie Federal, count IV for negligence, and count V against Skokie Federal for conversion. Skokie Federal filed an answer to the amended complaint and a counterclaim against Steven Otis. In paragraph 5 of Skokie Federal’s counterclaim, it alleged that Otis represented that he was the sole owner of the treasury note free from any lien, security interest, encumbrance, or claim.

On June 24, 1988, the trial court granted defendants’ motion to strike count I of the amended complaint and granted plaintiff 14 days to file an amended pleading. This order made no rulings on any other issues raised in defendants’ motion.

On July 12, 1988, plaintiff filed a second amended complaint, to which Skokie Federal filed an answer. On March 27, 1989, the trial court dismissed plaintiff’s second amended complaint.

On April 21, 1989, plaintiff filed a third amended complaint. Count II prayed for the imposition of a constructive trust on the treasury note, count XI was an action for replevin of the treasury note, and count XII was a complaint for negligence against Skokie Federal.

Skokie Federal then filed a motion to dismiss pursuant to section 2 — 615 of the Code. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 110, par. 2 — 615.) Skokie Federal based its motion to dismiss upon allegations that the third amended complaint failed to state causes of action, that the hypothecation agreement barred any claim for wrongful possession, and that it owed no duty to plaintiff. On September 27, 1987, the trial court dismissed plaintiff’s third amended complaint with prejudice.

The trial court made the following ruling:

“It is not apparent from what has been pled[ ] *** that this litany of grievances *** amounts to a fraudulent scheme when the events are extracted from a relationship three years in duration.

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Related

Frankel v. Otiswear, Inc.
576 N.E.2d 955 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1991)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
576 N.E.2d 955, 216 Ill. App. 3d 204, 160 Ill. Dec. 1, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 1102, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/frankel-v-otiswear-inc-illappct-1991.