Gibson v. Resolution Trust Corp.

750 F. Supp. 1565, 13 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1298, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16891, 1990 WL 177023
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedOctober 30, 1990
Docket90-0498-CIV
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 750 F. Supp. 1565 (Gibson v. Resolution Trust Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gibson v. Resolution Trust Corp., 750 F. Supp. 1565, 13 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1298, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16891, 1990 WL 177023 (S.D. Fla. 1990).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER REGARDING CROSS-MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

MORENO, District Judge.

THIS CAUSE has come before the court upon cross-motions for summary judgment filed by the parties. Pursuant to Fed.R. Civ.P. 56, the plaintiffs, Thelma Gibson, Catherine H. Fahringer and the law firm of Bailey Gerstein Carhart Rashkind Dresnick & Rippingille moved for entry of judgment in their favor on Count I of the defendant’s counterclaim and crossclaim. 1

Defendant/ Counterclaimant, Resolution Trust Corporation (“RTC”), as Receiver for CenTrust Bank, a Florida State Savings Bank, and as Conservator for CenTrust Federal Bank, a Federal Savings Association, moved for summary judgment on each count of the complaint, seeking declaratory relief that it properly disaffirmed and repudiated an executory contract. The parties have fully briefed the motions and the Court has heard oral argument. The Court makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law, granting summary judgment in favor of defendant RTC.

SUMMARY OF THE CASE

This case arises from the actions of the RTC, as Conservator of CenTrust, which, pursuant to the powers granted it by the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (“FIRREA”), repudiated a contract between CenTrust and the Bailey Gerstein law firm. The contract allocated over $11 million dollars for the benefit of the former officers and directors of CenTrust to pay their legal fees and damages resulting from claims made against them connected with their management of the institution.

Pursuant to the terms of the contract, in the event CenTrust failed to indemnify an officer or director, the legal fees and damages of such an officer or director would be paid from the $11 million dollar fund allocated by the contract and held in an account controlled by the Bailey Gerstein law firm. Upon taking over CenTrust, RTC determined that the contract was burdensome and demanded return of the assets contained in the fund. Plaintiffs brought this action seeking declaratory relief under the contract creating the $11 million dollar fund.

UNDISPUTED FACTS

On August 21, 1986, CenTrust, a savings and loan association chartered under the laws of the State of Florida, entered into a contract (the “Indemnity Agreement”) with the law firm of Sparber, Shevin, Shapo, Heilbronner & Book, P.A. which established a fund. The term “fund” was defined in the Indemnity Agreement as referring to cash and securities deposited into a designated bank account for use pursuant to the terms of the agreement. Plaintiff Fahringer was a member of the CenTrust Board of Directors at the time the Indemnity Agreement was executed. The Indemnity Agreement was first amended on January 8, 1987 and again on April 7, 1989. Plaintiff Gibson was elected to the Board of Directors in April 1987.

At the time of the second amendment on April 7, 1989, the Sparber Shevin law firm resigned as counsel and was replaced by the law firm of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey. On January 24, 1990, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey assigned its rights as a party to the Second Amended Agreement to the Bailey Gerstein law firm.

Under the Agreement, the Bailey Ger-stein firm is authorized to provide legal representation to CenTrust’s officers and directors if claims are made. The Bailey Gerstein firm is to bill CenTrust for the legal services on a monthly basis. If Cen- *1568 Trust fails to pay any statement within 75 days following receipt of the statement, the Bailey Gerstein law firm may charge against the Fund. The Agreement does not alter CenTrust’s obligations to pay future legal fees for its officers and directors.

On February 2, 1990, the RTC was appointed Conservator of CenTrust pursuant to the Office of Thrift Supervision’s Administrative Order No. 90-271. On February 4, 1990, the RTC, through its managing agent, Kurt Wierschem, disaffirmed and repudiated the Second Amended Agreement pursuant to Section 212(a), § 11(e) of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (“FIR-REA”). At the time of repudiation and disaffirmance of the Second Amended Agreement, the Fund contained in excess of eleven million dollars worth of assets.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c) provides that summary judgment shall enter if there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986); Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Plaintiffs and RTC have both moved for summary judgment, stipulating in their briefs and before this Court during oral argument, that the material facts are undisputed. The Court finds that there is no dispute as to the material facts. Summary judgment is therefore proper.

FIRREA provides that a conservator or receiver, in this case, the RTC, may “disaf-firm or repudiate any contract or lease-—

(A) to which such institution is a party;
(B) the performance of which the conservator or receiver, in the conservator’s or receiver's discretion, determines to be burdensome; and
(C) the disaffirmance or repudiation of which the conservator or receiver determines, in the conservator’s or receiver’s discretion, will promote the orderly administration of the institution’s affairs.

Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, P.L. 101-73, Section 212(a), § 11(e), 12 U.S.C. § 1821(e). The central issue before the Court then, is whether the RTC properly exercised its discretion in finding that the contract was burdensome and that repudiation would promote the orderly administration of Cen-Trust’s affairs.

Plaintiffs advance six arguments as to why the Bailey Gerstein law firm should retain control of the Fund due to the RTC’s improper repudiation of the Agreement, the most compelling of which is plaintiffs’ claim that the contract is non-executory and therefore Section 212(a), § 11(e) of FIRREA is inapplicable. 2 The RTC asserts that the power of a conservator or receiver to disaffirm and repudiate burdensome contracts is not limited to executory contracts and the court need not determine whether the Second Amended Agreement is exec-utory or non-executory. Notwithstanding this contention, the RTC maintains that the contract is executory and this fact alone provides ample grounds for disaffirmance and repudiation of the Second Amended Agreement.

RTC contends that any contract is subject to repudiation under § 212 of FIR-REA.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Vaughan v. Boerckel
963 So. 2d 915 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2007)
Sumlin Constr. Co., LLC v. Taylor
850 So. 2d 303 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 2002)
Gibson v. Resolution Trust Corp.
51 F.3d 1016 (Eleventh Circuit, 1995)
Paul v. Resolution Trust Corp.
624 So. 2d 416 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1993)
LaMagna v. Federal Deposit Insurance
828 F. Supp. 1 (District of Columbia, 1993)
Marsa v. Metrobank for Savings, F.S.B.
825 F. Supp. 658 (D. New Jersey, 1993)
Fresca v. Federal Deposit Insurance
818 F. Supp. 664 (S.D. New York, 1993)
Federal Deposit Insurance v. Lowe
809 F. Supp. 856 (D. Utah, 1992)
Federal Deposit Ins. Corp. v. Cafritz
762 F. Supp. 1503 (District of Columbia, 1991)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
750 F. Supp. 1565, 13 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1298, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16891, 1990 WL 177023, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gibson-v-resolution-trust-corp-flsd-1990.