Gilmer v. Woodson

332 F.2d 541, 1964 U.S. App. LEXIS 5279
Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit·Decided May 25, 1964·No. No. 9107·Published·Cited by 14 cases

Opinion

BOREMAN, Circuit Judge.

This is another in a series of complicated and troublesome appeals from decisions of the District Court for the Western District of Virginia in proceedings in bankruptcy involving the affairs and estate of Sterling R. Decker, bankrupt.

By order entered as of July 3, 1962, the Referee in Bankruptcy made findings of fact, in narrative form, and stated certain conclusions. Both George Gilmer and the Trustee in Bankruptcy filed petitions for review of that order by the District Court. Upon certifying the matters for such review the referee set forth, in fifty-three enumerated paragraphs, detailed findings of fact and stated separate conclusions of law. The District Court entered its order reversing in part and affirming in part the referee’s order of July 3, 1962. It is from this order of the court below that George Gilmer appeals and Woodson, the Trustee in Bankruptcy, cross-appeals.

As to all except three of the fifty-three particularly enumerated findings of fact by the referee, which are substantially the same as the facts recited in the referee’s order of July 3, there is no material disagreement between the parties here so that the primary issues presented are whether the facts so found support the conclusions reached below.

In December 1956, Sterling R. Decker, hereinafter referred to as Decker, together with Charles Hurt, purchased, and subdivided into residential lots, a tract of land consisting of 110.68 acres of land known as Berkeley. The land was purchased from W. Hallam Tuck and part of the purchase price was evidenced and paid by a $16,000.00 deferred purchase money bond, hereinafter referred to as the “Tuck bond,” executed by Decker and Hurt and secured by a deed of trust against the property. In early 1957 George Gilmer, a Charlottesville lawyer, and three other persons acquired Hurt’s interest in the land and assumed among them Hurt’s liability on the Tuck bond. Thereafter, Decker, Gilmer and the other co-owners entered into an agreement giving Decker an option to [543]*543purchase the interest of the others in the lots in Berkeley at a certain fixed price and providing that Decker alone would develop Berkeley as a residential area.

Decker began development in 1957 in partnership with his wife under the name of Berkeley Community Builders. In time he organized Commonwealth Utilities, Inc., to provide a water and sewer system for the subdivision. All of the common stock of this corporation was owned by Decker and his wife except one share owned by Gilmer. Decker also organized Albert Mahanes Company, Inc., to perform the grading, earth moving, ditching and road building. Of this corporation Decker owned fifty per cent and Albert Mahanes owned fifty per cent. Decker himself was in charge of the direction, operation and bookkeeping of all three organizations.

In the development of Berkeley into a residential subdivision, entailing the purchase of his co-owners’ outstanding interest in the lots, reselling them and building houses thereon for the ultimate purchasers, Decker began to require large amounts of working capital which he could not provide. He arranged with Mr. Adams, an officer of the Peoples National Bank, to obtain funds from the bank upon the personal credit of Gilmer, a man of considerable means whose credit appeared to be substantially unlimited. Under the arrangement, whenever Decker needed funds for his undertaking he executed unsecured promissory notes in the amounts desired, obtained the endorsement of Gilmer thereon and discounted the notes at the bank.

This credit arrangement with Gilmer and the bank operated for a period of approximately two years during which time it was clearly shown that when he devoted his time and close attention to the project, Decker was able to make the Berkeley operation successful and highly profitable. However, during the latter part of 1960 and the early part of 1961, Decker, apparently because of involvement in a number of other ventures which attracted his interest and with the forlorn hope of adding to his income, began to neglect the Berkeley project and, as a result, was faced with increasingly serious financial problems. He had, without the consent or knowledge of either the bank or Gilmer, diverted funds borrowed under the credit arrangement for use in the Berkeley project to his other business ventures. This situation was first discovered by the bank during the early part of 1961 when it was obvious that Decker’s loans were not being repaid satisfactorily.

Both Mr. Adams of the bank and Gilmer became concerned about Decker’s situation and, because they had been financing Decker so heavily, decided to acquire some sort of control over his financial activities, to attempt to dissuade him from engaging in other ventures and force him to concentrate his efforts toward developing Berkeley. As of March 27, 1961, the bank was holding promissory notes executed by Decker and endorsed by Gilmer in the total aggregate sum of $249,199.31. Additionally, the bank was holding promissory notes of Albert Mahanes Company aggregating $22,479.34 and a promissory note of Commonwealth Utilities, Inc., in the amount of $70,000.00, all of which notes were endorsed by both Decker and Gilmer.

On March 27, 1961, Decker and his wife executed a deed of trust, covering virtually all of their real estate, and a bond payable to bearer on demand in the amount of $260,000.00, with interest at the rate of 6% per annum, secured by the deed of trust. The bond and -deed of trust were delivered to and held by the bank as collateral security for the payment of the promissory notes executed by Decker and endorsed by Gilmer pursuant to a plan intended, in part, to enable Gilmer and the bank to exercise more control over Decker’s finances, as well as to provide security to Gilmer as endorser of Decker’s promissory notes held by the bank. An “escrow” account was established under the control of Gilmer and a “reserve” account was established under the control of the bank to handle all of the income and expenses [544]*544attributable to certain aspects of the Berkeley project. The secured bond was drawn in an amount in excess of the then aggregate amount of the Decker notes endorsed by Gilmer to enable the bank to subsequently lend more money to Decker under the plan and bring these loans under the security thus afforded. Evidencing this purpose, there is printed on the back of the bond the following:

“This bond is held primarily as security for any notes of Sterling R. Decker and/or Mary Jane Decker endorsed by George Gilmer now or hereafter held by The Peoples National Bank of Charlottesville, Virginia.”

After the new financing plan went into effect, there was a flurry of activity by Decker in the Berkeley subdivision and it appeared that the project was back on the road to success. In fact, several new houses were sold, others were constructed and sold under financially profitable arrangements, and progress was made in paying claims of various creditors. However, several of Decker’s miscellaneous creditors began to press him for payment and by November 15, 1961, the bank felt it necessary to demand payment of all the Gilmer-endorsed notes on which Decker was either maker or endorser. Accordingly, on that date Gilmer paid and took an assignment from the bank of all the Gilmer-endorsed Decker notes in the aggregate sum of $247,275.-00.

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Gilmer v. Woodson, 332 F.2d 541, 1964 U.S. App. LEXIS 5279 (4th Cir. 1964).

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Gilmer v. Woodson
332 F.2d 541 (Fourth Circuit, 1964)