GMRI, Inc. v. Independence Bank of Georgia

212 F. Supp. 3d 1306, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137784, 2016 WL 5844337
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedSeptember 29, 2016
DocketCIVIL ACTION NO. 1:14-CV-2999-ODE
StatusPublished

This text of 212 F. Supp. 3d 1306 (GMRI, Inc. v. Independence Bank of Georgia) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
GMRI, Inc. v. Independence Bank of Georgia, 212 F. Supp. 3d 1306, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137784, 2016 WL 5844337 (N.D. Ga. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER

ORINDA D. EVANS, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

This civil suit is before the Court on Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment [Doc. 57]. For the following reasons, the motion is GRANTED.

I. Undisputed Facts

The following facts are undisputed unless stated otherwise. GMRI is a Florida corporation which is a subsidiary of Dar-den Restaurants. Defendant is a Georgia community bank founded in 2008 (“Independence Bank” or “the Bank”). Non-party Benchmark Building Contractors (“Benchmark”) is a Georgia corporation. Benchmark built many restaurants for Darden/GMRI “over the years” with estimates ranging from 20-50 projects, including Olive Garden, Red Lobster and LongHorn restaurants [Jones Dep., Doc. 74 at 46; Sellers Dep., Doc. 61 at 15, 17]. Benchmark was a Bank customer. Another relevant non-party is Calvin Jones, long-time President of Benchmark and one of the nine or ten founders, shareholders, and directors of the Bank. He served on the Bank’s Audit Committee and its Building Committee. There is no evidence in the record that Jones ever was an executive or employee of the Bank, and GMRI makes no claim that he was.

Benchmark had numerous general deposit accounts1 at the Bank. The deposit agreements stated:

You each agree that we may (without prior notice and when permitted by law) set off the funds in this account against any due and payable debt owed to us now or in the future, by any of you having the right of withdrawal, to the extent of such persons’ or legal entity’s' right to withdraw. If the debt arises from a note, “any due and payable debt” includes the total amount of which we are entitled to demand payment under the terms of the note at the time we set off, including any balance the due date for which we properly accelerate under the note .... We will not be liable for the dishonor of any check when the dishonor occurs because we set off a debt against this account.

[Ex. L to Chandler Aff., Doc. 57-4 at 38].

On December 16, 2010, Benchmark executed two Notes: one for a $600,000.00 line of credit,2 to be paid in full by December 16, 2011, and one for $250,000.00, to be paid in full by November 20, 2013. Both of these Notes were renewals; the line of credit was obtained originally in December 2008 and the $250,000 loan was a renewal [1309]*1309of an earlier loan made at an unspecified time. Calvin Jones guaranteed the payment of both loans. Under the terms of the Notes, default occurred if Benchmark was insolvent, if it experienced an adverse change, or if the Bank deemed itself to be insecure. The definition of “adverse change” included a material adverse change in Benchmark’s financial condition, or if the Bank believed the prospect of payment or performance on the Note was impaired. “Insecurity” was defined as “Lender in good faith believes itself insecure.” The Bank reserved the right to set off Benchmark’s accounts in the event of default.

Contemporaneously with signing the Notes, Benchmark executed security agreements which pledged to the Bank as collateral:

All Chattel Paper, Accounts and General Intangibles; whether any of the foregoing is owned now or acquired later; all accessions, additions, replacements, and substitutions relating to any of the foregoing; all records of any kind relating to any of the foregoing; all proceeds relating to any of the foregoing (including insurance general intangibles and other accounts proceeds).

[Exs. C & D to Chandler Aff.,- Doc. 57-4 at 16-20, 21-25]. The Bank perfected its security interest through a UCC financing statement which was- filed in Gwinnett County, Georgia on December 11, 2008, covering all chattel paper, accounts, and general intangibles owned “now or acquired later” [by Benchmark] [Ex. E to Chandler Aff., Doc. 57-4 at 26].

In June and July 2011, GMRI entered into two contracts with Benchmark: one to construct an Olive Garden Restaurant in Owings Mills, Maryland (“the Owings Mills project”) for $1,458,059.00; and another to construct an Olive Garden Restaurant in Henrico, Virginia (“the Henrico project”) for $1,199,679.00 [Doc. 57-2 at 39-126, 127-205], Both were standard form AIA contracts. Neither contract required Benchmark to obtain a surety bond to guarantee payment of subcontractors.3 No surety bond was obtained for these projects. Both contracts stated that GMRI had the right “at its sole option” to make checks jointly payable to Benchmark and a subcontractor or to withhold payment from Benchmark when Benchmark did not properly pay subcontractors [Doc. 57-2 at 43, 105, 131, 184],

Both the Henrico and the Owings Mills contracts between GMRI and Benchmark provided: “Any and all funds payable to Contractor hereunder are to be applied first to the claims of its subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, suppliers, architects, engineers, surveyors, equipment lessors, laborers and materialmen arising out of the Work ... before application to any other purpose” [Id. at 105,184].

On September 14, 2011, the Bank’s Chief Credit Officer Sidney Chandler recommended a rating change for Benchmark’s loans, from “4” to “5—watch list” [see Chandler Dep. II, Doc. 69 at 6-7; PL’s Ex. 17, Doc. 87 at 4; Evans Dep. II, Doc. 72 at 72-75]. The reason provided for the change was “Customer has experienced cash flow difficulties related to commercial construction industry. Customer has also received $400,000 in mezzanine financing4 within past 12 months. All payments on all loans have been made on time” [PL’s Ex. 17, Doc. 87 at 4]. At that time, the Bank [1310]*1310was aware of cash flow problems related to the industry [Chandler Dep. II, Doc. 69 at 7-8].

On October 12, 2011,5 GMRI was told that Benchmark had not timely paid a subcontractor.

On November 21, 2011, Benchmark submitted requests for payment to GMRI: $312,005.78 for work done on the Henrico project and $513,816.76 for work done on the Owings Mills project. On December 1, 2011, GMRI learned that Benchmark had not timely paid two additional subcontractors. GMRI’s/Darden’s representative Briggs Sellers contacted Calvin Jones on that day. Jones explained Benchmark was in a “cash-flow pinch” [Sellers Dep., Doc. 61 at 55]. Sellers agreed to accelerate payment of the November 21, 2011 draw request on Jones’ assurance that this would enable him to bring all the subcontractors’ payments up to date [Sellers Dep., Doc. 61 at 55; Jones Dep., Doc. 74 at 82-84],

On or about December 6, 2011 GMRI made an electronic deposit of $312,005.78 to Benchmark’s account at the Bank; an electronic deposit of $513,816.76 was made on December 8, 2011. GMRI’s only instruction was “GMRI Accts pay.” Shortly after the deposits were made GMRI learned that Benchmark’s checks to subcontractors were bouncing. Briggs Sellers called Jones who told him he could not pay his subcontractors. Sellers said “So essentially you’re basically defaulting on these contracts and I need to take over the work” [Sellers Dep., Doc. 61 at 56]. Sellers stated that Jones agreed with this [Id.]. There is no testimony to the contrary.

As of December 2011 Benchmark had numerous accounts with the Bank. All were standard deposit/checking accounts. None were trust accounts. Independence Bank does not handle trust accounts. GMRI’s claims appear to be focused on the activity in account 7643358287 (“287 account”).

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Bluebook (online)
212 F. Supp. 3d 1306, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137784, 2016 WL 5844337, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gmri-inc-v-independence-bank-of-georgia-gand-2016.