Grant v. Federal Land Bank of Jackson

559 So. 2d 148, 1990 WL 40621
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 4, 1990
Docket21648-CW
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 559 So. 2d 148 (Grant v. Federal Land Bank of Jackson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Grant v. Federal Land Bank of Jackson, 559 So. 2d 148, 1990 WL 40621 (La. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

559 So.2d 148 (1990)

T.A. GRANT, III, et al., Plaintiffs/Respondents,
v.
FEDERAL LAND BANK OF JACKSON, et al., Defendants/Applicants.

No. 21648-CW.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

April 4, 1990.
Writs Denied May 25, 1990.

*149 Theus, Grisham, Davis & Leigh by J. Michael Hart, Monroe, for T.A. Grant, III. Christovich and Kearney by William K. Christovich, Kevin R. Tully, James Paxton, New Orleans, for Suzanne Brunazzi Grant. Shafto & Ashbrook by L. Michael Ashbrook, *150 Kimberly O. Golden, Monroe, for James C. Steele, III.

Milling, Benson, Woodward, Hillyer, Pierson & Miller by James K. Irvin, Jean M. Sweeney, Edward J. Pointer, New Orleans, for defendants/applicants.

Before HALL, C.J., and SEXTON and HIGHTOWER, JJ.

HALL, Chief Judge.

Applicant filed a motion for summary judgment alleging that as a matter of law respondents could not assert their claims against it, and that it was entitled to judgment on its reconventional demand, which sought to enforce the respondent's obligation on promissory notes by foreclosure on mortgages. The district court denied the motion and applicant applied to this court for a supervisory writ, which was granted. We now reverse the trial court's denial of the motion and remand to the district court to enter judgment in favor of applicant.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Respondents, T.A. Grant, III, Suzanne Brunazzi Grant and James C. Steele, III (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "The Grants" or "Grants"), filed a "lender liability" suit against the Federal Land Bank of Jackson (FLBJ), three of the land bank's officers, the Federal Land Bank Association of Monroe (FLBA) and its president, asserting that the FLBJ had breached an agreement which would have allowed the respondents to sell certain mortgaged property and apply the proceeds to the debt. They sought an injunction preventing the foreclosure on the mortgaged property and further breaches of the agreement, damages, and an order compelling the FLBJ to release certain collateral such that it could be sold and the proceeds applied to respondents' loan debt. The FLBJ answered and filed a reconventional demand seeking to collect on promissory notes issued to the bank by respondents and foreclosure on mortgages securing the notes. Subsequently, the FLBJ was placed in receivership by the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) and REW Enterprises, Inc. (REW), applicant, was appointed as receiver. REW was substituted for the FLBJ as a party to the litigation.

Initially, respondents borrowed $15,000,000 from the FLBJ to help fund the purchase of 36,000 acres of immovable property. The loan is evidenced by a promissory note dated July 12, 1983 and is secured by a mortgage on approximately 16,000 acres of the immovable property and a pledge of 150,000 shares of FLBA stock.

Another loan[1] of $1,500,000 was made to the respondents which is evidenced by a promissory note dated July 30, 1985. This note is secured by the pledge of additional shares of FLBA stock and a collateral mortgage package on additional immovable property.

Respondents, unable to make payment on the January 1986 loan installments, were sent a notice threatening foreclosure on the mortgages if installments were not timely paid. The Grants and Steele responded to the notice by initiating the instant action, which REW seeks to have dismissed by summary judgment.

REW'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

REW contends that the claims asserted by the respondents cannot be maintained against it as a matter of law. It relies on the United States Supreme Court case of D'Oench, Duhme & Co. v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, 315 U.S. 447, 62 S.Ct. 676, 86 L.Ed 956 (1942), and its progeny in support of its motion. The district court ruled that REW was not sufficiently similar to the FDIC or FSLIC to take advantage of the doctrine espoused in D'Oench, and since genuine issues of material fact remained the motion for summary *151 judgment was denied. It is that ruling which is at issue in this supervisory writ.

D'OENCH AND IT'S PROGENY

In D'Oench, Duhme & Co. v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, supra, the maker of a facially valid promissory note attempted to defend a suit by the FDIC for collection on the note with the defense of failure of consideration. The maker alleged that the note was given with the understanding that it would not be collected. The Supreme Court found that there was a public policy protecting the FDIC, as the regulator and insurer of national financial institutions, from "secret agreements," because to allow the assertion of "secret agreements," i.e. agreements executed outside the face of the banking institutions records and assets, against the FDIC would thwart the FDIC's function in overseeing and regulating the financial institutions. Therefore, since the maker had "participated in" a scheme which deceived the regulatory authority in that he gave a note facially valid but which in fact had a false status, he was estopped from asserting his defense against the FDIC. Thus, the FDIC was protected in relying on the records and documentation of the financial institution which in D'Oench indicated that the promissory note was an asset of the bank.

Since D'Oench, Congress has codified the policies enunciated in that case at 12 U.S.C. § 1823(e). Although the holding of D'Oench applies to the FDIC when acting in its corporate capacity, later jurisprudence has applied the statutory authority in protecting the FDIC in its corporate capacity and the common law rule of D'Oench in protecting the FDIC in its capacity as receiver.[2]Beighley v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, 868 F.2d 776 (5th Cir.1989); Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation v. McClanahan, 795 F.2d 512 (5th Cir.1986).

D'Oench has been revisited on numerous occasions since its inception in 1942. Over the years it has enjoyed expanded application both in terms of which institutions enjoy its protection and in terms of what it protects against.

The Federal Savings & Loan Insurance Corporation was extended D'Oench protection in the case of Taylor Trust v. Security Trust Federal Savings and Loan Association, 844 F.2d 337 (6th Cir.1988). The United States Fifth Circuit adopted the ruling of Taylor Trust, supra, in Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation v. Murray, 853 F.2d 1251 (5th Cir. 1988), finding that D'Oench protected against arrangements likely to deceive a federal regulatory authority. Because the FSLIC was sufficiently similar in function to the FDIC, the court held that it was entitled to D'Oench protection.

Not only have the FDIC and FSLIC enjoyed the protection of D'Oench, but in Bryan v. Bartlett,

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

Related

ITT Residential Capital Corp. v. Cheuk
656 So. 2d 747 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1995)
Farm Credit Bank v. Fireman's Fund Insurance
822 F. Supp. 1251 (W.D. Louisiana, 1993)
Yarbrough v. Federal Land Bank Ass'n of Jackson
616 So. 2d 1327 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1993)
Albuquerque Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. Deville
615 So. 2d 1002 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1993)
Grant v. Farm Credit Bank of Texas
841 F. Supp. 186 (W.D. Louisiana, 1992)
Grant v. Federal Land Bank
586 So. 2d 685 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1991)
Federal Land Bank of Jackson v. Shaffett
757 F. Supp. 22 (M.D. Louisiana, 1991)
People's Homestead Federal Bank v. Laing
569 So. 2d 271 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1990)
Federal Sav. and Loan Ins. Corp. v. Brocato
569 So. 2d 17 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1990)
Grant v. Federal Land Bank of Jackson
563 So. 2d 886 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1990)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
559 So. 2d 148, 1990 WL 40621, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grant-v-federal-land-bank-of-jackson-lactapp-1990.