Hansford v. Burns

526 S.E.2d 896, 241 Ga. App. 407, 2000 Fulton County D. Rep. 304, 40 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 592, 1999 Ga. App. LEXIS 1646
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedDecember 13, 1999
DocketA99A1830
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 526 S.E.2d 896 (Hansford v. Burns) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hansford v. Burns, 526 S.E.2d 896, 241 Ga. App. 407, 2000 Fulton County D. Rep. 304, 40 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 592, 1999 Ga. App. LEXIS 1646 (Ga. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

Ellington, Judge.

Derrick Hansford sued Ronald Gatskie, R & G Services, Inc. and Joan and Ben Burns for various torts and alleged violations of the Commercial Code in connection with a series of secured transactions. The trial court granted the defendants’ motions for summary judg[408]*408ment and denied Hansford’s motion for summary judgment. Hans-ford appeals. Because we conclude that material questions of fact remain, we reverse.

Summary judgment is proper when there is no genuine issue of material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. OCGA § 9-11-56 (c). A de novo standard of review applies to an appeal from a grant of summary judgment, and we view the evidence, and all reasonable conclusions and inferences drawn from it, in the light most favorable to the nonmovant. •

Matjoulis v. Integon Gen. Ins. Corp., 226 Ga. App. 459 (1) (486 SE2d 684) (1997).

Viewed in this light, the record shows that on March 31, 1994, Joan Burns sold two dry cleaning businesses to Hansford1 for $150,000. Hansford paid Burns $50,000 in cash and gave her an installment note for $100,000 secured by the businesses’ assets (“the first Hansford note”). Burns filed UCC-1 financing statements to perfect her security interest in the businesses. As the broker for both Joan Burns and Hansford, Ben Burns earned a commission of $10,000 which Hansford paid in full.

On July 21, 1995, Hansford sold the businesses to Gatskie for $160,000. As the broker for both Hansford and Gatskie, Ben Burns earned a commission of $16,000 which Hansford paid in cash. Gat-skie paid Hansford $80,000 in cash and gave Hansford an installment note for $80,000 (“the Gatskie note”). As part of the same transaction, Hansford paid Joan Bums $64,000 which left a principal balance of $8,507.94 on the $100,000 note. Hansford gave Burns an installment note for $8,507.94 (“the second Hansford note”) which was secured by an assignment of the $80,000 Gatskie note. In the assignment of the Gatskie note, Gatskie was directed to make payments on his $80,000 debt to Hansford directly to Burns in satisfaction of Hansford’s debt to Burns. Hansford filed UCC-1 financing statements to perfect his security interest in the businesses. Burns never filed UCC-3 forms showing that her security interest in the businesses had terminated. See OCGA § 11-9-404.

As directed, Gatskie made a number of payments to Joan Burns. Gatskie then defaulted on his debt to Hansford, leaving a principal balance of $5,771.59 on the second Hansford note. Hansford did not cure the default. On December 5, 1995, Burns sent Hansford a notice [409]*409of default on the second Hansford note. On January 17, 1996, Burns filed suit on the second Hansford note, seeking the outstanding principal balance of $5,771.59 plus interest. On May 13, 1996, Hansford filed a petition for personal bankruptcy under Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code. Hansford’s bankruptcy plan was confirmed on June 27,1996. On July 17, 1996, Burns sent Hansford a notice which stated that he was in default on the second Hansford note and that if the debt were not paid within ten days, she would “commence foreclosure on the Security Agreement, and taking [sic] back the collateral which [was] secured by the UCC Financing Statement.” On September 10, 1996, Burns sent a notice to Hansford and Gatskie which stated that because they were in default on the July 21,1995 security agreement, “and pursuant to O.C.G.A. Section 11-9-504,” Burns had “exercised her right to retake the collateral” and that unless the collateral were redeemed by September 25, Burns would “proceed to dispose of the collateral at a private sale.”

On September 26, 1996, R & G Services, which was wholly owned by Gatskie, paid Joan Burns $9,855.31.2 In the “contract for sale of business,” Burns warranted that she had marketable title to the assets of the businesses tree and clear of any other indebtedness. R & G Services immediately sold the businesses to Sarah Slaughter for $135,000. As the broker for Gatskie, Ben Burns earned a commission of $7,250. A few weeks later, Joan Burns filed UCC-3 forms “by assignment” to terminate Hansford’s security interest in the businesses.

1. The trial court erred in granting Joan Burns’ motion for summary judgment on Hansford’s claim that she wrongfully failed to terminate her security interest in the businesses.

The first Hansford note was paid in full when Hansford tendered, and Joan Burns accepted, a new note for the balance. Because there was no outstanding secured obligation under the first Hansford note, OCGA § 11-9-404 required Bums to file UCC-3 forms reflecting the termination of her security interest in the collateral (the businesses) within 60 days. There was no evidence before the trial court that Burns filed UCC-3 forms within the time allowed. Therefore Burns was not entitled to judgment as a matter of law on Hansford’s claim for OCGA § 11-9-404 statutory and actual damages.

2. The trial court erred in granting summary judgment to Joan and Ben Burns on Hansford’s claim for damages arising from the private sale of the businesses which were the collateral for the Gatskie note. The trial court concluded that Bums’ foreclosure on the busi[410]*410nesses was authorized by OCGA § 11-9-505. Under the procedure of strict foreclosure, a creditor in possession may retain the collateral in satisfaction of the debt. OCGA § 11-9-505 (2). To proceed under OCGA § 11-9-505 (2), a creditor must give notice to the debtor of its proposal to retain the collateral in satisfaction of the debt. Id. The debtor then has 21 days to object to that proposal. Id. If the debtor objects, then the creditor must dispose of the collateral in compliance with OCGA § 11-9-504, that is, in a commercially reasonable manner. Id. This procedure protects the debtor’s right to mitigate his loss when the collateral is worth more than the debt. Chen v. Profit Sharing Plan &c., 216 Ga. App. 878, 880 (1) (456 SE2d 237) (1995).

In this case, the trial court specifically found that Burns “complied with the notice provisions of OCGA § 11-9-505 (2).” Even assuming that the assignment of the Gatskie note gave Burns the authority to foreclose on the businesses, the record does not support the trial court’s finding. Burns never gave Hansford notice that she intended to retain the collateral in satisfaction of the debt. “The written notice required by OCGA § 11-9-505

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Bluebook (online)
526 S.E.2d 896, 241 Ga. App. 407, 2000 Fulton County D. Rep. 304, 40 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 592, 1999 Ga. App. LEXIS 1646, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hansford-v-burns-gactapp-1999.