In re Dail

257 F. Supp. 326, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7168
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. North Carolina
DecidedJuly 5, 1966
DocketNo. 691
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 257 F. Supp. 326 (In re Dail) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Dail, 257 F. Supp. 326, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7168 (E.D.N.C. 1966).

Opinion

OPINION and ORDER

LARKINS, District Judge.

SUMMARY

This cause comes before the Court upon petitions filed by the Trustee in bankruptcy and by a defendant-creditor for review of the conclusions of fact and law of the Referee in bankruptcy. The Bankruptcy Act provides for jurisdiction of the Court and it is not in dispute.

A voluntary petition in bankruptcy was filed July 1, 1964 on behalf of Earl B. Dail, trading as Enterprise Feed Mill (hereinafter referred to as the Bankrupt). A claim as a secured creditor was filed by the First National Bank of Eastern North Carolina (hereinafter referred to as the Bank), for funds received by the Trustee from the sale of certain real estate. The Bank also filed a claim as secured creditor for the proceeds from unearned insurance premiums in possession of M. C. S. Cherry and Sons.

The Trustee objected to the Bank’s claims as a secured creditor. In doing so, he raised questions regarding alleged preferences received by the Bank under a chattel mortgage, and the validity of an assignment of accounts receivable.

The Referee in bankruptcy conducted a hearing, and on January 18, 1966 entered an Order decreeing the Bank had received a preference, and the Referee further ordered that the Bank had a valid assignment of the Bankrupt’s accounts receivable, which included a refund of unearned insurance premiums. Upon this determination by the Referee, both the Bank and the Trustee filed petitions for review thereby raising the questions specifically set out in the “Certificate of Referee,” a portion of which is attached hereto as Appendix A.

FINDINGS OF FACT

The Bankrupt, Earl B. Dail, was in the business of manufacturing and selling dog food. The business was organized as an unincorporated enterprise with the Bankrupt trading as Enterprise Feed Mill and Kennels. This was a proprietorship in which the Bankrupt and his wife, Wilma Dail, and their son, Rupert E. Dail, were employed.

The Bank’s course of dealings with the Bankrupt, with which we are now interested, began in the year 1962. At that [328]*328time, it advised the Bankrupt concerning the feasibility of its expanding operations, and about the means of financing the desired expansion. The financing was to be by the use of funds provided through loans from various governmental agencies. At this time Bankrupt was indebted to Bank in an amount in excess of $10,000. As a result of the Bank’s advice and participation in Bankrupt’s financing, a loan of $100,000.00 was obtained from the Business Development Corporation of North Carolina.

The Business Development Corporation obtained appraisals of the Bankrupt’s property, upon which it based its agreement to lend, in part from the Bank’s estimates of the fair market value of Bankrupt’s property. The Bank certified that the property of Bankrupt was valued at $196,793. This estimate of fair market value was not based on the Bank’s independent appraisal but upon the replacement costs of the Bankrupt’s assets. The $100,000. loan was actually based on an appraisal of values of the Bankrupt’s assets of $169,122.60, which is $77,-741.87 in excess of the book value of such assets, and $73,176.28 in excess of the costs of such assets. (Def's. Ex. #2.)

The Bank agreed to make a direct loan to Bankrupt, and upon this basis loans were made in April of 1963. The Bankrupt and his wife gave deeds of trust, chattel mortgages and assignments to the Bank on all assets owned by the Bankrupt individually, in the business, and owned by Bankrupt and his wife, in return for the loans.

In this respect, the Bankrupt and his wife executed and delivered to the Bank, on April 1, 1963, a note in the amount of $90,000. This note was secured by a combination deed of trust and chattel mortgage on certain real and personal property owned by the Bankrupt and his wife, either individually or in the entireties. The deed of trust and chattel mortgage was recorded in the Wayne County Public Registry on April 8, 1963 (Trustee’s Ex. #1).

On April 5, 1963, the Bankrupt and his wife executed another note to the Bank for $31,200., also being secured by a deed of trust and chattel mortgage. The same property which secured the note for $90,000. also was used as security for this note. (Trustee’s Ex. #2.) This deed of trust and chattel mortgage were recorded in the Wayne County Public Registry on April 8, 1963, directly following the combination deed of trust and chattel mortgage securing the note for $90,000. These documents were indexed in both the real and personal property grantor’s indicies.

As additional security for the note for $31,200., Bankrupt executed a contract to assign accounts receivable. A Notice of Assignment of Accounts (accounts receivable) was then recorded on April 8, 1963, directly after the recordation of the above instruments, in the Wayne County Public Registry. (Trustee’s Ex. #3.) This Notice of Assignment was also indexed in both the real and personal property grantor’s indicies.

The assignment contract specifically referred to the promissory note for $31,200., dated April 5, 1963, and which was registered in the Wayne County Public Registry directly preceding the assignment contract. The assignment contract further stated the purpose of the note for which it stood as security, and recited the parties as “Earl B. Dail, T/A Enterprise Feed Mill and Kennels, and Earl B. Dail, individually and Wilma P. Dail, his wife, * * The contract of assignment of proceeds states the authority and duties of the Bank and the Bankrupt. The contract, inter alia, specifically states:

“1. Each account assigned will be represented by an invoice in customary form. An instrument of assignment listing the accounts by customers of Borrower, due dates and amounts will be executed by Borrower and delivered to Bank.
“2. Borrower represents that every account assigned will represent a legally enforceable debt arising out of a transaction occuring [sic] in and to be paid in North Carolina; and this agreement and assignment are to be [329]*329governed by the laws of North Carolina. * * * ”

On March 25,1964, in order to pay fire insurance premiums due on various policies of insurance covering the properties of Bankrupt, Bankrupt was forced to borrow $4,020. from the Bank. Part of the consideration for the borrowed premiums was a contract to assign all unearned and returned fire insurance premiums to the Bank. The insurers have returned unearned premiums in the amount of $3,700., and this amount was claimed by the Bank as part of those funds includable under the registered contract assigning accounts receivable.

As still further security for this second note of $31,200., the Bankrupt executed a chattel mortgage on certain motor vehicles and personal property owned and used by the Bankrupt personally and at the mill. These specific items of personal property were not includable under any other previously recorded instrument, and included all equipment to be thereafter acquired, together with all raw materials and inventories. This particular chattel mortgage was recorded in Duplin County on April 10, 1963, a county adjacent to Wayne County. The instrument was not recorded in the Wayne County Public Registry until June 17, 1964, only fourteen (14) days prior to the date the Bankrupt filed his petition in bankruptcy. (Trustee’s Ex. #7.)

Beginning in 1964, the Bankrupt made a series of overdrafts against its checking accounts with the Bank.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
257 F. Supp. 326, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7168, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-dail-nced-1966.