In re Downie

110 B.R. 62, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 2379, 1989 WL 165262
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Florida
DecidedOctober 10, 1989
DocketBankruptcy No. 89-00130
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 110 B.R. 62 (In re Downie) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Downie, 110 B.R. 62, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 2379, 1989 WL 165262 (Fla. 1989).

Opinion

ORDER ON ALLEGED DEBTOR’S MOTION'TO DISMISS

LEWIS M. KILLIAN, Jr., Bankruptcy Judge.

On June 13, 1989, Florida Air Conditioners, Inc. (Florida Air), the petitioning creditor, filed an Involuntary Petition for relief under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code against Robert D. Downie pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 303(a). The alleged debtor has filed a motion to dismiss based upon the theory that Florida Air’s claim is subject to a bona fide dispute under § 303(b)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code and cannot serve as the basis for the petitioning creditor’s filing of the Involuntary Petition.

The primary issue under consideration is whether the asserted claim of petitioner Florida Air is subject to a bona fide dispute. In order to understand the dispute, the history of the business dealings between Robert Downie and Florida Air is necessary. In April of 1982, Robert Dow-nie began operating a business called Bob Downie Air Conditioning, a sole proprietorship. Robert Downie and his wife, Diana Downie, as principals, signed a credit agreement with Florida Air listing Robert Downie d/b/a Bob Downie Air Conditioning as dealer. The agreement, in part, states “[sjhould the purchaser be a corporation or partnership ... the undersigned ... agree that ... they are personally liable, jointly, and severally with the principal, as guarantor(s) for payment of all indebtedness or liabilities incurred pursuant to this agreement.” (emphasis added)

From April of 1982 to March 3, 1983, Robert Downie operated the business as a sole proprietor. On March 3, 1983, Bob Downie Company, a Florida corporation, was formed. Robert Downie was and still is the president of Bob Downie Company. On November 1, 1983, Bob Downie Company entered into a floor plan finance agreement with Carrier Distribution Credit Corporation (CDCC). Bob Downie Company was supplied ventilating, air conditioning and other equipment by Florida Air on open account through floor plan financing provided by CDCC.

Prior to March 1987, Robert Downie owned 100% of Bob Downie Company. In March of 1987, Robert Downie sold 75% of the company to Oliver Leon Cason, James Mack Farber, and Charles Yount. In June 1987, upon learning that Bob Downie Air Conditioning was now Bob Downie Company and that Robert Downie was no longer controlling shareholder, Florida Air requested and received a new credit agreement with the Bob Downie Company, which included the personal guarantees of Cason, Farber, and Yount. This agreement contained slightly different credit terms than [63]*63the credit agreement signed by Robert and Diana Downie in 1982.

The transactions under scrutiny occurred between March 20, 1987, through July 25, 1988, in which Florida Air sold heating and air conditioning equipment to Bob Downie Company pursuant to financing provided by CDCC. When Bob Downie Company failed to pay CDCC, CDCC exercised its right to cause Florida Air to buy out any obligation owed by Bob Downie Company under the financing arrangement, and assigned the CDCC position to Florida Air. Florida Air brought suit in the Circuit Court for Pinellas County, Florida, Case no: 88-14361-17, and sought recovery of all amounts alleged to be due from Bob Downie Company. The creditor filed a four count complaint. The first three counts are against Bob Downie Company, a Florida corporation. The fourth count is against five alleged guarantors, including the alleged debtor, Robert Downie and his wife, Diana Downie.

After institution of this state court action, Bob Downie Company paid Florida Air $23,423.33 on its open account for goods purchased under the Florida Air credit terms, leaving a balance of $29,778.76 outstanding, plus interest, costs, finance charges and attorneys’ fees. This remaining outstanding balance resulted from Florida Air’s charge repurchase obligation with CDCC. In the state court litigation, both parties moved for summary judgment arguing that no genuine issues exist regarding any material fact. The plaintiff in that action, Florida Air, cancelled the hearing on its motion scheduled for May 19, 1989, and filed its involuntary petition on June 13, 1989.

Under the Bankruptcy Amendments and Federal Judgeship Act of 1984, Pub.L. No. 98-353, 98 Stat. 333, 369 (1984) Congress provided that creditors holding claims in “bona fide dispute” cannot be petitioning creditors. Since the legislative history does not define what constitutes a bona fide dispute, the courts have reached varying results as to when such a dispute exists regarding a particular claim.

The Court agrees with and adopts the test applied in In re Busick, 65 B.R. 630, 637-38 (N.D.Ind.1986), aff’d 831 F.2d 745, 749-50 (7th Cir.1987). The test does not require a decision on the resolution of any dispute, only a determination that the dispute exists. The court need only engage in a limited analysis of the claims at issue in order to determine whether there exists a genuine issue of material fact that bears upon the alleged debtor’s liability, or a meritorious contention as to the application of law to undisputed facts. In re Ramm Industries, Inc., 83 B.R. 815, 822 (Bankr.M.D.Fla.1988); In re General Trading, Inc., 87 B.R. 216, 219 (Bankr.S.D.Fla.1988).

The creditor, Florida Air, argues that it sold goods to Bob Downie Company pursuant to the Florida Air credit agreement and therefore there is no bona fide dispute. Florida Air invoices the dealer, Bob Downie Company, for the goods sold. Florida Air then assigns the invoices to CDCC on a recourse basis. If the dealer (Bob Downie Company) fails to pay CDCC, Florida Air must pay CDCC. CDCC then assigns the delinquent account back to Florida Air for collection.

The alleged debtor argues that the debt upon which Florida Air bases its claim is a debt incurred pursuant to the CDCC financing agreement, not the Florida Air credit agreement on which Florida Air claims Robert Downie’s alleged personal guarantee. The alleged debtor’s position is that Bob Downie Company purchases materials from Florida Air with funds borrowed from CDCC to pay for these goods pursuant to an agreement between the Bob Downie Company and CDCC. The alleged debtor contends that the debt to Florida Air under the credit agreement was extinguished when the payment of $23,423.33 was applied to its open account with Florida Air. Furthermore, the alleged debtor contends that Robert Downie was liable under the Florida Air credit agreement as a principal, not as a guarantor. When Florida Air was notified that it was doing business with Bob Downie Company, a corporation, and that the controlling interest had been transferred from Robert Downie to Cason, Far-ber, and Yount, it secured a new credit [64]*64agreement with the Bob Downie Company which included slightly different credit terms and the personal guarantees of Ca-son, Farber, and Yount. At no time did Florida Air request Robert Downie to guarantee the account of the Bob Downie Company. Robert Downie states that since he gave up day-to-day control of the business he would not have guaranteed the debt of the Bob Downie Company had he been requested to do so.

There are legal issues raised concerning whether the credit agreement signed by Robert Downie covers the debt of the corporation, Bob Downie Company. At the time of the original credit agreement Robert Downie was a principal. There was no corporation in existence and no corporate debt to guarantee.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
110 B.R. 62, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 2379, 1989 WL 165262, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-downie-flnb-1989.