In Re Howards Appliance Corp.

91 B.R. 208, 7 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 270, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10755, 1988 WL 100281
District Court, E.D. New York·Decided September 29, 1988·No. CV 86-4053·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

WEXLER, District Judge.

On August 6, 1986, Appellant/Debtor Howards Appliance Corporation (“Ho- *210 wards”) filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York. On August 22, 1986, Appellee/Cred-itor Security Pacific Distribution Services (“Security Pacific") moved for relief from the automatic stay to enable it to foreclose on gas grills located in New York and New Jersey that were part of Howards’ inventory, and in which Security Pacific alleged a security interest. In a Decision and Order dated October 31, 1986, the Bankruptcy Court (Hall, J.) denied Security Pacific’s motion for relief from the automatic stay with regard to the gas grills located in New Jersey. With regard to those gas grills located in New York, the court held that the evidence was insufficient to determine the identity of the gas grills, whether the creditor was adequately protected, and whether the gas grills were necessary to the debtor’s reorganization. The court indicated that it would hold another hearing if the parties were unable to resolve the dispute among themselves. There is no record of such a hearing.

On December 2, 1986, Security Pacific filed a notice of appeal but failed to request a stay of the bankruptcy court’s decision during the pendency of its appeal. During this time, Howards received an offer to purchase all the gas grills located in New Jersey upon which Security Pacific claimed to have a security interest. In July 1987, Howards applied to the Bankruptcy Court for leave to sell the gas grills located in New Jersey free and clear of all liens. In an Order rendered in August, 1987, Judge Hall granted this request over the objections of Security Pacific. Security Pacific did not appeal Judge Hall’s decision to allow the sale or seek any interim relief.

I.

The pertinent facts of the case are as follows. Throughout 1985, Howards operated appliance stores in Nassau and Suffolk Counties of New York. Security Pacific is a lending institution which entered into an inventory financing agreement with Howards concerning gas grills Howards purchased from W.R. Light Company, Inc., which were manufactured by Preway Industries, Inc., in Indiana. The financing agreement stated that the “[djealer shall keep the inventory only at locations approved by [Security Pacific].” To perfect its security interests, Security Pacific filed financing statements with the New York Secretary of State on October 29, 1985, with the Nassau County Clerk on October 28, 1985, and with the Suffolk County Clerk on October 28, 1985.

The gas grill manufacturer shipped some of the gas grills covered by the financing agreement to a public warehouse used by Howards, which is located in New Jersey. Security Pacific asserts that it was in no way involved with the shipment of inventory and that it neither received written notice nor had knowledge on its own that the goods were in fact being shipped to New Jersey until after Howards filed its bankruptcy petition. Security Pacific never filed financing statements in New Jersey.

After determining that New Jersey law applies to the goods stored in New Jersey, the bankruptcy court below held that Security Pacific failed to perfect its security interest in the gas grills stored in New Jersey because it neglected to file a financing statement with the New Jersey Secretary of State as required by the Uniform Commercial Code (“U.C.C.”). See NJ.Stat. Ann. §§ 12A:9-302(1) & 12A:9-401(l)(c) (West Supp.1988). Furthermore, the bankruptcy court held that the debtor’s actual knowledge of Security Pacific’s interest in the gas grills does not excuse Security Pacific’s failure to file in New Jersey, because the Bankruptcy Code strips a debtor-in-possession of such knowledge. 11 U.S. C. § 544(a) (Supp. II 1986). Finally, the court found the gas grills to be vital to the debtor’s reorganization.

II.

Security Pacific claims its security interest in the New Jersey goods should be deemed by this Court to be perfected on two grounds. First, Security Pacific argues that the temporary storage involved in this case does not require a filing in New Jersey. Second, Security Pacific maintains *211 that, in the event that the storage of goods in New Jersey does call for a New Jersey filing, the doctrine of equitable estoppel should be applied to prevent an unfair windfall to the debtor resulting from the debtor’s failure to inform Security Pacific of the storage in New Jersey in violation of the security agreement, which required that the inventory only be kept at locations approved by Security Pacific.

Mootness

Howards argues that the case is now moot because the gas grills in question have been sold and the funds commingled in the debtor’s special confirmation account. So, according to Howards, it is no longer possible for the court to grant effectual relief. Indeed, if the court is unable to afford effectual relief due to a change in the circumstances, through no fault of the appellee, then the court may dismiss the appeal as moot. In re Roberts Farms, Inc., 652 F.2d 793, 797-98 (9th Cir.1981) (quoting Mills v. Green, 159 U.S. 651, 16 S.Ct. 132, 40 L.Ed. 293 (1895)); see also In re Blumer, 66 B.R. 109, 113 (Bankr. 9th Cir.1986), aff'd., 826 F.2d 1069 (9th Cir.1987); United States v. City of Buffalo, 457 F.Supp. 612, 619 (W.D.N.Y.1978), modified on other grounds, 633 F.2d 643 (2d Cir.1980). “Effective relief is impossible if funds have been disbursed to persons who are not parties to the appeal or if failure to obtain a stay has permitted such a comprehensive change as to render it inequitable to consider the merits of the appeal.” In re Blumer, 66 B.R. at 113. In the case at bar, Howards has not established that all or part of the funds have been distributed to third parties or that the commingling of funds in the debtor’s special confirmation account in and of itself, is such a comprehensive change to make further consideration on appeal inequitable. The funds from the sale of the gas grills may very well still be traceable even though they are commingled in an account. Accordingly, this appeal cannot be dismissed as moot at this juncture.

Security Pacific’s Failure to File in New Jersey

New York and New Jersey have both adopted U.C.C. § 9-103, which provides that perfection is generally governed by the law of the state in which the last event on which perfection is based occurs. N.J.Stat.Ann. § 12A:9-103(l)(b) (West Supp.1988); N.Y.U.C.C. § 9-103(l)(b) (McKinney Supp.1988). The bankruptcy court found that as to the grills shipped to New Jersey, the last event for perfection took place in that state and thus New Jersey law applies. New Jersey law requires filing of a financing statement with the New Jersey Secretary of State to perfect security interests. See N.J.Stat.Ann.

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In Re Howards Appliance Corp., 91 B.R. 208, 7 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 270, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10755, 1988 WL 100281 (E.D.N.Y. 1988).

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