Interurban Investment Corp. v. Resolution Trust Corp.

905 F. Supp. 1349, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17222, 1995 WL 678274
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Louisiana
DecidedNovember 7, 1995
DocketCiv. A. No. 93-2905
StatusPublished

This text of 905 F. Supp. 1349 (Interurban Investment Corp. v. Resolution Trust Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Interurban Investment Corp. v. Resolution Trust Corp., 905 F. Supp. 1349, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17222, 1995 WL 678274 (E.D. La. 1995).

Opinion

ORDER AND REASONS

JONES, District Judge.

Pending before the Court is the Resolution Trust Corporation’s “Dispositive Motion for Summary Judgment,” which was taken under submission on a previous date. Having reviewed the memoranda of the parties, the record and the applicable law, the Court DENIES the motion.

Background

Interurban Investment Corporation (hereinafter “Interurban”) filed this lawsuit alleging breach of contract by the Resolution Trust Corporation (hereinafter “RTC”) for its failure to sell Interurban a series of promissory notes and related security instruments secured by a building in New Orleans know as Delta Towers (hereinafter “Delta Towers asset”). The following background for the purposes of this motion is taken from the undisputed material facts as agreed by the parties.1

In 1990 the RTC through Carol Glasgow entered into negotiations with ATI Property Trust, the purpose of which was to arrive at a contract for the RTC to sell the Delta Towers asset to ATI Property Trust, which was a trade name for a corporation named Abatement Technologies, Inc. (hereinafter “ATI”). The stock of ATI was owned as follows: Thomas Corish, 30 percent; James Gray, 20 percent, Thomas Cloke, 25 percent; and Wayne Wandell, 25 percent. Prior to ATI’s liquidation, which began in August 1991,2 its officers were: Corish, President; Gray, Vice-President; Cole, Treasurer; and Wandell, Secretary. Corish and Gray live in Atlanta. Cloke and Wandell lived in New Orleans.

[1353]*1353In January 1991 ATI Property Trust submitted a written offer to the RTC to purchase the Delta Towers asset for $1.5 million.3 The offer was signed by Gray as Vice-President on behalf of ATI Property Trust and by S.K. Pagna on behalf of Jerry Puckett, Field Site Manager for RTC. This agreement provided the following, in pertinent part, as to a “deposit” on the sale:

Deposit: The deposit shall be the sum of $50,000 which shall be made immediately upon completion of the inspection peri-od_ Said deposit is nonrefundable after escrow instructions are drawn unless agreed to by both Seller and Purchaser. Escrow instructions must be completed within thirty (30) days of the end of the forty-four (44) working days [sic] review as explained in Item # 6. (Emphasis in original.) 4

Item 6 of the agreement allowed ATI Property Trust 44 working days after receipt of information it requested to review books and other records relative to the asset and provided that purchaser could terminate the agreement “without cost or penalty” during this time by advising “Seller” in writing. Item 6 also provides:

During the 44 day [sic] review period and 30 day [sic] escrow instruction preparation Seller agrees to give purchaser right of first refusal for 72 hours after receipt of another offer to purchase the Note and Mortgage (Delta Towers Asset).
Upon expiration of said days, if Purchaser has not given any indication of approval, such conditions shall be disapproved. The parties shall promptly execute elosing/es-crow instruction within thirty (30) days after Seller receives written approval from Purchaser.

The agreement also provided that it would be governed by the law of Georgia absent controlling federal law.

On July 24, 1991, RTC through Glasgow informed Gray, who was in Atlanta, and Cloke, who was in New Orleans, that a backup offer was to be submitted. On the same date, Corish and Gray, purporting to act on behalf of ATI, assigned ATI’s rights and obligations under the January 1991 contract with RTC to a Georgia corporation named the Bristol Corporation (hereinafter “Bristol”). One of the terms of the assignment provided that Bristol would provide the $50,-000 necessary for the deposit under the RTC/ATI Property Trust agreement.

On the next day the Atlanta contingent of ATI, Corish and Gray, advised the New Orleans contingent, Cloke and Wandell, of the assignment, to which Cloke objected. Bristol learned of the objection and, in response, on July 26, Donald R. Harkelroad on behalf of Bristol sent Corish and Gray a letter, indicating that they had sought Bristol’s concurrence in rescinding the agreement and that Bristol would accede to that request.5 Corish declined the offer, stating that neither he nor Gray requested the rescission, informing Bristol that ATI wanted to continue the agreement with Bristol and stating that he desired to proceed to escrow because the RTC had received another offer and wanted to continue ATI’s position.6 Subsequently, RTC received notice that $50,000 in escrow funds had been delivered to an attorney named Tom Brown in Atlanta on behalf of ATI.7

In the meantime, Interurban entered into negotiations with Bristol to discuss a possible deal between those parties. At some point Corish and Gray also were involved in these negotiations.

Shortly thereafter, the RTC first learned of the assignment to Bristol, and a few days later RTC learned that the New Orleans [1354]*1354contingent of ATI objected to the assignment to Bristol as an unauthorized corporate act.

The negotiations continued, this time between ATI’s New Orleans group and Interurban. Then ATI’s New Orleans contingent decided to liquidate ATI. Wandell and Cloke filed a Petition for Voluntary Liquidation on August 5, 1991, and on that same day the district judge appointed Cloke and Wandell temporary liquidators of ATI. ATI in liquidation next signed an agreement with Interurban to sell to Interurban ATI’s rights under the January 1991 agreement with RTC.8 Interurban acknowledged in this agreement that the “thirty (30) day due diligence period may not be available by virtue of the contract with RTC” and that “RTC has been notified by letter that the deposit required under its CONTRACT has been tendered, thereby requiring a thirty (30) day closing from that time.” 9

Cloke and Wandell also wrote to Corish and Gray and Bristol, repudiating any previous agreement between ATI and Bristol, and also to Brown and RTC, indicating Brown was not authorized to act as escrow agent for ATI.10

In response RTC advised Cloke in New Orleans that the $50,000 in escrow previously deposited by Atlanta ATI Group/Bristol was deemed improper because the escrow agent was contested by the New Orleans ATI contingent.11 RTC further advised Cloke to deposit the $50,000 with its own lawyer in New Orleans, Sidney Cotlar.12 Cloke than sent a $50,000 cashier’s check to Cotlar.13

In mid-August Bristol filed suit against ATI in Cobb County, Georgia, and received a temporary restraining order enjoining ATI from selling the Delta Towers asset or from interfering with contractual relations with Bristol as to its assignment, and Bristol sent a copy of ATI’s assignment to Bristol and the temporary restraining order to Cotlar, RTC’s attorney.14 He responded by noting that the New Orleans contingent claimed it had already transferred the Delta Towers asset to Interurban, that the two different ATI contingents had a dispute and that he hoped the dispute could be resolved before the closing deadline of September 5, 1991.15

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Bluebook (online)
905 F. Supp. 1349, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17222, 1995 WL 678274, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/interurban-investment-corp-v-resolution-trust-corp-laed-1995.