Levingston v. Hammett (In Re Hammett)

42 B.R. 48, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 5574
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Mississippi
DecidedJune 4, 1984
Docket19-10832
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 42 B.R. 48 (Levingston v. Hammett (In Re Hammett)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Levingston v. Hammett (In Re Hammett), 42 B.R. 48, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 5574 (Miss. 1984).

Opinion

OPINION

DAVID W. HOUSTON, III, Bankruptcy Judge.

This adversary proceeding came on for trial on the filing of the amended complaint by the Plaintiffs, Jeffrey A. Levingston, Trustee, and Lonoke Production Credit Association; all issues being joined by the filing of separate answers by all named Defendants, Vernon C. Hammett, Jr., Annette Fore Hammett, Dan F. Hammett, Anne S. Hammett, Avondale Arms Apartments, Inc., and Bank Sales Department, Inc.; the Plaintiffs and the Defendants being represented in Open Court by their respective attorneys of record; on proof by stipulations, documentary evidence, and testimony before the Court; and the Court having heard and considered same, finds as follows, to-wit:

I.

As to the issues raised by the Defendants concerning the untimely modification of the judgment, dated June 8, 1981, nunc pro tunc December 30, 1980, of the Chancery Court of Pulaski County, Arkansas, as well as, the affirmative defense asserted by the Defendants that the Plaintiffs’ amended complaint is barred by the provisions of § 15-1-49, Mississippi Code of 1972, as amended, being the six year general statute of limitations, this Court confirms its Order dated January 9, 1984, which overruled the Defendants’ motion for summary judgment, said Order is incorporated for the purposes of this Opinion by reference the same as if fully copied verbatim herein. More particularly, this Court holds that in addition to the provisions of Rule 15(c), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which permit the filing of the amended complaint to relate back to the time of filing of the initial complaint, that the provisions of § 15-1-67, Mississippi Code of 1972, as amended, also prohibit this cause of action from being barred by the six year statute of limitations. The revised allegations were timely plead after discovery which was conducted with reasonable diligence by the Plaintiffs.

*50 This bankruptcy was filed by Vernon C. Hammett, Jr., on September 14, 1982, which was within the six year period of the general statute of limitations, commencing hypothetically on January 26, 1977. The interaction of 11 U.S.C. § 544 and § 546(a) permits the Plaintiff Trustee, when joined by the “triggering creditor”, Lonoke Production Credit Association, to utilize consecutively the time period provided in § 15-1-49, if still effective on the date of the bankruptcy filing, in addition to the time period provided in § 546(a). As a consequence, coupled with the other reasons set out above, the amended complaint was timely filed by the Plaintiffs.

II.

The Court finds that Avondale Arms Apartments, Inc., hereinafter referred to as Avondale Arms, was incorporated on January 21, 1977. The incorporators were Vernon C. Hammett, Jr., and Annette F. Hammett; the officers and directors from incorporation. until the present time were and are Vernon C. Hammett, Jr. (President and Director), Annette F. Hammett (Secretary-Treasurer and Director), and Dan F. Hammett (Vice President and Director). Initially two hundred shares of the capital stock were issued to Annette Fore Hammett and two hundred shares to Vernon C. Hammett, Jr., by virtue of certificates dated January 26, 1977. The two hundred shares issued to Vernon C. Hammett, Jr., were transferred, as evidenced by the corporate stock transfer ledger, to Dan F. Hammett (100 shares) and Anne S. Hammett (100 shares), effective January 29, 1977, but with the two certificates being dated January 28, 1977. Contemporaneously with the stock transfer, i.e., January 29, 1977, a voting trust agreement and three related certificates were executed by Annette Fore Hammett, Dan F. Hammett, and Anne S. Hammett to Vernon C. Hammett, Jr., whereby Vernon C. Hammett, Jr., was given the complete and exclusive authority to vote all issued and outstanding shares of stock of Avondale Arms.

Prior to the incorporation of Avondale Arms, Vernon C. Hammett, Jr., who owned certain real property on which the Avon-dale Arms apartments were being constructed, had entered into two loan transactions with First National Bank of Green-ville in the sums of $115,000.00 and $30,-000.00, secured by deeds of trust dated respectively on October 19, 1976, (Defendants’ Exhibit 27), and January 7, 1977, (Defendants’ Exhibit 26). Vernon C. Hammett, Jr., conveyed this same property to Avondale Arms Apartments, Inc., by a warranty deed dated January 26, 1977. There is no mention in this instrument of the two deeds of trust in favor of First National Bank of Greenville. Subsequently, however, Avondale Arms entered into a loan transaction with Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association, Greenville, Mississippi, in the original principal sum of $142,500.00 (Defendants’ Exhibit 28), the proceeds of which were utilized to satisfy the two outstanding loans in favor of First National Bank of Greenville. From the proof presented at the trial of this case, the Court is unable to determine whether the satisfaction of the two debts existing in favor of First National Bank of Greenville was adequate consideration for the conveyance of the property by Vernon C. Hammett, Jr. to the corporation. Therefore, absent evidence to the contrary, the Court must presume that this conveyance was, in fact, an “arms length” transaction.

The Court notes that although the circumstances surrounding the ultimate issuance of the Avondale Arms Apartments, Inc., corporate stock to Annette Fore Hammett, Dan F. Hammett, and Anne S. Hammett, are “most unusual”, the following factors must be considered:

1. Annette Fore Hammett, Dan F. Hammett, and Anne S. Hammett all testified that each paid for his or her shares of corporate stock although no payment records, i.e., checks, cancelled certificates of deposit, or bank transfer memoranda were produced.

2. Each of the aforementioned individuals had funds available to pay for the cor *51 porate stock at least at a time one year prior to acquisition.

3. At the time of the stock issuance, the value of the stock was not overly significant. The corporation was deeded the real property on which the Avondale Arms apartments were being constructed and at the same time ostensibly assumed the liability for the two debts owed to First National Bank of Greenville, totaling $145,-000.00 as described hereinabove. These debts, were subsequently satisfied by the corporation through the loan with Washington Federal Savings and Loan Association.

The Plaintiffs have alleged that the issuance of the corporate shares was fraudulent. Under the prevailing state of the law, the Plaintiffs must prove such fraud by clear and convincing evidence. The factual proof is sufficient to raise an element of doubt and suspicion, but such proof does not rise to the level necessary to set aside the issuance and subsequent transfer of the corporate stock of Avondale Arms as fraudulent. Consequently, as to this issue, the Plaintiffs amended complaint is without merit and should be dismissed.

III.

On January 29, 1977, Vernon C. Hammett, Jr., executed four option agreements to Avondale Arms Apartments, Inc., all of which are discussed in detail hereinbelow, each for the recited consideration of Ten Dollars ($10.00) and other good and valuable consideration.

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Bluebook (online)
42 B.R. 48, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 5574, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/levingston-v-hammett-in-re-hammett-msnb-1984.