Maremont Marketing, Inc. v. Marshall (In Re G. G. Moss Co.)

9 B.R. 47, 1981 Bankr. LEXIS 5140
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedJanuary 13, 1981
Docket19-30468
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 9 B.R. 47 (Maremont Marketing, Inc. v. Marshall (In Re G. G. Moss Co.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Maremont Marketing, Inc. v. Marshall (In Re G. G. Moss Co.), 9 B.R. 47, 1981 Bankr. LEXIS 5140 (Va. 1981).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

BLACKWELL N. SHELLEY, Bankruptcy Judge.

This matter comes on upon the filing of a Complaint by Maremont Marketing, Inc. (Maremont), Plaintiff herein, to recover collateral in the possession of Watson M. Marshall, Trustee of the Estate of G. G. Moss Co., Inc. (Trustee), Defendant herein, which Maremont alleges it has a valid and enforceable security interest therein. The Trustee timely filed an Answer alleging, inter alia, that Maremont failed to properly perfect its security interest in the collateral. Pursuant to a Pretrial Order entered in this matter, Plaintiff and Defendant entered into Stipulations of Fact and submitted Proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law. A trial was held in the matter and briefs were requested and received by the Court. Upon the foregoing, the Court renders the following opinion.

STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

The facts in the case are substantially undisputed and have been largely stipulated by the parties. Maremont is an Illinois corporation which is engaged in the business of selling automobile parts, products and accessories and which periodically sold its line of parts, accessories and equipment to the Debtor, G. G. Moss Co., Inc. (G. G. Moss). As of the date of filing of the Petition in Bankruptcy G. G. Moss was in default of its obligation to Maremont in the amount of $233,776.04, plus interest, $85,-693.57 of which is evidenced by a promissory note, and the balance of said indebtedness being on open account. As of the date of the filing of the Petition in Bankruptcy, G. G. Moss was in possession of parts, accessories and equipment purchased by it from Maremont valued in the amount of $29,500. To secure the credit extended for. these purchases, the parties entered into a written Security Agreement dated December 5, 1973. The Security Agreement included as collateral:

“. .. Customer’s entire inventory of Gabriel Shock Absorbers, Ride Control Products and component parts, and all acces *49 sory parts thereto purchased heretofore and from time to time hereafter by the Customer from Maremont and all the products and proceeds therefrom including notes and accounts receivable (Collateral) to secure the payment of the Customer’s indebtedness ...”

In an effort to perfect its security interest, Maremont filed a financing statement with the State Corporation Commission of Virginia (S.C.C.) and in the Circuit Court for the County of Henrico on or about December 21, 1973. At that time, G. G. Moss had its sole place of business located at 1901 Sledd Street in the City of Richmond, Virginia. Maremont has conceded that the filing of the financing statement at the office of the S.C.C. and the County of Hen-rico did not act to perfect the security interest in that § 8.9-401 of the Code of Virginia (1950), as amended, required a filing at the S.C.C. and the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond, Division I.

Subsequent to the filings in 1973, G. G. Moss began a second business at 2210 Llewellyn Avenue in the City of Norfolk, Virginia. By agreement of August 16, 1976, the Security agreement was amended to include the inventory at the Norfolk office as additional collateral:

“Customer’s entire inventory of exhaust system products, parts, and accessories located at the above address [1901 Sledd Street, Richmond, Virginia] and at 2210 Llewellan Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23508.”

On August 19, 1976, Maremont filed an amendment to the financing statement with the S.C.C. claiming a lien on: “Additional Collateral: Customer’s entire inventory of exhaust system products, parts and accessories located at the above address [1901 Sledd Street, Richmond, Virginia] and at 2210 Llewellyn Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23508.” The amendment to the financing statement contained the names of the Debtor and secured party, was signed by the Debtor and the secured party, gave the address of the secured party, included the mailing address of the Debtor, and gave a description of the collateral covered by the Security Agreement. It was also designated an amendment to the original financing statement and identified the original financing statement by file number.

The Norfolk office was closed in 1979 and its remaining inventory was transferred to Richmond. From the evidence presented, the Court made a finding of fact that the total value of the inventory transferred from Norfolk to Richmond at that time was $3,000.

The collateral in dispute in this proceeding consists of exhaust system products, parts and accessories including but not limited to mufflers, exhaust pipes, brackets, clamps and storage racks for the products. The above collateral has been sold by the Trustee after notice and with the Court’s authorization for a price of $37,000, $7,500 of which is attributable to the storage racks.

At trial a question of fact arose as to whether the storage racks were included in the description of the collateral covered under the Security Agreement. Maremont argued that since the mufflers, exhaust pipes, tail pipes, clamps and accessories constitute such tremendous bulk and thus require storage racks for their handling and sale, such storage racks should be considered part of the accessories covered under the Security Agreement. The Trustee argued that “component parts, and all accessory parts ...” were those parts and accessories which attach to the vehicles serviced by G. G. Moss and not to those devices which assist in the sale of exhaust system products. After the presentation of evidence on this point by expert witnesses, the Court made a determination of fact that the storage racks were not accessories to ride control products.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

It is the Court’s opinion that the description of the collateral in the Security Agreement and financing statement was not intended to and did not encompass the storage racks. Therefore, the security interest, if valid, did not pertain to the storage racks in the business of G. G. Moss.

*50 The paramount issue to which this Court must address itself is whether the amendment to the financing statement which Maremont filed with the S.C.C. on August 19, 1976, was effective to properly perfect the security interest Maremont had with G. G. Moss pursuant to its Security Agreement. The Uniform Commercial Code as adopted in Virginia is controlling in this case. That portion of § 8.9-401 of the Code of Virginia (1950), as amended, set out below, dictates the proper place to file a financing statement to perfect the security interest. It states:

“(1) the proper place to file in order to perfect a security interest is as follows ...
(c) In all other cases in the office of the State Corporation Commission and in addition, if the debtor has a place of business in only one county or city of this state, also in the office of the clerk of the Court in which deeds are admitted to record of such county or city, or if the debtor has no place of business in the state, but resides in the state also in the office of the clerk of the county or city in which he resides.”

It is clear that the filing of the financing statements by Maremont in 1973 in the Clerk’s Office of the S.C.C. and in the Circuit Court of the County of Henrico at a time when G. G.

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9 B.R. 47, 1981 Bankr. LEXIS 5140, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maremont-marketing-inc-v-marshall-in-re-g-g-moss-co-vaeb-1981.