Miami Valley Production Credit Ass'n v. Klipfer (In Re Klipfer)

62 B.R. 290, 1 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1675, 1986 Bankr. LEXIS 5961
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedJune 2, 1986
DocketBankruptcy No. 3-83-01596, Adv. 3-83-0722
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 62 B.R. 290 (Miami Valley Production Credit Ass'n v. Klipfer (In Re Klipfer)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Miami Valley Production Credit Ass'n v. Klipfer (In Re Klipfer), 62 B.R. 290, 1 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1675, 1986 Bankr. LEXIS 5961 (Ohio 1986).

Opinion

DECISIÓN AND ORDER

WILLIAM A. CLARK, Bankruptcy Judge.

This matter is before the court, after a trial and memoranda of counsel, upon the complaint of Miami Valley Production Credit Association (“PCA”), which alleges that the Chapter 13 debtors, Charles P. Klipfer, Jr. and Cynthia A. Klipfer, wrongfully disposed of crops, which were subject to a security interest in favor of PCA, by selling the crops to two grain elevators without remitting the proceeds of sale to PCA. PCA further alleges that these proceeds were used by the debtors to pay rent to certain landlords of the debtors for the use of farm acreage. In its amended complaint PCA requests the following relief:

1) That the debtors’ proposed Chapter 13 plan be modified in conformity with the allegations set forth in PCA’s complaint;
2) That the debtors be required to pay over to PCA any and all proceeds from the sale of the crops;
3) That the “court enter an order decían ing the respective rights of Plaintiff and Defendants Charles P. Klipfer, Cynthia A. Klipfer, Norris Sears and Sons Grain, Farmersville Feed and Grain, Roger Wright, Ronald Lake, Angelo Hliaras, Michael Buschur, Charles Pelkington, and George W. Ledford.”

FACTS

The following facts have been established either by stipulations or testimony during the trial of this matter.

*292 On June 21, 1982 the debtors, Charles P. Klipfer, Jr. and Cynthia A. Klipfer, executed a note in favor of PCA in the amount of $35,224.18. Of this amount, $12,800.00 was advanced to the debtors for their operating expenses during 1982; the balance of the note represented a renewal of the debtors’ previous indebtedness to PCA. The debtors also executed a security agreement in favor of PCA, which purported to grant PCA a security interest in “all growing crops and all harvested crops.” In addition, the debtors signed a loan agreement whereby they agreed that any proceeds from the sale of grain or livestock would be in the form of joint checks, payable to PCA and the debtors. The agreement also required that sales of the debtors’ crops be made at three specific elevators.

Prior to obtaining their loan from PCA, the debtors had made arrangements to lease farm land from five individuals. The testimony at trial was primarily concerned with only two of the leases.

On December 31, 1981, Charles Klipfer negotiated a written lease with defendant Angelo Hliaras, whereby Mr. Klipfer agreed to pay a land rental of $16,900.00 ($130 per acre). This lease was not recorded. On the day the lease was signed Mr. Klipfer issued a check in the amount of $1000.00. The check was drawn on a checking account comprised of income from the sale of hogs and other income. On May 1,1982 Mr. Klipfer gave Mr. Hliaras a check for $5,300.00, which was written on the same checking account. On October 16, 1982 another check for $5,300.00 was given to Mr. Hliaras by Mr. Klipfer. The funds in Mr. Klipfer’s checking account at this time contained some of the proceeds from the sale of 1982 crops. On October 18, 1982 a final check for $5,300.00 was delivered to Mr. Hliaras. This check, however, was signed by Mr. Klipfer’s brother and was drawn on a checking account belonging to the brother. (The check represented a loan from Mr. Klipfer’s brother.)

Mr. Klipfer also had an oral lease with defendant Roger Wright to rent land for $2,530.00 ($115 per acre). On October 27, 1982 two checks totaling $1,457.82 were issued to Roger Wright by defendant Norris Sears and Sons Grain as a result of Mr. Klipfer’s sale of crops to the grain company. On October 30, 1982 a check in the amount of $889.12 was issued to Roger Wright by defendant Farmersville Feed and Grain. Previously Mr. Klipfer had delivered crops to this grain elevator with instructions that half of the crops be placed in Mr. Wright’s name and marked “to be sold.” The other half was placed in Mr. Klipfer’s name “for storage” and Mr. Klip-fer subsequently withdrew this grain to feed livestock. The check to Mr. Wright represented the proceeds of the sale of the crops placed in his name.

Most of Mr. Klipfer’s crop was sold to Norris Sears and Sons Grain, despite the fact that this grain company was not one of the three elevators listed on the loan agreement with PCA as a permissible selling point. Margie L. Erisman, a former bookkeeper for Norris Sears and Sons Grain, testified that all checks drawn as a result of the sale of Mr. Klipfer’s crops were issued in the name of Charles Klipfer only. (One check, however, listed Roger Wright as the payee.) The checks were written in the manner Charles Klipfer requested. However, she also testified that she requested Tom Sears to contact PCA to determine whether the checks should be written in the joint names of PCA and Charles Klipfer. Thomas Sears, the assistant manager of Norris Sears and Sons Grain, testified that he called PCA and spoke with Sue Sparks, secretary of that particular PCA office. He asked whether Mr. Koeller, the assistant manager, or Mr. Bowers, the manager, was in the office. Ms. Sparks informed him that neither Mr. Koeller nor Mr. Bowers' was there. When asked whether PCA wanted joint checks to be issued, Ms. Sparks informed Mr. Sears that she would have to call him back. Later, Ms. Sparks called Mr. Sears and informed him he could issue a check to Charles Klip-fer. Mr. Bowers, the office manager of PCA, testified that Sue Sparks informed him that someone from Sears had called requesting information about how to make *293 out the checks regarding the sale of Mr. Klipfer’s crops. Mr. Bowers did not return the call from Thomas Sears. Neither Mr. Koeller, a former employee of PCA, nor Ms. Sparks, a present employee of PCÁ, testified at the trial.

Mr. Duane Denlinger, who is the vice-president and general manager of Farmers-ville Feed and Grain, testified that Mr. Klipfer delivered crops to Farmersville Feed and Grain with instructions that one-half of the crops should be placed in the debtor’s name “for storage” and one-half in Roger Wright’s name “for sale.” During 1982 no checks were made directly payable to Charles or Cynthia Klipfer. The debtors’ grain was withdrawn to feed livestock. However, Roger Wright’s grain was sold and a check was made out to Mr. Wright. Mr. Denlinger testified that Farmersville Feed and Grain had no record of the relationship between Mr. Klipfer and Mr. Wright.

From the testimony at trial it is clear that neither Norris Sears and Sons Grain nor Farmersville Feed and Grain examined the records of Montgomery County for security interests in the crops of the debtors.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

I. MOTION OF FARMERSVILLE FEED AND GRAIN

Prior to trial, defendant Farmersville Feed and Grain filed a motion pursuant to FED.R.CIV.P. 12(b) requesting that it be dismissed as a party on the ground that plaintiff’s amended complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.

With regard to Farmersville Feed and Grain, the amended complaint simply alleges that plaintiff had a security interest in the debtors’ crops, and that some of the crops were sold to Farmersville Feed and Grain in violation of plaintiff’s rights.

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Bluebook (online)
62 B.R. 290, 1 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 1675, 1986 Bankr. LEXIS 5961, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/miami-valley-production-credit-assn-v-klipfer-in-re-klipfer-ohsb-1986.