Ogden v. Barby Joint Venture

525 So. 2d 1, 1987 WL 1019
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 19, 1988
DocketCA 86 1177
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 525 So. 2d 1 (Ogden v. Barby Joint Venture) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ogden v. Barby Joint Venture, 525 So. 2d 1, 1987 WL 1019 (La. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

525 So.2d 1 (1987)

Roger H. OGDEN and James E. Maurin-1981D, a Louisiana Partnership in Commendam
v.
BARBY JOINT VENTURE, d/b/a One Hour Moto-Photo.

No. CA 86 1177.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

October 14, 1987.
On Rehearing April 19, 1988.

A. Michael Dufilho, Baton Rouge, for plaintiffs-appellees Roger H. Ogden and James E. Maurin-1918D, a Louisiana Partnership in Commendam.

Susie Morgan, Shreveport, for intervenors-appellants Mercantile Bank of Fort Worth and I.D. Walker III, d/b/a Walker Inv.

*2 Joan B. Parmelee, Baton Rouge, for defendant-appellee Barby Joint Venture, d/b/a One Hour Moto-Photo.

Before SHORTESS, LANIER and CRAIN, JJ.

LANIER, Judge.

This is a suit in contract by a lessor against his lessee and two sub-lessees seeking money damages and recognition of a lessor's lien on property seized on the leased premises with a writ of sequestration. The lessor, lessee and sub-lessees entered into a consent judgment for $21,539.61, with interest thereon at the rate of 18% per annum from August 2, 1985, until paid, an attorney fee of 10% of the principal and interest due, all costs and recognition of the lessor's lien and privilege on the property seized on the leased premises, which property was ordered sold at a sheriff's sale with appraisal. The owner of certain photographic equipment and a foreign bank intervened in the proceedings asserting that the owner's photographic equipment was seized on the leased premises, the owner was entitled to be restored to possession of the equipment, or, in the alternative, the owner and the bank each had chattel mortgages on the equipment which should be recognized. The owner and bank also sought a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to prevent the sheriff from selling the equipment. The request for the temporary restraining order was denied, and a hearing was held on the merits of the intervention and the request for the preliminary injunction. The trial court dismissed the intervention. Upon agreement of the parties, the trial court ordered a separate appraisal and sale of the photographic equipment and directed the sheriff to hold the proceeds of the sale until a judgment on the merits of the intervention became definitive. The owner bought in the equipment at the sheriff's sale for $24,406. This devolutive appeal followed.

FACTS

On October 3, 1983, Roger H. Ogden and James Maurin-1981D, a Louisiana Partnership in Commendam (lessor) leased premises located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Barby Joint Venture, d/b/a One Hour Moto-Photo, a Texas limited partnership (lessee), for the purpose of operating a photograph developing business. The primary term of the lease was July 1, 1984, through June 30, 1987. Brent N. Barby personally guaranteed performance of the lessee's obligations under the lease. The lessee subsequently sub-leased the premises to Kevin E. Taylor and Benjamin E. Parker (sub-lessees).

On July 19, 1984, 1.D. Walker, III, d/b/a Walker Investments (Walker) leased assorted photographic equipment to Krasco, Ltd. II (Krasco). Benjamin E. Parker was a partner in Krasco. This lease agreement provided that the photographic equipment would be located on the Baton Rouge leased premises. At the same time, Krasco executed a UCC-1 financing statement and a chattel mortgage in favor of Walker.

On August 17, 1984, Walker borrowed money from the Mercantile Bank of Fort Worth (Bank) to pay off the purchase price of the photographic equipment. At that same time, Walker executed a UCC-1 financing statement and a chattel mortgage on the equipment in favor of the Bank to secure this debt.

On August 24, 1984, the photographic equipment owned by Walker was delivered to the leased premises in Baton Rouge.

On August 27, 1984, both UCC-1 financing statements were recorded with the Secretary of State of Texas. On September 4, 1984, both chattel mortgages were recorded in the chattel mortgage records of East Baton Rouge Parish.

Lessee defaulted on the lease in early 1985. This suit was filed on August 2, 1985. On October 7, 1985, the lessor seized the photographic equipment (and other movables) on the leased premises pursuant to a writ of sequestration.

RANKING OF THE CHATTEL MORTGAGES

(Assignment of Error Number 1)

The Bank and Walker contend the trial court erred in holding that their foreign *3 security interests (the chattel mortgages and UCC-1 financing statements) did not prime the lessor's lien. Specifically, they contend that pursuant to La.R.S. 9:5354 they had sixty days from the dates of execution of those documents in Texas (July 19, 1984, and August 17, 1984) to perfect their security interests in Louisiana against third persons and that when they timely did so on September 4, 1984, these rights were retroactive to the dates of execution and primed the lessor's lien which was perfected on August 24, 1984.

It is not contested herein that the lessor's lien and privilege attached to the photographic equipment on August 24, 1984. La.C.C. art. 2705; Youree v. Limerick, 157 La. 39, 101 So. 864 (1924). The issue to be decided in this assignment of error is when did the Texas security interests become effective against third persons in Louisiana.

The parties hereto have not asserted that Texas law is applicable or attempted to show that Texas law is different from Louisiana law. Accordingly, we will apply Louisiana law to determine the legal relations between the parties. La.C.C.P. art. 1391; Vining v. Bardwell, 482 So.2d 685 (La. App. 1st Cir.1985), writ denied, 487 So.2d 439 (La.1986) and the cases cited therein.

Under Louisiana law, the privilege of the chattel mortgage is effective as to third persons from the date of its recordation. La.R.S. 9:5354; Acadiana Bank v. Foreman, 352 So.2d 674 (La.1977). The Walker-Krasco and Walker-Bank UCC-1 financing statements were recorded in Texas on August 27, 1984. The Walker-Krasco and Walker-Bank chattel mortgages were recorded in Louisiana on September 4, 1984. Both of these recordations antedated the attaching of the lessor's lien and privilege on August 24, 1984. However, the Bank and Walker argue that La.R.S. 9:5354 allows them to make their security rights effective as to third persons from the date of execution of the instruments which give the security interests.

La.R.S. 9:5353(B) provides, in pertinent part, as follows:

B. (1)(a) Except as provided in R.S. 9:5354, in order to affect third persons whenever personal property is transferred into this state by or at the direction of the owner thereof and such property is burdened with a security interest that was created when such owner was not domiciled in this state, any person holding a security interest on such property shall record a certified copy or multiple original of same in the office of the recorder of mortgages of the parish where the property is to be located and also in the office of the recorder of mortgages of the parish of the owner's domicile, if the owner is domiciled in the state.
(b) If the owner is not domiciled in the state, filing in the office of the recorder of mortgages of the parish where the property is to be located will be sufficient.

La.R.S. 9:5354, at all times pertinent hereto, provided, in part, as follows:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
525 So. 2d 1, 1987 WL 1019, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ogden-v-barby-joint-venture-lactapp-1988.