Ottenheimer Publishers, Inc. v. Regal Publishers, Inc.

626 S.W.2d 276, 33 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 330, 1981 Tenn. App. LEXIS 521
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedOctober 6, 1981
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 626 S.W.2d 276 (Ottenheimer Publishers, Inc. v. Regal Publishers, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ottenheimer Publishers, Inc. v. Regal Publishers, Inc., 626 S.W.2d 276, 33 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 330, 1981 Tenn. App. LEXIS 521 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinion

OPINION

LEWIS, Judge.

Plaintiff Ottenheimer Publishers, Inc. sued defendant Regal Publishers, Inc. (Regal) and certain individual defendants and alleged that Regal was indebted to plaintiff as a result of Regal’s default under the terms of a certain security agreement. Plaintiff alleged that the individual defendants were indebted to it as a result of “executing guaranty agreements for the purpose of enabling REGAL PUBLISHERS, INC. to obtain credit from the Bank of Goodlettsville.” Plaintiff alleged that defendants Crandall and McKinney were indebted to it as a result of their personally guaranteeing “a promissory note executed by REGAL PUBLISHERS, INC. to secure the Bank of Goodlettsville.”

After a bench trial the Chancellor entered judgment for plaintiff against Regal for the sum of $87,639.71 and dismissed the complaint against the individual defendants.

The pertinent facts are as follows: Plaintiff is engaged in the business of publishing books, primarily in the field of children’s literature and education. Regal was engaged in the publication and sale, of religious books.

Defendants William Goad, Elena R. Goad, George Laws, Norma Laws, Louis Shafer, Edith Shafer, Everette Gaddy and Delores Gaddy executed guaranty agreements for the purpose of enabling Regal to obtain credit from the Bank of Goodlettsville in an amount not to exceed $250,000. Defend[278]*278ants Carl Crandall and James McKinney personally guaranteed promissory note number 6953. Some of the individual defendants heretofore named signed as accommodation endorsers on other promissory notes.

The initial extension of credit under the financing arrangement between Regal and the Bank was a $45,000 loan represented by a promissory note dated February 1, 1975, and payable on May 2, 1975. Thereafter, Regal would make payments of interest on the due date of any outstanding note and would renew the principal debt either by renewal of the existing note or by making a new note. Various individual defendants, at one time or another, signed as accommodation parties whenever an existing note was renewed or a new note was made.

Regal’s total liability to the Bank on February 16, 1978, was $52,015.71 represented by two notes. Promissory note 6953 was for the principal amount of $30,000 with interest in the amount of $688.75, or a total of $30,688.75. Promissory note 11073 was in the principal sum of $21,000 with interest of $326.96, or a total of $21,326.96.

Because of Regal’s financial condition, plaintiff and Regal, in the fall of 1976, entered into negotiations for plaintiff to become Regal’s production arm. Plaintiff was to use its own credit and would be responsible for the paper, printing, binding and editing of Regal’s published materials. In return, Regal was to pay plaintiff ten (10%) percent above its costs. Plaintiff was to retain a lien on Regal’s receivables and inventory to the extent of credit extended by plaintiff on Regal’s behalf. The terms of this agreement were set out in a letter of intent dated November 24, 1976.

On or about June 28, 1977, plaintiff entered into a security agreement with Regal, taking a security interest in Regal’s inventory and accounts receivable. The security agreement had reference to the prior agreement between the parties dated November 24,1976. The security agreement contained the parties’ agreement that the lien secured thereby would be subordinate to “any existing security interests of the Bank of Good-lettsville.” The agreement further provided that plaintiff, as the secured party, could exercise any one or more of the rights and remedies granted under the applicable provisions of Article IX of the Uniform Commercial Code.

Pursuant to the agreement, plaintiff extended trade credit to Regal in excess of $340,000. Regal failed to make payments owed to plaintiff as required by the agreement and plaintiff declared Regal in default under the terms of the June, 1977 security agreement.

On November 16, 1977, plaintiff proposed to extend the publishing agreement with Regal upon certain additional conditions which amounted to total assumption of control of Regal’s business. Upon Regal’s representation that the business was still viable, plaintiff permitted a continuance of the relationship under the existing terms and conditions.

On or about February 16,1978, Regal was in default under the terms of the security agreement to the extent of credit extended in the amount of $310,000.

Plaintiff notified the Bank of Regal’s default under its subordinate security agreement and informed the Bank of its intent to exercise its remedies as a subordinate lien-holder. The Bank disputed plaintiff’s right to take possession of the collateral without the intervention of court proceedings. Plaintiff thereafter negotiated an agreement with the Bank which would permit plaintiff to liquidate the collateral.

On February 16, 1978, plaintiff and the Bank entered into an agreement which recited the parties’ intent to protect their respective interests in the inventory and provided that plaintiff was to immediately take possession of and liquidate the collateral. The agreement further provided that “the Bank and Ottenheimer shall share equally in the collected net account receivables to the extent of the indebtedness of Regal to the Bank, being the amount of Fifty Three Thousand One Hundred Twenty-Five and M/ioo ($53,125.54).”

[279]*279The agreement provided that upon payment of the balance the Bank was to “immediately assign and transfer to Otten-heimer all security held by said Bank, as well as all other evidence of indebtedness between Regal Publishers and the Bank to the extent of any indebtedness owed by Regal to Ottenheimer.” This agreement was accepted and executed by Regal.

Upon performance of the February 16, 1978 agreement, the Bank assigned the promissory notes representing the consolidated balance of the account of Regal to plaintiff with the following endorsement:

For value received, we hereby assign the attached note dated_, 19_, in the amount of $_, between Bank of Goodlettsville and Regal Publishers, Inc., without recourse to Ottenheimer Publishers, Inc.

After liquidation of all collateral over which plaintiff assumed control in accordance with the February 16,1978 agreement with the Bank and deduction of all appropriate expenses, there remained a deficiency balance due and owing under the security agreement between plaintiff and Regal in the amount of $87,639.71.

From February 1, 1975, and at all times material herein the Bank held a security interest in the inventory of accounts receivable of Regal perfected in accordance with the provisions of Article IX of the Uniform Commercial Code, T.C.A. § 47-9-302.

Plaintiff by its appeal seeks to reverse the judgment of the Chancellor in dismissing the complaint as to the individual defendants in their capacities as guarantors and/or accommodation endorsers.

We first discuss plaintiff’s contention that a guarantor must affirmatively show that he did not consent to an agreement between two creditors of his principal which results in relinquishment of collateral in order to be discharged on the debt.

The surrender or release by a creditor without the consent of the guarantor of any security held at the time when the debt is guaranteed will operate to discharge the guarantor.

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Bluebook (online)
626 S.W.2d 276, 33 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 330, 1981 Tenn. App. LEXIS 521, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ottenheimer-publishers-inc-v-regal-publishers-inc-tennctapp-1981.