Pat's Fancy, II, Inc. v. Kleinfeld (In re Garrett Marine, Inc.)

86 B.R. 705, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 773
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedMay 19, 1988
DocketBankruptcy No. 84-2742-8P7; Adv. No. 85-325
StatusPublished

This text of 86 B.R. 705 (Pat's Fancy, II, Inc. v. Kleinfeld (In re Garrett Marine, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pat's Fancy, II, Inc. v. Kleinfeld (In re Garrett Marine, Inc.), 86 B.R. 705, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 773 (Fla. 1988).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND MEMORANDUM OPINION

ALEXANDER L. PASKAY, Chief Judge.

THIS IS the saga of a luxury yacht which, rather than ending up in a squall in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, ended up in a very dry but heated storm in the Bankruptcy Court. This odd turn of events was the result of the financial demise of its creator, the yacht manufacturer, Garrett Marine, Inc. (Debtor), whose attempt to achieve rehabilitation under Chapter 11 failed and it ended up in Chapter 7 liquidation. The genesis of the controversy dates back to June 14, 1985 when the McKieman Group (George F. McKieman and Pat’s Fancy II) and Clipper Sales, Inc. (Clipper Sales), both claiming to be creditors of the Debtor, filed proofs of claims in the amounts of $133,000.00. (Claim Nos. 49 and 53). The original objection to these claims was filed by the Debtor. On September 9, 1985, at the conclusion of a duly noticed hearing on the objection, this Court entered an Order and directed that the issues raised by the objection should be treated in the context of an adversary proceeding governed by Part VII of the Bankruptcy Rules.

On September 30, 1985, Pat’s Fancy, II, George F. McKieman and Patricia McKier-nan filed their respective Complaints against the Debtor, Clipper Sales and Key Capital Corporation (Key Capital), the financier of a yacht which was to be built by [707]*707the Debtor for the McKieman group. Clipper Sales, in turn, filed suit against the Debtor on October 2, 1985. These two Complaints were consolidated into this adversary proceeding presently under consideration. Following the consolidation of these proceedings, the McKieman Group and Clipper Sales, Inc. amended their Complaints. In brief, both Complaints, as amended, allege a breach of contract based on the Debtor’s failure to build and deliver a yacht. Additionally, the McKieman Group seeks monetary damages against Key Capital and Clipper Sales. Key Capital has filed a counterclaim against the McKieman Group for breach of contract and also has filed a cross-claim against the Debtor and Clipper Sales. The relief sought originally against the Debtor of course will be nothing more than claims against the Chapter 7 estate if ultimately found to be meritorious. The facts behind this complex dispute as established at the trial are as follows:

The Debtor, whose principal is Ben Garrett, was, at the time relevant, in the business of manufacturing sailing yachts. The yachts were marketed by Mr. Daryl Rasey, a boat broker. Sometime in 1983, Mr. Ra-sey, who is the sole stockholder and officer of Clipper Sales (Exhibit 32), arranged a meeting with McKieman who had expressed an interest in buying a Garrett-40, a vessel manufactured by the Debtor. In late 1983 or early 1984, McKieman and Rasey visited the Garrett factory and inspected the hull and deck of a Garrett-40. On February 2,1984, Mr. Rasey prepared a Memorandum of Agreement on the letterhead of a corporation apparently affiliated with Clipper Sales and known as Harbor West of Chicago, Inc. (Harbor West). This agreement named McKieman as purchaser of a Garrett-40 and Harbor West as the seller of the yacht. (Exhibit 27). Pursuant to this agreement, George McKieman and his wife, Patricia, paid $3,000 as a refundable deposit to “Clipper Sales-Harbor West” [sic]. (Exhibit 28). The agreement was conditioned upon McKieman’s satisfaction with the yacht, after a test sail. The test sail occurred in May or June of 1984 and it appears that McKiernans were satisfied with the yacht.

On July 6, 1984 the McKiernans entered into an additional agreement and executed a document titled “Memorandum of Agreement” with Clipper Sales. (Exhibit 32). Under this additional agreement, Clipper Sales agreed to sell a Garrett-40 to a corporation known as “Pat’s Fancy, II, Inc.” The agreement identified the hull and engine of the yacht by number, and specified that the $133,000 purchase price included a “sailaway package at no charge” including fenders, dock lines, ground tackle, and a flare kit. (Exhibit 32). Although Pat’s Fancy, II, Inc. was listed as the buyer of the boat, it is without dispute that the buyers in reality were to be the McKier-nans, who used the corporate entity “Pat's Fancy, II” simply for registration of the yacht through the Yacht Registry, Ltd. in Wilmington, Delaware (Exhibit 47). Simultaneously, the McKiernans and Clipper Sales negotiated for extra equipment such as life preservers, winches and spinaker gear to be included in the deal! (Exhibit 29 and 30).

The July 6 Memorandum of Agreement required the delivery of the yacht by mid-August, 1984. The Agreement also called for an additional payment at closing of $100,000 from Key Capital with whom the McKiernans arranged financing of the purchase in the interim. By July of 1984, the McKiernans had paid $30,000 to Clipper Sales to serve as an additional deposit on the yacht. (Exhibit 33 and 34). It appears that after receipt of the down payment, Clipper Sales issued a check to the Debtor in the amount of $8,910.92 in order to enable the Debtor to purchase the additional items which were to be included in the deal, and a check in the amount of $250 to George McKieman to purchase additional items for the yacht and various other checks totalling $8,946.92 again for items to be purchased to equip the yacht. (Exhibits 67-74). It appears that at the same time these agreements between Clipper Sales and the McKiernans were executed, Clipper Sales also negotiated for the purchase of the G-40 with the Debtor for $109,000. In this connection it should be [708]*708noted that the total price agreed to be paid by the McKiernans was $133,000. It is evident that the difference between the $109,000 and $133,000 was to fund the purchase of the additional equipment and to pay Clipper Sales its commission of $8,000 for arranging the sale of the yacht to the McKiernans.

Mid-August of 1984, the time the yacht was to be delivered, came and passed with no delivery of the yacht to the McKiernans. It appears that the Debtor promised the McKiernans that the yacht would be completed by the end of 1984 and that the McKiernans did in fact authorize the Debt- or to use the yacht as a demonstrator until the beginning of the sailing season. The final date for delivery was fixed by agreement as April 1, 1985.

In early August, 1984, Rasey visited the Debtor’s warehouse and found that the G-40 was not even close to completion and the only evidence of the yacht was a mere hull with a bulkhead and with a partially completed deck. It further appears that the only additional equipment ever purchased by the Debtor for the McKiernans was $300 to $400 worth of flotation vests, fire extinguishers and various other items to be installed on the yacht. In addition, the McKiernans received some sails obtained by Clipper Sales which, of course, had no value to the McKiernans without the G-40 and these sails were eventually returned to the manufacturer.

To further complicate matters, in order to finance the purchase of the G-40, the McKiernans, on behalf of Pat’s Fancy, II, executed a Key Capital “Yacht Financing Application” (Exhibit 5) and entered into a “Marine Vessel Lease/Purchase Agreement” with Key Capital (Exhibit 12). The terms of this agreement provided that Key Capital would purchase a G-40 from Clipper Sales for the purchase price of $145,-000, would lease the boat to Pat’s Fancy for an initial monthly payment of $46,-095.81 and thereafter at $1,095.81 per month, and that Pat’s Fancy would have an option to buy the boat after all lease payments had been made to the extent of ten (10%) percent of the original purchase price of the yacht. At the same time, both Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
86 B.R. 705, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 773, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pats-fancy-ii-inc-v-kleinfeld-in-re-garrett-marine-inc-flmb-1988.