Regan v. ITT Indus. Credit Co.

469 So. 2d 1387, 10 Fla. L. Weekly 64
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedDecember 19, 1984
DocketAU-377
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 469 So. 2d 1387 (Regan v. ITT Indus. Credit Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Regan v. ITT Indus. Credit Co., 469 So. 2d 1387, 10 Fla. L. Weekly 64 (Fla. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

469 So.2d 1387 (1984)

Edward V. REGAN, Comptroller of the State of New York, As Trustee of the Common Retirement Fund, Appellant,
v.
ITT INDUSTRIAL CREDIT COMPANY, Appellee.

No. AU-377.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.

December 19, 1984.

*1388 Robert C. Gobelman and Jerry J. Waxman of Mathews, Osborne, McNatt, Gobelman & Cobb, Jacksonville, for appellant.

Roger J. McDonald for Butler, McDonald, Moon, Hull & Hockman, Orlando, for appellee/ITT Indus. Credit Co.

OPINION ON MOTION FOR EXTRAORDINARY RELIEF

SMITH, Judge.

After the filing and release of our original opinion, and Opinion on Motion for Rehearing or Clarification in this cause, and before issuance of our mandate, appellant filed his motion for extraordinary relief, seeking further rehearing or modification of our opinion and decision. In the interests of the proper administration of justice, both our original opinion filed June 21, 1984 [9 FLW 1361], and Opinion on Motion for Rehearing or Clarification filed October 26, 1984 [9 FLW 2242], are withdrawn, and the following opinion is substituted.

Appellant, who holds a mortgage and security agreement on certain hotel property located in Jacksonville, Florida, appeals a final summary judgment finding that appellee-ITT Industrial Credit Company (ITT) has a superior lien on computer equipment financed by ITT and located within the Jacksonville Hotel property. We reverse and remand for further proceedings. We also certify a question of great public importance.

Appellant is the assignee of the mortgage and security agreement which secures a note in the amount of $7,200,000 borrowed by Jacksonville Hotel, Ltd. (JHL), a limited partnership, for the purpose of putting together the hotel operation. The mortgage and security agreement which contains an after-acquired property clause states as follows:

To secure the performance and observance by the Mortgagor of all the covenants and conditions in the Note and in this Mortgage contained, and in order to charge the properties, interests and rights hereinafter described with such payment, performance, and observances, ... the Mortgagor has executed and delivered this Mortgage ... and by these presents does hereby grant, bargain, sell, alien, remise, release, convey, assign, transfer, Mortgage, hypothecate, pledge, deliver, set over, warrant and confirm unto the Mortgagee and its successors and assigns, forever, all of the following described land, real estate, buildings, improvements, fixtures, furniture, and other personal property (which together with any additional such property hereafter acquired by the Mortgagor and subject to the lien of this Mortgage or intended to be so, as the same may from time to time constitute, is hereinafter sometimes referred to as the Mortgaged Property); to wit:
(A) the land described on Exhibit A attached hereto and made a part hereof (hereinafter called the "Land"):
(B) All buildings, structures, and improvements of every nature whatsoever now or hereafter situated on the Land, and businesses operated thereon or therefrom, and the business assets thereof, including without limitation all franchises and licenses, and all fixtures, machinery, equipment and personal property of every nature whatsoever now or hereafter owned by the Mortgagor and located in, on or used or intended to be used in connection with or with the operation of said Land, buildings, structures or other improvements, including all extensions, additions, improvements, betterments, renewals and replacements to any of the foregoing; and all of the right, title and interest of the Mortgagor in any such personal property or fixtures subject to a conditional sales contract, chattel Mortgage or similar lien or claim together with the benefit of any deposits or payments now or hereafter made by the Mortgagor or on its behalf. (emphasis supplied)

As part of outfitting the hotel for operation, JHL purchased computer equipment. The purchase of this computer equipment was financed by ITT in the sum of $278,460.00. ITT perfected its security interest *1389 by filing the necessary documents with the Secretary of State of Florida. ITT's contention that its filing was accomplished at the time or within ten (10) days after JHL took possession of the property, as required to acquire priority under Section 679.312(4), Florida Statutes (1979), is disputed by appellant. The trial court made no ruling on this issue.

Apparently, the hotel project suffered financial reversal. Appellant sought to foreclose on the property alleging that while ITT had a right, title or interest in the computer equipment, this interest was junior, subordinate and inferior to appellant's lien. ITT answered denying that appellant's lien was superior and contending that the emphasized portion of paragraph "(B)" quoted above meant that the mortgage is "subject to" a "conditional sales contract, chattel mortgage, or similar lien or claim" regarding equipment, and that it was the financier of equipment with a valid recorded security agreement. Thereafter, ITT moved for summary judgment, again arguing that its security interest is superior to and not subordinate to the foreclosure. The trial court entered summary judgment finding that the mortgage and security agreement specifically excludes a lien or claim such as that held by ITT, and therefore, ITT's lien or claim is superior to appellant's claim.

Little purpose would be served by repeating here the arguments of the parties concerning the meaning of the emphasized portion of paragraph "(B)," which they each to some extent insist may be gleaned by the placement of the commas and semi-colons in the text of the disputed provision. We find, after careful consideration of the contentions and arguments of both sides that the language in paragraph "(B)" merely recognizes and purports to include all interest of the mortgagor (JHL) in personalty that may be subject to a conditional sales contract, chattel mortgage or similar lien or claim such as a purchase money security interest. The words "subject to" are descriptive of the property the clause refers to, the result being that appellant's mortgage encumbers the mortgagor's interest in personalty which is "subject to" any conditional sales contracts, chattel mortgages or other liens (such as a purchase money security interest) held on the personalty. It is somewhat paradoxical, in view of the matter that most concerns us here, that this language is consistent with prior Florida case law that a security interest in after-acquired property attaches only to the debtor's interest in the property. International Harvester Credit Corporation v. American National Bank of Jacksonville, 296 So.2d 32 (Fla. 1974). In that case, the Supreme Court held that a party with a security interest in after-acquired property takes priority over a party with a purchase money security interest which has not been perfected within the time specified by Section 679.312(4), but this priority security protection to the earlier creditor is limited to the debtor's equity in the after-acquired property. Id. at 34, 35. We find, however, that International Harvester can no longer be relied upon as controlling law.

Appellant's motion for extraordinary relief directs our attention to a matter previously unnoticed by appellant, by this court, and presumably by appellee (appellee has not responded to appellant's latest motion). Specifically, appellant cites language appearing in the preamble to Chapter 78-222, Laws of Florida (1978)[1], indicating

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

CVS EGL Fruitville Sarasota FL, LLC v. Todora
124 So. 3d 289 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2013)
US Sugar Corp. v. Henson
787 So. 2d 3 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2001)
Delgado v. JW COURTESY PONT. GMC-TRUCK
693 So. 2d 602 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1997)
Wood v. Fraser
677 So. 2d 15 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1996)
State v. Naumowicz
535 So. 2d 702 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1988)
ITT Indus. Credit Co. v. Regan
487 So. 2d 1047 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
469 So. 2d 1387, 10 Fla. L. Weekly 64, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/regan-v-itt-indus-credit-co-fladistctapp-1984.