Steego Auto Parts Corp. v. Markey

441 N.E.2d 279, 2 Ohio App. 3d 200
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 26, 1981
DocketF-80-11
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 441 N.E.2d 279 (Steego Auto Parts Corp. v. Markey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Steego Auto Parts Corp. v. Markey, 441 N.E.2d 279, 2 Ohio App. 3d 200 (Ohio Ct. App. 1981).

Opinion

Potter, J.

Steego Auto Parts Corporation, f/k/a Sterling Parts Corporation, plaintiff-appellant, appealed the decision of the Court of Common Pleas of Fulton County, which determined the priority of the secured creditors of Roger Markey, defendant-appellee.

Roger Markey, d.b.a. J. T. & T. Auto Supply, pursuant to a buy-sell agreement of November 7, 1975, purchased this business from Ramon McQuillin on December 1, 1975. To secure the balance of the purchase price, Mr. McQuillin retained a security interest and on January 14, 1976, filed a financing statement covering “all inventory, equipment, personal property, auto parts * * * including all after acquired inventory to be used in the business of retail auto parts.”

*201 On August 3,1977, Markey borrowed money from Peoples Savings Bank Co. of Delta, Ohio, and signed a security agreement giving the bank a security interest in “all inventory, auto parts and accessories now owned or hereafter acquired.” The financing statement was filed on August 5, 1977. The record indicates that on several occasions future advances were made by the bank to Mr. Markey. Subsequently, Markey refinanced, and on May 11, 1978, the bank filed an additional financing statement. Peoples Savings Bank Co. was succeeded in interest by the BancOhio National Bank.

Roger Markey, d.b.a. J. T. & T. Auto Supply, purchased inventory from Steego Auto Parts Corporation and on July 25, 1979, and again on November 19, 1979, executed security agreements granting Steego Auto Parts Corporation a security interest in “all inventory held for sale in the course of business now owned or hereafter arising and wherever located.” Financing statements were filed on August 1, 1979 and November 21, 1979, respectively.

When Markey failed to meet his obligation to Steego Auto Parts Corporation the present action was instituted. Judgment was entered on March 27, 1980, against Markey who had signed a warrant of attorney to confess judgment.

On March 31, 1980, Ramon McQuillin moved to be joined as a party plaintiff and to restrain execution of the March 27, 1980 judgment. The Court of Common Pleas of Fulton County granted the motion and McQuillin filed a complaint on April 8,1980, against both Roger Markey, d.b.a. J. T. & T. Auto Supply and Peoples Savings Bank Co., alleging a superior interest in the assets of Roger Markey, d.b.a. J. T. & T. Auto Supply.

On May 15, 1980, Markey signed a confession of judgment in favor of Mc-Quillin and the court entered judgment against Markey in the sum of $84,174.61 plus interest.

The trial court held a hearing to determine the competing interests of creditors and found that McQuillin, having filed first, had a first priority and BancOhio had second priority. Steego ■Auto Parts Corporation, a purchase money secured creditor, did not give written notice to holders of conflicting security interests and, therefore, since Steego Auto Parts Corporation was last in time of filing, it had a third priority.

It is from this decision of the Court of Common Pleas of Fulton County that plaintiff-appellant Steego Auto Parts Corporation appeals and assigns the following errors:

“I. The trial court erred in failing to find a' valid purchase money security interest in favor of Steego.
“II. The trial court erred in finding a valid security interest in paragraph 11 of the agreement between Markey and Mc-Quillin.
“HI. The trial court erred in finding that BancOhio had perfected its security interest.”

Plaintiff-appellant’s first assignment of error alleges that as a holder of a purchase money security interest, R.C. 1309.05, Steego Auto Parts Corporation is entitled to priority pursuant to R.C. 1309.31, even though Steego did not provide written notice to McQuillin and Banc-Ohio as required by R.C. 1309.31(C)(2). Steego argues that both McQuillin and BancOhio waived their right to receive notice. This waiver occurred when Mc-Quillin, subsequent to the filing of his financing statement, changed his address without indicating the change on the financing statement. Steego argues that BancOhio’s financing statement was no longer sufficient due to a change in the secured party’s name from Peoples Savings Bank to BancOhio and not indicating this change on the finance statement. We find both of these arguments to be without merit.

The official comment to R.C. 1309.39 indicates that Ohio has adopted' a system *202 of notice filing. The formal requirements for a financing statement are provided in R.C. 1309.39(A):

“A financing statement is sufficient if it gives the names of the debtor and the secured party, is signed by the debtor, gives an address of the secured party from which information concerning the security interest may be obtained, gives a mailing address of the debtor and contains a statement indicating the types, or describing the items, of collateral. * * *”

This information, provided in the financing statement, is sufficient to put a party on notice that a secured party may have an interest in the collateral described and that further inquiry is necessary.

The case sub judice does not involve the total absence of one of the formal requirements of the financing statements. This case involves financing statements which, when originally filed, conformed with statutory requirements but due to a change in the secured parties’ address in one case and name in the other, the financing statements are no longer accurate.

Inaccuracies in a financing statement do not make it ineffective unless the errors are seriously misleading. In the case sub judice, secured creditor McQuillin changed his address subsequent to the date of filing and the other creditor, Peoples Savings Bank Co., was succeeded in interest by BancOhio. Plaintiff - appellant has not shown that the change in address precludes a further inquiry to determine the details of the secured parties’ interests. Nor has it shown that any inquiry sent to the secured creditor under the name of Peoples Savings Bank would not have provided the necessary information. Financing statements are filed under the debtor’s name and any change or error in the secured party’s name would not hinder in the search of the records. The financing statéments met the requirements:of R.C. 1309.39(A), and provided the necessary notice to any party searching the record and, as such, were not seriously misleading.

Therefore, we find that both Mc-Quillin and BancOhio have financing statements sufficient to perfect their respective security interests in the collateral of Roger Markey, d.b.a. J. T. & T. Auto Supply.

As perfected secured creditors, both McQuillin and BancOhio are entitled to notification in writing pursuant to. R.C. 1309.31(C)(2) of a subsequent perfected purchase money security interest in the same inventory. Plaintiff-appellant alleges that both prior perfected secured creditors waived their right to notice. We find no statutory support for the waiver of notice theory proposed by the plaintiff-appellant. R.C. 1309.31(C) requires a purchase money secured creditor to follow specific procedures to obtain priority over prior perfected secured creditors in the same collateral.

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Bluebook (online)
441 N.E.2d 279, 2 Ohio App. 3d 200, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/steego-auto-parts-corp-v-markey-ohioctapp-1981.