Swope v. Commercial Savings Bank (In re Gamma Center, Inc.)

489 B.R. 688
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedMarch 29, 2013
DocketBankruptcy No. 10-30193; Adversary No. 12-3015
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 489 B.R. 688 (Swope v. Commercial Savings Bank (In re Gamma Center, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Swope v. Commercial Savings Bank (In re Gamma Center, Inc.), 489 B.R. 688 (Ohio 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER REGARDING CROSS-MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

MARY ANN WHIPPLE, Bankruptcy Judge.

This adversary proceeding is before the court on cross-motions for summary judgment filed by Plaintiff, and Defendants Commercial Savings Bank (“the Bank”) and Sudesh Reddy, M.D. (“Reddy”), [Doc. ## 19, 20 and 16], the Bank’s and Reddy’s responses to Plaintiffs motion, [Doc. ##23, 25], Defendant Indi Singh’s response to the Bank’s and Reddy’s motions [Doc. # 24], and the Bank’s reply [Doc. 29]. Plaintiff is the Trustee in Debtor Gamma Center, Inc.’s underlying Chapter 7 case. In his complaint, Plaintiff seeks a declaratory judgment that the Bank does not have a perfected security interest in Debtor’s accounts receivable and funds collected thereon and that those accounts and funds collected on the accounts are assets of Debtor’s Chapter 7 case to be administered for the benefit of Debtor’s unsecured creditors. Plaintiff names as defendants not only the Bank but also individuals that allegedly have an interest in this matter based upon their status as guarantors of the debt owed to the Bank by Debtor, including Reddy, Indi Singh, Parminder Singh, and Sanjeev Verna.

The district court has jurisdiction over the underlying Chapter 7 case filed by Debtor Gamma Center, Inc. pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1334(a) as a case under Title 11. The district court in turn has jurisdiction over this adversary proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1334(b) as a civil proceeding both arising in and related to the underlying Chapter 7 case of Debtor Gamma Center, Inc. Debtor’s Chapter 7 case and this adversary proceeding have been referred to this court by the district court under its general order of reference. 28 U.S.C. § 157(a); General Order 2012-7 of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Proceedings to determine the validity, extent, or priority of liens are core proceedings that this court may hear and determine. 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(1) and (b)(2)(K). Having considered the parties’ motions and briefs in support of their respective positions, for the reasons that follow, the court will grant Plaintiffs motion for summary judgment and will deny the motions for summary judgment filed by Reddy and the Bank.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Unless indicated otherwise, the following are facts to which Plaintiff and the Bank have stipulated and on which Reddy [691]*691relies in support of his motion or facts gleaned from the Promissory Note and UCC Financing Statement attached to Plaintiffs and the Bank’s motions for summary judgment, which Reddy and Indi Singh rely on or refer to in arguments in support of their respective positions.1

On November 26, 2004, Debtor executed a Universal Note and Security Agreement (“Note” or “Security Agreement”) in favor of the Bank. [Doc. # 18, Stipulation ¶ 1, 3]. Pursuant to the Note, the Bank loaned Debtor $300,000.00, which funds were used for the purchase of a piece of equipment, namely, a Millennium Myosight Integrated Systems — Xelesis Nuclear Stress Test Camera (“Camera”) and other related equipment. [Id.]. The introductory paragraph of the Security Agreement includes boilerplate language that provides that “a security interest in all of the Property described below ... and all proceeds and products of the Property” is granted. [Doc. # 19, Ex. A, p. 2, unnumbered ¶ 1],

Following the introductory paragraph of the Security Agreement is a list of ten asset categories to be checked to the extent they describe “Property” in which a security interest is being granted. [Id. at 2], Included in that list is “Accounts and Other Rights to Payment” described as “[a]ll rights to payment, whether or not earned by performance, including, but not limited to, payment for property or services sold, leased, rented, licensed, or assigned.” In addition to the asset categories listed is property identified under “Specific Property Description.” [Id.]. Only “Specific Property Description” is checked, and it is followed by a description that the “Property includes, but is not limited by, the following: MILLENNIUM MYO-SIGHT INTEGRATED SYSTEMS — XE-LERIS NUCLEAR STRESS TEST CAMERA INCLUDING ANY AND ALL RELATED EQUIPMENT. THIS NOTE IS FURTHER EVIDENCED AND PERFECTED BY A UCC FINANCING STATEMENT DATED NOVEMBER 26, 2004. [Id.]. The Note was also personally guaranteed by several individuals, including Reddy and Defendants Sanjeev Verna and Parminder Singh. [Doc. # 18, Stipulation ¶ 4].2

On December 30, 2004, the Bank filed with the Ohio Secretary of State a UCC-1 Financing Statement. [Id. at ¶ 2], In the Financing Statement, the Bank claimed as collateral the Camera and related equipment as well as both “Proceeds of Collateral” and “Products of Collateral.” [Id. at [692]*692¶ 5], The Bank filed a continuation statement with the Ohio Secretary of State on December 22, 2009. [Id. at ¶ 6].

The nature of the medical practice conducted by Debtor was nuclear heart stress testing. [Id. at ¶ 10]. The Camera and related equipment securing the obligation owed to the Bank was used exclusively in that medical practice. [Id.]. It is undisputed that the Camera and related equipment do not create or manufacture a tangible product. [Doc. #20, Ex. D, Parminder Singh AffJ.

On January 15, 2010, Debtor filed its Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition. Debtor includes accounts receivable in the amount of $325,653.33 as an asset in its bankruptcy schedules. [Case No. 10-30193, Doc. # 1, p. 8/35].3 Debtor states in bankruptcy Schedule B that the scheduled value of its accounts receivable “is the billed amount to patients” but that “[t]he actual expected payment from insurance and patients is much less that this amount.” [Id.]. The net amount of Debtor’s accounts receivable that has been collected by Plaintiff totals $91,353.90. [Doc. # 18, Stipulation ¶ 9].

LAW AND ANALYSIS

I. Summary Judgment Standard

Under Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, made applicable to this proceeding by Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 7056, summary judgment is proper only where there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a). In reviewing a motion for summary judgment, however, all inferences “must be viewed in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586-88, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986).

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Bluebook (online)
489 B.R. 688, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/swope-v-commercial-savings-bank-in-re-gamma-center-inc-ohnb-2013.