Textron Financial Corp. v. Lentine Marine Inc.

630 F. Supp. 2d 1352, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 33874, 2009 WL 1064839
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedApril 20, 2009
DocketCase 08-14246-CIV
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 630 F. Supp. 2d 1352 (Textron Financial Corp. v. Lentine Marine Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Textron Financial Corp. v. Lentine Marine Inc., 630 F. Supp. 2d 1352, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 33874, 2009 WL 1064839 (S.D. Fla. 2009).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

K. MICHAEL MOORE, District Judge.

THIS CAUSE came before the Court upon Plaintiffs Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (dkt # 60).

UPON CONSIDERATION of the Motion, Defendants’ Response, Plaintiffs’ Reply, the pertinent portions of the record, and being otherwise fully advised in the premises, the Court enters the following Order.

I. BACKGROUND

This diversity case arises out of a contract dispute between Plaintiff Textron Financial Corp. (“Textron”), and Defendants Lentine Marine Inc. (“LMI”), Louis F. Lentine, and Julie A. Lentine (collectively, “the Lentines”). Textron is a Delaware commercial finance company. LMI is a Florida corporation in the business of selling boats, boat equipment, and related marine materials and services. Individual Defendants Louis Lentine and Julie Len-tine are Florida citizens and the proprietors of LMI.

The Parties’ business relationship began in September 2001, when Textron and LMI entered into a Credit and Security Agreement. 1 (Facts, dkt #49, ¶ g n. 1). At that time, Louis Lentine also entered into a Personal Guaranty Agreement with Textron. (Facts, dkt # 49, ¶ i). On November 7, 2006, Textron and LMI entered into a new Credit and Security Agreement (“the Security Agreement”), which superseded the 2001 agreement. (Facts, dkt # 49, ¶ g n. 1). Under the Security Agreement, Textron agreed to finance LMI’s acquisition of new inventory, with Textron taking a security interest in the inventory. (Facts, dkt #49, ¶¶ h, 1). Textron perfected its security interest by filing the requisite UCC Financing Statement in 2001, and also filed a UCC Financing Continuation and a UCC Financing Amend *1354 ment in 2006 with the Florida Secretary of State. (Compl. ¶ 51; Compl. Ex. E).

In November 2006 Julie Lentine also entered into a personal guaranty agreement with Textron (together with Louis Lentine’s agreement, “the Guaranty Agreements”). (Facts, dkt # 49 ¶ j). Under the terms of the Guaranty Agreements, the Lentines each agreed to act as guarantors for LMI, and to be personally liable in the event that LMI defaulted on any of its obligations to Textron. (Louis Lentine Guaranty Agreement, dkt # 49-4 ¶ 1; Julie Lentine Guaranty Agreement, dkt # 49-5 ¶ 1).

On July 8, 2008, Textron filed a Verified Complaint (dkt # 1), alleging that LMI had defaulted under the terms of the Security Agreement, and that LMI had breached the agreement by continuing to sell items of inventory without making payments to Textron. Compl. ¶ 35. Textron accelerated the payment of all debt due under the Security Agreement, and alleged that the total amount due, including interest and costs, exceeded $6.5 million. Compl. ¶¶ 17, 18. Textron’s Complaint sought (1) a preliminary injunction prohibiting LMI from selling inventory without remitting payment to Textron, (2) money damages for the sums owing under the Security Agreement, (3) repayment from the Lentines in their individual capacities as guarantors pursuant to the Guaranty Agreements, and (4) replevin of the LMI inventory in which Textron had perfected a security interest. On October 27, 2008, Defendants filed an Answer (dkt #48) broadly denying Plaintiffs allegations.

Following further negotiations by the parties, on September 25, 2008, this Court, upon the consent of Plaintiff and Defendants, issued Writs of Replevin (dkt #’s 42, 43), pursuant to which LMI returned its inventory to Textron. On the same date, and also with the consent of the Parties, this Court entered a Temporary Restraining Order (dkt #39) prohibiting LMI from selling or otherwise disposing of any of its inventory, and directing LMI to deliver to Textron any proceeds from past or future inventory sales. These consent orders effectively mooted Textron’s preliminary injunction and replevin claims. Textron has since repossessed LMI’s inventory, and has been able to recoup at least some of LMI’s debt by reselling certain items of inventory back to their original manufacturers, and by selling others items through local marine dealers Treasure Coast Boat Center and Legendary Marine, Inc.

Plaintiff filed the instant Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (dkt # 60) on March 3, 2009, seeking the following from Defendants; (1) $843,266.81 for items of inventory sold without remitting payment to Plaintiff; (2) $25,489.50 for costs incurred to repossess LMI’s inventory; (3) $916,201.44 for the deficiency between the full cost of the repossessed items and what Plaintiff was able to recover for them at resale; (4) $126,993.28 in unpaid interest, and (5) attorneys’ fees and costs.

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

The applicable standard for reviewing a summary judgment motion is unambiguously stated in Rule 56(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure:

The judgment sought should be rendered if the pleadings, the discovery and disclosure materials on file, and any affidavits show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

Summary judgment may be entered only where there is no genuine issue of material fact. Twiss v. Kury, 25 F.3d 1551, 1554 (11th Cir.1994). The moving party has the burden of meeting this exacting standard. Adickes v. S.H. Kress & Co., 398 U.S. 144, 157, 90 S.Ct. 1598, 26 L.Ed.2d 142 (1970). *1355 An issue of fact is “material” if it is a legal element of the claim under the applicable substantive law which might affect the outcome of the case. Allen v. Tyson Foods, Inc., 121 F.3d 642, 646 (11th Cir.1997). An issue of fact is “genuine” if the record taken as a whole could lead a rational trier of fact to find for the nonmoving party. Id.

In applying this standard, the district court must view the evidence and all factual inferences therefrom in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion. Id. However, the nonmoving party “may not rely merely on allegations or denials in its own pleading; rather, its response must — by affidavits or as otherwise provided in this rule — set out specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e)(2). “The mere existence of a scintilla of evidence in support of the [nonmovant’s] position will be insufficient; there must be evidence on which the jury could reasonably find for the [nonmovant].” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 252, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986).

III. ANALYSIS

A. Applicability of Florida Law

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
630 F. Supp. 2d 1352, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 33874, 2009 WL 1064839, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/textron-financial-corp-v-lentine-marine-inc-flsd-2009.