Thet Mah & Associates, Inc. v. First Bank of North Dakota (NA), Minot

336 N.W.2d 134, 36 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 649, 1983 N.D. LEXIS 302
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJune 24, 1983
DocketCiv. 10357
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 336 N.W.2d 134 (Thet Mah & Associates, Inc. v. First Bank of North Dakota (NA), Minot) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thet Mah & Associates, Inc. v. First Bank of North Dakota (NA), Minot, 336 N.W.2d 134, 36 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 649, 1983 N.D. LEXIS 302 (N.D. 1983).

Opinion

SAND, Justice.

The General Fixture and Supply, Inc. (hereinafter General Fixture), appealed from a district court decision in a declaratory judgment 1 action in which the district court determined that First Bank of North Dakota (NA) Minot (hereinafter First Bank) had a purchase money security interest in equipment superior to General Fixture’s purchase money security interest in the same equipment and ordered $30,000.00 in proceeds from the sale of that equipment held by Thet Mah and Associates, Inc. (hereinafter Thet Mah), to be paid to First Bank.

First Bank, through its senior vicepresi-dent, Robert Turner, sent a letter dated 14 January 1980 to Dan Schmaltz, president of Dakota Square Restaurants, Inc. (hereinafter Dakota Square), putting into writing a loan request (offer of loan commitment) by Dakota Square for a loan to equip a restaurant and lounge in the Dakota Square Mall at Minot, North Dakota. The letter referred to a total projected capital cost of $310,000.00, with $120,000.00 of that total for equipment, furniture, small wares, uniforms, and supplies. Dakota Square, through Dan Schmaltz, accepted the loan commitment on 22 January 1980.

On 7 March 1980 First Bank advanced the sum of $25,000.00 to Dakota Square pursuant to the commitment letter, and Dakota Square executed a security agreement in favor of First Bank covering all of Dakota Square’s equipment, supplies, furniture, and fixtures described in an attached list. A financing statement was filed on 12 March 1980 with the Ward County Register of Deeds and the Secretary of State. The financing statement provided that it covered the following collateral:

“All inventory wherever located, now existing or hereafter acquired, and all accounts and contract rights now existing or hereafter acquired. All equipment, supplies, furniture and fixtures now owned or hereafter acquired.”

On 28 May 1980 Dakota Square entered into a contract for sale and security agreement with General Fixture for the purchase by Dakota Square of certain restaurant equipment for a total cost of $87,292.25. General Fixture filed a financing statement covering the equipment on 23 June 1980.

General Fixture, through its credit manager Jim Butts, sent First Bank a request, dated 5 June 1980, to fill out a “form letter for commitment of funds” for Dakota Square. First Bank, through Turner, replied on 12 June 1980 that it did not have information from Dakota Square regarding the dollar amount of the purchases from General Fixture. The reply also stated that First Bank had consented to a dollar- *137 amount loan for all phases of the restaurant — including equipment.

On 17 July 1980 General Fixture delivered the equipment to Dakota Square, and Schmaltz wrote First Bank a letter authorizing First Bank to specifically hold $45,-000.00 in funds committed to Dakota Square for direct payment to General Fixture after satisfactory delivery and installation of the equipment and notification by Schmaltz.

On 18 July 1980 Turner wrote General Fixture certifying that First Bank had committed funds in the amount of $45,000.00 for the equipment for the restaurant. The letter stated that the funds would be made available upon completion of General Fixture’s contract with Dakota Square and in connection with the opening of the establishment.

The equipment was installed between 2 August and 19 August 1980 and the grand opening of the restaurant was on 29 September 1980. On 29 September 1980 Schmaltz authorized First Bank to transfer the $45,000.00 to the Dakota Square account and Dakota Square subsequently wired the money to a bank in Ohio for credit to General Fixture.

In May 1981 Dakota Square and Thet Mah executed a contract for the sale of the restaurant to Thet Mah. After execution of the contract for sale, the total purchase price ($200,000.00) was deposited with counsel for Thet Mah for distribution to Dakota Square and its creditors. After other disbursements, the remaining proceeds from the sale ($30,000.00) were insufficient to pay the secured claims of both First Bank and General Fixture. Dakota Sqüare’s indebtedness to General Fixture was $30,-000.00, and to First Bank was in excess of $30,000.00.

Because of the possible conflicting security interests held by First Bank and General Fixture and because the $30,000.00 in proceeds was insufficient to pay the claims of both First Bank and General Fixture, Thet Mah commenced an action for declaratory judgment and interpleader and asked the trial court to declare the rights of the parties; to direct Thet Mah concerning the disposition of the proceeds; and to declare Thet Mah’s title to the equipment purchased from Dakota Square free of security interest claimed by First Bank and General Fixture.

The district court determined that both General Fixture and First Bank had a purchase money security interest in the equipment; that the security interest of both parties attached at the same time (delivery of the equipment to Dakota Square); and that First Bank had priority to the proceeds of the sale because it was the first to file its financing statement. The court ordered the $30,000.00, with interest, to be paid to First Bank. The trial court also determined that the security interest of General Fixture on the equipment remained attached to the collateral, junior to the security interest of First Bank to the extent First Bank’s security interest was unpaid or unreleased.

General Fixture appealed to this Court and contended that First Bank did not have a purchase money security interest or, if it did, that the security interest was inferior to the purchase money security interest held by General Fixture.

The principal issue is which security interest has priority — the one held by First Bank or the one held by General Fixture. However, in resolving this issue we must first consider if the security interest 2 held *138 by either or both constituted a purchase money security interest as defined in North Dakota Century Code § 41-09-07.

NDCC § 41-09-07 provides as follows:

“A security interest is a ‘purchase money security interest’ to the extent that it is
1. taken or retained by the seller of the collateral to secure all or part of its price; or
2. taken by a person who by making advances or incurring an obligation gives value to enable the debtor to acquire rights in or the use of collateral if such value is in fact so used.”

Initially, we note, and First Bank apparently concedes, that General Fixture qualifies as a purchase money security interest pursuant to NDCC § 41-09-07(1). Because First Bank did not sell the equipment to Dakota Square, in order for it to have a purchase money security interest, it must qualify pursuant to NDCC § 41-09-07(2) by giving value by making advances or incurring an obligation which enable the debtor (Dakota Square) to acquire rights in or the use of the equipment.

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336 N.W.2d 134, 36 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 649, 1983 N.D. LEXIS 302, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thet-mah-associates-inc-v-first-bank-of-north-dakota-na-minot-nd-1983.