Tinsley & Groom v. West Kentucky Production Credit Ass'n (In Re Tinsley & Groom)

49 B.R. 85, 41 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 1502, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 4658, 12 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 1368
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Kentucky
DecidedNovember 5, 1984
Docket19-50159
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 49 B.R. 85 (Tinsley & Groom v. West Kentucky Production Credit Ass'n (In Re Tinsley & Groom)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tinsley & Groom v. West Kentucky Production Credit Ass'n (In Re Tinsley & Groom), 49 B.R. 85, 41 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 1502, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 4658, 12 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 1368 (Ky. 1984).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

G. WILLIAM BROWN, Bankruptcy Judge.

This case comes before the Court on Complaint filed by debtor farmers. At issue is the validity of the “full proceeds loan” agreement between West Kentucky Production Credit Association (PCA) and the debtor-farmers, testing whether such contracts by their nature, provisions and controls, compel a finding that the creditor is an “insider” within the bankruptcy definition together with its ramifications, and/or whether a claim flowing out of such a contract is equitably subordinated for purposes of consideration under Chapter 11 relief.

The debtor-farmers filed this adversary petition alleging improper perfection of a security interest in realty, crops, farm ma *88 chinery and equipment; preferential transfers; breach of fiduciary duties; false and material misrepresentations upon which plaintiffs relied to their detriment; breach of contract in wrongfully refusing to furnish funds needed to protect 1982 crops; conduct by defendants in violation of certain statutes and regulations resulting in great financial loss to plaintiffs; exercise of financial controls over plaintiffs such as to cause defendants’ alleged secured claim to be disallowed under the theory of equitable subordination.

This action was commenced April 28, 1983, on the above-cited issues and was thereafter litigated in an exhaustive and comprehensive manner by highly skilled counsel with expertise in the applicable bankruptcy law. Following in depth discovery procedures including eighteen depositions and numerous requests for production of documents, a trial was had of the issues presented.

It was established that the individual debtors sometimes operating under an assumed partnership name commenced a credit relationship with the defendant in 1965, and yearly thereafter renewed this loan arrangement by execution of demand or twelve to fourteen-month time notes under an agreement commonly referred to in the farming community as a “full proceeds loan”, granting to the lender a secured interest in virtually all assets owned by the debtors. Such loans were primarily intended for operational needs to be repaid on an annual basis and for acquisition of capital assets to be repaid on a short-term intermediate basis not to exceed seven (7) years. Over the course of this relationship, the loan balance grew at a steadily increasing rate, particularly escalating due to a number of substantial capital acquisitions during the period 1974-1978, and by severe adverse production and income difficulties experienced in 1978 through 1982, attributable largely to high interest rates, low crop prices, droughts, and embargos affecting farm income.

Evidence adduced at the trial further established that each yearly renewal application by the debtor-plaintiff included as part thereof a cash flow analysis for the coming year, setting forth in detail the funds needed, including, without limitation: living expenses; amortization of intermediate capital financing; production expenses; interest on the total debt; and miscellaneous needs plus a projection of anticipated revenues to be derived from the crop yields, the type and acreage to be produced.

In each year, except as hereafter noted, the projections of income and needs of the plaintiffs were accepted without modification by the creditor, and the funds applied for were approved. The sole exception to such approval was for the crop year 1982 in which the creditor adopted a fixed projection price for certain specific crops, which projection was higher in dollar amount than that submitted by plaintiffs.

In or about 1972, plaintiffs changed their procedures from that of general farming to a more highly specialized concentration in grain production, accompanied by a systematic acquisition of land and the attendant equipment/machinery to maximize production. These land parcels were generally acquired through short term seller financing plus intermediate creditor financing with PCA.

While harsh criticism and evidence was introduced relative to the lax and/or liberal lending policies and approvals given to plaintiffs’ escalating monetary requests and renewals notwithstanding the failure of projections to meet operational expenses and interim capital acquisitions, at issue is the degree of liability, if any, which is incurred by a lender where a debtor’s loans are in default due to inaccurate projections and realizations or improvidently financed capital assets.

Based on the case file, testimony and evidence offered at the trial with opportunity by the Court to observe the demeanor of the witnesses, the following are established as facts of the case upon which the substantive issues will be resolved:

1. The information, data, and projections in plaintiffs' loan renewal applications were at all times the work product and *89 submitted by the plaintiffs in justification of their renewal request. The sole exception thereto (the 1982 crop proceeds projection) did not materially contribute, if at all, to the loss complained of herein.

2. That at all relevant times the plaintiffs relied upon their own conscious business judgment, together with their independent farm market and financial consultant, in the preparation and submission of supporting information accompanying their yearly loan renewal application.

3. That no farm acquisition was the result of coercion, duress, or promotion by the defendant-creditor. Further, that any advice relative thereto was at the solicitation of the plaintiffs for the purposes of assuring the availability of necessary funds from the creditor and not for the purpose of evaluating the prudence or wisdom of such purchase.

4. That each note on its renewal was either a demand or a twelve to fourteen-month term obligation, and understood to be so by each party.

5. That at no time subsequent to the approval of any renewal note did the defendant-creditor exercise any control over the expenditure of any funds thereof, nor refuse to honor any requests thereon to the extent approved funds had been authorized and were as yet unexpended.

6. That all renewal loan applications were within the sole formulation, discretion and prerogative of the plaintiffs as were the projected budgets therein.

7. That renewal applications were not approved on the sole criteria that projected income had to equal or exceed the projected operational expenses and amortization of interim capital assets, said “cash flow” being but one of the factors considered in approving said renewal application.

8. That loan closing letters which approved renewal requests and which qualified or mandated certain conditions precedent to said approval, were in such instances accepted as to such conditions by plaintiff, and were not an unreasonable exercise of control of defendants.

9. That the authorization of $20,-000.00 ± from the 1982 loan proceeds for “futures” or margin calls by Ken Davis, an employee of defendant, was an unauthorized disbursal of loan proceeds for a speculative purpose and was so known by said employee at the time said withdrawals were made.

10. That the Court has jurisdiction over the issues here presented pursuant to 11 U.S.C. and 28 U.S.C.

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Bluebook (online)
49 B.R. 85, 41 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 1502, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 4658, 12 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 1368, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tinsley-groom-v-west-kentucky-production-credit-assn-in-re-tinsley-kywb-1984.