Ultra Fabricators, Inc. v. MC BANK

724 So. 2d 210, 1998 WL 798719
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 25, 1998
Docket97 CA 1947
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 724 So. 2d 210 (Ultra Fabricators, Inc. v. MC BANK) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ultra Fabricators, Inc. v. MC BANK, 724 So. 2d 210, 1998 WL 798719 (La. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

724 So.2d 210 (1998)

ULTRA FABRICATORS, INC., Thomas Domingue, Cyrus Guidry, and Paul Debaillon, Trustee for the Bankruptcy Estate of the Debtor, Avery J. Domangue
v.
M C BANK AND TRUST COMPANY.

No. 97 CA 1947.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

September 25, 1998.
Writ Denied December 18, 1998.

*211 Warren D. Rush, Lafayette, Robert E. Arceneaux, New Orleans, for Plaintiffs-Appellants Ultra Fabricators, Inc., Thomas Domingue, Cyrus Guidry, Paul Debaillon and Avery J. Domangue.

Michael H. Rubin, Baton Rouge, Andrew S. Reed, Morgan City, for Defendant-Appellee M C Bank & Trust Company.

BEFORE: FITZSIMMONS and GUIDRY, JJ., and CHIASSON,[1] J. Pro Tem.

REMY CHIASSON, Judge Pro Tem.

Plaintiffs, Ultra Fabricators, Inc. (Ultra Fab), Cyrus Guidry, Paul Debaillon[2] and Thomas Carl Domingue, appeal from a judgment of the trial court, sustaining a peremptory exception of no cause of action and dismissing plaintiffs' claims against defendant, M C Bank and Trust Company (M C Bank).

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

According to the allegations set forth in plaintiffs' second supplemental and amended petition, Ultra Fab entered into a banking relationship with M C Bank on or about June 29, 1992. This relationship included depositing funds into a checking account, making payments of payroll taxes to M C Bank for remittance to the Internal Revenue Service, and borrowing funds from M C Bank.

On or about June 29, 1992, M C Bank and Ultra Fab entered into a written loan agreement pledging and assigning accounts receivable whereby M C Bank would advance Ultra Fab up to 80% of the value of the accounts receivable of Ultra Fab, which were 90 days or less old, up to the maximum of $500,000.00 (the "Receivable Line").[3] Pursuant to the terms of the Receivable Line, M C Bank had the power to, and in fact, required all receivables of Ultra Fab to be directed to a lock-box to which only M C Bank had access.

The petition further alleged that, under the Receivable Line, M C Bank was obligated to deposit directly into Ultra Fab's Demand Deposit Account at the bank the amount requested by Ultra Fab each time a request was made, provided that the bank at such time had in its possession sufficient invoices to support the request. M C Bank was also empowered at any time, whether or not one or more events of default existed to "... directly collect and receive all proceeds and/or payments arising under or in any way accruing from the Collateral ..." and for that purpose was appointed as the attorney-in-fact of Ultra Lab. According to the petition, as agent and attorney-in-fact of Ultra Fab under the Receivable Line, M C Bank acted in a fiduciary capacity towards Ultra Fab.

Cyrus Guidry, Avery Domangue and Thomas Domingue each executed commercial pledge agreements wherein they pledged all of their shares of stock in Ultra Fab as security for the Receivable Line, and they also executed continuing guarantees in connection with the Receivable Line in the amount of $1,000,000.00.

On or about August 11, 1992, Ultra Fab executed a promissory note in the amount of $400,000.00 payable to the order of M C Bank. This note was guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration and was secured by all of the inventory, equipment, general intangibles and fixtures of Ultra Fab, as well as all proceeds and products derived therefrom (the "Working Capital Loan").[4] According to the petition, M C Bank was appointed as the attorney-in-fact of Ultra Fab to collect receivables under the Working Capital Loan and, as agent and attorney-in-fact of Ultra Fab, M C Bank acted in a fiduciary capacity towards Ultra Fab.

On or about July 21, 1993, the Receivable Line was increased from $500,000.00 to $650,000.00 *212 pursuant to the execution of a written promissory note and commercial security agreement. According to the petition, this increase was evidenced by a letter dated July 21, 1993 which was written and signed by Gerald A. Listi, Senior Vice-President of M C Bank. The letter indicated that the Receivable Line would still be governed by the June 29, 1992 Loan Agreement. Cyrus Guidry, Avery Domangue and Thomas Domingue, along with their spouses, executed continuing guarantees in the amount of $650,005.00 in favor of M C Bank.

On or about May 10, 1994, an additional loan in the amount of $120,000.00 was made by M C Bank to Ultra Fab. This loan was evidenced by a written promissory note, commercial security agreement and a settlement sheet from the U.S. Small Business Administration executed by the duly authorized representatives of M C Bank and Ultra Fab.

From July of 1993 through December of 1995, numerous promissory notes representing side loans were made by Ultra Fab and payable to M C Bank. Most or all of these loans were satisfied by Ultra Fab, including but not limited to one side loan which became due on October 10, 1995, in the face amount of $34,000.00.

On or about February 10, 1995, the Receivable Line was increased to $850,000.00, but remained subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the original Receivable Line Agreement. The increase was evidenced by a writing signed by duly authorized representatives of M C Bank and Ultra Fab.

On or about February 22, 1995, the Receivable Line was increased to $1,450,000.00, but remained subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the original Receivable Line Agreement. The increase was evidenced by a writing signed by duly authorized representatives of M C Bank and Ultra Fab.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On July 10, 1996, plaintiffs filed a "Petition For Breach of Contract and Lender's Liability." In response to this petition, M C Bank filed a peremptory exception pleading the objection of no cause of action, alleging that the petition failed to state a cause of action for lender liability in the absence of a written contract.

Shortly before the hearing on the peremptory exception, plaintiffs filed a "Supplemental And Amended Petition For Breach of Contract and Lender's Liability." The trial court allowed plaintiffs to file this petition over the objection of M C Bank. After a hearing in which both the original petition and the Supplemental and Amended Petition were considered, the trial court rendered judgment on December 18, 1996, granting the peremptory exception of no cause of action. The judgment allowed plaintiffs to amend its petition on or before January 20, 1997.

On January 21, 1997, plaintiffs filed a "Second Supplemental and Amended Petition For Breach of Contract and Lender's Liability." In response, M C Bank filed a peremptory exception pleading the objection of no cause of action.

After a hearing, the trial court granted the peremptory exception of no cause of action and dismissed plaintiffs' claims. It is from this judgment that plaintiffs now appeal.

DISCUSSION

The peremptory exception pleading the objection of no cause of action is a procedural device used to test whether, under the allegations of the petition, the law affords any remedy for the grievance asserted. Stafford Construction Company, Inc. v. Terrebonne Parish School Board, 612 So.2d 847, 850 (La.App. 1st Cir.1992), writ denied, 614 So.2d 82 (La.1993); Ward v. Tenneco Oil Company, 564 So.2d 814, 820 (La.App. 3rd Cir. 1990); Bellah v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Ins. Co., 546 So.2d 601, 603 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1989).

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724 So. 2d 210, 1998 WL 798719, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ultra-fabricators-inc-v-mc-bank-lactapp-1998.