United States v. Altman

762 F. Supp. 139, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5446, 1991 WL 62457
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Mississippi
DecidedApril 24, 1991
DocketCiv. A. J90-0482(B)
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 762 F. Supp. 139 (United States v. Altman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Altman, 762 F. Supp. 139, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5446, 1991 WL 62457 (S.D. Miss. 1991).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

BARBOUR, Chief Judge.

This cause is before the Court, pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, on the Motions of Resolution Trust Corporation to Dismiss the Third-Party Complaints filed against it by Gerald James McNaughton, III and Sally Spainhour McNaughton and by Elwin J. Williams and Mary Ellen Jordan Williams for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. All Third-Party Plaintiffs have responded to the Motions. The Court, having considered the Motions and Responses, together with memoranda of authorities and attachments thereto, now renders the following findings of fact and conclusions of law.

I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On February 21, 1972, Defendants and Third-Party Plaintiffs Elwin Williams and Mary Ellen Jordan Williams (“the Williams”) executed a deed of trust on Lot 36, River Oak Subdivision, in Hinds County, Mississippi (“Lot 36”), in favor of Bridges Loan Investment Company, Inc. (“Bridges”) in order to secure a promissory note for $23,400.00. That deed of trust was assigned to First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Clearwater (“First Federal of Clearwater”) on March 14, 1972.

On October 10, 1979, the Williams obtained a loan from the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) for $20,000.00. To secure that loan, the Williams executed a second deed of trust on Lot 36 in favor of the SBA.

On July 10, 1981, the Williams sold Lot 36 to Defendants and Third-Party Plaintiffs Gerald James McNaughton, III and Sally Spainhour McNaughton (“the McNaughtons”). As part of that transaction, the McNaughtons agreed to assume the loan obligations to First Federal of Clearwater and to the SBA, but the Williams were not discharged from their *141 own liability on the notes. As an additional part of the sales transaction, the McNaugh-tons executed a third deed of trust on Lot 36 in favor of Jackson Federal Savings and Loan Association, a successor in interest to First Jackson Savings Bank (“First Jackson”). While the deed of trust executed in favor of First Jackson indicated that it secured a debt of $36,900.00, the McNaugh-tons assert that the deed of trust was “all inclusive.” Thus, of the $36,900.00 reflected on the note, the McNaughtons contend that $20,379.00 constituted the unpaid balance due on the original deed of trust in favor of First Federal of Clearwater and only $16,320.00 was actual new money advanced by First Jackson.

By agreement entered August 28, 1981, the SBA agreed to subordinate its second mortgage position to First Jackson. Thus, while the First Federal of Clearwater deed of trust retained first priority, First Jackson then held the second mortgage on the property, and the SBA held a third mortgage position.

On November 19, 1982, the McNaugh-tons sold their home to Defendants Mikal Eugene Altman and Marsha M. Altman. The Altmans agreed to assume all loan obligations that were secured by deeds of trust on the property, but the Williams and McNaughtons were not released from their liability on those notes.

In December of 1988, the Williams and McNaughtons were notified that the Alt-mans had defaulted on the SBA loan that was secured by a deed of trust on Lot 36. It is also evident from the record that, at some point in time proximate to the default on the SBA loan, the Altmans defaulted on the loan that was outstanding to First Jackson. Accordingly, on May 30, 1989, First Jackson foreclosed on its deed of trust on Lot 36. At the Substituted Trustee’s foreclosure sale, First Jackson purchased Lot 36 for $33,500.00, still subject to the first deed of trust in favor of First Federal of Clearwater.

Following the foreclosure on the First Jackson deed of trust on Lot 36, the McNaughtons sent a response to a SBA letter demanding payment on its defaulted note and asked the SBA to institute legal action against the Altmans as the parties primarily liable on the indebtedness.

On June 29, 1990, First Jackson was declared insolvent by the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, and Resolution Trust Corporation (“RTC”) was appointed receiver of First Jackson. On July 9, 1990, the initial notice to creditors of First Jackson was published, notifying all parties with claims against First Jackson that such claims must be presented to RTC for consideration by October 9, 1990.

On September 24, 1990, the United States of America, on behalf of the SBA, filed the instant lawsuit. In the suit, Plaintiff seeks to recover the outstanding balance on the SBA note, approximately $12,-950.30, plus interest. In the suit, Plaintiff named the Altmans, the McNaughtons, and the Williams as Defendants. In their Answers to the Complaint, both the Williams and the McNaughtons assert that they are relieved of liability because of the failure of the SBA to proceed against the Altmans in a timely manner and because they were not notified of the foreclosure sale by either the SBA or First Jackson. The Williams and McNaughtons also assert that they are relieved of liability because of the failure of the SBA to secure payment of the debt from the surplus funds that were generated by the foreclosure sale of the property. Defendants maintain that the First Jackson Deed of Trust actually represented an advance of only $16,320.00 in new funds and that any funds secured by the sale of the property that were not used to retire the First Jackson debt and pay the reasonable costs and expenses of foreclosure should have been used to pay off the SBA loan which was subordinate to the First Jackson loan. Because the property was sold for $33,500.00 at the foreclosure sale and the indebtedness to First Jackson at that time was less than $15,-000.00, Defendants assert that a surplus of nearly $19,000.00 dollars existed from which the SBA indebtedness of $12,000.00 could have been paid. Defendants maintain that the SBA had a legal right and a fiduciary obligation to Defendants to se *142 cure payment of the debt from the funds held by First Jackson and that the failure of the SBA to take any action in this regard constitutes a breach of its fiduciary duty to Defendants and relieves Defendants of any liability they may have on the loan.

Following their Answers to the Complaint, both the McNaughtons and the Williams filed Third-Party Complaints against RTC which are the subjects of these Motions to Dismiss. In their Third-Party Complaint, the McNaughtons seek a judgment ordering RTC to pay to the SBA such surplus foreclosure proceeds as may be necessary and available to satisfy the SBA indebtedness. The McNaughtons also assert that they are entitled to recover some interest payments they made on the First Jackson loan because of usurious rates that were applied to the part of the loan representing the first mortgage held by First Federal of Clearwater. In their Third-Party Complaint, the Williams assert that they are entitled to a judgment against RTC for all sums that they may ultimately be required to pay to the SBA.

II. ANALYSIS

This Court now considers the Motions to Dismiss that have been filed by the Third-Party Defendant, RTC. In the Motions, RTC asserts that, pursuant to 12 U.S.C. § 1821

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Bluebook (online)
762 F. Supp. 139, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5446, 1991 WL 62457, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-altman-mssd-1991.