U.S. Bank Natl. Assn. v. Green Meadow SWS L.L.C.

2014 Ohio 738, 9 N.E.3d 433
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided February 28, 2014·No. 13 CAE 08 0063·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS

DELAWARE COUNTY, OHIO

FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

JUDGES:

U.S. BANK NATIONAL : Hon. W. Scott Gwin, P.J. ASSOCIATION : Hon. Sheila G. Farmer, J.

: Hon. Patricia A. Delaney, J.

Plaintiff-Appellee :

:

-vs- : Case No. 13 CAE 08 0063 :

GREEN MEADOW SWS LLC, ET AL :

: OPINION

Defendants-Appellants

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Civil appeal from the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas, Case No.

10CVH071096

JUDGMENT: Affirmed DATE OF JUDGMENT ENTRY: February 28, 2014

APPEARANCES: For Plaintiff-Appellee For Defendants-Appellants

CHARLES DYAS, JR. RICK ASHTON 41 South High Street, Ste.3300 THOMAS ALLEN Columbus, OH 43215 17 South High Street, Ste. 1220 Columbus, OH 43215

Gwin, P.J.

{¶1} Appellants appeal the July 9, 2013 judgment entry of the Delaware County Common Pleas Court granting summary judgment to appellee.

Facts & Procedural History

{¶2} On May 23, 2006, appellant Green Meadow SWS, LLC (“Green Meadow”)

executed and delivered to Barclays Capital Real Estate, Inc. a promissory note in the amount of $7,420,000.00. To secure payment and performance of Green Meadow’s obligations under the promissory note, Green Meadow, as Borrower, executed and delivered to Barclays, as Lender, a commercial loan agreement dated May 23, 2006. Article 12 of the loan agreement is entitled “Nonrecourse-Limitations on Personal Liability.” Section 12.01 provides that “except as otherwise provided in Article 12, Section 15.04, or expressly stated in any of the other Loan Document, Lender shall enforce the liability of Borrower * * * only against the Property and other collateral given by Borrower as security for payment of the loan * * * and not against Borrower or any Borrower’s principals, directors, officers, manager, members or employees.” Sections 12.02 and 12.03 further state:

Section 12.02 Personal Liability for Certain Losses. Section 12.01 SHALL NOT APPLY and Borrower shall be PERSONALLY LIABLE for all losses, claims, expenses or other liabilities incurred by Lender arising out of, or attributable to any of the following:

***

Section 12.03 Full Personal Liability. Section 12.01 above shall BECOME NULL AND VOID and the Loan FULLY RECOURSE to Borrower if: * * * (g) a Reporting Default occurs and is not cured within thirty (30) days after Lender’s written notice thereof, which notice shall be a second given after the expiration of the notice required under the definition of Reporting Default.

{¶3} Pursuant to the loan agreement, a “Reporting Default” means, [w]ithout reference to any cure period under Article 11, each instance that any of the following occur: (a) a failure to deliver any of the reports, information, statements or other materials required under Section 9.11 hereof within five (5)

Business Days after written notice from Lender, (b) failure to provide the Compliance Certificate within five (5) Business Days after written notice from Lender, or (c) failure to permit Lender or its representatives to inspect or copy books and records within two (2) Business Days of Lender’s written request.

{¶4} Article 11 of the Loan Agreement outlines the Events of Default and states:

Section 11.01 Events of Default. The occurrence of any one or more of the following events shall, at Lender’s option, constitute an “Event of Default” hereunder:

(a) If any payment of principal and interest is not paid in full on or before the earlier to occur of (y) the fifth (5th) calendar day after the Payment Due Date on which such payment is due and (z) the sixth (6th)

calendar day of the month in which such Payment Due Date occurs.

{¶5} In addition, Green Meadow, as mortgagor, executed and delivered to Barclays, as mortgagee, an open-ended mortgage, assignment of rents, leases, security agreement, and fixture filing dated May 23, 2006. Pursuant to the mortgage, Green Meadow mortgaged to Barclays the real estate and a security interest in the real estate which includes the property in Delaware County located at 8303 and 8333 Green Meadows Drive. The mortgage was recorded on May 24, 2006. Green Meadow also executed with Barclays an assignment of rents and leases, an environmental indemnity agreement, a cash management agreement, an assignment of property management contract and subordination of management fees, and a lockbox-deposit account control agreement.

{¶6} To further secure repayment of the loan appellant Greggory R. Hardy (“Hardy”), individually executed a guaranty on May 23, 2006. Pursuant to Article 2, Section 2.01 of the guaranty, Hardy “guaranteed to Lender the prompt payment when due, whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, of all obligations and liabilities of Borrower pursuant to the terms and provisions of Article 12 of the Loan Agreement.”

{¶7} Barclays assigned its interests to LaSalle Bank. It was thereafter assigned to Wells Fargo, then to appellee U.S. Bank National Association.

{¶8} On November 1, 2009, Green Meadow failed to make the monthly payments due under the terms of the note. Appellee sent Green Meadow a notice of event and default letter on February 9, 2010. On May 25, 2010 (Exhibit Z of appellee’s complaint), appellee mailed Green Meadow a letter stating:

[p]ursuant to the terms and conditions of the Cash Management Agreement and Section 9.11 of the Loan Agreement, in the Event of Default, Lender may demand from Borrower * * * immediate delivery of the following: 1. All rents, revenues and other incomes from the Property; 2. A current Rent Roll of the Property, the Property operating statements, and an accounting of security deposits related to the Property; and 3. All the bank statements from any and all accounts affiliated with the Property.

Appellee sent Green Meadow a second request for information on June 8, 2010 (Exhibit AA of appellee’s complaint) and a third request for information on June 10, 2010 (Exhibit BB of appellee’s complaint).

{¶9} On July 22, 2010, appellee filed a complaint against Green Meadow and Hardy and requested damages in the amount of $8,140,153.40 against Green Meadow and Hardy. Count One of the complaint was a breach of contract claim against Green Meadow. In Count Two of the complaint, appellee alleged a foreclosure of the real property, business assets, personal property, and other collateral. Count Three of the

complaint alleged breach of contract against Hardy based on Section 12.02 and 12.03 of the Loan Agreement. Count Four of the complaint stated Hardy breached the guaranty by Green Meadow’s default under the terms of the loan agreement.

{¶10} Appellee filed a motion for summary judgment on November 1, 2010. In support of its motion for summary judgment, appellee attached the affidavit of Jason Reed (“Reed”), the Asset Manager of Helios AMC, LLC. Helios AMC, LLC is the Special Server for U.S. Bank. Green Meadow and Hardy filed a combined motion to strike and memorandum in opposition to the motion for summary judgment. On August 2, 2012, the trial court granted in part and denied in part the motion to strike, struck Paragraph 11 of the Reed affidavit, and found the remaining portions of the affidavit to be compliant with Civil Rule 56(E). Appellee filed a reply to appellants’ response. On June 6, 2011, appellants filed a second motion to strike and a motion for leave to file a surreply. The trial court denied appellants’ motion for leave to file a surreply on August 2, 2012.

{¶11} On January 19, 2012, the trial court authorized the receiver to sell the property. The receiver sold the real property for $4,401,915 and the proceeds were paid to appellee. This sale resolved Count Two of appellee’s complaint.

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U.S. Bank Natl. Assn. v. Green Meadow SWS L.L.C., 2014 Ohio 738, 9 N.E.3d 433 (Ohio Ct. App. 2014).

2014 Ohio 738 (U.S. Bank Natl. Assn. v. Green Meadow SWS L.L.C.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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