Van Waters & Rogers, Inc. v. Interchange Resources, Inc.

484 P.2d 26, 14 Ariz. App. 414, 1971 Ariz. App. LEXIS 595
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedApril 22, 1971
Docket1 CA-CIV 1175
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 484 P.2d 26 (Van Waters & Rogers, Inc. v. Interchange Resources, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Van Waters & Rogers, Inc. v. Interchange Resources, Inc., 484 P.2d 26, 14 Ariz. App. 414, 1971 Ariz. App. LEXIS 595 (Ark. Ct. App. 1971).

Opinion

*416 EUBANK, Judge.

This appeal primarily questions the propriety of the trial court’s granting the appellee’s summary judgment where there is alleged to be genuine issues as to material facts unsettled.

Appellant raises three questions on appeal. They are as follows:

1. Should the summary judgment be set aside because there remained many genuine issues of material fact?
2. Did Interchange Resources’ complaint state a claim upon which relief could be afforded?
3. Upon the record is Van Waters entitled to an order of this court reversing the judgment and directing the entry of a final judgment dismissing the complaint?

THE SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Viewing the facts and inferences arising therefrom in the light most favorable to the appellant, we find that on March 27, 1963, Paving Rentals, Inc., a paving contractor hereafter referred to as “Paving”, in order to obtain interim financing, executed an “Underlying Agreement” with the appellee-plaintiff Interchange Resources, Inc., hereafter referred to as “Interchange”, which provided, in part, that Interchange would purchase accounts receivable from Paving. The purchase was to be by assignment of the account to Interchange together with the simultaneous execution of a 90-day promissory note in the amount of the original contract price. Paving was then obligated to repurchase each account within 90 days of the date of purchase and pay Interchange interest at the rate of 8% per annum on the original purchase price. A reserve account was set up by the agreement permitting Interchange to withhold 15% out of the purchase price of each account, “ * * * as [its] security for all obligations of client [•Paving] * * arising from losses under the Underlying Agreement. In addition, Paving agreed to execute all papers required by Interchange, warrant each account sold, and hold in trust and deliver to Interchange, on the same day as received by Paving, all payments received, in whatever form. In addition Paving executed a guarantee of all accounts assigned to Interchange.

On April 4, 1963, Paving presented its form “Proposal and Contract” to appellant Van Waters & Rogers, Inc., hereafter “Van Waters”, offering to level, fill and apply hot asphalt to an area located at 2930 West Osborn Road, Phoenix, for $6,692.49. The offer was accepted by Van Waters and Paving began work on approximately May 8th. The work was completed on May 23, 1963.

Prior to completion of the work, on May 14, 1963, Paving assigned the Van Waters contract, in the sum of $6,692.49, to Interchange and received $5,404.19 for it. This assignment shows on its face that $334.62 was deducted by Interchange as a “factoring charge”, or interest, and 15% of the contract price or $953.68 was deducted and credited to the reserve account of the Underlying Agreement as additional security for Interchange. As additional security Páving executed and delivered a 90-day promissory note to Interchange in the contract price of $6,692.49 payable to Interchange.

Interchange notified Van Waters of the assignment of its contract with Paving on May 14, 1963 by sending it a copy of their contract with Paving with a bright yellow sticker attached to the front page stating that it had been assigned to Interchange. Van Waters admits receiving it, together with a letter from Paving on May 25, advising them to make their contract price payment to Interchange at Interchange’s post office box in Mesa.

■ On May 31, 1963, Van Waters made its check payable to Paving in the sum of $6,-717.49 (an additional $25 for ditch work) and delivered the check to Paving. Paving in violation' of the “Underlying Agreement” cashed the check, and used the proceeds for its own purposes. No part of the proceeds of the Van Waters’ payment went to Interchange.

*417 Turning for a moment to the law of assignments, it is clear that when notice of an assignment is given to and received by the debtor that the debtor becomes liable to pay the assignee and that its subsequent payment to the original obligee-assignor does not relieve it of that liability. Bank of Yuma v. Arrow Construction Co., Ariz., 480 P.2d 338 (1971) ; United Bank of Arizona v. Romanoski, 14 Ariz.App. 90, 480 P.2d 1007 (1971).

In our case Paving assigned the Van Waters contract to Interchange for consideration; notice of the assignment was given Van Waters prior to payment being made and then Van Waters disregarded the assignment and paid the assignor — Paving —insteau of Interchange. Van Waters, under these circumstances, is still liable to Interchange for the assigned contract price unless any of Van Waters’ defense allegations raise a genuine issue as to a material fact.

The legal effect of an assignment of a non-negotiable chose in action is to merely transfer the interest of the assignor to the assignee. The assignee then “stands in the shoes” of the assignor, taking his rights and remedies as described in the assignment, subject to any defenses which the obligor or debtor has against the assignor prior to notice of the assignment. 6 Am. Jur.2d, Assignments, pp. 282-284, § 902, Restatement of Contracts, pp. 211-213, § 167 (1932). In the case at bar, Van Waters’ defense is based entirely on a transaction that occurred between Paving and Interchange, subsequent to its receipt of the notice of assignment, hereafter referred to as the “Fleetwood Assignment.”

Following the payment by Van Waters to Paving, Interchange became aware of Paving’s breach of the Underlying Agreement and requested additional security. This was provided by Paving on July 24, 1963, when it assigned its paving contract with the Fleetwood Construction Corp., in the sum of $14,124.00, to Interchange without additional cost to Interchange. The assignment specifically assigns these proceeds to the reserve account of the Underlying Agreement. In addition, typewritten on the face of the assignment is the following notation:

“This contract has been assigned to Interchange Resources, Inc. by Paving Rentals, Inc. to cover Walter Ong, Bill Goettle, Van Waters, Inc., and Memorial Christian Church Contracts.”

Each of these contracts were paving contracts previously assigned to Interchange. According to the affidavit of the president of Paving, submitted by Van Waters, Paving had received the contract price due on these contracts, but it did not pay these funds to Interchange as it was required to do by the Underlying Agreement and assignments. The affidavit continues that the Fleetwood Assignment was then arranged in “satisfaction” of Interchange’s claim against Paving. It is from this single conclusion of ultimate fact and law that Van Waters’ draws its contention that the “Fleetwood Assignment” constituted a settlement of all claims arising out of Paving’s breach of the provisions of the various assignments (including that of Van Waters) and the Underlying Agreement. Disregarding for the moment that such conclusions of fact or law are insufficient to properly raise a defense for the purposes of Rule 56, 16 A.R.S., Lujan v. MacMurtrie, 94 Ariz.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
484 P.2d 26, 14 Ariz. App. 414, 1971 Ariz. App. LEXIS 595, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/van-waters-rogers-inc-v-interchange-resources-inc-arizctapp-1971.