Vehicle Development Corp. Pty Ltd. v. Livernois Vehicle Development, LLC

995 F. Supp. 2d 758, 2014 WL 409744, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12612
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedFebruary 3, 2014
DocketCivil Case No. 13-14090
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 995 F. Supp. 2d 758 (Vehicle Development Corp. Pty Ltd. v. Livernois Vehicle Development, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vehicle Development Corp. Pty Ltd. v. Livernois Vehicle Development, LLC, 995 F. Supp. 2d 758, 2014 WL 409744, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12612 (E.D. Mich. 2014).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

TERRENCE G. BERG, District Judge.

This is a claim and delivery action, in which Plaintiffs/Counter-Defendants Vehicle Development Corporation PTY LTD (‘VDC Aust”) and Vehicle Development Corporation PTE LTD (“VDC Sing”) (collectively, “VDC” or “Plaintiffs”)1 seek possession of 81 Ford F550 trucks (the “Trucks”) from Defendant Livernois Vehicle Development, LLC (“Livernois”). Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff Comerica Bank (“Comerica”) intervened in this lawsuit, as a secured creditor of Livernois (Dkt. 10). The question presented is whether the Trucks should be returned to VDC or whether Comerica may take possession of the Trucks as collateral and sell them to help retire Livernois’s debt.

The Court held a two-day bench trial on December 17 and 18, 2013. In light of the evidence presented at trial, and in consideration of the applicable law, the Court finds that the evidence was insufficient to establish that Comerica had a valid security interest in the Trucks. Consequently, VDC is entitled to immediate possession of the Trucks. Accordingly, the Court makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Plaintiffs brought a claim and delivery action against Defendant Livernois (Dkt. 1). The Complaint seeks the following relief: (1) a judgment awarding immediate possession of the Trucks and certain tooling to Plaintiffs; (2) an award of costs and attorneys’ fees; and (3) such other relief that the Court finds just and equitable (Dkt. 1). The parties stipulated that the 81 Trucks in the possession of Livernois have a combined value of $1.6 million (Tr., Dec. 17, 2013, at 7).

During the trial, Plaintiffs presented three witnesses: Ron Lee Kim Wah (Senior Manager of VAL), Miklos Kovatch (Production Manager of VDC), and Robert Peplowski (Safety Quality Coordinator of Livernois). Comerica presented two witnesses: Harve Light (Senior VP of Comerica, Special Assets Group) and Norma Wallis (Owner of Livernois).

[761]*761Plaintiff VDC Aust is an Australian corporation with its principal place of business in Australia (Compl., Dkt. 1, ¶ 1). VDC Aust has experience in converting left-hand drive vehicles manufactured in the United States — including Ford F550 Trucks — to right-hand drive vehicles (Compl., Dkt. 1, ¶ 11; Kovatch Test., Tr. Dec. 17, 2013, at 41:2-6) for use in overseas markets. Plaintiff VDC Sing is a wholly-owned subsidiary of VDC Aust, with its principal place of business in Singapore (Compl., Dkt. 1, ¶ 2). VAL is a company incorporated in Singapore with its principal place of business in Singapore (Compl., Doc. # 1, ¶ 3). Livernois is a Michigan limited liability company, with its principal place of business in Inkster, Michigan, that is licensed in Michigan to operate as a vehicle repair facility (P’s Trial Ex. 49; Tr., Dec. 18, 2013, at 151:25-153:1).

VAL, a Singapore company, was awarded a contract by the Singapore Ministry of Defense to supply 186 right-hand drive ambulances, which were to be converted from left-hand drive Ford F550 trucks (Wah Test., Tr., Dec. 17, 2013, at 13:22-25, 14:15-18). VDC . Aust, VDC Sing, and VAL are parties to a May 2013 Supply Agreement (the “Supply Agreement”) (Supply Agreement, P’s Trial Ex. 1).

Comerica, a Texas banking association headquartered in Dallas, Texas and owned by Comerica, Inc., a Delaware corporation, is a lender to Livernois and has intervened in this lawsuit as a Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff, claiming that it has a security interest in the Trucks as collateral for the loans it extended to Livernois and related entities (Dkts. 10,16,17).

The Supply Agreement requires that the conversion work be performed in the United States (P’s Trial Ex. 1). VDC therefore subcontracted with Livernois to convert 186 Ford trucks, including the 81 Trucks in dispute in this litigation, from left-hand drive to right-hand drive (Wah Test., Tr., Dec. 17, 2013, 19:20; 20:3; Wallis Test., Tr., Dec. 18, 2013, at 121:21-25). None of the 81 Trucks are titled in Michigan (Wah Test., Tr., Dec. 17, 2013, at 15:20-16:5). The 81 Trucks have engines that burn mid-sulfur diesel fuel, preventing them from being sold or used in the United States (Wah Test., Tr., Dec. 17, 2013, at 15-16). The Supply Agreement provides, among other things:

a. “Title to the [Trucks] shall remain with VAL at all times.” Supply Agreement, P’s Trial Ex. 1, ¶ 18.1.
b. “VDC will be sub-contracting with Livernois to undertake the Conversion Work on the [Trucks] .... ” Id. at 1, %E.
c. “Risk of loss or damage to each Vehicle shall be borne by VDC from the time when such [Truck] is received by VDC (or Livernois on behalf of VDC) from Ford Motor Company until such time when VAL has collected such [Truck] from Livernois’ premises ... and VAL has confirmed acceptance of such [Truck].” Id. at 17-18, ¶ 18.2.

VDC Aust and VDC Sing entered into a Manufacturing and Installation Agreement (the “Contract”) with Livernois in May 2013 (P’s Trial Ex. 3). The 186 Ford F550 Trucks purchased by VAL were delivered by Ford Motor Company to Livernois on or about December 19, 2012 (Wah Test., Tr., Dec. 17, 2013, at 19:8-15). Livernois was subcontracted to carry out a set of specific tasks to modify the Trucks from left-hand to right-hand drive (generally speaking, moving the steering wheel and column from one side of the cab to the other, and reconfiguring the instrument panel and related systems so that the Trucks function as right-hand drive vehicles). These tasks were defined in the Contract as the “Modification Work” (P’s Trial Ex. 3; Wallis Test., Tr., Dec. 18, 2013, at 121:21-15).

[762]*762“Modification Work” is defined as modifying the Vehicles in accordance with the Modification Specifications (P’s Trial Ex. 3, at ¶ 2.1; Wah Test., Tr., Dec. 17, 2013, at 35:19-23). VDC agreed to pay Livernois $15,450 “per vehicle inclusive of all parts and labor” on a unit-by-unit basis for performing the Modification Work (P’s Trial Ex. 3, at ¶ 4.1). The Contract also provided that:

a. “Title to the [Trucks] shall at all times remain with VAL” (P’s Trial Ex. 3 ¶ 3.1);
b. “Livernois shall comply with all reasonable written directions which may be given by VDC of VAL concerning the storage of the [Trucks] at the Premises and written directions for the subsequent removal of the [Trucks] from the Premises. In the event of any inconsistency between the directions given by VAL or VDC the directions given by VAL shall prevail;” Id ¶ 3.2.
c. “Livernois shall not in any circumstances assert a lien over the [Trucks].” Id ¶ 3.3.

Of the 186 Vehicles purchased by VAL, 105 of them have been converted to right-hand drive by Livernois and delivered to Singapore (JFPO, [Doc. # 60], at 9; P’s Trial Br., [Doc. # 61], at 11). VDC paid Livernois in full for the 105 delivered Trucks, at $15,450 for each Truck (Kovatch Test., Tr., Dec. 17, 2013, at 68:6-9).

Experiencing severe financial difficulties, Livernois ceased all Modification Work on or about August 2, 2013 (JFPO, [Doc. # 60], at 4, 9). On September 9, 2013, VDC officially notified Livernois that it was terminating the Contract pursuant to ¶ 8.2 (the “Termination Notice”) (P’s Trial Ex. 4). VDC demanded that Livernois immediately return all Trucks and other property (described more fully below) in its possession.

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Bluebook (online)
995 F. Supp. 2d 758, 2014 WL 409744, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12612, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vehicle-development-corp-pty-ltd-v-livernois-vehicle-development-llc-mied-2014.