Regions Bank v. Stewart, 2011 WL 1827453 (S.D.Ala., 2011).
Opinion 2011 Alabama Procedure 2011AlabamaRegionsBankNoNoticeToEntity
Related Article: None.
AI Synopsis
♦ The United States District Court for the Southern Division of the Southern District of Alabama addressed a Renewed Application for Charging Order filed by Regions Bank. The bank, acting as successor trustee, sought to enforce a money judgment against the defendant, David Stewart. On November 8, 2010, the court had already determined that Stewart was liable for nearly seven hundred eighty-six thousand dollars due to a breach of contract by ZLM Acquisitions, LLC, which he had personally guaranteed. Seeking to satisfy this unpaid judgment, Regions Bank moved to attach Stewart's membership interests in three specific Alabama limited liability companies: ZLM Acquisitions, LLC, Shimmering Sand Development Company, and P & P Acquisitions, LLC. The motion was based on Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 69(a)(1) and Alabama Code Section 10-12-35. Under Alabama law, a judgment creditor may apply to a court to charge a member's interest with the unsatisfied portion of a judgment, although the creditor only acquires the rights of an assignee of financial rights rather than those of a participating member. Stewart opposed the application, arguing that the LLCs had not received proper notice and that granting the order would improperly allow the bank to participate in the management of the companies. However, Magistrate Judge Bert W. Milling, Jr. rejected these arguments. The court noted that because Stewart owned at least a fifty percent interest in each company, the entities were effectively on notice. Furthermore, the court clarified that the charging order would only permit the bank to collect financial distributions as an assignee, not to participate as a member. Consequently, the court granted the Renewed Application for Charging Order, concluding that both federal and state law supported the remedy as the exclusive means for a judgment creditor to reach a debtor's membership interest in an LLC. ♦
Regions Bank v. Stewart, 2011 WL 1827453 (S.D.Ala., 2011).
United States District Court, S.D. Alabama, Southern Division.
REGIONS BANK, as Successor Trustee of the Carl T. Martin Estate–Trust Part One, and the Carl T. Martin Estate–Trust Part Two, as established under the last will and testament of Carl T. Martin, deceased, Plaintiff,
v.
David STEWART, Defendant.
Civil Action No. 10–0145–M.
May 10, 2011.
Bradley Robert Sanders, Jr., Phelps Dunbar, LLC, Allen E. Graham, Mobile, AL, for Plaintiff.
Charles J. Potts, Briskman & Binion, P.C., Mobile, AL, for Defendant.
MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER
BERT W. MILLING, JR., United States Magistrate Judge.
PAGE_1 Plaintiff has filed a Renewed Application for Charging Order pursuant to the Fed.R.Civ.P. 69(a)(1) and Alabama Code § 10–12–35 (Doc. 63). Defendant has filed a response (Doc. 65) to which Plaintiff has replied (Doc. 66). After consideration of the pleadings of record, Plaintiff's Renewed Application for Charging Order is GRANTED (Doc. 63).
The Court notes that on November 8, 2010, the undersigned found that Plaintiff Regions Bank had demonstrated a breach of contract against ZLM Acquisitions, LLC, an Alabama limited liability company which is not a party to this action, and that Defendant Stewart was liable, pursuant to his Personal Guaranty, for damages of seven hundred eighty-six thousand, one hundred eighty-four dollars and thirty-nine cents ($786,184.39) as of November 8, 2010 (Doc. 53). Judgment was entered on that same date in favor of Regions Bank and against Stewart (Doc. 54).
Plaintiff has now filed a Renewed Application for Charging Order, moving for an Order from this Court "against Judgment Debtor David Stewart [ ], attaching Stewart's membership interest in ZLM Acquisitions, LLC, Shimmering Sand Development Company, and P & P Acquisitions, LLC" pursuant to the Fed.R.Civ.P. 69(a)(1) and Alabama Code § 10–12–35 (Doc. 63). Plaintiff notes that Defendant did not appeal the judgment and asserts that the judgment is still not satisfied (Doc. 63, ¶¶ 7–8).
The Rules of Civil Procedure state that "[a] money judgment is enforced by a writ of execution unless the court directs otherwise. The procedure on execution-and in proceedings supplementary to and in aid of judgment or execution-must accord with the procedure of the state where the court is located." Fed.R.Civ.P. 69(a)(1) (2011). The law of Alabama, where this Court is located, provides for the following:
On application to a court of competent jurisdiction by any judgment creditor of a member or assignee, the court may charge the interest of the member or assignee with payment of the unsatisfied amount of the judgment with interest. To the extent so charged, the judgment creditor has only the rights of an assignee of financial rights. This section shall be the sole and exclusive remedy of a judgment creditor with respect to the judgment debtor's membership interest.
Ala.Code 10–12–35(a). The Court notes that this Court has previously issued a charging order pursuant to this statute, see Vision Bank v. Swindall, C.A. 09–442–CG–M (S.D. Ala. November 30, 2010 (Doc. 71)), and that other federal courts have done so as well under the state statutes of their jurisdiction. See, e.g., The First National Bank of Louisville, N.A. v. Young, 1995 WL 549128, PAGE_3 (D.Mass.1995); Wooten v. Lightburn, 2009 WL 2424686, PAGE_2–3 (W.D.Va.2009); General Electric Capital Corp. v. JLT Aircraft Holding Co., LLC, 2010 WL 3023316, PAGE_3 (D.Minn.2010); and Lumbermens Mut. Cas. Co. v. Luciano Enterprises, LLC, 2005 WL 2340709, PAGE_1 (D.Alaska 2005).
Plaintiff has asserted that Stewart has admitted in post-judgment discovery that he owns interest in three different limited liability companies (hereinafter LLC ) in Alabama (Doc. 63, pp. 6–77). Those interests are as follows:
PAGE_2 (1) Eighty percent (80%) in ZLM Acquisitions, LLC, with its principal place of business located at 3145 Gulf Shores Parkway, Gulf Shores, Alabama 36542. The registered agent is Daniel G. Blackburn, located at 110 Courthouse Square, Bay Minette, Alabama 36507. There are two other LLC members: Tom Steber, 6397 E. Quarry Drive, Elberta, Alabama 36530; and Maurice J. Fitsimons, 190 Country Club Drive, Daphne, Alabama 36526.
(2) Fifty percent (50%) in Shimmering Sands Development Company, LLC. The registered agent is The Corporation Company, 2000 Interstate Park Drive, Suite 204, Montgomery, Alabama 36109. The only other LLC member is TDTM Investments, LLC.
(3) Fifty percent (50%) in P & P Acquisitions, LLC. The registered agent is Daniel G. Blackburn, 110 Courthouse Square, Bay Minette, Alabama 36507. The only other LLC member is Terry Stewart.
(Doc. 63, pp. 6–7).
Defendant has urged that this Application be denied because the LLC's have not been notified of the Application or given any opportunity to respond. Stewart further argued that granting the Application would "make Regions Bank a participating member of each LLC" (Doc. 65, ¶ 2). Defendant references no legal authorities for these arguments, however.
The Court finds that the Application should be GRANTED (Doc. 63) as federal law and state law both allow it. With regard to Stewart's arguments, the Court notes that the LLC's have been put on notice in that all have a member with, at least, a fifty percent interest in the company. Furthermore, Defendant's argument that granting the application would make Regions Bank a participating member of each LLC is unsupported in that the law, and this Court, will only allow Plaintiff to step into Stewart's shoes as "an assignee of financial rights."
Therefore, after consideration of the relevant pleadings, the Court GRANTS Plaintiff's Renewed Application for Charging Order (Doc. 63) and will enter a separate Order to effectuate the decision in this memorandum.