Kruse v. Bank of America

Citation248 Cal.Rptr. 217,201 Cal.App.3d 354
Decision Date18 May 1988
Docket NumberNos. AO,s. AO
PartiesPreviously published at 201 Cal.App.3d 354 201 Cal.App.3d 354, 202 Cal.App.3d 38, 56 USLW 2681 Irene O'Connell KRUSE, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. BANK OF AMERICA, Defendant, Cross-Defendant and Appellant; Charles Duck, as Trustee, etc., et al., Cross-Complainants and Appellants. 33064, AO 39161.
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeals Court of Appeals
William M. Lukens, Donald F. Drummond, Carol G. Perry, Martha Rosenberg, Eugene Crew, Michael N. Khourie, Khourie & Crew, San Francisco, Frederick E. Watson, Law Offices of Frederick E. Watson, Walnut Creek, for plaintiff and appellant Kruse

RACANELLI, Presiding Justice.

The underlying litigation arises out of a series of related loan transactions involving apple growers and processors and the Bank of America (Bank) under the evolving theories of lender liability. Following a three-month trial, the jury returned a verdict against the Bank and in favor of plaintiff and cross-complainants aggregating $20,020,000 in compensatory damages and $26,675,000 in punitive damages.

The trial court granted the Bank's motion for a new trial as to punitive damages only, conditioned on plaintiff's and cross-complainants' acceptance of a remittitur to $6 million in punitive damages; the remittitur was duly accepted. The Bank appeals, contending, inter alia, that no basis for liability for damages has been shown. Plaintiff and cross-complainants have cross-appealed seeking to reinstate the full award of nearly $47 million and to recover counsel's travel expenses.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Viewing the evidence, as we must, in a light most favorable to the judgment (Nestle v. City of Santa Monica (1972) 6 Cal.3d 920, 925-926, 101 Cal.Rptr. 568, 496 P.2d 480), we narrate the factual background in some detail in order to discuss adequately the several issues raised in this extensive litigation.

George M. Jewell, 1 like his father before him, has been a well established apple grower in the Sebastopol area for many years. By the early 1960's, George M. Jewell had developed an apple brokerage The two major apple processors in Sebastopol were the family-owned James O'Connell Company and the Sebastopol Cooperative Cannery ("Co- S The Co-op processed apples grown by its members but also purchased apples from non-members or "independents" whenever the supply of apples from its members was inadequate. The Jewells had supplied apples to the O'Connell Company, the principal Sebastopol outlet for independent growers, for a great many years.

business, operated as a joint venture with his son, George R. Jewell. In addition to apples grown on their own ranch, the Jewells bought and collected apples grown by independent growers for sale to processing plants producing apple juice, dehydrated apples, applesauce, vinegar and other kindred products. At this time, about 80 percent of the apples harvested in the Sebastopol area were sold for processing purposes, and the remaining crop yield marketed as fresh fruit.

1. The Near Collapse of the O'Connell Company

James O'Connell died in 1971, and his widow, Mrs. Irene (O'Connell) Kruse became the sole owner of the family corporation. Management of the business operations was entrusted to her 19-year-old son, Dan O'Connell.

The O'Connells had been long-standing customers of the local Bank, which had consistently funded their yearly operations. But in 1974, the Bank suddenly denied Dan O'Connell's request for a capital improvement loan for the O'Connell Company's processing plant. The following year, much to O'Connell's surprise, the Bank refused to provide the customary annual line of credit to fund the company's business operations. William (Bill) Sullivan, the manager of the Bank's Sebastopol branch, extended some interim relief in the form of overdraft privileges approved as short-term loans secured by inventory and receivables; but without the annual loan funds, the O'Connell Company was soon unable to pay its creditors.

In April and May 1975, the Taylor-Doyle Company, one of O'Connell's major suppliers, obtained two judgments against the O'Connell Company for the sale of apples. 2 A sheriff's sale was scheduled in January 1976 to liquidate the O'Connell properties to satisfy the unpaid judgments.

Sometime during the summer of 1975, the Jewells learned of Dan O'Connell's business plight. Acting upon his son's suggestion, George M. Jewell agreed to assist O'Connell financially. In addition to his interest in keeping "a port open" for his suppliers, the independent growers, Jewell also wanted to aid his fellow farmer. 3

The Jewells were themselves long-standing customers of the Bank. George M. Jewell spoke to Bill Sullivan and told him of his desire to assist O'Connell. Sullivan soon arranged to lend George M. Jewell $150,000, which he could, and did, in turn loan to the O'Connell Company to discharge the unpaid judgments and to settle other pressing debts. On Sullivan's advice, Jewell obtained a promissory note for the $150,000 loan secured by a second deed of trust on the O'Connell property. (The Bank held the first deed of trust securing an earlier outstanding loan.)

Later that same year (1976), Jewell borrowed an additional $114,000 from the Bank to lend to the O'Connell Company to finance an equipment purchase; that loan was secured by another (third) deed of trust. And in August 1977, Jewell borrowed another $150,000 from the Bank which he again in turn loaned to O'Connell to enable the O'Connell Company to pay off an outstanding loan owed to the Bank.

George M. Jewell provided other assistance to the troubled O'Connell Company as well: he gave financial advice; he assisted in negotiations with O'Connell's suppliers to extend terms of payment; and he began

to supply the O'Connell Company with large quantities of apples on credit alone.

2. Financing of New O'Connell Company Plant

By 1977, the O'Connell Company had been ordered by a state regulatory agency to make substantial improvements in its waste water treatment facilities or to cease and desist operations. Confronted with the formidable competition presented by the new Co-op dehydration plant, 4 Dan O'Connell decided to construct his own new dehydrating facility. Following O'Connell's positive discussion with George M. Jewell, the latter then discussed the idea with Bill Sullivan, who was equally enthusiastic about the proposed project. In view of the Bank's unwillingness to grant any further loans to the O'Connell Company, George M. Jewell undertook responsibility to obtain the necessary financing.

In December 1977, George M. Jewell and his wife, Betty, met with Sullivan to discuss a $1 million loan for the project, payable over 20 years and to be secured by the new O'Connell plant. The Jewells were also to obtain an additional loan from the Bank to finance a lease-purchase arrangement whereby they would personally acquire ownership of a new "Proctor-Schwartz" dehydrator and lease it back to the O'Connell Company. After the December 1977 meeting, George M. Jewell believed that the Bank would provide long-term financing on the O'Connell plant. The following month, upon receiving a firmer estimate of construction costs from Dan O'Connell, George M. Jewell again met with Sullivan and told him that O'Connell would need $1.2 million. Sullivan replied that the Bank would not make the loan if Dan O'Connell remained as manager of the new plant. Reacting with surprise, George M. Jewell responded that he would not "kick Dan out of his own business."

Concluding that Bank financing was a "dead issue," the Jewells began searching for alternate financing. They were soon able to obtain a $650,000 loan for the O'Connell project from North Coast Production Credit Association (PCA) evidenced by a seven-year promissory note (repayable at $10,000 per month), the maximum terms available from PCA in a single loan. George R. Jewell agreed to, and did, pay the monthly installments to PCA on behalf of the O'Connell Company. Construction of the new plant began in May 1978.

After the Jewells obtained the PCA loan, Sullivan told George M. Jewell that "the boys down below [Sullivan's superiors in the San Francisco regional credit office] kicked their butt for not taking the whole thing." George M. Jewell interpreted the statement to mean the Bank was interested in providing a long-term loan.

George M. Jewell knew that Sullivan did not have authority to approve large loans. (Sullivan's independent lending authority was apparently limited to $100,000.) Under the Bank's regular procedures, the branch officials were required to prepare a credit report (form CR-115) to be forwarded to the regional credit office for review and approval by an authorized credit officer.

During the early part of 1978, George M. Jewell met with Sullivan frequently to discuss the long-term financing needed for the O'Connell plant. In April 1978, Dan O'Connell began furnishing Sullivan with periodic progress reports on the construction work. Sullivan suggested various design changes for the plant to avoid its possible classification as a specialized-use building operation. Sullivan knew that the regional credit office was reluctant to finance specialized buildings not readily convertible to other uses.

In the spring of 1978, George M. Jewell applied...

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