THE BRIGHTON DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, A FLORIDA CORPORATION, APPELLANT,
v.
BARNETT BANK OF SOUTH FLORIDA, N.A., A CORPORATION ORGANIZED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, APPELLEE
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Brighton Development Corporation appealed the dismissal of its complaint against Barnett Bank regarding a failed loan commitment. The court affirmed the dismissal, holding that under the explicit terms of the commitment agreement, Brighton had no legal basis to recover the nonrefundable commitment fee or claim breach of contract, unjust enrichment, or conversion.
The trial court properly dismissed the complaint with prejudice because the commitment agreement plainly stated the commitment fee was nonrefundable under any circumstances, Barnett performed by holding the loan amount and tendering documents timely, Brighton failed to complete its performance timely, and Barnett had no contractual obligation to grant an extension.
[1] A non-refundable commitment fee paid for a loan commitment is earned by the bank upon issuance of the commitment letter and is not returnable under any circumstances, reg…
[2] A party's failure to complete contractual obligations within the specified time period, absent a contractual provision for an extension, constitutes a breach of contract.
Previewing 2 of 6 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“Said commitment fee shall be paid to Bank in consideration of Bank's promise to hold or reserve the amount of this commitment and shall be earned by the issuance of this commitment letter. It is understood and agreed that no part of such commitment fee will be returned to Borrower under any circumstances, either by credit against closing costs, expenses or otherwise.”
The commitment agreement's explicit language making the fee nonrefundable under all circumstances, forming the basis for the court's holding.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceBrighton and Barnett entered a loan commitment agreement for an $11.4 million loan, with Brighton paying a nonrefundable $171,000 commitment fee. The …
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HALL, Judge.
The Brighton Development Corporation appeals from the final order dismissing its complaint with prejudice. We affirm.
The Brighton Development Corporation (Brighton) and the appellee, Barnett Bank (Barnett), entered into a loan agreement in which Barnett promised to loan Brighton $11,400,000 if the proper conditions were met. A commitment agreement was executed which required Barnett to reserve the loan amount for sixty days and Brighton to pay a nonrefundable commitment fee of $171,000. Barnett was also required to prepare the loan documents so that Brighton could complete and return them within the sixty-day period. Brighton could not complete its performance within the contractual period and requested an extension one day after the sixty-day contract period had expired. Barnett denied the request for an extension as untimely and refused to refund the commitment fee. Brighton brought suit alleging that Barnett was at fault for failing to prepare the loan documents in a timely fashion and that Barnett acted in bad faith by not granting an extension. The complaint stated causes of action for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and conversion. The trial court dismissed the complaint with prejudice, after determining that it was inherently defective. Brighton appealed.
There was no error in the trial court’s decision to dismiss the complaint. Under the commitment agreement, Brighton was clearly not entitled to a refund of the commitment fee. The agreement stated in pertinent part:
As consideration for the issuance of this commitment, Borrower agrees to pay a non-refundable commitment fee of One Hundred Seventy-One Thousand ($171,-000) Dollars (less application fee of $11,-400 previously paid) with the acceptance of this commitment letter. Borrower agrees that said commitment fee is neither interest nor payment for the use of money. Said commitment fee shall be paid to Bank in consideration of Bank’s promise to hold or reserve the amount of this commitment and shall be earned by the issuance of this commitment letter. It is understood and agreed that no part of such commitment fee will be returned to Borrower under any circumstances, either by credit against closing costs, expenses or otherwise.
(Emphasis added.)
Barnett performed its part of the agreement by holding the loan amount for sixty days and by tendering the documents in a reasonably timely fashion; it was Brighton who failed to timely complete the documents prior to the expiration of the contractual period; hence, there was no basis for the breach of contract claim. The agreement plainly stated that Brighton was not entitled to a refund of the commitment fee under any circumstances; therefore, there was no basis for either the unjust enrichment or the conversion claims. In addition, the bad faith claim had no merit since Barnett was under no contractual obligation to grant an extension of time.
As stated in Hardee v. Gordon Thompson Chevrolet, 154 So. 2d 174, 178 (Fla. 1st DCA 1963): “If the insufficiency [of the complaint] relates to some inherent defect in the case shown by the facts alleged, the judgment of dismissal will operate as an adjudication on the merits, and the dismissal with prejudice must be held proper.” See also Nelson v. Ward, 190 So. 2d 622, (Fla. 2d DCA 1966).
Accordingly, since the facts alleged in the complaint do not establish a claim for relief, we affirm the dismissal of the complaint with prejudice.
DANAHY, C.J., and RYDER, J., concur.
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E. Bay Ltd. P'ship v. Am. Gen. Life & Accident Ins., 744 F. Supp. 1118 (M.D. Fla. 1990)…l Corporation, in light of the requirements and refused to approve the sale because those requirements were not met, then there can be no claim for bad faith breach of contract. See, Brighton Development Corp. v. Barnett Bank of South Florida, 513 So.2d 1103 (Fla. 2d DCA 1987). The Plaintiff claims that the Defendant refused to permit the sale to the Hall Corporation for the sole stated reason that James Hall lacked the management experience required. This allegation, however, is not backed by the s…
Authorities Cited
- Hardee v. Gordon Thompson Chevrolet, Inc., 154 So. 2d 174 (Fla. 1st DCA 1963)
- Nelson v. Ward, 190 So. 2d 622 (Fla. 2d DCA 1966)