2006 Minnesota Statutes

27.138 WHOLESALE PRODUCE DEALERS' TRUST.
    Subdivision 1. Trust establishment and maintenance. (a) The produce and products of
produce of a wholesale produce dealer and proceeds are held in trust for the benefit of unpaid
sellers.
(b) The trust assets are to be maintained as a nonsegregated floating trust. Commingling
of the trust assets is contemplated.
(c) The wholesale produce dealer must maintain the trust assets in a manner that makes the
trust assets freely available to satisfy the amounts owed to unpaid sellers and may not divert trust
assets in a manner that impairs the ability of unpaid sellers to recover amounts due.
(d) A wholesale produce dealer must maintain the trust assets in trust until payment has been
made in full to unpaid sellers. Payment is not made if a seller receives a payment instrument that
is dishonored.
(e) A wholesale produce dealer holds trust assets in trust for the seller, except that the
wholesale produce dealer may transfer title to trust assets if the proceeds of the transfer are
maintained as trust assets. Until a seller is paid, a wholesale produce dealer does not transfer title
to trust assets:
(1) in a transaction made to another wholesale produce dealer;
(2) in a transaction intended to impair the ability of unpaid sellers to recover amounts due; or
(3) for which the value is inadequate to satisfy filed beneficiaries notices.
    Subd. 2. Sellers' rights to trust assets. (a) An unpaid seller may recover trust assets for
the net amount unpaid after the due date after allowing deductions of contemplated expenses or
advances made in connection with the transaction. An amount is considered unpaid if a seller
receives a payment instrument that is dishonored.
(b) An unpaid seller may recover trust assets after filing a beneficiaries notice with the
wholesale produce dealer to whom the produce was transferred and the commissioner, and after
filing in the central filing system under section 336.9-501 as if the trust were a security interest
in the trust assets by 40 days after the due date for the payment to the seller or 40 days after a
payment instrument to the seller for the produce is dishonored, whichever is later.
    Subd. 3. Beneficiaries notice. (a) A beneficiaries notice must be in writing and in a form
prescribed by the commissioner.
(b) The beneficiaries notice must contain:
(1) the name and address of the seller;
(2) the name and address of the wholesale produce dealer maintaining the trust assets;
(3) the produce, amount of produce, amount to be paid the seller, and the due date of
transactions that are unpaid or, if appropriate, the date a payment instrument was dishonored; and
(4) a description of the trust assets.
(c) The filing officer shall enter on the initial financing statement filed pursuant to this
section the time of day and date of filing. The filing officer shall accept filings, amendments, and
terminations of an initial financing statement filed pursuant to this section and charge the same
filing fees as provided in section 336.9-525. An initial financing statement filed pursuant to this
section is void and may be removed from the filing system 18 months after the date of filing. The
beneficiaries notice may be physically destroyed 30 months after the date of filing.
    Subd. 4. Priority of unpaid sellers' interests in trust assets. (a) The unpaid seller's interest
in trust assets is paramount to all other liens, security interests, and encumbrances in the trust
assets. An unpaid seller who recovers trust assets recovers them free of any liens, security
interests, or encumbrances.
(b) If the trust assets are inadequate to pay unpaid sellers the amount due, the unpaid sellers
shall share proportionately in the trust assets.
    Subd. 5. Recovery actions. An action to recover trust assets may be brought in district court
in a county where trust assets are located after the beneficiaries notice is filed. The beneficiaries
notice may be amended, except the amount due, by leave of the court in furtherance of justice.
An action to recover trust assets is barred if it is not brought by 18 months after the date the
beneficiaries notice is filed.
    Subd. 6. Terminations of beneficiaries notice. A seller must terminate a beneficiaries notice
by ten days after the amount due for the wholesale produce dealer is paid. The commissioner may
terminate a beneficiaries notice upon request and demonstration by the wholesale produce dealer
that the amounts due under the beneficiaries notice have been paid.
History: 1990 c 530 s 16; 1991 c 199 art 1 s 7; 2001 c 195 art 2 s 1,2