400 Walnut Associates, L.P. v. 4th Walnut Associates, L.P. (In re 400 Walnut Associates, L.P.)

475 B.R. 217, 82 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1204, 2012 WL 2839633, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 3146, 56 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 204
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedJuly 11, 2012
DocketBankruptcy No. 10-16094; Adversary No. 10-456 (SR)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 475 B.R. 217 (400 Walnut Associates, L.P. v. 4th Walnut Associates, L.P. (In re 400 Walnut Associates, L.P.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
400 Walnut Associates, L.P. v. 4th Walnut Associates, L.P. (In re 400 Walnut Associates, L.P.), 475 B.R. 217, 82 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1204, 2012 WL 2839633, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 3146, 56 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 204 (Pa. 2012).

Opinion

Opinion

STEPHEN RASLAVICH, Chief Judge.

Introduction

Before the Court is a particularly troubling matter. The issue is the sanctions to be imposed against Sovereign Bank (“Sovereign”) for its failure to fully comply with certain subpoenas duces tecum (the “Subpoenas Duces Tecum ”) which were served upon it by the Debtor, 400 Walnut Associates, L.P. (“Debtor”). This matter was raised by motion, namely the Motion of Debtor for an Order Compelling Sovereign Bank to Comply with Subpoenas Duces Tecum dated August 23, 2010 and July 12, 2011, to Produce Documents and to Impose Sanctions (the “Motion”). Adversary Proceeding,1 Docket Entry No. 50. For the reasons set forth in detail below, the Motion will be granted.2 Monetary and non-monetary sanctions shall be imposed against Sovereign for abuse of the discovery process. As for the non-monetary sanction,3 Sovereign shall be required to produce to the Debtor the documents which it submitted to the Court for an in camera review. Under the circumstances presented no lesser sanction would be adequate, because Sovereign’s misconduct in this matter constitutes one of the most serious incidents of discovery abuse the Court has witnessed.

Background

A. The Debtor, the Property, the Loan and the Default

The Debtor is a Pennsylvania limited partnership which owns the real property (the “Property”) located at 400-414 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Schedule A, Bankruptcy Case,4, Docket Entry No. 52; see also Certification of John Turchi in Support of First Day Motions, dated July 23, 2010 (“Turchi Certification”), at 3, Bankruptcy Case, Docket Entry No. 8. The Debtor purchased the Property, which was originally an office building, in May of 2000. Amended Disclosure Statement with Respect to Plan of Reorganization Proposed by U00 Walnut Associates, L.P., a Pennsylvania Limited Partnership Debtor in Possession (“Disclosure Statement”) 1.2, Bankruptcy Case, Docket Entry No. 252. The Debtor converted the Property into 67 luxury resi[219]*219dential apartments and 1 commercial unit. Transcript, dated 12/9/2010 (“Tr. 12/9/10”), at 23, Bankruptcy Case, Docket Entry No. 155; Disclosure Statement 1.1. Pursuant to a Lease Agreement, dated May 29, 2002, as amended, the Debtor leased the Property to 400 Walnut Greentree Associates, L.P. (“Greentree”), which, in turn, subleased the apartments to third party tenants. Turchi Certification ¶¶ 11 (b) & 12.

The Debtor borrowed a construction loan of approximately $12 million from Amalgamated Bank to finance the construction of the apartment units. Tr. 12/9/10 at 24- In February of 2004, after the construction was complete, the Debtor refinanced the construction loan with a new loan from Independence Community Bank for $13.125 million. Id. at 24.-25; Disclosure Statement 1.2. The new loan (the “Loan”) was evidenced by a Multifamily Note and was secured by, inter alia, a mortgage and assignment of rents. Id.

In 2006, Sovereign acquired Independence Community Bank and became the successor in interest to the Multifamily Note and the related Loan documents. Id. Debtor successfully made payments under the Multifamily Note until June of 2009 when its deteriorating financial' position rendered it unable to do so. Id. The following November, Sovereign declared a default under the Loan documents. Id. Sovereign subsequently notified the Debt- or’s subtenants in writing of the default and demanded that the subtenants make their rental payments to Sovereign.5 In re Walnut Associates, L.P., 454 B.R. 601, 604 (Bankr.E.D.Pa.2011); Response of Sovereign Bank to Debtor’s Motion for Order Compelling Compliance with Subpoenas Duces Tecum and for Sanctions and Cross-Motion for Protective Order and In Camera Review (“Sovereign’s Response”) at 2, Adversary Proceeding, Docket Entry No. 59.

B. The Mortgage Foreclosure Action, the alleged Forbearance Agreement and the Subsequent Purchase of the Loan

On or about January 29, 2010, Sovereign commenced a Mortgage Foreclosure action (“the Mortgage Foreclosure Action”) against the Debtor by filing a complaint in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Disclosure Statement at 1.2; Sovereign’s Response at 2. The commencement of this action prompted a meeting between the Debtor and Sovereign on the very same day. In re Walnut Associates, L.P., 454 B.R. at 609. According to the Debtor, the meeting resulted in a forbearance agreement (“Forbearance Agreement”) which Sovereign’s counsel was to put into writing. See Debtor’s Complaint and Objection to Proof of Claim No. 7 As Amended (“Complaint”) ¶ 25, Adversary Proceeding, Docket Entry No. 1. Following the meeting between Sovereign and the Debtor on January 29, 2010, Sovereign took no further action to proceed with its prosecution of the Mortgage Foreclosure Action. In re Walnut Associates, L.P., 454 B.R. at 612.

As will be explained below, whether the Forbearance Agreement existed and whether there is sufficient documentation of it to satisfy the Statute of Frauds have been and, following the issuance of this decision, may continue to be pivotal issues in this proceeding. Had Sovereign properly complied with the Subpoenas Duces Tecum, the course which this adversary proceeding has taken may potentially have been entirely different.

[220]*220As alleged by the Debtor, one of the terms included in the Forbearance Agreement was that the rents would go back to the Debtor, who would use them to pay the expenses associated with the Property and then remit the remainder of it to Sovereign. Id. at 609. On January 29, 2010, which is the day upon which the Forbearance Agreement was purportedly made, letters were hand-delivered to the Debtor’s subtenants instructing them to resume making their monthly rent payments to Greentree, which would remit them to the Debtor. Id. The letters were signed by Sovereign’s counsel and a representative of Greentree. See Exhibit “B” to Complaint. The letters had their intended effect of causing the subtenants to resume paying their rent to Greentree. In re Walnut Associates, L.P., 454 B.R. at 609. The Debtor, in turn, used the rents to pay monthly expenses for the Property and remitted the remainder of the rents to Sovereign. Id.

According to the Debtor, it commenced operating in reliance on the Forbearance Agreement on January 29, 2010. Complaint 29. The Debtor alleges that Sovereign intermittently provided it with status reports regarding Sovereign’s preparation of the draft Forbearance Agreement and its review of the same. Id. ¶¶ 30-33.

However, on or about May 18, 2010, Ivy Realty submitted a letter of intent to Brian Fiumara at the Flynn Company, which was an offer to purchase the Loan collater-alized by the Property for the amount of $9,550,000 (the “Letter of Intent”). Complaint 87; Answer and Affirmative Defenses of 4th Walnut Associates, LLP, Realty LII, LLC and Ivy Realty Services, LLC to Counts VII and VIII of Complaint (“Answer”) ¶ 37,6

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475 B.R. 217, 82 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1204, 2012 WL 2839633, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 3146, 56 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 204, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/400-walnut-associates-lp-v-4th-walnut-associates-lp-in-re-400-paeb-2012.