Allied Eastern States Maintenance Corp. v. Miller (In re Lemco Gypsum, Inc.)

108 B.R. 831, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 2611
CourtDistrict Court, D. Georgia
DecidedDecember 23, 1988
DocketBankruptcy No. 486-00839; Adv. No. 488-0045
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 108 B.R. 831 (Allied Eastern States Maintenance Corp. v. Miller (In re Lemco Gypsum, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Allied Eastern States Maintenance Corp. v. Miller (In re Lemco Gypsum, Inc.), 108 B.R. 831, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 2611 (gad 1988).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

LAMAR W. DAVIS, Jr., Chief Judge.

Before the Court is the request of creditors Allied Eastern States Maintenance Corporation, Chatham County, Georgia, and Combustion Engineering, Inc., (the “Creditors”) as well as the Chapter 7 Trustee, James L. Drake, Jr., to subordinate the claim filed jointly by L.E. Miller, Jr., L.E. Miller, III, Frank B. Miller, and Robert N. Miller (the “Millers”).

The Creditors filed an adversary proceeding against the Millers pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Sections 47 and 1334, 11 U.S.C. Section 510(c), and Bankruptcy Rule 7001. As admitted by the Millers, this is a core proceeding. The Court finds and concludes that it has jurisdiction to hear and decide this matter.

The matter was tried on August 2, 1988. Upon motion of Combustion Engineering, Inc., joined by the other Creditors and with the consent of the Trustee, the Trustee was added as a party-plaintiff. The Court denied the Millers’ motion to dismiss the Creditors because of an alleged lack of standing to bring an adversary proceeding for equitable subordination. The Millers were properly served at a place where they regularly conduct their business. B.R. 7004(b)(1).

At trial, L.E. Miller, Jr., and Frank B. Miller testified for both the Creditors and the Millers. No other witnesses testified. Certain documentary evidence was adduced, including the bond documents that are the foundation of the largest part of the Millers’ claim. Counsel were allowed ample opportunity for oral argument. Additionally, the parties filed post-hearing briefs for the Court’s consideration.

Based upon the testimony of the witnesses, the other evidence adduced at trial, and the oral and written arguments of counsel, the Court enters its Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law. B.R. 7052.

FINDINGS OF FACT

A. The Beginning

1) The Millers were the founders, directors, officers and shareholders of Lemco Gypsum, Inc., (“Lemco”), the debtor corporation. Lemco was a Georgia corporation, located in Savannah, Georgia. L.E. Miller, Jr., was president of Lemco. A son, L.E. Miller, III, was vice president. Another son, Frank B. Miller, served as secretary and treasurer. Frank B. Miller, in consultation with his father, was primarily responsible for Lemco’s daily operations.

2) The Millers created Lemco to manufacture gypsum briquettes from gypsum by-product produced by and purchased from American Cyanamid, now Kemira, Inc.

3) The Millers purchased Lemco stock to provide it with an initial capitalization of $200,000.00.

B. The Bonds

4) The Savannah Port Authority on January 1, 1980, authorized the issuance and sale of $3,000,000 of Industrial Revenue Bonds (the “bonds”), the proceeds of which were loaned to Lemco and used to finance the cost of the acquisition, construction, and installation of Lemco’s facility to manufacture gypsum briquettes. The Citizens and Southern National Bank (“C & S”) [833]*833acted as trustee. The Prudential Insurance Company of America (“Prudential”) purchased the bonds.

5) As security for payment of the bonds, the Millers, acting in their individual capacities, entered into a Guaranty and Indemnification Agreement (“guaranty”), dated January 1, 1980. The guaranty provided in part:

“This guaranty is a primary and original obligation of each of the Guarantors, jointly and severally, and is an absolute, unconditional, continuing and irrevocable guaranty of payment and not of collecti-bility or performance and is in no way conditioned or contingent upon any attempt to collect from the Issuer or to realize upon any of the property subject to the Indenture.”

(Exhibit P-l-B, (11).

6) To secure their obligations under the guaranty, the Millers, acting in their individual capacities, entered into a Pledge Agreement with C & S, also on January 1, 1980. (Exhibit P-l-C).

7) Lemco and the Millers defaulted on the bonds. In September of 1982, C & S instituted an action in the Superior Court of Chatham County, Georgia, against the Millers in their individual capacities. Less than two months later, C & S obtained a default judgment against the Millers. A consent order was entered on December 30, 1982, arranging for certain assets of the Millers to be paid toward satisfying the judgment. C & S and Prudential also consented to a forbearance agreement with the Millers, but the Millers also defaulted on that agreement. Ultimately, the Millers satisfied the judgment against them for the remaining balance of $1,369,890.72. By letter dated October 30, 1985, Prudential acknowledged that C & S had received all amounts due in satisfaction of the judgment. (Exhibit P-l-A).

8) The largest part of the Millers’ claim against Lemco is based upon their satisfaction of the judgment against them. The Millers claim to be secured creditors in the amount of $1,369,890.72, asserting that they are subrogated to the rights of Prudential.

C. The Loans

9) The Millers, acting in their individual capacities, signed notes and advanced Lem-co funds. Robert N. Miller, Frank B. Miller, L.E. Miller, III, and Randall B. Miller each advanced Lemco $48,000.00. L.E. Miller, Jr., advanced $208,000.00. The notes are all dated May 15, 1980. (Exhibit P-l-F).

D. The Omni-Lift, Inc., Judgment

10) Lemco purchased conveyor belt systems from a company called Omni-Lift, Inc. Subsequently, L.E. Miller, Jr., and Frank B. Miller signed a promissory note and security agreement with Omni-Lift to forestall legal action against them and to allow Lemco an opportunity to seek more financing. Lemco and Frank B. and L.E. Miller, Jr., did not pay the note. Omni-Lift sued them and eventually obtained a judgment. Principal, interest, and attorney’s fees totaled $131,945.51.

11) On October 10, 1986, Frank B. Miller and L.E. Miller, Jr., paid Omni-Lift $30,-000.00 to settle the judgment against them and took an assignment of the total judgment against Lemco. This assignment of $131,945.51 comprises part of the Millers’ claim against Lemco and is the basis of their claim as judgment creditors.

E. The Business

12) Lemco did not begin start-up procedures until late in 1983.

13) Under the Millers’ control, what operations Lemco had were begun only after repeated delays and then continued only intermittently.

14) By 1985, Lemco’s operations had ceased.

15) Under the Millers’ control, Lemco never operated profitably. Lemco lost between 1.3 and 1.8 million dollars in 1983. Lemco lost approximately 1.4 million dollars in 1984.

16) Meanwhile, Frank B. Miller’s salary was increased from $14,000.00 annually to $25,000.00 annually.

[834]*83417) As the Millers admitted in their answer, under their control, Lemco leased equipment from L.E. Miller, Jr. Lemco also had dealings with other entities controlled by the Millers.

18) As Frank B.

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108 B.R. 831, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 2611, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/allied-eastern-states-maintenance-corp-v-miller-in-re-lemco-gypsum-gad-1988.