American Security Bank, N. A. v. Robson (In Re Robson)

10 B.R. 362, 1981 Bankr. LEXIS 4981
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Alabama
DecidedFebruary 3, 1981
Docket17-70067
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 10 B.R. 362 (American Security Bank, N. A. v. Robson (In Re Robson)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Security Bank, N. A. v. Robson (In Re Robson), 10 B.R. 362, 1981 Bankr. LEXIS 4981 (Ala. 1981).

Opinion

L. CHANDLER WATSON, Jr., Bankruptcy Judge.

FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND ORDER, AFTER REMAND

STATEMENT OF THE CASES

1. Each of the above-styled cases was commenced by a voluntary petition filed in this Court, under Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code, on February 21,1980, and is still pending before this Court under said Chapter 11.

2. Each of the above-styled adversary proceedings was commenced by a complaint filed in the Chapter 11 case by American Security Bank, N.A. [hereinafter referred to as the “bank”], against the debtor, on February 26, 1980.

3. Each complaint alleged that the debt- or had pledged to the bank shares of capital stock of Mobile Fuel Shipping, Inc. [hereinafter referred to as “Mobile F/S”], to secure the payment of the latter’s promissory notes to the bank (totalling more than four million dollars), plus advances, that the debts were in default and had been accelerated, that payment in full had been demanded, and that the bank had notified the debtor of its intention to exercise its pledge rights as to the stock.

*364 4. The relief sought by each complaint is expressed in the bank’s prayer that the Court, “pursuant to § 362(d) of the Bankruptcy Code,” grant “relief from the automatic stay . .. and permission to foreclose” by a sale of the stock “or, in the alternative, grant to the Bank adequate protection of its interest in the Stock pursuant to § 361 of the Bankruptcy Code.”

5. As a basis for this relief, the bank alleged that the corporate stock was “depreciating,” that the bank lacked “adequate protection of its interest in the Stock,” that the debtor had “no equity in the Stock,” and that the stock was “not necessary to an effective reorganization . ... ”

6. By consent, the stay was continued in force pending the further order of the Court; and, after preliminary hearings, die proceedings were consolidated for trial and tried before the bankruptcy judge, without a jury, on May 1 and 2,1980, with the bank given leave to introduce an additional exhibit by May 9, 1980.

7. On June 10, 1980, the bankruptcy judge filed findings of fact, concluded that the bank was not entitled to have the automatic stays under Section 362 lifted at that time, and entered an order denying relief on the complaints.

8. On June 20, 1980, the bank filed a notice of appeal from the bankruptcy judge’s order, and on October 1, 1980, the district judge reversed the order and remanded the proceedings to the Bankruptcy Court.

9. In an accompanying opinion, the district judge agreed with the bank’s contention that it was clearly erroneous for the Bankruptcy Court to deny relief under Section 362(d)(1), 1 on a basis that “[t]he bank made no substantial contention that it was entitled to this relief ...,” for the district judge noted that said relief was requested in the complaints and was the subject of a major portion of the argument of counsel for the bank at the close of the trial and found that “[mjuch of the Bank’s evidence was addressed to this issue.”

10. The district judge concluded that the order of the Bankruptcy Court contained “no findings of fact or conclusions of law addressed to this aspect of the Bank’s claim,” other than the general statement noted and that the order “must ... be reversed with instructions to the Bankruptcy Court to reconsider the evidence before it and determine whether the debtors have met the burden of proof cast upon them with regard to the § 362(d)(1) claim of the Bank,” as provided by Section 362(g). 2

11. The district judge also expressed “the opinion that on remand the Bankruptcy Court should reconsider its findings of fact and conclusions of law with regard to the Bank’s § 362(d)(2) claim.” 3

12. The district judge “viewed as clearly erroneous” the denial of relief under Section 362(d)(2), if based, as it appeared, upon an inability of the “debtors” [sic] to satisfy the Court “as to the value of the shares of capital stock ...,” since it was only necessary for the bank to prove that the shares had a fair market value of less than the debts secured.

*365 I. RECONSIDERATION ON REMAND

At the outset there should be disposed of an element of confusion introduced into these proceedings by the portion of the bank’s complaint which prayed, alternatively, that the Court “grant to the Bank adequate protection of its interest in the Stock pursuant to § 361 of the Bankruptcy Code.” That section begins:

When adequate protection is required under section 362, 363, or 364 of this title of an interest of an entity in property, such adequate protection may be provided by — ....

Section 361 then illuminates and reveals the concept of “adequate protection” as this term is used in the next three sections. Section 361 lists the means by which “adequate protection” may be given to a party entitled to this immunity from loss. Notwithstanding a use of words in Section 361 which might indicate that the Court may be called upon to devise schemes to provide “adequate protection”, this section confers no such right upon a secured party seeking leave to enforce a security interest in collateral. The legislative history of this section makes clear that devices to supply “adequate protection” must be the product of the debtor or trustee in such a case. 4 If the debtor or trustee proposes such a device, the Court, guided by Section 361, will adjudicate whether “adequate protection” has been provided, but the Court will not become embroiled in concocting an alternative to the creditor’s prayer for relief from the automatic stay under Section 362. Thus, the portion of the bank’s prayer that the Court, “in the alternative, grant to the Bank adequate protection” is due to be disregarded.

II.

In the present proceedings, the Court is under a mandate “to reconsider the evidence before it and determine whether the debtors have met the burden of proof cast upon them with regard to the § 362(d)(1) claim of the bank.” That statutory provision requires the Court to grant relief from the stay for cause, “including the lack of adequate protection of an interest in property” of the bank. Here, such an interest is the bank’s right to sell the debtors’ shares of stock in Mobile F/S and apply the proceeds toward payment of the defaulted debts owed by Mobile F/S to it.

The debtors did not offer any scheme or device to supply “adequate protection” of the bank’s interest in the capital stock; however, “adequate protection” may exist as an inherent or as a conjunctive element in all of the circumstances affecting this interest. The question for the Court was whether the evidence reasonably satisfied that the bank’s right was adequately protected under the facts of this case.

Subsection (g) of Section 362 provides that, except for the issue of the debt- or’s equity in property, the party opposing the granting of relief from the stay has the burden of proof on all issues. The Court doubts that this provision is to be applied literally to

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Bluebook (online)
10 B.R. 362, 1981 Bankr. LEXIS 4981, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-security-bank-n-a-v-robson-in-re-robson-alnb-1981.