AMG Resources Inc. v. Industrial Concerns, Inc. (In re Industrial Concerns, Inc.)

289 B.R. 609, 2003 Bankr. LEXIS 121, 40 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 247
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedFebruary 21, 2003
DocketBankruptcy No. 02-28591-BM; Motion No. 02-7332M
StatusPublished

This text of 289 B.R. 609 (AMG Resources Inc. v. Industrial Concerns, Inc. (In re Industrial Concerns, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
AMG Resources Inc. v. Industrial Concerns, Inc. (In re Industrial Concerns, Inc.), 289 B.R. 609, 2003 Bankr. LEXIS 121, 40 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 247 (Pa. 2003).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

BERNARD MARKOVITZ, Bankruptcy Judge.

AMG Resources Corporation has brought a motion to dismiss the voluntary chapter 11 petition which was filed in this case on behalf of Industrial Concerns, Inc (“ICI”) by its president, Charles Barletto, without obtaining prior authorization of ICI’s board of directors. AMG Resources, which owns fifty percent of ICI’s outstanding shares of stock, maintains that Barlet-to lacked authority to file the petition on his own initiative.

ICI and Barletto oppose the motion. They assert that Barletto had not defaulted on his obligations to AMG Resources prior to the filing of the bankruptcy petition and that, in accordance with a settlement agreement involving AMG Resources, he had the “exclusive right to manage the business of ICI”.

We conclude that Barletto had defaulted on his obligations to AMG Resources prior to the filing of the bankruptcy petition and therefore no longer had such “exclusive right” when he filed the petition on behalf of ICI. In addition, we conclude that Bar-letto’s “exclusive right to manage the business of ICI” did not in any event empower him to file a chapter 11 petition on behalf of ICI without first obtaining authorization from ICI’s board of directors. Based on these determinations, we will dismiss the bankruptcy petition.

-FACTS-

ICI is in the business of owning and managing real property located in New Castle, Pennsylvania. It leased the property to Industrial Metal Processing, Inc. (“IMP”), a related corporation which processes and recycles scrap metal.

At their inception Charles Barletto owned ninety percent of the outstanding shares of ICI and one hundred percent of the outstanding shares of IMP. The remaining ten percent of ICI’s shares were owned by Thomas Metesic.

AMG Resources began selling scrap metal to IMP at some time in 1996 and soon became IMP’s largest supplier. Not long thereafter IMP became delinquent on its obligations to AMG Resources.

On January 28, 1997, ICI, IMP, Barlet-to, AMG Resources and Allen Goldstein, president and board chairman of AMG Resources, executed a stock transfer and management agreement to resolve their differences. Among other things, Barletto agreed to transfer fifty percent of the outstanding shares of ICI and IMP to AMG Resources, which in turn agreed to provide ICI and IMP with administrative, commercial and management services.

AMG Resources and Barletto concurrently executed a shareholders’ agreement whereby Barletto transferred fifty percent of the shares of ICI and IMP to AMG Resources. The agreement further provided that the board of directors of ICI and IMP would consist of four persons, two of whom were to be appointed by Barletto and two by Goldstein. Barletto appointed himself and Metesic as directors while Goldstein appointed himself and Ron Zorn.

On February 25, 1998, Barletto filed a voluntary chapter 11 petition in this court. On April 17, 1998, ICI filed voluntary chapter 11 petition. ICI’s bankruptcy 11 petition was filed on its behalf by Barletto as its president. Authorization from ICI’s [612]*612board of directors was neither sought nor obtained prior to the filing. An involuntary chapter 7 petition also was filed against IMP on April 17,1998.1

On September 28, 1998, AMG Resources, AMG Recycling2, Goldstein, Bar-letto, ICI, IMP and BECO entered into a written settlement agreement which sought to resolve various claims they had against one another.

Acting individually and on behalf of ICI and IMP, Barletto stipulated that AMG Resources and/or AMG Recycling had a valid claim in the amount of $1,300,000 against IMP for, inter alia, inventory, cash and services provided and that IMP would not assert any defenses to the claim in its bankruptcy case. (¶ 1.)

Barletto agreed to purchase existing inventory of AMG Resources located on the site owned by ICI for the sum of $92,000, which was due and payable on or before entry of a final, non-appealable order approving debtors’ plan of reorganization. (¶5)

Barletto further agreed to pay AMG Resources an additional $250,000. Payments in the amount of $5,000 were due and payable on or before the tenth day of each month for thirty-six consecutive months. A final payment in the amount of $70,000 thereafter was due within thirty days following the thirty-sixth monthly payment. All payments were to be deposited into an account established by AMG Resources at a bank within ten miles of the location of ICI and IMP. (¶ 6.)

If Barletto complied with the above payment obligations, Goldstein, AMG Resources and AMG Recycling agreed to limit their claims against Barletto, ICI, IMP and/or BECO to $1,3000,000. (¶ 7.)

Barletto’s failure to pay to AMG Resources when due the final $70,000 balloon payment provided for in paragraph 6 constituted an event of default under the agreement (¶ lOd.)

AMG Resources was to receive a joint and several consent judgment in the amount of $1,3000,000 in its favor and against ICI and IMP in the Court of Common Pleas of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. AMG Resources would forbear from executing or taking other legal action on the consent judgment, provided that Barletto, ICI and IMP did not default on their obligations arising under the settlement agreement. A prompt judicial sale of all the assets of ICI and IMP could take place at the option of AMG Resources, however, if Barletto defaulted. (¶ 11.)

If and when Barletto fully performed all of his obligations arising under the agreement, within thirty days after receipt of the final balloon payment AMG Recycling would transfer to Barletto all of the shares of ICI and IMP it owned and would cause any board member of ICI and IMP appointed by it to resign. (¶ 15.)

Until and unless Barletto fully performed his obligations arising under the agreement, AMG Resources would continue to own fifty percent of the shares of ICI and IMP and the board of directors of ICI and IMP would be comprised of Barletto, Metesic, Goldstein and Zorn, “provided, however, that, so long as Barletto has not committed an Event of Default hereunder, he shall have the exclusive right to manage the business of ICI and IMP”. (¶ 16.)

[613]*613It was agreed that time was of the essence with respect to all of the obligations and time periods arising under the agreement. (¶ 17.)

It further was agreed that, as permitted by the bankruptcy court, the parties would forbear prosecution of all pending actions between them and would, to the best of their abilities, maintain the status quo. (¶ 23.)

The settlement agreement contained the entire agreement of the parties and could be amended only by a writing executed on behalf of the parties by their duly authorized officers or representatives. (¶ 25.)

An order approving the above settlement agreement issued on December 16, 1998.

The joint chapter 11 plan filed by Bar-letto, ICI, IMP and BECO was confirmed on April 22,1999.

Pursuant to the settlement agreement, AMG Resources established an account at a branch of Sky Bank located in New Castle, Pennsylvania. In addition, a consent judgment in the amount of $1,3000,-000 in favor of AMG Resources and against ICI and IMP was entered and recorded in the Court of Common Pleas of Lawrence County.

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Bluebook (online)
289 B.R. 609, 2003 Bankr. LEXIS 121, 40 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 247, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/amg-resources-inc-v-industrial-concerns-inc-in-re-industrial-concerns-pawb-2003.