Angel Fire Ski Corp. v. Parker Town Square, Inc. (In re Angel Fire Ski Corp.)

176 B.R. 570, 1995 Bankr. LEXIS 5
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. New Mexico
DecidedJanuary 4, 1995
DocketBankruptcy No. 11-93-12192 MS; Adv. No. 93-1346 M
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 176 B.R. 570 (Angel Fire Ski Corp. v. Parker Town Square, Inc. (In re Angel Fire Ski Corp.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. New Mexico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Angel Fire Ski Corp. v. Parker Town Square, Inc. (In re Angel Fire Ski Corp.), 176 B.R. 570, 1995 Bankr. LEXIS 5 (N.M. 1995).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

MARK B. McFEELEY, Bankruptcy Judge.

This matter came before the Court for trial on the merits of the complaint brought by the Trustee for Angel Fire Ski Corporation (Angel Fire Ski), Angel Fire Corporation (Angel Fire) and Sangre de Cristo Limited Partnership IV (Sangre IV) and the First National Bank of Santa Fe (FNBSF) against Parker Town Square (Parker) and Alfred Staehely to determine the validity, priority and extent of liens on property owned by Angel Fire Ski and known for purposes of this litigation as the “ski mountain.” Having considered the evidence, the argument of counsel, the briefs, the proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law, and being otherwise fully informed and advised, the Court finds that the Plaintiffs should prevail on Count IX of their complaint, for specific performance.

FACTS

The controversy in this matter arises out of a series of loan transactions, beginning in March of 1987, between the Sangre de Cristo Limited Partnership I (Sangre I), Sangre IV, Angel Fire and Angel Fire Ski, on the one hand, and, on the other, First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Austin (First Federal), to which defendant Parker is the [573]*573successor-in-interest.1 At the time the First Federal loan was first made, Barclays American/Business Credit, Inc. held a mortgage on the ski mountain (the “Barclays mortgage”) (Exhibit 31), which had been given by Angel Fire in 1985 as security for a promissory note in the amount of $16,500,000 (the “Bar-clays note”) (Exhibit 29). The Barclays mortgage was assigned to First Federal as part of the 1987 loan transaction with the Angel Fire entities and remains of record in Colfax County, New Mexico. The question before the Court is whether it was the intent of the parties to the March, 1987 loan transaction that First Federal release the Bar-clays mortgage on the ski mountain as part of that transaction, or whether the Barclays mortgage remains a valid lien securing a $9,675,000 note owed by Angel Fire and Sangre I to First Federal. If the Barclays mortgage is still valid, the lien position of Parker, First Federal’s successor, is superior to that of the FNBSF, which holds a mortgage given by Angel Fire later in 1987 to secure a note for $2,167,000.

Plaintiffs state claims for relief based on (I) reformation, (II) equitable subordination, (III) estoppel, (IV) the dragnet clause, (V) merger, (VI) satisfaction, (VII) equitable lien, (VIII) caneellation/reseission, (IX) specific performance and (X) marshalling. In its answer, Parker asserts a second lien position on the ski mountain, behind a 1981 mortgage guaranteed by the Farmer’s Home Administration but prior to FNBSF’s mortgage, and raises affirmative defenses based primarily on the D’Oench2 doctrine and the statute of limitations. Parker also has counterclaimed for attorneys fees.3 Parker filed a Motion for Summary Judgment on all counts. This Court granted Parker’s motion with respect to (IV) the dragnet clause and (VII) equitable lien, and denied summary judgment as to (VIII) cancellation/rescission and (IX) specific performance, finding that those claims are not barred by D’Oench. The Court did not rule on the remaining counts, due to the short amount of time between argument on the motion and trial.4

The First Federal loan.

Sangre I was formed in the early spring of 1987 by Ron Evans, Gary Plante, and Walter Fagan for the purpose of acquiring all of the stock of Angel Fire, which operates a ski area in northern New Mexico. Angel Fire in turn owns all of the stock of Angel Fire Ski. At or about the same time, a limited partnership, Sangre IV, was formed for the purpose of acquiring a hotel now known as the Legends Hotel (the “hotel”), which adjoins the ski mountain property owned by Angel Fire Ski and which was then being foreclosed upon by First Federal. The parties to the new loan transactions expected the transaction to close in March, 1987, when the foreclosure on the hotel would be complete except for the redemption period, that would run by mid-April.

The First Federal loan transaction was a complex matter involving four notes and a number of related documents. As provided [574]*574in the hotel loan agreement (Exhibit 3),5 First Federal loaned $20,000,000 to Sangre IV (Exhibit SSS)6 to finance acquisition of the hotel, on which First Federal was foreclosing as a result of a previous loan transaction. Under the terms of a separate loan agreement (Exhibit 4),7 First Federal also loaned $6,000,000 to Sangre I (Exhibit WWW)8 to finance its acquisition of the stock of Angel Fire Corporation; $2,500,000 to Sangre 19 in the form of a letter of credit (Exhibit YYY)10 to the seller of the Angel Fire stock; and $9,675,000 to Angel Fire (Exhibit 14)11 in a transaction whereby First Federal paid the balance of the Barclays note, ($8,417,182 as of March 13, 1987), the balance of a note for some $1,000,000 to First Federal Savings and Loan of East Alton, Illinois, and certain closing costs. Under a Modification Agreement (Exhibit 8),12 the Barclays note (also referred to in the loan documents as the “Angel Fire Note”) was merged into the $9,675,000 note with First Federal. As part of the loan transaction, Barclays assigned the note and mortgage to First Federal (Exhibits 6,13 914, GGG15, KKK16).

Security documents executed as part of the loan closing were a Deed of Trust, recorded April 24,1987 (Exhibits 17 and P17), given by Angel Fire Ski for Sangre IV to secure the $20,000,000 hotel note. Additionally, to secure the three other notes, the loan agreement between First Federal, Sangre I and Angel Fire (Exhibit 4) provided for a pledge of Angel Fire stock by Sangre I (Exhibit UUU),18 deeds of trust on real property consisting primarily of lots securing the $6,000,-000 note (Exhibit XXX19) and the $2,500,000 note (Exhibit ZZZ20), the personal guarantees of Evans (Exhibit AAA)21 and Plante (Exhibit VW),22 and an amended security agreement (Ex. 10).23 Other relevant documents dated March 12, 1987 include Borrower’s Closing Statement between Sangre I and First Federal (Exhibit 7); Estoppel Certificate, signed by Angel Fire (Exhibit 5); Fi-[575]*575naneing Statement, on ski area fixtures, contract rights and other items (undated but appears to have been prepared and signed in conjunction with the closing) (Exhibit 16); and Certificate, by Angel Fire and Starfire Resorts, Inc to First Federal, as to the accounts receivable held by those parties (Exhibit HHH).

There was testimony at trial that many of the documents were not ready or fully completed at the closing and that only the signature pages of some documents were signed at that time.

After the loan documents were executed on March 12, 1987, additional documents were prepared and executed.

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Bluebook (online)
176 B.R. 570, 1995 Bankr. LEXIS 5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/angel-fire-ski-corp-v-parker-town-square-inc-in-re-angel-fire-ski-nmb-1995.