Atlantic Builders Group, Inc. v. Old Line Bank (In re Prince Frederick Investment, LLC)

516 B.R. 778
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Maryland
DecidedSeptember 9, 2014
DocketBankruptcy No. 12-20900-TJC; Adversary No. 13-00461
StatusPublished

This text of 516 B.R. 778 (Atlantic Builders Group, Inc. v. Old Line Bank (In re Prince Frederick Investment, LLC)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Atlantic Builders Group, Inc. v. Old Line Bank (In re Prince Frederick Investment, LLC), 516 B.R. 778 (Md. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

THOMAS J. CATLIOTA, Bankruptcy Judge.

Before the court is the motion filed by defendants Old Line Bank (the “Bank”) and Prince Frederick Investment, LLC (the “Debtor”) to dismiss the second amended complaint because, among other things, the complaint fails to state a claim for equitable subordination. Docket No. 86. Plaintiff Atlantic Builders Group, Inc. (“ABG”) opposes the motion. Docket No. 37. For the reasons set forth herein, the court concludes that ABG’s second amended complaint fails to state a plausible claim for equitable subordination, and will dismiss the complaint with prejudice.

Procedural Background

At a hearing held on March 18, 2014, the court granted the Bank’s motion to dismiss the first amended complaint and gave ABG twenty-one days to file an amended complaint. ABG made new factual allegations in its opposition to the motion to dismiss and at the hearing, which were not included in its first two complaints. ABG contended that the new claims supported its claim of equitable subordination. The court gave ABG one last opportunity to amend its complaint to state a plausible claim for relief. ABG filed the second amended complaint (referred herein as the [780]*780“Complaint”) on April 03, 2014. Defendants renewed their motion to dismiss the Complaint, opposed by ABG, and the court held a further hearing on June 19, 2014.

This court has jurisdiction over this adversary proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1334 and 157(a) and Local Rule 402 of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. This memorandum of decision resolves a core matter under 28 U.S.C. §§ 157(b)(2)(B) and (O).

Facts as Alleged in the Complaint

The Debtor was formed for the purpose of constructing and operating the West Lake Medical Center (the “Center”). Complaint at ¶ 8. On August 8, 2008, ABG entered into a contract with the Debtor (the “Contract”) to construct the Center for $2,082,000, subject to additions and deductions as provided by the Contract. Id. at ¶ 14. ABG began construction of the Center in September 2008. Id. at ¶ 18. On or about October 22, 2008, the Bank, through its predecessor in interest Maryland Bank and Trust Company, N.A., made an initial $2,976,000 construction loan to Westlake Investors, LLC for the construction of the Center, which was increased to $3,326,000 on January 14, 2010. Id. at ¶¶ 9, 11. The loan was secured by a first priority lien in the Center and was guaranteed by the Debtor. Id. at ¶ 10.

At the time construction began on the Center in the fall of 2008, the Bank and ABG entered into a Contractor’s Agreement to Complete (the “Contractor Agreement”). It provided that ABG could not terminate the Contract until the Bank had an opportunity to remedy the default, provided that the Bank advanced funds for ABG’s completion of the work. Id. at ¶¶ 15-16. It provided, among other things,

3. Change Orders; Alterations in the Plans and Specifications. [ABG] covenants and agrees that, without the prior written approval of the Bank, [ABG] shall not: (a) enter into, or permit to become effective, any change order which shall increase the amount of the Contract in excess of $5,000 or any change order that, when aggregated with all prior change orders, results in an aggregate cost increase in excess of $25,000, or (b) agree to the alteration of the Plans and Specifications if such alteration would (i) result in a structural change that has not been approved by the Architect, or (ii) change the “footprint” of the Project.

Docket No. 36-4 at 2.1 It also provided:

7. Notice of Default. [ABG] will give the Bank written notice of any default by the [Debtor] under the Contract within seven (7) days of such default. In the event of any default by the [Debt- or] under the Contract, [ABG] will not terminate its obligations under the Contract until [ABG] shall have given the Bank written notice of such default, and the Bank shall have been given a period of thirty (30) days after the receipt of any such notice within which to (i) remedy any such default or (ii) request [ABG] to continue to furnish its services under and pursuant to the Contract, provided that the Bank thereafter advances or causes to be disbursed or advanced, funds as provided for in the Contract from and after the date of [ABG’s] notice to the Bank. [ABG] reserves all claims it may have against the [Debtor].

Id.

ABG submitted monthly payment applications to the Debtor as construction progressed. Id. at ¶ 19. The monthly [781]*781payment applications included all change orders that had not been resolved or approved by the Debtor as of the date of the application. Id. at ¶20. These payment applications were reviewed by agents for both the Debtor and the Bank. Id. at ¶¶ 21-22. The Bank’s agent prepared a monthly report which contained approval of ABG’s funding requests including increase in costs associated with change orders necessitated by various permit and design issues. Id. at ¶¶ 23-25, 27, 33. The Debtor, with the Bank’s approval, increased the total amount due to ABG to $2,382,614 of which ABG was paid $2,172,950. Id. at ¶ 37.

The project had numerous problems that delayed completion and added to the cost of construction. Id. at ¶¶ 27-38. The problems included: (1) the inability to obtain an electrical permit because of deficiencies in the architect’s documents and design; and (2) serious design errors in the Center’s three roofs. Id. These problems delayed construction by more than six months and resulted in delay claims of $318,656. Id. at ¶ 38.

The Bank and ABG routinely communicated about the timing of approval of payments and distribution of payments. Id. at ¶¶ 54-55. The Bank approved ABG’s change orders and authorized disbursement of funds to pay ABG and other expenses in connection with the Center’s construction, but ABG did not indicate that there were insufficient funds to pay them. Id. at ¶¶ 38, 56. On at least two occasions, the Bank approved ABG’s payments without obtaining approval from the Debtor. Id. at ¶ 58. The Debtor obtained a Certificate of Occupancy and moved into the Center on March 31, 2010. Id. at ¶ 40.

Prior to the Bank’s initial loan to the Debtor in October 2008, the Bank had actual knowledge that the Debtor would be undercapitalized and could not fund the construction of the Center. Id. at ¶ 41. In January 2010, before the Bank increased the initial loan by approximately $350,000, the Bank knew the increase would remain insufficient to fund the projected additional cost to construct the Center. Id. at ¶¶ 47, 49, 51-52. The Bank purposefully withheld from ABG the fact that the increased loan would not cover ABG’s construction costs and change orders to induce the Debtor to finish construction. Id. at ¶¶ 62-63.

The Debtor filed a voluntary chapter 11 petition on June 8, 2012, and scheduled the Bank’s total claim as $3,194,640.00 secured by a lien on the Center, which was valued at $3,151,526.00. Id. at ¶¶ 6, 66-67.

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Bluebook (online)
516 B.R. 778, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/atlantic-builders-group-inc-v-old-line-bank-in-re-prince-frederick-mdb-2014.