Behles-Giddens, P.A. v. Raft (In re K.D. Co.)

254 B.R. 480, 2000 Bankr. LEXIS 1283
CourtBankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Tenth Circuit
DecidedNovember 7, 2000
DocketBAP No. NM-00-011; Bankruptcy No. 96-12974
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 254 B.R. 480 (Behles-Giddens, P.A. v. Raft (In re K.D. Co.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Behles-Giddens, P.A. v. Raft (In re K.D. Co.), 254 B.R. 480, 2000 Bankr. LEXIS 1283 (bap10 2000).

Opinion

OPINION

BOULDEN, Bankruptcy Judge.

This appeal arises from a dispute between two creditors over the interpretation of a provision in a confirmed Chapter 11 plan that allowed unpaid administrative claimants to seek disgorgement from paid administrative claimants. Utilizing the plan’s provision, the Chapter 11 debtor’s landlord obtained a judgment requiring disgorgement of almost $40,000 in fees from the debtor’s former general counsel. The law firm now appeals, challenging the bankruptcy court’s determination that the confirmed plan was res judicata, and that disgorgement from the law firm was appropriate under the facts of this case. Finding no error in the bankruptcy court’s ruling, we AFFIRM.

I. BACKGROUND

K.D. Company, a clothing manufacturer and the debtor herein (Debtor), filed a [483]*483Chapter 11 petition in July of 1996. Behles-Giddens, P.A., n/k/a J.D. Behles & Associates, P.C. (BG), served as the Debt- or’s general counsel from the petition date until approximately May 1997, when it withdrew and was replaced by other counsel. Over the course of its employment, the Debtor paid BG $194,072.67 on account of approved interim fee applications.

On the petition date, and for a period of time post-petition, the Debtor leased real property that was owned by Martin A. Raft (Raft). The Debtor eventually rejected the lease and vacated the premises. In November 1997, the bankruptcy court approved, over the objections of BG and others, a stipulation between the Debtor and Raft resolving Raft’s claim for unpaid post-petition rent by allowing Raft an administrative expense claim of $120,000 (1997 Order). The bankruptcy court reserved judgment on the priority of Raft’s administrative expense claim in relation to other administrative expense claims, holding that such a decision would be made at a later date if the Debtor did not have sufficient funds to pay similar claimants in full.

The Debtor eventually was unable to pay all administrative claims in full. Some administrative claimants, including Raft, were not paid any amount on their administrative claims. Other administrative claimants were either paid in full or, as in BG’s case, were paid substantial portions of their claims.

In January 1997, BG filed a proposed disclosure statement and plan of reorganization for the Debtor. These documents did not specifically deal with the issue of the unpaid, or disproportionally paid, administrative claims. Subsequent economic events in the Debtor’s business and a change to different counsel prompted the Debtor to file a modification to the disclosure statement and plan. The modified disclosure statement, which was approved by the bankruptcy court, together with the modified plan (Modified Plan), attempts to address the unequal payment of administrative claims. The Modified Plan specifically addresses the Debtor’s failure to pay Raft’s claim, because, in light of the full or partial payments to other administrative claimants, Raft demanded that he be paid in full on the effective date as required by 11 U.S.C. § 1129(a)(9) 1, or he would object to confirmation.

The Modified Plan provides that instead of being paid in full on the effective date, administrative claimants will be paid over time, after cure of a mortgage arrearage but prior to the payment of unsecured creditors. In addition, paragraph 7.8 of the Modified Plan states as follows:

[A] condition of the confirmation of the Modified Plan will be the entry of an order, either separately or as part of the confirmation order, that the Debtor (or any successor to the Debtor) retains the right to obtain immediate disgorgement from any professional ... who has been paid any fees or reimbursement for costs ... as may be necessary for the Debtor (as Debtor in Possession), chapter 11 or Chapter 7 Trustee, or other successor to the Debtor, to provide equal payment of administrative claims within the priorities provided by the Bankruptcy Code. The order will be binding on any professional that will have received any post petition fees or cost reimbursement as of the date of the confirmation hearing.

Appellant’s App. at 1853; Modified Plan ¶ 7.8 (Emphasis added).

The Modified Plan then lists seven professionals, including BG, that had received payments of $340,702.28 out of a total amount of $532,715.07 in fees allowed during the Chapter 11 (the Disgorgement Targets). It also lists eight administrative claimants, including Raft, whose allowed [484]*484claims totaling $224,465 were totally unpaid (the Disgorgement Payees). Paragraph 7.8 further states that if any of the Disgorgement Targets objected to the disgorgement provision, the Debtor would request immediate disgorgement as a condition to submitting the Modified Plan for confirmation, so as to assure pro rata distribution to the Disgorgement Payees.

Paragraph 7.8 includes the following language to ensure enforcement of the disgorgement provision:

In the event that the Debtor or a successor of the Debtor fails to take the necessary action to obtain a disgorgement of the interim payments as required by this paragraph, then any administrative creditor may make demand on the Debtor to take such action by means of the process described above for non-monetary defaults. If the Debt- or or its successor then fails to take such action, the claimant having sent the notice may take such action as it [sic] appropriate to enforce the provisions of this paragraph 7.8, including but not limited to filing an action (but only in the federal courts of the District of New Mexico ... ) to require disgorgement. By accepting any payment from the Debtor, the defendant in any such action shall agree to the jurisdiction and venue of these courts for any such action.
These provisions concerning the disgorgement of interim payments shall continue to be effective and binding on all the administrative and priority claim payees until all administrative and priority claims have been paid in full, even if such period extends beyond the substantial consummation of the Plan or the closing of the case.

Appellant’s App. at 1854; Modified Plan ¶ 7.8.

The Modified Plan also provides that the bankruptcy court retains jurisdiction to make such orders as are necessary to require professionals to disgorge any interim payments previously received, to ensure that all Chapter 11 professionals and other administrative expense claimants are paid their claims on a fully pro rated basis. Such jurisdiction continues “for as long as is necessary following the confirmation of the Plan (including without limitation after the substantial consummation of the Plan :.. ) to carry out the provisions of ... paragraph[ ] 7.8.... ” Appellant’s App. at 1855; Modified Plan ¶ 7.16.

The Modified Plan is silent as to whether the disgorgement provision of paragraph 7.8 also required non-professional administrative claimants to disgorge payments made to them in order to equalize payments to all administrative claimants. It is this omission, together with other references to disgorgement as allowed by § 726, that Raft later asserted created an ambiguity in the Modified Plan.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
254 B.R. 480, 2000 Bankr. LEXIS 1283, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/behles-giddens-pa-v-raft-in-re-kd-co-bap10-2000.