Envision Healthcare Corporation and The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors <b><font color="red">Docket only in Remaining Case 23-90367.</font></b>

CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedDecember 12, 2023
Docket23-90342
StatusUnknown

This text of Envision Healthcare Corporation and The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors <b><font color="red">Docket only in Remaining Case 23-90367.</font></b> (Envision Healthcare Corporation and The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors <b><font color="red">Docket only in Remaining Case 23-90367.</font></b>) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Envision Healthcare Corporation and The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors <b><font color="red">Docket only in Remaining Case 23-90367.</font></b>, (Tex. 2023).

Opinion

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT December 12, 2023 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS Nathan Ochsner, Clerk HOUSTON DIVISION IN RE: § § CASE NO: 23-90342 ENVISION HEALTHCARE § CORPORATION, et al., § Debtors. § Jointly Administered § CHAPTER 11 ORDER (I) DENYING GMC’S MOTION TO COMPEL ARBITRATION, (II) GRANTING DEBTORS’ MOTION TO ENFORCE THE AUTOMATIC STAY, AND (III) GRANTING RELATED RELIEF This case involves a direct conflict between the United States Bankruptcy Code and the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act. Section 541(a) of the Bankruptcy Code says that commencing a bankruptcy case creates an estate. And that estate includes all legal and equitable interests of the debtor in property as of the commencement of the case. Section 541(c)(1)(B) of the Bankruptcy Code ensures that a debtor’s interest in property becomes “property of the estate” despite any contract term or state law that tries to prevent it. The conflict here involves Section 18-304 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (the “Act”). It says that “a person ceases to be a member of a limited liability company” when the person—which includes an LLC—starts a bankruptcy case. Del. Code Ann. tit. 6, § 18-304(1)(b) (West). AmSurg Holdings, LLC started a bankruptcy case in May 2023. At the time it filed, it held managerial and voting interests in Folsom Endoscopy Center (“FEC”), a Delaware LLC. After the case started, relying on Section 18-304 of the Act, Gastroenterology Medical Clinic, Inc. (“GMC”) and another FEC member amended the FEC LLC Agreement without AmSurg’s vote. The amended LLC Agreement stripped AmSurg of its prepetition voting and related managerial rights. AmSurg asserted that GMC violated the automatic stay. GMC disagreed and moved to compel arbitration to resolve this dispute. After careful consideration, the Court denies GMC’s motion to compel arbitration and holds that Section 18-304 of the Act did not cause AmSurg to lose any legal or equitable rights in the LLC Agreement because of its bankruptcy filing. Section 18-304 must give way to the express language of the Bankruptcy Code. BACKGROUND Before this case started, AmSurg held a 25% interest in FEC, a Delaware LLC.1 GMC is the majority owner of FEC.2 The prepetition LLC Agreement says that AmSurg controls two of five board seats, and the board cannot take certain actions without the consent of at least one of AmSurg’s affiliated board members.3 AmSurg started a chapter 11 bankruptcy case in May 2023.4 In August 2023, believing that AmSurg no longer held a voting or related managerial interest in FEC because of Section 18-304, GMC and Capital Gastroenterology (the entity holding the remaining interest in FEC) amended the LLC agreement to reflect as much.5 They did so without the vote of the AmSurg affiliated board members.6 In September 2023, AmSurg filed its Motion to Enforce the Automatic Stay.7 AmSurg argued that it was stripped of its voting and related managerial rights, which constituted an improper attempt to control property of the estate. In response, GMC filed a Motion to Compel Arbitration of the dispute.8 JURISDICTION This is a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2). The Court has jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1334. The parties’ express and implied consent also provides this Court constitutional authority to enter rulings on the motions under Wellness Int’l Network, Ltd. v. Sharif, 575 U.S. 665, 678–83 (2015) and Kingdom Fresh Produce, Inc. v. Stokes Law Off., L.L.P. (In re Delta Produce, L.P.), 845 F.3d 609, 617 (5th Cir. 2016). 1 Joint Stipulation of Certain Undisputed Facts, ECF No. 1750 ⁋ 3. 2 Joint Stipulation of Certain Undisputed Facts, ECF No. 1750 ⁋ 4. 3 Joint Stipulation of Certain Undisputed Facts, ECF No. 1750 ⁋ 4. 4 Case No. 23-90464, started on May 15, 2023. 5 Joint Stipulation of Certain Undisputed Facts, ECF No. 1750 ⁋ 9. 6 Joint Stipulation of Certain Undisputed Facts, ECF No. 1750 ⁋ 11. 7 Debtors’ Emergency Motion for Entry of an Order (I) Enforcing the Automatic Stay, (II) Enforcing the ASC Order, and (III) Granting Related Relief, ECF No. 1484. 8 Motion to Compel Arbitration of Any Disputes Regarding the FEC Limited Liability Company Agreement, ECF No. 1520. DISCUSSION I. GMC’s Motion to Compel Arbitration is Denied. GMC argues that its dispute with AmSurg is a contract dispute, and the LLC Agreement compels arbitration. The Federal Arbitration Act (the “FAA”) says that “upon being satisfied that the making of the agreement for arbitration or the failure to comply therewith is not in issue, the court shall make an order directing the parties to proceed to arbitration in accordance with the terms of the agreement.” 9 U.S.C. § 4. However, the existence of an arbitration clause in an agreement doesn’t mean it is automatic. “Once the court finds that the parties agreed to arbitrate, it must consider whether any federal statute or policy renders the claims nonarbitrable.” Primerica Life Ins. v. Brown, 304 F.3d 469, 471 (5th Cir. 2002) (quoting R.M. Perez & Assoc., Inc. v. Welch, 960 F.2d 534, 538 (5th Cir. 1992)). Thus, a bankruptcy court may decline to enforce an arbitration agreement involving a proceeding “whose underlying nature derives exclusively from the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code” when arbitration would conflict with the purposes of the Code. In re Gandy, 299 F.3d 489, 495 (5th Cir. 2002). Generally, a core proceeding “derives exclusively from the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code.” Matter of Nat’l Gypsum Co., 118 F.3d 1056, 1067 (5th Cir. 1997). But, even for core matters, courts must still analyze whether the Code provision inherently conflicts with the FAA. In making such a determination, courts may consider: “whether arbitration would be consistent with the purpose of the Code, including the goal of centralized resolution of purely bankruptcy issues, the need to protect creditors and reorganizing debtors from piecemeal litigation, and the undisputed power of a bankruptcy court to enforce its own orders.” Id. at 1069. 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(1) states that “[b]ankruptcy judges may hear and determine . . . all core proceedings arising under title 11, or arising in a case under title 11.” “Arising under” jurisdiction covers any “cause of action created or determined by a statutory provision of title 11.” Wood v. Wood (In re Wood), 825 F.2d 90, 96 (5th Cir. 1987) (internal citation omitted). “Arising in” jurisdiction is based on claims that “would have no existence outside of the bankruptcy.” Id. at 97. Core proceedings resolve issues that arise exclusively in a bankruptcy case. See id. This is separate from non-core proceedings, which relate to cases under title 11 but do not arise exclusively in the bankruptcy context. See id. 28 U.S.C. § 157

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Envision Healthcare Corporation and The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors <b><font color="red">Docket only in Remaining Case 23-90367.</font></b>, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/envision-healthcare-corporation-and-the-official-committee-of-unsecured-txsb-2023.