Firstbank PR v. Wigberto Lugo Mender Chapter 7 Trustee (In re New York Mortgage Bankers Inc.)

529 B.R. 12
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedApril 13, 2015
DocketCASE NO. 09-02852; Adversary No. 14-00240
StatusPublished

This text of 529 B.R. 12 (Firstbank PR v. Wigberto Lugo Mender Chapter 7 Trustee (In re New York Mortgage Bankers Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Firstbank PR v. Wigberto Lugo Mender Chapter 7 Trustee (In re New York Mortgage Bankers Inc.), 529 B.R. 12 (prb 2015).

Opinion

OPINION & ORDER

Brian K. Tester, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge

Before this court is Plaintiff, Firstbank Puerto Rico’s (‘Firstbank’) Motion Requesting Dismissal of Counterclaim [Dkt. No. 15], and Defendant Wigberto Lugo Mender’s, as Chapter 7 Trustee of the estates of New York Mortgage Bankers, Inc. & Ocean Bay Properties, Inc., (‘Trustee1) Opposition to Motion to Dismiss Counterclaim [Dkt. No. 16]. For the reasons set forth below, the Plaintiffs Motion to Dismiss Counterclaim is GRANTED.

Factual Background

On April 8, 2009, Debtor, Ocean Bay Properties, Inc. (‘Ocean Bay‘) filed for relief under chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code, legal case number 09-02800 (BKT). On April 9, 2009, Debtor, New York Mortgage Bankers, Inc. (‘New York Mortgage) followed suit with legal case number 09-02852 (BKT). The appointment of the Trustee occurred on April 10 and 13, 2009 for the Ocean Bay and New York Mortgage estates, respectively. The first Section 341 meeting for both estates took place on May 6, 2009. On March 5, 2010, this Court entered an Order granting the consolidation and joint administration of both estates.

On May 21, 2009, before the consolidation, Plaintiff filed a proof of claim in each of the aforementioned bankruptcy cases. The claim filed by Plaintiff in New York Mortgage’s case amounted to $1,565,522.32. Together with the proof of claim, Plaintiff filed as evidence of its security interest, a judgment (“Judgment”) entered by the Court of First Instance of the Commonwealth of Puerto- Rico, San Juan Ward, on January 30, 2009, notified on February 5, 2009, in the case of Firstbank Puerto Rico vs. New York Mortgage, Inc., A/K/A New York Mortgage Bankers, Inc.; Nancy Hernández Chávez; and Ocean Bay Properties, Inc. (state court case number KCD2008-0640(903)). Through the Judgment, the court approved a stipulation reached by all the parties and ordered the defendants in the state court proceeding to pay Firstbank the money owed pertaining to the two causes of action in the lawsuit. In regards to the first cause of action, the court ordered the Debtors to pay $1,005,959.71 in principal, interest, and legal costs and fees and provided for the foreclosure of a mortgage note, secured by two properties. Regarding the second cause of action, Debtors were ordered to pay $590,511.62 in principal, interest, and legal costs and fees, and to assign in favor of Plaintiff four mortgage notes. Each note was secured by a different real property.

On August 17, 2010, the Trustee filed the Trustee Interim Report [Leading legal [14]*14case Dkt. No. 96], pursuant to which-he abandoned various assets, including the two properties in the first cause of action of the aforementioned Judgment. It should be noted that neither New York Mortgage nor Ocean Bay listed as property of the estate the notes or properties securing the four mortgage notes assigned in favor of the Plaintiff as a result of the state court Judgment for the second cause of action.

On September 17, 2010, Plaintiff filed a Motion Requesting the Lifting of the Automatic Stay [leading legal case DKT No. 97], concerning all the properties and mortgage notes referenced in the Judgment, in addition to other liens and encumbered real property. The motion contained supporting evidence regarding Debtor’s transfer of the four mortgage notes, specifically a copy of the aforementioned state court Judgment as well as a copy of the stipulation approved through the Judgment.

On September 24, 2010, the Trustee filed Trustee’s Response to Motion for Relief of Stay Filed By First Bank Puerto Rico [leading legal case Dkt. No. 100]. Although the Trustee did not make any reference to the four mortgage notes for which title had been assigned to the Plaintiff, the Trustee did declare that he had reviewed the motion for relief of stay filed by Firstbank and held no objections for such relief. Furthermore, the Trustee requested that the hearing scheduled for October 5, 2010, pertaining to the Motion for Relief of Stay, be set aside. On September 28, 2010, this Court, upon the Trustee’s consent, granted the motion for relief of stay filed by Plaintiff [leading legal case Dkt. No. 102].

On October 8, 2014, Plaintiff filed the instant adversary proceeding, alleging Trustee’s retention of all monies received related to the four mortgage notes whose title was transferred to Plaintiff. Through the complaint, Plaintiff requests the court to declare that: (1) Plaintiff holds legal tile to the four mortgage notes; (2) Plaintiff is entitled to all monies Trustee has received and continues to receive from third parties on account of said mortgage notes; (3) the four mortgage notes are not part of the Debtors estate; (4) Trustee has no right to retain any monies on account of the payments owed on the four mortgage notes. Furthermore, Plaintiff requests the court issue a preliminary and permanent order directing Trustee to cease and desist from receiving, applying and administering any monies on accounts of such mortgage notes and to enter judgment directing the Trustee to deliver to Plaintiff all said monies, plus accrued interest and legal fees.

On December 9, 2014, Trustee filed an Answer to the Complaint and Counter Claim [Dkt. No. 13]. Trustee alleges that Plaintiff has yet to prove that pursuant to the corresponding Registry of Property of Puerto Rico, it is the due holder of the four mortgage notes claimed in its Complaint. In addition, Trustee contends that Plaintiff has failed to show it is in possession of said mortgage notes. Trustee counterclaims that under the provisions of 11 U.S.C. §§ 541, 544, 547(b) and 548, the four mortgage notes appear to be part of the Debtor’s estate and that the transfer of such mortgage notes qualifies as an alleged preferential payment by the Debt- or to Plaintiff. Furthermore, the Trustee states that he will proceed to amend the Schedules in the case to include the four mortgage notes and thereafter consider if these should be abandoned.

On January 8, 2014, Plaintiff filed a Motion Requesting Dismissal of Counter Claim. Although Plaintiff fails to explicitly state so, it seems Plaintiff predicates its request for dismissal on Trustee’s purported failure to state a plausible claim in the [15]*15counterclaim, pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6), made applicable to the present proceeding by Fed. R. Bankr.P. 7012. Plaintiff contends that pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 546(a)(1) and considering that more than five years have passed since the Trustee was appointed, the statute of limitations on avoiding powers bars Trustee from filing the counterclaim. Plaintiff states that the documentation included in the proof of claims filed in both consolidated cases and in the Motion Requesting Lifting of Automatic Stay, allowed him to determine if the estate had a cause of action under 11 U.S.C. §§ 545 and/or 547.

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Bluebook (online)
529 B.R. 12, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/firstbank-pr-v-wigberto-lugo-mender-chapter-7-trustee-in-re-new-york-prb-2015.