Glenstone Lodge, Inc. v. Buckhead America Corp. (In Re Buckhead America Corp.)

180 B.R. 83, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5074, 1995 WL 228650
CourtDistrict Court, D. Delaware
DecidedApril 7, 1995
DocketBankruptcy Nos. 91-978 to 91-986. Civ. A. No. 94-259-SLR
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 180 B.R. 83 (Glenstone Lodge, Inc. v. Buckhead America Corp. (In Re Buckhead America Corp.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Glenstone Lodge, Inc. v. Buckhead America Corp. (In Re Buckhead America Corp.), 180 B.R. 83, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5074, 1995 WL 228650 (D. Del. 1995).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

SUE L. ROBINSON, District Judge.

This case comes before the court upon an appeal from an order of the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the “bankruptcy court”) granting appellee debtor Buckhead America Corporation’s motion to dismiss appellant creditor’s claim for creditor Glenstone Lodge, Inc.’s failure timely to respond to debtor’s motion to assume and assign.

I. JURISDICTION

Appellant contends that this court has jurisdiction to hear this case pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 158. (D.I. 6) Appellee does not dispute the existence of subject matter jurisdiction. “The Court, however, must make its own assessment to determine whether appellate jurisdiction exists.” In re Columbia Gas Sys., 146 B.R. 106 (D.Del.1992), aff'd, 50 F.3d 233 (3d Cir.1995).

Section 158(a) of Title 28 of the United States Code provides in pertinent part as follows:

The district courts of the United States shall have jurisdiction to hear appeals from final judgments, orders, and decrees, and, with leave of the court, from interlocutory orders and decrees, of bankruptcy judges entered in cases and proceedings referred to the bankruptcy judges under section 157 of this title....

28 U.S.C. § 158(a). “In bankruptcy cases, the courts accord ‘finality’ a somewhat flexible pragmatic definition.” In re Columbia Gas Sys., 146 B.R. at 110 (citing In re Taylor, 913 F.2d 102, 104 (3d Cir.1990)). Relevant factors a court must evaluate are the following:

[T]he impact upon the assets of the bankrupt estate, the necessity for further fact-finding on remand, the preclusive effects of our decision on the merits on further litigation, and whether the interest of judicial economy would be furthered.

In re Market Square Inn, Inc., 978 F.2d 116, 120 (3d Cir.1992) (quoting In re Meyertech Corp., 831 F.2d 410, 414 (3d Cir.1987)). The most important of the above factors is the impact upon the assets of the bankrupt estate. Id.

In the case at bar, the court finds that the bankruptcy court’s dismissal of appellant’s claim had a significant impact on the bankrupt estate. Accordingly, this court finds that the bankruptcy court’s action constituted a final order for purposes of § 158 and that this court has jurisdiction over the appeal.

II. BACKGROUND

On September 27,1991, appellee Buckhead America Corporation (“Buckhead”), the owners and franchisors of hotels under the “Days Inn” name, filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition. Buckhead’s reorganization included the sale of most of Days Inns’ assets to Days Inn Acquisition Corp. (“DIAC”), an affiliate of *85 Hospitality Franchise Systems, Inc. (D.I. 7 at 2, 8) These assets included more than 1,000 franchise agreements with Days Inn operators.

Appellant Glenstone Lodge, Inc. (“Glen-stone”), a Days Inn franchisee, operates a Days Inn hotel in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Glenstone alleges that by virtue of its franchise agreement with Buckhead dated January 7, 1901 (the “Franchise Agreement”), Glenstone acquired a right of first refusal to develop and operate a Days Inn in the neighboring town of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. (D.I. 6 at 4) Glenstone further alleges that, subsequent to the filing of the Chapter 11 petition, it learned that Buckhead had breached the Franchise Agreement by granting the Pigeon Forge franchise to another party without affording Glenstone an opportunity to exercise its right of first refusal. (Id.) It is this claim that Glenstone seeks to preserve by the present appeal. 1

On December 5, 1991, Buckhead filed a “Motion for Order Pursuant to Section 365 of the Bankruptcy Code Authorizing Assumption and Assignment of Franchise Agreements in Connection with Joint Motion for Order Approving the Proposed Sale to DIAC” (the “motion to assume”), in which it sought the bankruptcy court’s approval of its assumption of 1,322 franchise agreements, including Glenstone’s. Assumption was a prerequisite to Buekhead’s selling its rights under these agreements to DIAC. (D.I. 6 at 5) In the motion to assume, Buckhead denied knowledge of any defaults under the franchise agreements and stated that any party alleging otherwise and failing to respond or object to the motion to assume by December 16, 1991, would be barred from raising its claim. (D.I. 1368 at A0025) Because Bankruptcy Rule 2002 requires the giving of 20 days’ notice, Buckhead concurrently filed a “Motion to Shorten Time for Notice and Response” pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §§ 102 and 105 (the “motion to shorten time”), which the bankruptcy court granted the same day. (D.I. 6 at 5-6) Although other franchisees did timely file responses or objections to the motion to assume, Glen-stone did not. (D.I. 1368 at H1414-H1415) On December 20, 1991, the bankruptcy court held a hearing on the motion to assume, at the conclusion of which the court granted the motion “to the extent not previously approved, ... in all respects, except to the extent modified by or inconsistent with the provisions of this Order [the “assumption order”].” (D.I. 6 at 8)

On December 23, 1991, the bankruptcy court issued an order fixing February 28, 1992 as the general bar date for the filing of proofs of claim (the “bar date order”). (D.I. 6 at 6) Glenstone filed a proof of claim on February 27, 1992. On January 31, 1994, Buckhead moved for an order disallowing Glenstone’s claim on the ground that it was untimely filed, in that Glenstone had failed to respond or object to the motion to assume. (D.I. 1368 at A0001-A0143) The bankruptcy court heard argument on this motion on April 5, 1994, and on April 14, 1994, granted the motion to disallow (the “April 14 order”). This appeal followed.

III. STANDARD OF REVIEW

The findings of fact of the bankruptcy court are reversible only if clearly erroneous. Bankruptcy Rule 8013; In re Delaware & H.R. Co., 124 B.R. 169, 178 (D.Del.1991) (citing In re Spada, 903 F.2d 971, 975 (3d Cir.1990)). “Thus, a reviewing court will affirm the bankruptcy court’s findings unless ‘on the entire evidence [the court] is left with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed.’ ” In re Delaware & H.R. Co., 124 B.R. at 178 (citing United States v. United States Gypsum Co., 333 U.S. 364, 395, 68 S.Ct. 525, 541, 92 L.Ed.

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180 B.R. 83, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5074, 1995 WL 228650, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/glenstone-lodge-inc-v-buckhead-america-corp-in-re-buckhead-america-ded-1995.