Greene v. Creative Equity Corp. (In re Hoffman Advertising Group, Inc.)

62 B.R. 823, 15 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 183, 1986 Bankr. LEXIS 5780
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJune 30, 1986
DocketBankruptcy No. 83 B 11240 PA; Adv. No. 85-5039A
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 62 B.R. 823 (Greene v. Creative Equity Corp. (In re Hoffman Advertising Group, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Greene v. Creative Equity Corp. (In re Hoffman Advertising Group, Inc.), 62 B.R. 823, 15 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 183, 1986 Bankr. LEXIS 5780 (S.D.N.Y. 1986).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION DENYING MOTION TO DISMISS FOR LACK OF SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION AND ORDER ON MOTION TO TRANSFER ADVERSARY PROCEEDING.

PRUDENCE B. ABRAM, Bankruptcy Judge:

The Hoffman Advertising Group, Inc. (the “Debtor”) filed a voluntary petition for relief pursuant to Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code on August 22, 1983. Ira S. Greene was appointed Interim Trustee of the estate on August 26, 1983. On January 22, 1985 this adversary proceeding was commenced naming as defendant “Hunter Creek Condominiums Creative Equity Corporation” seeking a turnover pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 542 of a debt allegedly owed to the Debtor by the defendant. On April 12, 1985 the Trustee filed an Amended Summons and Complaint, superceding that previously filed, naming the following defendants: Creative Equity Corporation, Jay R. Kuhne, individually, Silverking Investment, Ltd., Silverking/California, Ltd., Silverking Associates, Ltd., Western Slope Development Co., Western Slope Properties, Inc., Hunter Creek Limited Partnership, First Western Mortgage Corporation (“Western”) and Interfirst Bank Fort Worth, N.A. (“Interfirst”). The complaint states that the defendants are “jointly and severally liable for all debts and costs incurred by, or associated with, the construction of the Hunter Creek Condominiums,” and that the defendants retained the Debtor to perform “advertising and other services,” for an agreed amount of $137,302.57 in connection with the Hunter Creek Condominiums. It is alleged that the Debtor did render those services, that defendants have failed to pay the debt, that the debt, for which demand had been made, has matured and is past due. The Amended Complaint alleges that the debt of $137,302.57 is property of the [826]*826estate pursuant to § 541 of the Bankruptcy Code and seeks a turnover of the proceeds of the debt pursuant to Code § 542.

The Trustee asserts the basis for this court’s jurisdiction over the subject matter of this adversary proceeding by reference to 28 U.S.C. § 1334, as amended by Public Law 98-353, known as the Bankruptcy Amendments and Federal Judgeship Act of 1984 (“BAFJA”). This court is claimed to be the proper venue by reference to 28 U.S.C. § 1409. The Amended Complaint states, on information and belief, that each of the named defendants is either a Colorado corporation or resides in or is engaged in doing business in Colorado with the exception of Interfirst, which is claimed to be an entity doing business in Texas.

On May 13, 1985 all of the defendants, with the exception of Western, moved a) to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157, b) for the court to abstain from hearing the proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1334(c)(2), c) for change of venue pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1412, and d) for protective orders to avoid compliance with discovery requests until the jurisdictional issue was resolved.1 On August 23, 1985 the same defendants, with the exception of Creative Equity Corporation and Interfirst, further moved for dismissal and sought imposition of sanctions, including attorneys’ fees, against plaintiff’s attorneys pursuant to Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure on the basis of the statement by the Trustee’s counsel at the August 12, 1985 pretrial conference that there was neither a direct connection between the Debtor and these defendants nor were these defendants parties to or involved in the performance of the contract from which plaintiff's claim arises.

On May 14, 1985, by separate counsel, defendants Interfirst and Western (the “Banks”), jointly moved to dismiss for a) lack of subject matter jurisdiction; b) lack of personal jurisdiction; c) failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted; and d) improper venue. On August 23, 1985 these defendants filed a supplementary motion further seeking their dismissal as defendants on the basis of the previously described statements attributed to Trustee’s counsel at the pretrial conference on August 12, 1985. The defendants assert that the sole basis articulated by the Trustee at that hearing for joining these defendants was that a release purportedly prepared in connection with tentative settlement discussions provided that these defendants would be relieved from any potential liability arising out of the underlying transactions. These defendants assert that this cannot form the basis of any liability. In further support of this motion, affidavits of Daniel Parker, Assistant Vice President of Interfirst and James E. DuBose, President of Western, state that these defendants had no connection with the Debt- or. In addition, these defendants have moved for the imposition of sanctions pursuant to Rule 9011 of the Bankruptcy Rules and supplemented their motion to dismiss for improper venue pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1409(c) by moving in the alternative that venue be transferred to Colorado.

The first question to be resolved by this court is whether and to what extent it can or should adjudicate the merits of this cause of action. In this case’s pre-answer procedural posture the court is faced with motions challenging its jurisdiction to hear and render a judgment or final order in the matter before it. The question of whether this court has constitutional jurisdictional authority over this matter raises issues over which there is considerable disagreement amongst those courts which have attempted to interpret the jurisdictional scope of the 1984 Bankruptcy Amendments, enacted in response to the landmark Supreme Court decision in Northern Pipeline Company v. Marathon Pipeline Company, 458 U.S. 50, 102 S.Ct. 2858, 73 L.Ed.2d 598 (1982).

When, as in this case, the court is presented with more than one motion to [827]*827dismiss under Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Federal Procedure, the court will ordinarily consider first the 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction before consideration of dismissal motions pursuant to 12(b)(2) for lack of jurisdiction over the person; 12(b)(3) for improper venue; and 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, since upon granting the 12(b)(1) motion the remaining defenses and objections would become moot. See 5 Wright & Miller, § 548. A motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim may be decided only after finding jurisdiction over the subject matter because to rule on the validity of a claim is in itself an exercise of jurisdiction. Bell v. Hood, 327 U.S. 678, 66 S.Ct. 773, 90 L.Ed. 939 (1946).

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Bluebook (online)
62 B.R. 823, 15 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 183, 1986 Bankr. LEXIS 5780, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/greene-v-creative-equity-corp-in-re-hoffman-advertising-group-inc-nysd-1986.