Grossman v. Durham Commercial Capital Corp. (In re Ablitt)

585 B.R. 644
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedApril 4, 2018
DocketCase No. 14–14164–JNF; Adv. Pro. 16–01163
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 585 B.R. 644 (Grossman v. Durham Commercial Capital Corp. (In re Ablitt)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Grossman v. Durham Commercial Capital Corp. (In re Ablitt), 585 B.R. 644 (Mass. 2018).

Opinion

Joan N. Feeney, United States Bankruptcy Judge

I. INTRODUCTION

The matter before the Court for determination is the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Maasai Holdings, LLC ("Maasai"). In connection with the motion, the Court must determine an issue of law as to whether Maasai's prepetition lien extends to any recoveries obtained by Stewart Grossman, the Chapter 7 Trustee (the "Trustee" or the "Plaintiff"), of the estate of Connolly Geaney Ablitt & Willard, P.C. (the "Debtor"). The Plaintiff sets forth four counts in his Complaint, namely Count I under 11 U.S.C. § 548(a)(1) through which he seeks avoidance of transfers and the entry of a judgment against Durham Commercial Capital Corp. ("Durham") and Maasai with respect to "Unfactored Collections, Cash Transfer and Assigned Accounts," less the "Rebate," defined in the Complaint, in the amount of $1,057,137.75; Count II under 11 U.S.C. § 544(b) and Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 109, §§ 5 and 6 through which he seeks avoidance of transfers and the entry of a judgment against Durham and Maasai with respect to "Unfactored Collections, Cash Transfer and Assigned Accounts," less the "Rebate," defined in the Complaint, in the amount of $1,057,137.75; Count III under 11 U.S.C. § 550 through which he seeks entry of judgment against Durham and Maasai, as initial transferees of "Unfactored Collections, Cash Transfer and Assigned Accounts" in the amount of $1,057,137.75 against Durham and in the amount of $1,024,799.48 against Maasai; and Count IV under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93A, §§ 2 and 11 through which he seeks the entry of judgment against Durham and Maasai in an amount no less than $1,057,137.75, trebled, plus interest from the date the "DCR Transfers," as defined in the Complaint, were made, and attorneys' fees.

On February 22, 2018, the Plaintiff filed a motion to dismiss Count V of his Complaint for Equitable Subordination against Maasai. The Court granted the motion on February 26, 2018.

The issues presented by the Motion for Summary Judgment are whether there are material facts in dispute, and, in particular, whether Maasai's prepetition lien attaches to avoidance power recoveries or to any recovery by the Trustee with respect to his claim under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93A, §§ 2 and 11.

The Court heard the summary judgment motion on February 27, 2018. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Court directed Maasai to file a supplemental brief regarding the avoidance power recovery issue by March 9, 2018 and the Plaintiff to file a response by March 16, 2018. After obtaining *646a brief extension of time to file briefs, both parties complied with this Court's order.

For the reasons set forth below, the Court shall enter an order denying Maasai's Motion for Summary Judgment as the Court concludes there are material facts in dispute. In addition, the Court rejects Maasai's contention that the Trustee's pursuit of fraudulent transfer causes of action against it and Durham are an exercise in futility because the receivables the Debtor allegedly transferred and which the Trustee seeks to recover would be paid, if recovered, to Maasai in partial satisfaction of its prepetition secured claim. The Court concludes, as the Trustee argued, that Maasai's prepetition lien does not attach to avoidance power recoveries or to any recovery under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93A.

II. FACTS

For purposes of resolving the issue identified above, the Court accepts Maasai's statement of undisputed facts gleaned from the Plaintiff's Complaint which it set forth in its Supplemental Memorandum of Law in Support of its Motion for Summary Judgment. In his Response to Maasai's brief, the Trustee did not dispute the facts set forth in Maasai's supplemental brief. The Court paraphrases those facts below. That said, Maasai also references facts in its brief that it only mentioned in passing in its initial submissions in support of its Motion for Summary Judgment, in particular, a mortgage securing an obligation that was not owed by the Debtor that was referenced in an Amended and Restated Forbearance Agreement, the interpretation of which the parties dispute.1

On or about December 21, 2007 Ablitt & Charlton P.C. (a predecessor to the Debtor) executed and delivered to Sovereign Bank a certain promissory note (the "Note" or the "DCR Note") in the principal amount of $1,500,000.00. In connection with the transaction, the Debtor pledged as collateral, inter alia, all of the Debtor's present and future accounts receivable. On or about September 14, 2010, Sovereign Bank, as the seller, and DCR Mortgage IV Sub I, LLC ("DCR Sub I"), as the purchaser, entered into an Asset Sale Agreement, whereby DCR Sub I purchased all of Sovereign Bank's right, title, and interest in outstanding obligations owed by the Debtor. On or about January 28, 2013, DCR Sub I, as the assignor, and DCR Mortgage IV Sub III, LLC ("DCR Sub III"), as the assignee, entered into an "Assignment of Loan Documents and Assumption Agreement," whereby DCR Sub I assigned to DCR Sub III all of DCR Sub I's right, title, and interest in outstanding obligations owing by the Debtor.

On or about February 7, 2013, DCR Sub III ("DCR"), as the seller, and Maasai as the purchaser, entered into a Loan Sale Contract, whereby DCR sold to Maasai all of its rights, title, and interest in outstanding obligations owing by the Debtor under the various loan documents (the "Loan Documents"). The loan was secured by a first position lien covering all assets of the Debtor pursuant to UCC-1 Financing Statement # 200705764210 recorded December 21, 2007 and assigned to Maasai by UCC-3 # 201312192320; and UCC-1 Financing Statement # 201110049970 recorded June 21, 2011 and assigned to Maasai by UCC-3 # 201312192230. The collateral securing the debt expressly included all "General Intangibles," "including, without limitation, all choses in action, causes of *647action," and "[a]ll products and proceeds of the foregoing ..."2

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
585 B.R. 644, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grossman-v-durham-commercial-capital-corp-in-re-ablitt-mab-2018.