In Re Adell

325 B.R. 883, 18 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. B 246, 2005 Bankr. LEXIS 1004, 2005 WL 1330699
United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida·Decided March 22, 2005·No. 9:03-bk-23684-ALP·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING DEBTOR’S MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION OF ORDER DENYING CONFIRMATION; AND GRANTING MOTION FOR PERMISSION TO FILE AND FOR THE COURT’S CONSIDERATION OF SECOND PLAN MODIFICATION (Doc. No. 461)

ALEXANDER L. PASKAY, Bankruptcy Judge.

THE MATTER under consideration in this Chapter 11 case of Kevin Adell (Debt- or) is a Motion for Reconsideration or Order Denying Confirmation; Motion for Permission to File and for the Court’s Consideration of Second Plan Modification. (Doc. No. 461). In his Motion, the Debtor seeks this Court’s reconsideration of the October 27, 2004, Order on Confirmation of Fourth Amended Chapter 11 Plan of the Debtor and Corrected Modifications to the Same (Confirmation Order) (Doc. No. 455), and also seeks permission to file Debtor’s Second Modification to the Plan. In its Confirmation Order, this Court denied confirmation of the Debtor’s Fourth Amended Plan, as corrected and modified.

In the alternative, the Debtor requests that if this Court does not agree to reconsider the confirmation of the Plan and allow the proposed Second Modification, it requests that this Court dismiss this Chapter 11 case and delay the effectiveness of the Order denying confirmation and dismissing the case until the Debtor, together with Adell Broadcasting, Inc. and STN. com, Inc. (the Companies) have exhausted their efforts to seek approval of a stay or supersedeas bond that would shelter the Debtor and the Companies from John Richards Home Building Company, L.L.C.’s (JRH) collection activities.

Needless to say, JRH has vigorously challenged the Debtor’s right to obtain reconsideration of the Order denying confirmation contending that the Order was *885 correct and that the Plan was facially defective and cannot be confirmed as a matter of law. JRH further contends that, in light of several Orders entered by this Court in this Chapter 11 case which granted the Debtor only one opportunity to obtain confirmation, the Debtor should not be permitted to propose any further amendments to the Plan of Reorganization.

In order to place this Motion under consideration in proper focus of the turbulent and heavily litigated history of this Chapter 11 case which has so far 563 dockets entries and has spawned several appeals, all of which are still pending not only in this Court but also in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (the Michigan Bankruptcy Court), a recap of the relevant events to the matter under consideration should be helpful.

The genesis of the major and the only battle between the Debtor and his sole antagonist, JRH, is an Involuntary Petition filed by the Debtor on June 24, 2002, against JRH pursuant to Section 303 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Michigan Bankruptcy Court.

On July 24, 2002, the Michigan Bankruptcy Court entered an Order and dismissed the Involuntary Petition. The Michigan Bankruptcy Court, in its Order of Dismissal provided that the Court would consider a request for imposition of sanctions against the Debtor pursuant to Section 303(i) of the Bankruptcy Code.

On April 25, 2003, after the conclusion of an evidentiary hearing on the Motion for Sanctions filed by JRH, the Michigan Bankruptcy Court issued its Memorandum Opinion (the Sanction Order). In the Sanction Order the Michigan Bankruptcy Court determined that “John Richards Home Building Co., L.L.C., shall recover from Kevin Adell compensatory damages in the amount of $4,100,000; punitive damages in the amount of $2,000,000; and attorney fees and costs in the amount of $313,230.68, plus interest at the statutory rate.” The imposed sanctions in the amount of $6.4 million against the Debtor was based on the findings that the Involuntary Petition filed by the Debtor against JRH was filed in bad faith, thus, it was proper to impose sanctions against the Debtor for the bad faith filing, pursuant to Section 303(i) of the Bankruptcy Code.

JRH immediately commenced actions to enforce its Sanction Award and applied for an order determining that the Debtor’s currently acquired residence in Naples, Florida, was not immune and could be subject to the satisfaction of the Sanction Order awarded to JRH.

On September 17, 2003, the Michigan Bankruptcy Court entered an Order (the Homestead Order) and concluded that Section 303(i) of the Bankruptcy Code trumps the constitutional provisions of the State of Florida, Article X, Section IV, or in the alternative, that the Debtor is not entitled to homestead exemption under applicable law because he was not a bona fide resident of the State of Florida. The Michigan Bankruptcy Court ordered the Debtor to sell his Naples, Florida, residence within 60 days.

The Debtor immediately challenged the Sanction Order by filing a Notice of Appeal and also challenged the Homestead Order and sought a stay pending appeal first in the Michigan Bankruptcy Court, which was promptly denied, and thereafter in the Michigan District Court.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals (Court of Appeals) declined to consider the Emergency Motion for Stay Pending Appeal filed by the appellant, Kevin Adell. The Court of Appeals concluded that the same “... motion was pending before the *886 district court, a court that is in a better position to first address the issue of an appropriate bond” and, therefore, there was no need for an immediate ruling by the Court of Appeals.

Eventually, the District Court entered its Order denying the Debtor’s Emergency Motion for Stay Pending Appeal. The District Court also denied the Debtor’s Approval of Form of Supersedeas Bond. Having been aggrieved by the decision of the District Court, the Debtor filed an Emergency Motion for Stay Pending Appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

The Debtor having failed to obtain a stay of the Homestead Order and being faced by the real possibility of losing his home in Naples, Florida, filed his Petition for Relief in this Court on November 14, 2003. Of course, JRH wasted no time and challenged the Debtor’s right to seek relief under Chapter 11 and filed a Motion to Dismiss the Chapter 11 case for cause, pursuant to Section 1112(b) of the Bankruptcy Code, contending that the Petition was filed in bad faith. After extensive oral arguments and voluminous submissions post hearing in support of and in opposition of the Motion to Dismiss, on May 28, 2004, this Court entered its Order Denying the Motion to Dismiss. (Doc. No. 287).

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In Re Adell, 325 B.R. 883, 18 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. B 246, 2005 Bankr. LEXIS 1004, 2005 WL 1330699 (Fla. 2005).

325 B.R. 883 (In Re Adell) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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In Re John Richards Homes Building Co., LLC
461 B.R. 1 (E.D. Michigan, 2011)