In re Arrow Air, Inc.

89 B.R. 961, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 1427, 1988 WL 89836
United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Florida.·Decided June 17, 1988·No. Bankruptcy No. 86-00340-BKC-AJC·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER DENYING UNITED STATES OF AMERICA’S MOTION TO ALTER AND AMEND

A. JAY CRISTOL, Bankruptcy Judge.

This matter came before the Court for hearing on April 12, 1988 on the United States of America’s motion to alter and amend this Court’s order dated March 16, 1988 granting the ex parte motion of Arrow Air, Inc. (“Arrow Air”), the reorganized debtor, for authorization to disburse from the Creditors’ Fund payment of the claim of the Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service. The central facts are not in dispute, leaving only legal issues to be resolved.

On February 11,1986, Arrow Air filed its voluntary petition for relief under chapter 11, title 11, United States Code. On June 18, 1986, the United States of America, Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (“United States” or “IRS”) timely filed a proof of claim in Arrow Air’s bankruptcy in the aggregate amount of $125,-669.00 for certain pre-petition, federal excise and withholding taxes and interest and [963]*963penalties thereon, asserting priority under 11 U.S.C. § 507(a)(6)1 for part of the amount claimed.

By order dated April 29, 1987, the Court confirmed Arrow Air’s Amended Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”). The Plan provides with respect to the claim of the IRS, inter alia, that it is not impaired and the allowed amount of the IRS’s claim will be paid in cash, in full on the Effective Date of the Plan2 or as soon thereafter as is feasible. The Plan further provides that Arrow Air would have sixty days from the Effective Date to interpose objections to the allowance of claims of the type filed by the IRS, unless such time was extended by order of this Court. The Court extended to September 30, 1987 the time for Arrow Air to file objections and on September 30, 1987, Arrow'Air filed and served an objection to the claim of the IRS. On December 3, 1987, the Court heard Arrow Air’s objection to the claim of the IRS and by order dated December 8, 1987 denied the objection without prejudice for failure by Arrow Air to effect proper service on the United States under Bankruptcy Rule 7004.

Thereafter, on February 17, 1988, the IRS amended its proof of claim by filing an amended proof of claim for pre-petition, federal excise and withholding taxes and interest and penalties thereon in the aggregate amount of $92,106.70, asserting secured status under 11 U.S.C. § 506(a) to the extent that the IRS was holding a refund due Arrow Air in the amount of $30,046.97 for the quarter ending December 31, 1986, and priority status under 11 U.S.C. § 507(a)(7) for the balance. The amended proof of claim stated: “For the purposes of section 506(b) of the Bankruptcy Code, post petition interest may be payable.” No party in interest has objected to the IRS’s amended proof of claim, and therefore the claim is deemed allowed pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 502(a).

Pursuant to its Plan, Arrow Air sought ex parte an order authorizing it to disburse from the Creditors’ Fund established under the Plan payment of the unsecured priority portion of the IRS’s claim, $62,059;77. By order dated March 16, 1988, the Court granted Arrow Air’s motion, stating: “Arrow Air, Inc. is authorized to disburse from the Creditors’ Fund in payment and satisfaction of the Class III Priority Claim of the IRS, claim number 5469, the amount of $62,059.77.”

On March 30, 1988, the United States served its Motion to Alter and Amend the Court’s March 16, 1988 order authorizing Arrow Air to pay the claim of the IRS, alleging that the payment of the amount permitted would not fully satisfy the claim because the amount did not include “interest due on both the secured and unsecured portions of said claim pursuant to Bankruptcy Code Sections 506(b) and 1129(a)(9)(C), respectively.” For the reasons set forth below, I conclude that the IRS is not entitled to post-petition interest on its tax claims and deny the motion of the United States to alter and amend.

I. TIMBERS PRECLUDES ALLOWANCE OF POST-PETITION INTEREST ON UNDERSECURED CLAIMS.

The United States first argues for post-petition interest under section 506(b). The IRS is holding a refund due Arrow Air in the amount of $30,046.97, which the IRS claims it may offset against its claim for $92,106.70. Under section 506(a), the IRS appears to hold a secured claim, but only “to the extent of the amount subject to setoff.” 11 U.S.C. § 506(a).3 The balance of the claim is an unsecured claim. Id. Because the amount of the debt exceeds the amount subject to setoff, the IRS is deemed “undersecured.” In United Savings Ass’n v. Timbers of Inwood Forest [964]*964Assocs. Ltd., — U.S. —, 108 S.Ct. 626, 98 L.Ed.2d 740 (1988), the United States Supreme Court, relying on section 506(b), recently held that an undersecured creditor is not entitled to interest on its collateral while the automatic stay of section 362 is in place to assure adequate protection under section 362(d)(1). Consequently, under Timbers, this Court rejects the United States’ first argument. See also United States v. Ron Pair Enters., Inc., 828 F.2d 367 (6th Cir.1987) (debtor not liable for post-petition interest on pre-petition, ov-ersecured federal statutory tax lien because interest payable under 11 U.S.C. § 506(b) is limited to those situations in which the debtor is contractually bound to pay it), cert. granted, — U.S. —, 108 S.Ct. 1218, 99 L.Ed.2d 420 (1988).

II. SECTION 1129(a)(9)(C) IS INAPPLICABLE.

A. SECTION 1129(a)(9)(C) BEARS ON CONFIRMABILITY OF A PLAN, NOT ON ITS ADMINISTRATION.

The United States next contends that it is entitled to interest pursuant to section 1129(a)(9)(C). That section reads:

(a) The court shall confirm a plan only if all of the following requirements are met:
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(9) Except to the extent that the holder of a particular claim has agreed to a different treatment of such claim, the plan provides that
(C) with respect to a claim of a kind specified in section 507(a)(7) of this title, the holder of such claim will receive on account of such claim deferred cash payments, over a period not exceeding six years after the date of assessment of such claim, of a value, as of the effective date of the plan, equal to the allowed amount of such claim.

The United States asserts that because it was not paid on the Effective Date of the Plan that it is receiving a “deferred cash payment” and therefore is entitled to interest under section 1129(a)(9)(C). However, the United States made and lost the same argument in In re Pharmadyne Laboratories, Inc., 53 B.R. 517, 522 (Bankr.D.N.J.1985).

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In re Arrow Air, Inc., 89 B.R. 961, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 1427, 1988 WL 89836 (Fla. 1988).

89 B.R. 961 (In re Arrow Air, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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