In re Art & Architecture Books of the 21st Century

522 B.R. 249, 2014 Bankr. LEXIS 4865, 2014 WL 6687580
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in In re Art & Architecture Books of the 21st Century. Read the opinion of the Court — 518 B.R. 43
United States Bankruptcy Court, C.D. California·Decided November 26, 2014·No. No. 2:13-BK-14135-RK·Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION ON MOTION OF AERC DESMOND’S TOWER LLC TO: (1) COMPEL IMMEDIATE PAYMENT BY DEBTOR OF OUTSTANDING OBLIGATIONS TO LANDLORD PURSUANT TO 11 U.S.C. § 365(d)(3); (2) MODIFY ADEQUATE PROTECTION ORDER BASED ON DEBTOR’S CONTEMPT OF COURT AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTS SUBSEQUENT TO ITS ENTRY

ROBERT KWAN, Bankruptcy Judge.

The contested matter of the motion of AERC Desmond’s Tower, LLC (“Landlord”) to: (1) compel immediate payment by Art and Architecture Books of the 21st Century (“Debtor”) of outstanding obligations to Landlord under the Master Lease .pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 365(d)(3); (2) modify adequate protection order based on debtor’s contempt of court and other developments subsequent to its entry, came on for hearing before the undersigned United States Bankruptcy Judge on February 19, April 2, May 7 and 14, October 14 and November 18, 2014. The motion is opposed by Debtor and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors (“Committee”) in this case. Appearances were made as noted on the record.

The court has jurisdiction over the instant motion under 28 U.S.C. § 1334. The motion is a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C. §§ 157(a) and (b)(2)(A) and (M). Venue is proper in this judicial district pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1409(a). As discussed herein, the court determines that Landlord is entitled to immediate payment of outstanding obligations arising postpetition as required under 11 U.S.C. § 365(d)(3) and under the terms of the Master Lease and that the motion should be granted.1

I. Termination of the Master Lease Does Not Preclude Application of 11 U.S.C. § 365(d)(3)

In the case at bar, the District Court on Landlord’s appeal of this court’s ruling on Debtor’s motion to assume the Lease held that the Lease was terminated before the commencement of the bankruptcy case when Debtor filed its voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of [252]*252the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C., and remanded to this court to determine whether Debtor would be entitled to relief from forfeiture under applicable state law, and thus could nevertheless assume the Lease pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 365. Exhibit 18 to Request for Judicial Notice in Support of Motion to: (1) Compel Immediate Payment by Debtor of Outstanding Obligations to Landlord Pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 865(d)(8); (2) Modify Adequate Protection Order Based on Debtor’s Contempt of Court and Other Developments Subsequent to its Entry, ECF 443. Landlord filed the instant motion to compel immediate payment of outstanding obligations under the Lease pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 365(d)(3) for the time period pending assumption or rejection of the lease, i.e., the period between the petition date and the date when the this court on remand ruled on Debtor’s request for relief from forfeiture. Subsequently, this court has now denied relief from forfeiture in its memorandum decision on Debtor’s request for relief from forfeiture in furtherance of its motion to assume the master lease, and there is no longer an unexpired lease. As discussed herein, this court should still rule on the instant motion pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 365(d)(3) in the context of it being brought before the court’s determination on relief from forfeiture, i.e. during the period pending assumption or rejection of the lease. Accordingly, as discussed herein, the pre-petition termination of the Lease does not preclude application of 11 U.S.C. § 365(d)(3), and the court may still rule on Landlord’s motion for immediate payment.

a. Assumability of a Lease for Purposes of § 365(d)(3)

A bankruptcy trustee, or a debtor-in-possession exercising the rights, powers and duties of a trustee under 11 U.S.C. § 1107, may assume or assign certain contracts or leases, but their ability to assume leases is limited by 11 U.S.C. § 365(c)(3), which states that “[t]he trustee may not assume or assign any executory contract or unexpired lease of the debtor, whether or not such contract or lease prohibits or restricts assignment of rights or delegation of duties, if ... such lease is of nonresidential real property and has been terminated under applicable nonbankruptcy law prior to the order for relief.” 11 U.S.C. § 365(d)(3). In construing 11 U.S.C. § 365(c)(3), the Ninth Circuit in In re Windmill Farms, Inc., 841 F.2d 1467 (9th Cir.1988) has stated:

Assumability of a lease by a trustee in bankruptcy, in the context of a lease termination claim, involves a two-part test. The first part of the test is to determine whether the lease terminated before the petition in bankruptcy was filed. We have already discussed this. The second part of the test requires the court to “determine whether the termination could have been reversed under a state anti-forfeiture provision or other applicable state law.”

841 F.2d at 1472 (citation omitted) (italics in original).

The determination of the two-part test of Windmill Farms has been completed in this case. The District Court has determined the first part by holding that the lease terminated pre-petition. This court has now determined the second part by holding that the termination could not have been reversed under state law as Debtor had waived its rights to seek relief from forfeiture of the lease.

This apparently presents an unusual situation, as both parties now appear to seek the opposite of their previous litigating positions in the case. Debtor had argued in its Lease Assumption Motion that it was entitled to relief from forfeiture, and thus, [253]*253that the lease was assumable, and now argues that the lease should be deemed expired before the petition date and never assumable afterwards from the date of pre-petition termination for purposes of 11 U.S.C. § 365(d)(3).

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In re Art & Architecture Books of the 21st Century, 522 B.R. 249, 2014 Bankr. LEXIS 4865, 2014 WL 6687580 (Cal. 2014).

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