In re Carmassi, Inc.

121 B.R. 735, 1990 Bankr. LEXIS 2513, 1990 WL 194466
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedNovember 19, 1990
DocketBankruptcy No. 88-3026; Motion No. 90-6089M
StatusPublished

This text of 121 B.R. 735 (In re Carmassi, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Carmassi, Inc., 121 B.R. 735, 1990 Bankr. LEXIS 2513, 1990 WL 194466 (W.D. Pa. 1990).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

BERNARD MARKOVITZ, Bankruptcy Judge.

Several motions by Pitt Retail Ventures, Inc. (“Pitt Retail”) are before the Court at this time. Pitt Retail has brought:

(1) a motion for reconsideration of the Order of September 25, 1990, approving the sale of Liquor License No. R-9908 to Glenda Tongdee;
(2) a motion to stay the order approving the trustee’s motion to sell said liquor license; and
(3) a motion for a new trial of the matter raised by the trustee’s motion to sell said liquor license.

Pitt Retail has brought the same basic motion under three (3) different descriptions. It appears to the Court that Pitt Retail in effect is seeking reconsideration of the order of September 25, 1990, approving the sale of the liquor license to Ms. Tongdee.

Pitt Retail essentially alleges that its failure to appear at the duly scheduled sale of the license was a de minimis error which was the result of excusable neglect.

Ms. Tongdee, the purchaser of the liquor license, denies that the failure to appear at the scheduled sale was due to excusable neglect. Respondent further argues that reconsideration should not be granted as the sale in fact secured a purchaser who bid and paid a sum which cannot be determined to be grossly inadequate.

[737]*737For the reasons hereinafter stated, Pitt Retail’s motion to reconsider will be granted, provided that:

(1) it deposits $60,000.00 in a joint escrow account in the name of the trustee and Pitt Retail within ten (10) days of receipt of this Memorandum Opinion and Order;
(2) it deposits an additional $3,000.00 in the same account; to offset all reasonable legal fees and costs incurred by the trustee in connection with Pitt Retail’s failure to appear at the sale and to offset all advertising costs incurred in connection with another sale of the liquor license; and
(3) it agrees to reimburse Glenda Tong-dee all of her costs (not including legal fees) incurred in connection with the application to obtain approval from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board of the transfer of said liquor license to her.

I

FACTS

On November 11, 1989, Carmassi, Inc. filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition. Included among its assets was Liquor License No. R-9908.

A petition to sell the liquor license free and clear of all liens was filed on March 28, 1990.

On July 17, 1990, the case was converted to a Chapter 7 proceeding and a trustee was appointed.

Pitt Retail made an offer to purchase the liquor license for $50,000.00 and deposited $5,000.00 in a joint escrow account on August 17, 1990.

A hearing on the proposed sale was duly noticed and scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on September 25, 1990.

It is the practice of this Court to schedule several such motions on the same day and for the same time. The parties are not informed in advance as to the order in which simultaneously scheduled matters will be heard by the Court. Counsel for Pitt Retail was unaware that the sale of the liquor license in question was the first matter of the day.

As is the Court’s customary practice, the sale was held promptly at 9:00 a.m. Although neither Pitt Retail nor its counsel was present in the courtroom at that time, their bid of $50,000.00 was offered as the opening bid. The sale went forward in their absence and the Court entertained other offers for the license and ultimately approved a sale to Ms. Tongdee for $51,-000.00.

The sale was concluded at 9:06 a.m. Almost immediately thereafter, counsel for Pitt Retail entered the courtroom. At that time, a discussion took place in the back of the courtroom near the entrance among counsel for Pitt Retail, the trustee, Ms. Tongdee, and her counsel. The trustee informed counsel for Pitt Retail that the sale was over and that Ms. Tongdee had purchased the license. Immediately thereafter, Ms. Tongdee left with her counsel, whereupon counsel for Pitt Retail requested permission to address the Court at 9:11 a.m. and sought to have the sale reopened. The request was denied because Ms. Tong-dee had already left and the court proceeded to the next scheduled matter.

Ms. Tongdee to date has expended $7,300.00 in applying to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board for approval of the transfer of the liquor license. Said funds may or may not be reimbursable.

II

ANALYSIS

Parties often mislabel their motions. The type of motion that has been presented is not to be determined solely by how the movant labels it; rather, the court must make an independent determination by looking to the relief sought and to the grounds adduced in support thereof. Wright v. Preferred Research, Inc., 891 F.2d 886 (11th Cir.1990). In other words, the substance of the motion determines the type of motion that it is. Landau & Cleary, Ltd. v. Hribar Trucking, Inc., 867 F.2d 996 (7th Cir.1989).

[738]*738Pitt Retail’s so-called “Motion For Reconsideration” in reality is a motion for relief from judgment or order pursuant to FED.R.CIV.P. 60(b)(1), which provides in relevant part as follows:

On motion and upon such terms as are just, the court may relieve a party ... from a final ... order ... for the following reasons: (1) mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect ...

According to Pitt Retail, its failure to appear at the scheduled sale was due to excusable neglect on the part of its counsel.

There is no per se rule concerning excusable neglect on the part of counsel. The question must be determined on an ad hoc or case-by-case basis. Consolidated Freightways Corp. of Delaware v. Larson, 827 F.2d 916, 919 (3rd Cir.1987). The court must, at a minimum, make findings as to the reasons for counsel’s neglect. Id.

There is no all-inclusive list of factors relevant to determining whether such neglect is excusable. Certain factors, however, may be illuminating. They are:

(1) whether the inadvertence reflects professional incompetence;
(2) whether the inadvertence reflects an easily manufactured excuse incapable of verification;
(3) whether the tardiness results from counsel’s failure to provide for a foreseeable consequence;
(4) whether the inadvertence reflects a lack of diligence; and
(5) whether the court is satisfied that the inadvertence resulted despite counsel’s substantial good faith efforts towards compliance.

Id.

The Court is convinced, after considering the totality of the circumstances, that counsel’s failure to appear at the sale was due to excusable neglect.

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Bluebook (online)
121 B.R. 735, 1990 Bankr. LEXIS 2513, 1990 WL 194466, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-carmassi-inc-pawd-1990.