In Re Coastal Equities, Inc.

33 B.R. 898, 10 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 614, 1983 Bankr. LEXIS 5328, 11 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 62
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. California
DecidedSeptember 28, 1983
Docket19-00569
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 33 B.R. 898 (In Re Coastal Equities, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Coastal Equities, Inc., 33 B.R. 898, 10 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 614, 1983 Bankr. LEXIS 5328, 11 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 62 (Cal. 1983).

Opinion

OPINION REGARDING CONFIRMATION OF PLAN

JAMES W. MEYERS, Bankruptcy Judge.

I

INTRODUCTION

Coastal Equities, Inc., is a California corporation, incorporated in 1976, which had as its principal business the acquisition and sale of interests in real property. An involuntary petition, under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code (“Code”), was filed against Coastal Equities on April 29, 1982, which was converted by the debtor to a Chapter 11 proceeding on June 4, 1982.

At the outset of the case, there were many allegations made concerning the conduct of the sole shareholder of Coastal Equities, Mr. Phillip L. Jauregui. The allegations included, but were not limited to, violations of California Securities Laws, forgery, incompetence and mismanagement, and fraudulent and dishonest business practices. These allegations were made in the context of a motion to appoint a Chapter 11 trustee, which motion was granted and on June 28, 1982, an Order appointing Mr. M. James Lorenz as trustee was entered. 1 The moving creditors were successful in proving gross mismanagement and a general lack of faith and trust in the debtor as then constituted.

On July 6, 1982, a committee of unsecured creditors was appointed. Given the diverse interests of the various creditors, however, it became clear that a single committee could not adequately represent the entire body of creditors. Consequently, on September 7, 1982, an Order was signed appointing two separate committees. One committee, the “Class A Committee,” represented creditors who had invested in frac-tionalized deeds of trust. The “Class B Committee” was comprised of general unsecured creditors and individuals who had invested in limited partnerships through the debtor.

Given the complexity and magnitude of the case, Mr. Lorenz, with the cooperation of the Creditors’ Committees, has done a commendable job of administering the estate and attempting to propose a feasible and equitable plan of reorganization. The Trustee proposed his plan of reorganization on December 23, 1982. 2 After a series of revisions and amendments, the Trustee’s third revised second amended plan (“Plan”) came on for confirmation on July 13, 1983 and August 2,1983. On August 2,1983 this Court announced its intention to confirm the Plan and this Opinion explains the Court’s decision.

II

BACKGROUND

Coastal Equities’ principal place of business was located in Oceanside, California. Mr. Jauregui was the sole shareholder and president of the debtor prior to August 1978 *900 and since August of 1981, and was intimately involved in the management of the corporation. It was a syndicating company that raised trust deed money and managed property. Agents would solicit potential investors and receive sums of money which were invested through Coastal Equities. The business of Coastal Equities was principally two-fold. Approximately 2,300 investors invested in either: (1) a limited partnership which had as its general partner Coastal Equities; 3 or (2) fractionalized notes secured by either property owned outright by Coastal Equities or by Coastal Equities as general partner of one of the limited partnerships.

There are 39 active limited partnerships and approximately 20 limited partnerships which have been “resold” and which are awaiting payments on the resulting notes. Coastal Equities acts as a collecting and disbursing agent in connection with these notes, and shares in the profits. Provided the notes are paid on schedule, it is estimated that the total income to the debtor should be approximately $1,200,000. It has not yet been determined by the Trustee exactly how many individuals invested in the trust deed aspect of the debtor’s business.

The properties involved are developed and undeveloped properties located primarily in San Diego County, but there are several properties located in the states of Arizona, Georgia and Virginia. The majority of the properties is held in the name of the limited partnerships, with Coastal Equities holding record title to nine of the properties. These nine properties are encumbered by first trust deeds and the fractionalized trust deeds of Coastal Equities’ investors. It was indicated at the hearing that these properties are overencumbered by at least $6,000,000, although it should be noted that the value of the properties controlled by Coastal Equities is in dispute. The debtor, in its Schedules of Assets and Liabilities, estimated the value of the properties to be approximately $54,000,000. The Trustee, on the other hand, based upon a report prepared by the real estate appraising firm of R.B. McComic, Inc. (“McComic Report”), estimates the value of the properties controlled by Coastal Equities to be approximately $29,000,000. 4

Perhaps the most significant dispute in this case is with regard to the validity of the various limited partnerships and frac-tionalized deeds of trust. The Trustee claims that the operation of the debtor was in fact a classic pyramid or “Ponzi” scheme which resulted in some investors being advantaged at the expense of others. 5 Certain properties were encumbered though there did not exist equity sufficient to secure the obligations. Other properties, however, had not yet reached the point of being overencumbered when operations ceased and the Trustee took over control of the enterprise. <

It is the position of the Trustee that due to certain irregularities in the formation and operation of the limited partnerships, no separate entities were ever actually established. Further, due to improprieties in the execution of the notes and trust deeds, *901 no interests were ever conveyed to the purported trust deed investors. 6

These issues have come up in the proceedings in several different contexts. Initially, these alleged deficiencies were used as support in the Trustee’s motion to use cash collateral. Most recently, however, the Trustee was allowed the opportunity to present his argument in the form of an Order to Show Cause why all the assets of the limited partnerships should not be substantively consolidated into the debtor’s estate. An evidentiary hearing was conducted on April 19, 20 and 21, 1983, at which time the Trustee attempted to prove that there was a disregard for the separateness of the limited partnerships. Documentary evidence and live testimony was presented, tending to prove, in the opinion of the Trustee, that funds were commingled between various limited partnerships. However, the Trustee was unsuccessful in proving this allegation at the hearing and the requested relief was denied. Nevertheless, the Trustee has not abandoned this theory and indeed, the Trustee’s belief in his theory plays an important role in the Plan of Reorganization.

Ill

SUMMARY OF THE PLAN

The Plan sets up 15 classes of claims as follows:

Class 1: Administrative claims entitled to priority pursuant to Section 507(a)(1) through 507(a)(5), inclusive, of the Code.

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Bluebook (online)
33 B.R. 898, 10 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 614, 1983 Bankr. LEXIS 5328, 11 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 62, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-coastal-equities-inc-casb-1983.