In Re Creekstone Apartments Associates, L.P. v. Resolution Trust Corp. (In Re Creekstone Apartments Associates, L.P.)

168 B.R. 639, 1994 WL 241787
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Tennessee
DecidedJune 1, 1994
DocketBankruptcy No. 392-04511. Adv. No. 93-0189A
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 168 B.R. 639 (In Re Creekstone Apartments Associates, L.P. v. Resolution Trust Corp. (In Re Creekstone Apartments Associates, L.P.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Creekstone Apartments Associates, L.P. v. Resolution Trust Corp. (In Re Creekstone Apartments Associates, L.P.), 168 B.R. 639, 1994 WL 241787 (Tenn. 1994).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM REGARDING MOTIONS FOR RELIEF FROM THE AUTOMATIC STAY

GEORGE C. PAINE, II, Chief Judge.

I. Procedural and Substantive Background:

On February 3, 1993, a final hearing was held on a motion for relief from the automatic stay imposed by 11 U.S.C. § 362(a) filed by the Resolution Trust Corporation (“RTC”), the predeeessor-in-interest to TE-Two Real Estate Limited Partnership (“TE-Two”), seeking to obtain possession of the Creekstone Apartments property. Arguing primarily under § 362(d)(2), the RTC contended that the debtor lacked equity in the apartment property and the property was not necessary to an effective reorganization. According to the RTC, the debtor’s proposed Chapter 11 plan had no reasonable possibility of confirmation because it unfairly discriminated against the RTC under 11 U.S.C. § 1129(b)(1) and improperly classified the claims of unsecured creditors under 11 U.S.C. § 1122.

By order dated April 12, 1993, the court denied the RTC’s motion and held that the unfair discrimination and improper classification issues were more appropriate for determination at confirmation rather than in a relief stay motion. The court noted that the debtor’s plan could be amended prior to the confirmation hearing, rendering the RTC’s contentions in its relief stay motion moot. The court emphasized the importance of proceeding quickly to confirmation.

After appeal to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Judge Wiseman remanded the case back to this court with instructions to consider the merits of the unfair discrimination and improper classification issues raised by the RTC. Judge Wiseman further ordered that the rehearing of these two issues be held prior to a confirmation hearing.

The court subsequently conducted a rehearing on these issues on October 27, 1993. Prior to this hearing, TE-Two was substituted for the RTC as a party-in-interest by order of the court.

With respect to the § 1122 issue, the court found that the debtor’s plan did not improperly classify or “gerrymander” the claims of unsecured creditors. The court, however, took the unfair discrimination issue of § 1129(b)(1) under advisement. This issue remains to be resolved.

On April 5, 1994, a preliminary hearing was held on a second motion for stay relief filed by TE-Two seeking to obtain possession of the following categories of funds:

(1) certain interpled funds held in the Reserve Account subject to a perfected security interest in favor of TE-Two pursuant to the court’s decision in First Tenn. Bank Nat’l Ass’n v. Resolution Trust Corp. (In re Creek-stone Apartments Assocs.), 165 B.R. 851 (Bankr.M.D.Tenn.1994) (the “interpleader action”),

(2) pre-petition rents held by the debtor subject to a perfected security interest in favor of TE-Two pursuant to the court’s *641 decision in Creekstone Apartment Assocs. v. Resolution Trust Corp. (In re Creekstone Apartments Assocs.), 165 B.R. 845 (Bankr.M.D.Tenn.1993) (the “rents/conversion action”) and in the court’s subsequent April 14, 1994 Memorandum Regarding Debtor’s' Motion to Alter or Amend,

(3) post-petition rents accumulated by the debtor in which TE-Two claimed a perfected security interest pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 552(b) and the terms of the Second Deed of Trust and Security Agreement executed by the debtor assigning all leases and rents to the RTC.

As in the first motion, TE-Two primarily argued for relief under § 362(d)(2) claiming that the debtor lacked equity in the funds listed above and the funds were not necessary to an effective reorganization. TE-Two also renewed its February 3, 1993 request for stay relief to obtain possession of the Creekstone Apartments property. On May 13,1994, TE-Two filed a motion to set a final hearing on this matter.

II. The RTC’s Motion For Relief From the Automatic Stay (The First Motion)

A.The Burden of Proof Under § 362(d)(2):

11 U.S.C. § 362(d)(2) provides in relevant part:

(d) On request of a party in interest and after notice and a hearing, the court shall grant relief from the stay provided under subsection (a) of this section, such as by terminating, annulling, modifying, or conditioning such stay—
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(2) with respect to a stay of an act against property under subsection (a) of this section, if—
(A) the debtor does not have an equity in such property; and
(B) such property is not necessary to an effective reorganization.

The movant has the burden of proving the § 362(d)(2)(A) issue, i.e. that the debtor lacks equity in the property at issue. 11 U.S.C. § 362(g)(1). The burden then shifts to the debtor to prove the property is “necessary to an effective reorganization” under § 362(d)(2)(B). See 11 U.S.C. § 362(g)(2).

In the present case, the parties have stipulated that there is no equity in the Creek-stone Apartments real property owned by the debtor. The debtor thus has the burden of proof to show under § 362(d)(2)(B) that the apartment property is “necessary to an effective reorganization.”

B.The Unfair Discrimination Argument:

The RTC argued that the apartment property was not necessary to a successful reorganization because the debtor’s proposed Chapter 11 plan had no realistic chance of confirmation. Because the RTC was an impaired class receiving 10% of its Class 7 deficiency claim, it undoubtedly would not consent to the proposed plan. As such, a consensual confirmation under 11 U.S.C. § 1129(a) would be impossible. See 11 U.S.C. § 1129(a)(8).

Instead, the debtor would have to seek confirmation under the cram down provisions of 11 U.S.C. § 1129(b). Under § 1129(b)(1), a proposed plan cannot unfairly discriminate against an impaired, unaccepting class.

According to the RTC, the plan unfairly discriminated between payment of Class 5A/5B general, unsecured claims and TE-Two’s Class 7 unsecured, deficiency claim. After the debtor’s fourth amendment, the plan proposed to pay 10% of TE-Two’s Class 7 unsecured claim, while paying 80% of the Class 5A/5B unsecured claims on the effective date of the plan and 20% over time.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
168 B.R. 639, 1994 WL 241787, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-creekstone-apartments-associates-lp-v-resolution-trust-corp-in-tnmb-1994.