In Re Diversified Investors Fund XVII

91 B.R. 559, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 1643, 18 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 532, 1988 WL 105866
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, C.D. California
DecidedAugust 11, 1988
DocketBankruptcy SA 87-04580 JR
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 91 B.R. 559 (In Re Diversified Investors Fund XVII) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, C.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 Diversified Investors Fund XVII, 91 B.R. 559, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 1643, 18 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 532, 1988 WL 105866 (Cal. 1988).

Opinion

*560 MEMORANDUM OPINION

JOHN E. RYAN, Bankruptcy Judge.

The issue presented in this proceeding is whether, pursuant to § 1125(b) of the Bankruptcy Code (the “Code”), a debtor limited partnership must disclose information concerning the net worth of debtor’s general partners in its disclosure statement.

JURISDICTION

This court has jurisdiction over this bankruptcy case pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1334(a) (the district courts shall have original and exclusive jurisdiction of all cases under Title 11), 28 U.S.C. § 157(a) (authorizing the district courts to refer all Title 11 cases and proceedings to the bankruptcy judges for the district) and General Order No. 266, dated October 9, 1984 (referring all Title 11 cases and proceedings to the bankruptcy judges for the Central District of California). This matter is a core proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(L).

STATEMENT OF FACTS

Debtor is a California limited partnership which was formed in July 1983. Debtor’s primary asset is a 92-unit residential apartment complex in Mesa, Arizona. Debtor’s general partners are Diversified Properties, Inc. and DPI Partners Ltd.

Because of increasing cash flow problems, debtor filed its petition under Chapter 11 of the Code on July 24, 1987. On February 22, 1988, debtor filed its disclosure statement and plan of reorganization and set the hearing for March 22, 1988. The United States Trustee and Nelcon Corporation, a secured creditor of debtor (“Nelcon”), objected to the disclosure statement.

At the hearing on March 22, 1988, I addressed a number of the objections relating to the disclosure statement and continued the matter to allow the Debtor to file an amended disclosure statement.

On April 26, 1988, Debtor filed its first amended disclosure statement. The United States Trustee filed a statement of nonop-position, but Nelcon objected. The hearing on the first amended disclosure statement was held on June 9, 1988. At that hearing I took the matter under submission to determine whether, in light of § 723(a) of the Code, debtor should include financial information regarding the general partners in the liquidation analysis of its disclosure statement in . order to comply with § 1125(b) of the Code.

DISCUSSION

Section 1125(b) of the Code provides that

An acceptance or rejection of a plan may not be solicited after the commencement of the case under this title ..., unless, at the time of or before such solicitation, there is transmitted to such holder the plan or a summary of the plan, and a written disclosure statement approved, after notice and a hearing, by the court as containing adequate information.

Section 1125(a)(1) defines “adequate information” as

... information of a kind, and in sufficient detail, as far as is reasonably practicable in light of the nature and history of the debtor and the condition of the debtor’s books and records, that would enable a hypothetical reasonable investor typical of holders of claims or interests of the relevant class to make an informed judgment about the plan,....

According to the legislative history, the parameters of what constitutes adequate information are intended to be flexible.

Precisely what constitutes adequate information in any particular instance will develop on a case-by-case basis. Courts will take a practical approach as to what is necessary under the circumstances of each case, such as the cost of preparation of the statements, the need for relative speed in solicitation and confirmation, and, of course, the need for investor protection. There will be a balancing of interests in each case. In reorganization cases, there is frequently great uncertainty. Therefore the need for flexibility is greatest.

H.R.Rep. No. 595, 95th Cong., 1st Sess. (1978), U.S.Code Cong. & Admin.News *561 1978, pp. 5787, 6365. “The primary purpose of a disclosure statement is to give the creditors the information they need to decide whether to accept the plan.” In re Monnier Bros., 755 F.2d 1336, 1342 (8th Cir.1985).

Case law holds that in order to provide adequate information, the disclosure statement must contain a liquidation analysis which compares the proposed plan of reorganization with a Chapter 7 liquidation. See In re Metrocraft Pub. Services, Inc., 39 B.R. 567 (Bankr.N.D.Georgia 1984); In re Malek, 35 B.R. 443 (Bankr.E.D.Mich.1983); In re A.C. Williams Co., 25 B.R. 173 (Bankr.N.D.Ohio 1982).

Section 723(a) of the Code provides

If there is a deficiency of property of the estate to pay in full all claims which are allowed in a case under this chapter concerning a partnership and with respect to which a general partner of the partnership is personally liable, the trustee shall have a claim against such general partner for the amount of the deficiency.

This section was amended in 1984 by § 476 of the Bankruptcy Amendments and Federal Judgeship Act of 1984, Pub.L. No. 98-353 to substitute the word “chapter” for “title” and to add the phrase “and with respect to which a general partner of the partnership is personally liable, the trustee shall have a claim against such general partners for the full amount of deficiency.” According to the Editors comment to § 723(a) in Norton Bankruptcy Code Pamphlet, 1987-1988 Ed., p. 511 “This change was necessary to make it clear that the subsection did not create any new obligations of a general partner not previously existing under state law.” In addition, according to L. King, Collier on Bankruptcy H 723.02 (15th Edition 1987), § 723(a) is a chose in action to be asserted under Bankruptcy Code § 544(a).

Section 103(b) of the Code provides that “Subchapter I and II of chapter 7 of this title apply only in a case under such chapter.” Since § 723 falls within subchapter II of chapter 7, it is only applicable in a chapter 7 case.

Nelcon contends that since § 723 is only available under chapter 7, the disclosure statement should contain information regarding the general partners’ assets in the liquidation analysis. In addition, Nelcon argues that this information is necessary to determine whether the proposed plan of reorganization complies with the “best interests test” of § 1129(a)(7). This section provides in part that

With respect to each impaired class of claims or interests—
(A) each holder of a claim or interest of such class—
(i) has accepted the plan; or

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Bluebook (online)
91 B.R. 559, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 1643, 18 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 532, 1988 WL 105866, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-diversified-investors-fund-xvii-cacb-1988.