In re Everton Aloysius Sterling

543 B.R. 385, 2015 WL 9313460, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 4327
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York
DecidedDecember 22, 2015
DocketCase No. 14-12608(SHL)
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 543 B.R. 385 (In re Everton Aloysius Sterling) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Everton Aloysius Sterling, 543 B.R. 385, 2015 WL 9313460, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 4327 (N.Y. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

SEAN Hi LANE, UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY JUDGE

Before the Court is the motion of 1279 St. John’s Place, LLC (the “Movant”) to lift the automatic stay pursuant to Section 362(d)(1) of. the Bankruptcy Code (the “Lift Stay Motion”) [EC.F No. 40] as to three properties located at 551 Knickerbocker Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y. (the “Brooklyn Property”), 1320 East. 222. Street, Bronx, N.Y. (the “Bronx .Property”), and N/A East 222 Street, Block and Lot 4730/7, Bronx, N.Y. (the “Bronx Lot” and together with the- Brooklyn Property and the Bronx Property, the “Properties”). The Lift Stay Motion also seeks in rem. relief against the Properties pursuant to Section 362(d)(4)(A) of the Bankruptcy Code. In response, the Debtor has filed a request for injunctive relief against the Movant (the “Preliminary Injunction Motion”) [ECF No. 42].1 For the reasons set forth below, the Movant’s request to lift the automatic stay is granted, but in rem relief is denied. Mr. Sterlihg’s Preliminary Injunction Motion is also denied.2

BACKGROUND

On December 23, 2011, Mr. Sterling executed a note in favor of Columbia Capital Co. in the amount of $190,000.00 (the “Brooklyn Note”). See Ex. A to the Lift Stay Motion. The Note was secured by the Brooklyn Property, pursuant to a mortgage executed by Mr. Sterling on December 23, 2011 (the “Brooklyn Mortgage”). See Ex. B to the Lift Stay Motion. On August 20, 2012, the Brooklyn Mortgage, was assigned by .Columbia Capital Co. to 222 Funding Associates, the Movant’s predecessor-in-interest. See Ex. C to the Lift Stay Motion, Additionally, an allonge is attached to the Brooklyn Note paying to the-order of 222 Funding Associates and signed by Columbia Capital Co. See Ex. A to the Lift Stay Motion.

On August 23, 2012, Mr. Sterling, in his role as President of Latou Realty Corp. (“Latou”), executed a note in favor of 222 Funding Associates in the amount of $275,000.00, (the “Second Note”). See Ex.' D to the Lift Stay Motion. The Second Note was secured by each of the three [389]*389Properties, pursuant to a mortgage executed on August 23, 2012 by Mr. Sterling, as President of Latou (the “Second Mortgage”). See Ex. E to the . Lift Stay Motion. An allonge is attached to the Second Note paying to the order of 1279 St. Johns Place LLC and signed by 222 Funding Associates. See Ex. D to the Lift Stay Motion.

On August 23, 2012, the1 Brooklyn Note and the Second Note were consolidated into the principal sum-of $465,000.00 (the “Consolidated Note”). See Ex. F to the Lift Stay Motion. On the same date, Mr. Sterling, as President of Latou, consolidated the Brooklyn Mortgage and the Second Mortgage in favor of 222 Funding Associates by executing a consolidation modification spreader agreement on all of the Properties (the “Consolidated Mortgage”). See Ex. G to the Lift Stay Motion. To facilitate the execution of the Consolidated Note and the Consolidated Mortgage, on August 23, 2012, Mr. Sterling deeded all of the Properties to Latou. See Exs. H and I to the Lift Stay Motion.

On November 1, 2012, Latou defaulted on the Consolidated Mortgage. 222 Funding Associates subsequently filed a foreclosure action against the Bronx Property and Bronx Lot in Bronx Civil Supreme Court (the “State Court”), entitled 222 Funding v. Latou Realty, Index No. 380272/2013 (the “Foreclosure Action”). But on November 26, 2013 — on the eve of a pending motion for the entry of a judgment of foreclosure and sale — Latou deeded the Properties back 'to Mr. Sterling. See Exs. L and M to the Lift Stay Motion. The Movant asserts that these transfers were initiated in an attempt to hinder and delay the Foreclosure Action, and were undertaken without the consent or knowledge of 222 Funding Associates.

On June 6, 2014, 222 Funding Associates assigned, the Consolidated Mortgage to the Movant, 1279 St. John’s Place, LLC. See Ex. J to Lift Stay Motion.3 Additionally, an allonge is attached to the Consolidated Note that provides for “pay[ment] to the order of 1279 St. Johns Place LLC ... without recourse, representation, or warranties of any nature.” Ex. F to the Lift Stay Motion. This allonge was signed by 222 Funding Associates. See id. The above-captioned bankruptcy case was filed by Mr. Sterling on September 14, 2014.

DISCUSSION

I. Motion to Lift the Automatic Stay

The Movant seeks relief from the automatic stay pursuant to Section 362(d)(1), which provides, in relevant part, that “[o]n request of a party in interest and after notice and a hearing, the court shall grant relief from the stay ..for.cause, including the lack of adequate protection of an interest in property of such party in interest....” 11 U.S.C. § 362(d)(1). The Movant argues that it lacks adequate protection due to the failure of Mr. Sterling to make any post-petition payments on the Properties and to pay real estate taxes on the Properties. Mr. Sterling, in turn, challenges the standing of the Movant to seek relief from the automatic stay.

A. Standing to Seek Relief from, the Automatic Stay

“[Granting or denying a stay relief motion is not and should hot be consid[390]*390ered a'.determination of the ultimate enforceability or unenforceability of the' note and lien at issue. Conversely, a lift stay motion cannot be brought by a stranger to the case.” In re Escobar, 457 B.R. 229, 236 (Bankr.E.D.N.Y.2011). It therefore becomes necessary for courts to strike a balance when determining whether a movant has standing to lift the automatic stay. “Thus, the level of proof necessary to demonstrate standing to seek stay relief to commence or continue a mortgage foreclosure action must be somewhere along the spectrum of providing some evidence of a litigable right or colorable claim at one end, to, at the other end, demonstrating that the movant holds a valid, perfected and enforceable lien and more likely than not will prevail in the underlying litigation stayed'by1 the bankruptcy filing;” Id. at 237.

Under Section 362(d), a request to lift the automatic stay must be made by “a party in interest.” See In re Lippold, 457 B.R. 293, 296 (Bankr.S.D.N.Y.2011). While the term “party in interest” is not defined by the Bankruptcy Code, the Second Circuit has stated that “in order to invoke the court’s jurisdiction to obtain relief from the automatic stay, the moving party [must] be either a creditor or a debtor.” In re Mims, 438 B.R. 52, 55 (Bankr.S.D.N.Y.2010) (citing In re Comcoach, 698 F.2d 571, 573 (2d Cir.1983)). Section 101(10) of the Bankruptcy Code defines a “creditor” as an. “entity that has a claim against the debtor that arose at the time of or before the order for relief concerning the debtor.” • 11 ■ U.S.C. § 101(10)(A). A “claim” is, in turn, defined as..a “right to payment, whether or not such right is reduced to judgment, liquidated, unliquidated, fixed, contingent, matured, Unmatured, disputed, legal, equitable, secured or unsecured.” 'll U.S.C. § 101(5)(A).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Marita Padiernos Rosado
S.D. New York, 2025
In Re: Christopher Mongiello
S.D. New York, 2025
Kwame Cinque Nkrumah
D. Connecticut, 2024
Luis Michael Virella
D. New Jersey, 2024
Paul R. Koch
S.D. New York, 2023
Louis Roman
D. Connecticut, 2021
Buczek v. KeyBank, N.A.
W.D. New York, 2020
In Re: Samuel Ehrenfeld
S.D. New York, 2020
In re: Javier Jimenez
Ninth Circuit, 2020
Harrington v. Sterling (In re Sterling)
558 B.R. 671 (S.D. New York, 2016)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
543 B.R. 385, 2015 WL 9313460, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 4327, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-everton-aloysius-sterling-nysb-2015.