In Re Forum Health

444 B.R. 848, 2011 Bankr. LEXIS 1041, 2011 WL 1134323
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedMarch 17, 2011
Docket19-10461
StatusPublished

This text of 444 B.R. 848 (In Re Forum Health) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Forum Health, 444 B.R. 848, 2011 Bankr. LEXIS 1041, 2011 WL 1134323 (Ohio 2011).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION REGARDING (i) MOTION OF DEBTOR TRUMBULL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL FOUNDATION TO DISMISS ITS CHAPTER 11 CASE; AND (ii) MOTION OF DEBTOR WESTERN RESERVE HEALTH FOUNDATION TO DISMISS ITS CHAPTER 11 CASE

KAY WOODS, Bankruptcy Judge.

This cause is before the Court on two motions, each filed on February 4, 2011: (i) Motion of Debtor Trumbull Memorial Hospital Foundation to Dismiss its Chapter 11 Case (“TMHF Motion”) (Doc. # 1349) filed by Debtor Trumbull Memorial Hospital Foundation (“TMHF”); and (ii) Motion of Debtor Western Reserve Health Foundation to Dismiss its Chapter 11 Case (“WRHF Motion” and together with the TMHF Motion, the “Motions to Dismiss”) (Doc. # 1347) filed by Debtor Western Reserve Health Foundation (“WRHF” and together with TMHF, the “Foundations”). The Foundations seek authority, pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1112(b), to dismiss their chapter 11 cases for the stated cause that circumstances have materially changed since the filing of their cases.

*850 On February 25, 2011, the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors (“Committee”) 1 filed Objection of the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors to (i) Motion of Debtor Trumbull Memorial Hospital Foundation to Dismiss its Chapter 11 Case and (ii) Motion of Debt- or Western Reserve Health Foundation to Dismiss its Chapter 11 Case (“Committee Objection”) (Doc. # 1383). The Committee Objection contends: (i) the “Debtors” have failed to establish cause to grant the Motions to Dismiss; (ii) the failure of the “Debtors” to use the Foundations’ unrestricted funds to pay unsecured creditors violates the Debtors’ fiduciary duty and, thus, constitutes “unusual circumstances” warranting denial of the Motions to Dismiss; (iii) substantive consolidation is warranted under the circumstances (despite the Committee’s express representation that “[sjubstantive consolidation is not relevant to the Dismissal Motions,” and the Committee’s acknowledgment that substantive consolidation “is not properly before the Court” (Comm. Obj. ¶ 53)); and (iv) since the Committee’s proposed plan of liquidation can be confirmed within a reasonable time, the Motions to Dismiss must be denied pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1112(b)(2).

On March 8, 2011, the Foundations filed Response of Debtors Trumbull Memorial Hospital Foundation and Western Reserve Health Foundation to the Objection of the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors to (i) Motion of Debtor Trumbull Memorial Hospital Foundation to Dismiss its Chapter 11 Case and (ii) Motion of Debtor Western Reserve Health Foundation to Dismiss its Chapter 11 Case (“Response”) (Doe. # 1406). The Foundations argue in their Response that the Court should overrule the Committee Objection for the following reasons: (i) dismissal is appropriate because the Foundations’ chapter 11 cases have served their bankruptcy purpose and the Foundations should be permitted to fulfill their charitable purposes; (ii) making the charitable assets of the Foundations available to creditors of all of the Debtors would frustrate both the charitable purposes of the Foundations and the charitable intent of the donors of those assets; and (iii) the Foundations are separate corporate entities whose assets are not available to the creditors of the other Debtors.

Also on March 8, 2011, Mike DeWine, Attorney General of Ohio (“Ohio AG”), filed Position of the Attorney General of Ohio Relative to (i) the Motion of Trumbull *851 Memorial Hospital Foundation to Dismiss its Chapter 11 Case, (ii) the Motion of Western Reserve Health Foundation to Dismiss its Chapter 11 Case, and (3) [sic] the Objection of the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors to Said Motions to Dismiss (“AG Position”) (Doc. # 1397). The AG Position expressly states, “To the extent the Objection of the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors ... seeks to make those unrestrictive [sic] funds available to pay debts held by Debtors other than TMHF and WRHF, the Objection should be overruled.” (AG Pos. at 1.)

The Foundations and the Committee filed, on March 8, 2011, Undisputed and Stipulated Facts for the Hearing on (i) the Motion of Debtor Trumbull Memorial Hospital Foundation to Dismiss its Chapter 11 Case and (ii) the Motion of Debtor Western Reserve Health Foundation to Dismiss its Chapter 11 Case (“Stipulated Facts”) (Doc. # 1405), which consisted of 54 paragraphs of stipulated facts, including a stipulation regarding the admissibility of 43 Committee exhibits and 43 exhibits of the Foundations.

At the request of the Foundations (Doc. # 1407), the Court held an evidentiary hearing on the Motions to Dismiss on March 15, 2011 (“Hearing”). Appearing at the Hearing were: (i) Sean D. Malloy, Esq. and Edmund W. Searby, Esq. for the Foundations; (ii) Craig E. Freeman, Esq. for the Committee; and (iii) Patricia D. Lazich, Esq. for the Ohio AG.

For the reasons set forth herein, this Court will (i) grant the TMHF Motion; and (ii) grant the WRHF Motion.

This Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1334 and the general order of reference (General Order No. 84) entered in this district pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157(a). Venue in this Court is proper pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1391(b), 1408 and 1409. This is a core proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2). The following constitutes the Court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law pursuant to Rule 7052 of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure.

I. FACTS

The Court incorporates by reference all of the undisputed and stipulated facts set forth in the Stipulated Facts, but specifically notes the following facts. Eighteen separate voluntary chapter 11 petitions were filed by the Debtors, 2 setting forth *852 each Debtor’s separate assets, liabilities and creditors. Although these cases were filed approximately two years ago, there has never been a motion for substantive consolidation or any attempt to pierce the corporate veil of any one of the Debtors. 3

WRHF, which is a non-profit Ohio corporation, is a charitable foundation qualified under § 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code (“IRC”). (Stip. Facts ¶¶ 22-23.) Western Reserve Care System (‘WRCS,” Case No. 09-40804) is the sole member of WRHF. (Id.

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Bluebook (online)
444 B.R. 848, 2011 Bankr. LEXIS 1041, 2011 WL 1134323, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-forum-health-ohnb-2011.