In re Gordian Medical, Inc.

499 B.R. 793, 2013 WL 5646314, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 4341, 58 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 162
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, C.D. California
DecidedOctober 16, 2013
DocketNo. 8:12-bk-12339-MW
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 499 B.R. 793 (In re Gordian Medical, Inc.) 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 Gordian Medical, Inc., 499 B.R. 793, 2013 WL 5646314, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 4341, 58 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 162 (Cal. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER

MARK S. WALLACE, Bankruptcy Judge.

Debtor and debtor in possession Gordian Medical, Inc. (“Gordian”) has objected (the “Gordian Objection”) to Claim 53, a second amended proof of claim in the amount of $17,786,989.40 filed by the Internal Revenue Service (the “Service”) on December 6, 2012 approximately three months and fifteen days after the August 22, 2012 bar date applicable to taxing authorities such as the Service. The United States of America has moved on behalf of the Service (the “USA Motion”) for leave to amend Claim 53 to clarify that the Service has a secured claim based upon a right of setoff against any payments owing to Gordian by another branch of the United States government, namely, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (“CMS”).

Claim 53 is based on a transferee liability theory. The Service alleges in Claim 53 that Gordian is a successor in interest to American Medical Technologies, Inc. (“AMT”) and is therefore liable for unpaid federal corporate income taxes, interest and penalties owed by AMT.1 Gordian objects to Claim 53 in its entirety on the grounds that it was filed late, does not relate back to earlier, timely-filed proofs of claim and does not pass muster under the excusable neglect rule applied in Pioneer Inv. Services Co. v. Brunswick Assocs. Ltd. P’ship, 507 U.S. 380, 113 S.Ct. 1489, 123 L.Ed.2d 74 (1993). The United States of America admits Claim 53 is late filed but argues that circumstances constituting excusable neglect are present here.

The USA Motion seeks leave to amend Claim 53 based upon the same excusable neglect considerations that are raised in its opposition to the Gordian Objection. Gordian rejoins that the Service’s neglect is not excusable.

Consequently, a determination of the Gordian Objection and the USA Motion will require the Court to resolve the issue [795]*795of whether the Service’s failure to observe the August 22, 2012 bar date was the result of excusable neglect. The pertinent facts and the Court’s application of the excusable neglect rule follow.

FINDINGS OF FACT

AMT was formed in 1994 and engaged in the business of supplying wound care products to patients in long-term nursing facilities. Its principal place of business was 17575 Cartwright Road, Irvine, California 92614. Gerald Del Signore was AMT’s sole shareholder, sole director and president.

Amazingly, AMT never filed a federal corporate income tax return nor did it pay any federal corporate income taxes during the entire period running from its inception in 1994 through 2007. This was not because AMT’s revenue and income were de minimis or insignificant.2 To the contrary, the evidence before the Court indicates AMT was receiving gross receipts in excess of $35 million per year and had net profits in excess of $1 million per year in or around 2007.

On or about March 31, 2007, AMT sold all its assets with the exception of then-existing accounts receivable to Gordian in exchange for a $2 million promissory note (that was never paid and was later can-celled). Gordian’s bankruptcy petition shows that Gordian’s stock is owned one third by Gerald Del Signore, one third by his wife Jean Del Signore and one third by his son Joseph Del Signore. Like AMT, Gordian is engaged in the business of supplying wound care products.

Gordian continued to use the same staff and sales force that AMT had used in providing wound care supplies.

The Service opened an audit of AMT in 2010. In early 2011 Revenue Agent David N. Fein of the Small Business/Self-Employed Operating Division, Examinations Unit, California Area, Santa Ana Territory, Group 8 summoned records of AMT bank accounts in an attempt to reconstruct AMT’s books and records for the 2006 through 2011 tax years. Sometime during the course of the audit AMT notified the Service of its asset sale to Gordian and provided copies of the underlying purchase and sale agreement to Mr. Fein.

Gordian filed its chapter 11 petition on February 24, 2012. The filing was precipitated by the withholding by CMS of approximately $9.4 million in payments for wound care products supplied by Gordian.3 Gordian later characterized the dispute with CMS as the central issue in the case, writing that “[t]he resolution of its issues with CMS is so fundamental that the Debt- or is unable to formulate a plan of reorganization until it is ascertained whether, and what, CMS will pay on account of the Debtor’s claims for dressings provided to patients with G-tubes.”4 The magnitude of the proof of claim filed by CMS — $76,-375,729.67 — supports this analysis.5

Gordian’s petition and all its subsequent pleadings prominently identify “American Medical Technologies” as a dba of Gordian. In the case of the petition, this dba is listed directly below Gordian’s name on the first page and is hard to miss even on cursory inspection. In the subsequent [796]*796pleadings the “American Medical Technologies” dba is shown on the first page and is part of the caption.

Gordian was under audit by the Service’s Large Business and International Division for the tax year ending March 31, 2011 at the time the petition was filed. At some point between February 24, 2012 and March 16, 2012, Gordian’s bankruptcy ease came to the attention of Ms. Lynne C. Weinberg-Davis of the Service’s Small Business/Self-Employed Operating Division, Collections Unit, Insolvency Territory 8, Insolvency Group 6. She signed the Service’s original proof of claim on March 16, 2012, and it was filed on March 19, 2012. The original proof of claim asserted a right to payment in the amount of $1,970,918.68 for estimated liabilities with respect to the Gordian tax years ending March 31, 2011 (pending examination) and March 31, 2012 (not yet filed). Ironically, this proof of claim specifically lists “American Medical Technologies” as an aka (i.e., also known as) of Gordian.

On May 30, 2012, the Court entered an order establishing an August 22, 2012 bar date for government claims, including taxing authority claims. There is no dispute that the Service received timely notice of the bar date and the bar date order.

The Service amended the original proof of claim on July 19, 2012. Apparently the Service’s audit of Gordian’s return for the tax year ending March 21, 2011 had resulted in a so-called “no change” letter, because the amended proof of claim dropped any claim with respect to this tax year and asserted only an estimated claim (“Unass-sessed Liability”) for the tax year ending March 31, 2012 in the amount of $1,395,804.63. Like the original proof of claim, the amended proof of claim is signed by Ms. Weinberg-Davis and lists “American Medical Technologies” as an aka of Gordian.

Despite the fact that Gordian and AMT were both under audit in early 2012 (albeit by different divisions) and despite the prominent display of the “American Medical Technologies” dba in the petition and all the Gordian-filed pleadings, and despite the listing of “American Medical Technologies” in the Service’s own original and amended proofs of claim in the Gordian case, the Service apparently did not link up these two entities until October 22, 2012 when Special Assistant United States Attorney David J.

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Bluebook (online)
499 B.R. 793, 2013 WL 5646314, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 4341, 58 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 162, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-gordian-medical-inc-cacb-2013.