In re Hospital General San Carlos, Inc.

103 B.R. 367, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 2430, 1989 WL 86062
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in In re Hospital General San Carlos, Inc.. Read the opinion of the Court — 76 B.R. 10
District Court, D. Puerto Rico·Decided July 31, 1989·No. Bankruptcy No. 76-00279(SEK)·Published

Opinion

[368]*368OPINION AND ORDER

SARA E. De JESUS, Bankruptcy Judge.

This case is before the Court on a Motion filed by the Debtor seeking reconsideration of an Order entered on May 25, 1984, regarding Claim #4 filed by Dr. Victor Se-garra.

The background, procedural history and facts which led to the filing of this Motion are contained in Opinion and Orders entered by Hon. Beckerleg and by the Hon. Judge José Antonio Fuste, incorporated as Exhibits A and B to this Opinion, and also 76 BR 10. Suffice it to say that the Debt- or, Hospital General San Carlos, 'Inc., is asking the Court to reconsider the allowance of Dr. Segarra’s claim No. 4 as a secured claim, with its payment subordinated to the payment of Debtor’s “general creditors”.1

Debtor’s grounds for reconsideration are as follows:

“a) The transaction that gave rise to such claim and mortgage lien is fraudulent pursuant to Section 67(d)(1), (2), and (5) of the Bankruptcy Act, since the alleged transfer constituting the mortgage lien claimed by Dr. Segarra is an unper-fected security interest which is deemed to have been made immediately before the filing of the petition in this case by debtor.
b) Such claim and the mortgage allegedly securing the same is fraudulent against creditors of the debtor having claims provable under the Act, whereby the same is null and void against the debtor, pursuant to Section 67(d)(6) and [369]*369Section 403 of Act No. 3 approved January 9, 1956, 14 LPRA 1403.
c) The mentioned claim and the unper-fected security interest allegedly securing the same are null and void as to the debtor, pursuant to Section 70(c) of the Bankruptcy Act, since the debtor, as of the date of bankruptcy, has the right and powers of a creditor who upon such date obtained a lien by legal or equitable proceedings upon the realty allegedly encumbered with the mortgage lien supporting claim number 4 of Dr. Victor Segarra, upon which property a creditor of the debtor upon a simple contract could have obtained such a lien.”

The issue is whether there are sufficient grounds for granting the reconsideration pursuant to Rule 307.2

Rule 307 is a procedural provision allowing the reconsideration of claims that have already been allowed or disallowed, and has nothing to do with the substantive question of what claims are provable and allowable.3 Thus, the proceeding for reconsideration involves two steps: (1) the movant must first convince the Court there are sufficient grounds for it to schedule a reconsideration hearing; and, (2) at the hearing on reconsideration movant must be able to produce evidence which will cause the Court to allow the claim to stand, be reduced or be expunged.4

The Motion may be filed by a party in interest including the debtor, who must allege cause for the reconsideration. Courts have held that, “The clearest cause for reconsideration is the discovery, subsequent to allowance [of a claim], of new relevant facts or evidence that could not have been discovered at an earlier stage, or the discovery of clear errors in the order of allowance.”5 Thus, until the estate is closed, and even when it has been closed on petition for reopening, the allowance of a claim is subject to reconsideration provided sufficient cause has been alleged and the moving party is not precluded from presenting cause for the reconsideration by the doctrines of laches and estoppel.6 Lastly, the allowance of the reconsideration lies within the sound discretion of the court.7

Debtor alleges that the mortgage note issued upon the sale of Debtor’s stock to San Carlos Planning Corp. and pledged to Mr. Fernández Torrecillas (who was in charge of collecting the payment), was not delivered on the date the pledge was executed and notarized. Therefore, Debtor argues, under state law the pledged note is an unperfected security interest because it lacks certainty as to the date it was delivered. Under the strong arm clause of the U.S. Bankruptcy Act, an unperfected security interest could be avoided by Debtor, without regard to the time limits set forth in the avoidance of fraudulent conveyance provisions of the Act. If Debtor could avoid the pledge because it was not perfected according to the laws of Puerto Rico, Dr. Segarra would lose his secured claim which he currently holds by virtue of the pledged mortgage note which payment is guaranteed by the lien encumbering the Hospital’s grounds.

[370]*370What new relevant evidence, not available in 1984 when the Debtor first objected to Dr. Segarra’s claim and was afforded a hearing, is now brought to the Court’s attention?

The only “new evidence” produced by Debtor to substantiate this new legal theory is stated as follows: “Subsequent to the allowance of Segarra’s claim, the Debtor discovered new facts and/or evidence that Segarra has no valid claim against the estate, to wit: On May 1, 1985, subsequent to the allowance of Segarra’s claim, the Debt- or discovered according to the Judgment in Segarra v. Kanbar, Civil Case 76-1056(CC), the only one liable to Segarra’s claim was San Carlos Planning Corporation, not the Debtor’s estate.” The Debt- or’s estate may not be personally liable to Dr. Segarra, but so long as the pledge of the mortgage note remains valid, property of this estate in bankruptcy may be liable in rent for payment of Dr. Segarra’s portion of the sales price.

Furthermore, the avoidance of the pledge under the strong arm clause of the Act would depend on the date the pledge was executed and the date the pledged mortgage note was delivered to Mr. Fernández Torrecillas. These relevant dates appear in documents which were available to the Debtor at the time it first objected to Dr. Segarra’s claim.8 Moreover, Judge Cere-zo’s opinion determining who was personally liable for the purchase price to Dr. Se-garra, (Mr. Kanbar or his corporation San Carlos Planning), is not needed to adjudicate the avoidance of the pledge.

Hence, Debtor has not offered any new, unknown or concealed fact or evidence which would cause this Court to grant the reconsideration requested. The Court views the Motion as Debtor’s attempt to relitigate its objection to Dr. Segarra’s claim by invoking a legal theory different from the one raised in 1984, but based on the same evidence available when the matter was heard and adjudicated both in bankruptcy and on appeal before the U.S. District Court. Therefore, Debtor’s reliance on Rule 307 is misplaced.

Wherefore, Debtor’s Motion is denied because Debtor has not shown the cause required by Rule 307.

EXHIBIT A

In the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Puerto Rico

B-76-279(B)

In re: Hospital General San Carlos, Inc., Debtor

OPINION AND ORDER CLAIM NO. 4 DR. VICTOR SEGARRA

Dr. Victor Segarra on Dec. 20, 1976 filed herein Claim No. 4.

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In re Hospital General San Carlos, Inc., 103 B.R. 367, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 2430, 1989 WL 86062 (prd 1989).

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