In Re Lacy

297 B.R. 786, 2003 WL 22094513
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Colorado
DecidedAugust 21, 2003
Docket14-11413
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 297 B.R. 786 (In Re Lacy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Lacy, 297 B.R. 786, 2003 WL 22094513 (Colo. 2003).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

SIDNEY B. BROOKS, Chief Judge.

THIS MATTER comes before the Court on the Motion to Convert Case to Chapter 7 Liquidation (“Motion to Convert”) (Dock *789 et No. 237) filed on March 4, 2003 by Stinky Love, Inc. (“SLI”) and the Objection thereto (Docket No. 242) filed on March 27, 2003 by Nesbit Lee Lacy (“Debtor”). The Court, having reviewed the file and conducted an evidentiary hearing on June 4, 2003, and being otherwise advised in the premises, makes the following findings of fact, conclusions of law and order.

Based upon the reasons set forth below, this Court concludes that it is appropriate and necessary to convert the within bankruptcy case from Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code to Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. Thus, SLI’s Motion to Convert (Docket No. 237) shall be GRANTED.

I. INTRODUCTION

The pending Motion to Convert cannot be adequately dealt with in isolation. It must be viewed in the greater context of the events leading up to bankruptcy, during bankruptcy and after confirmation of Debtor’s First Amended Plan of Reorganization (“Plan”). This Court has presided over this bankruptcy case during a period of almost three years. Indeed, this case has had a long and tortured history.

The record before this Court, established by the numerous pleadings filed and the hearings held prior to confirmation and post-confirmation, chronicles a two-party war. That is, the Debtor, on the one hand, and the creditor, SLI, on the other. While others have been affected by this battle— most notably, Preferred Bank and D & A Mortgage, two creditors on certain commercial rental property owed by the Debt- or located on Melrose Drive in Los Ange-les — from beginning to end, the two real players in this case are SLI and Debtor.

The Court also has concluded, over time, that this proceeding-filed here in Colorado by an individual who evidently resides in California and whose assets are primarily located in California 1 and who has been involved in bitter and extended litigation in California with California-based SLI — was filed primarily as a tool to continue litigation with SLI, then long pending in California, but in a venue and under circumstances more advantageous to the Debtor and less amenable to SLI. The events and machinations leading to the present Motion to Convert illustrate that the Debtor is nimble at procedural and transactional gymnastics, but improperly manipulative of the bankruptcy system and abusive toward his principal creditor/adversary, SLI.

Moreover, in adjudicating the Motion to Convert, the Court finds that SLI presented reliable, relevant and sufficient evidence in support of its stance. However, the quality and quantity of evidence presented — or, more accurately, not presented — by the Debtor with respect to: (1) the accuracy of representations in the Plan and the Third Amended Disclosure Statement (“Disclosure Statement”), 2 (2) the representations made in the Debtor’s Chapter 11 Final Report and Application for Final Decree, and (3) ostensible compliance with the Plan, as raised in the defense of the Motion to Convert, leads this Court to the inevitable conclusion that rep- *790 reservations made by this Debtor in his Plan, Disclosure Statement, Chapter 11 Final Report and Application for Final Decree are poor, at best, and at worst, misleading or fraudulent.

The foregoing serves as a foundation for the specific findings below.

II. THE HISTORY LEADING TO THE BANKRUPTCY CASE

A. The IAC/SLI Contract and the Box Office Failure of “Love Stinks” 3

In 1997, Debtor made investments and loans to a venture which became Independent Artists Company, LLC (“IAC”). In early 1999, IAC began operations and shortly thereafter other ventures (“IAC ventures”) were formed and also began operations. Over time, Debtor made investments in the various IAC ventures to facilitate their operations and additional capital was sought in order for them to fully implement their various plans of operations. One of these plans of operations involved the marketing of a movie entitled “Love Stinks.” SLI was a corporation formed by the producers of that movie.

Since IAC was the first of the companies to become operational, and time was of the essence, IAC assumed the worldwide distribution and licensing rights to the movie “Love Stinks.” IAC later assigned the domestic distribution responsibilities to Independent Artists Domestic Distribution, LLC (“IADD”). Initially it was agreed that the film “Love Stinks” should have a marketing budget of $5,000,000.00. Debt- or agreed to lend to IAC the $5,000,000.00 in the event that it could not raise these funds from outside sources within a certain time-frame.

It became apparent that IAC was not going to be able to raise the $5,000,000.00. Debtor then borrowed monies obtained by pledging as security certain personal assets. He then lent the funds he had borrowed to IAC so IAC could provide the monies needed to domestically distribute the film and attempt to fulfill its contractual obligations for worldwide rights with SLI.

In the months to follow, SLI, along with a Mr. David Sheldon, IAC’s Vice President of Business Affairs (“Mr.Sheldon”), and IADD agreed to an expenditure of $8,000,000.00, instead of the $5,000,000.00 for the marketing of “Love Stinks.” Debt- or advised that IAC would not be able to advance more than the $5,000,000.00 already committed. In order to commit to an additional $3,000,000.00, it would be necessary to borrow funds from another source. Mr. Sheldon arranged for a loan from the Lewis Horowitz Organization (“LHO”), which required the assignment of all IAC rights in the film to a newly-formed single purpose entity called Love Stinks Distribution, and the pledging, in first position, of all the film’s revenue streams, after deducting fees and costs, until the full repayment of the LHO loan. As a consequence of the new arrangement with LHO, IAC and SLI entered into a revised contract restructuring the terms of the initial contract in order to allow for the LHO loan to go forward.

The movie “Love Stinks” failed in the box office. The film failed to generate even worst-case statistical projections for revenue based upon the marketing and distribution plan. Obviously, the failure of *791 the film had a negative effect on the financial circumstance of IAC and Debtor. Because domestic revenue paled in comparison to the expenditures and because the first rights to revenue balances from the film were pledged to LHO, IAC became unable to service its debts in a timely fashion. This caused IAC to have cash flow difficulties, which then led to IAC’s (1) inability to service or repay Debtor for his loans, (2) failure to pay Debtor’s salary, and (3) failure to pay rent on leased office space at certain commercial property owned by the Debtor located on Melrose Drive in Los Angeles, California (“The Melrose Place Property”).

B.

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Related

In Re Lacy
353 B.R. 264 (D. Colorado, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
297 B.R. 786, 2003 WL 22094513, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-lacy-cob-2003.