In re Love-Seemann Properties

49 B.R. 770, 1985 Bankr. LEXIS 6181
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Hawaii
DecidedMay 6, 1985
DocketBankruptcy No. 84-00196
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 49 B.R. 770 (In re Love-Seemann Properties) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Hawaii primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Love-Seemann Properties, 49 B.R. 770, 1985 Bankr. LEXIS 6181 (Haw. 1985).

Opinion

ORDER DENYING CONFIRMATION OF PLAN

JON J. CHINEN, Bankruptcy Judge.

The proposal of Love-Seemann Properties, (“Debtor”) for an Order to Confirm the Plan of Reorganization and the Motion for Appointment of Trustee filed by Honolulu Limited, a creditor, came on for hearing before the undersigned Judge on December 21, 1984 and February 11, 1985. At the hearing, Debtor was represented by James A. Wagner, Esq., Honolulu Limited by Glen M. Miyajima, Esq., the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) by Louise Y. Ing, Esq. and First Interstate Bank of Hawaii (“First Interstate”) by Gordon Nelson, Esq. The Court, having considered the evidence, the memoranda filed by the parties and the arguments of counsel and being fully advised in the premises, hereby renders the following Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order.

FINDINGS OF FACT

This Court has jurisdiction of this contested matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1471 and 11 U.S.C. §§ 362, 363 and 552(b) and also under 11 U.S.C. § 1104, et seq.

Debtor filed its petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code on April 18, 1984, and is in possession of its property. Honolulu Limited is a corporation duly organized under the laws of the State of Hawaii.

The Debtor claims an interest in certain residential real property located in Hanalei, Island and County of Kauai, State of Hawaii, more particularly described as Tax Map Key Nos. 5-5-002-005 and 5-5-002-105 (“subject property”). Honolulu Limited is the fee owner of the subject property.

On or about May 5,1978, Honolulu Limited entered into a certain Agreement of Sale whereby it agreed to sell and James C. Blackwell, Jr., and Virginia R. Blackwell (“Blackwells”) agreed to purchase the subject property. Shortly thereafter on or about May 12, 1978, the Blackwells entered into two Sub-Agreements of Sale whereby the Blackwells agreed to sell and Michael [771]*771S. Seemann agreed to purchase the subject property.

Subsequently, on or about May 15, 1978, Michael S. Seemann assigned both of the aforementioned Sub-Agreements of Sale to Debtor. Payments in full of the total purchase price under the Agreement of Sale and under both Sub-Agreements of Sale were due on May 22, 1983.

The Debtor has failed to pay the balance of the purchase price due to the Blackwells under both Sub-Agreements of Sale in the principal amount of $560,000.00. Upon the Debtor’s default on May 22, 1983, interest has accrued and continues to accrue on the indebtedness at the rate of 12% per annum or $67,200.00 per year.

The Debtor has failed to pay real property taxes on the premises since 1980. As of March 9, 1984, the delinquent amount of such taxes, interest and penalties totalled $18,882.43 and the Debtor has not paid any real property taxes from March, 1984 to the date of the hearing. The Debtor has disclosed that the real property tax delinquencies exceed $20,000.00. The Debtor’s indebtedness to the Blackwells has remained in default since May 22, 1983 and as a result Honolulu Limited has received no payments since May 22, 1983.

On or about June 20, 1983, Honolulu Limited filed suit against, inter alia, the Debtor, seeking cancellation of the May 5, 1978 Agreement of Sale and/or foreclosure, in Civil No. 3046, in the Circuit Court of the Fifth Circuit, State of Hawaii. On or about February 22, 1984, the Circuit Judge granted Honolulu Limited’s Motion for Summary Judgment and For Appointment of Commissioner For Sale of Real Property. The auction in foreclosure was scheduled to be held on April 19, 1984. The Debtor filed its petition in bankruptcy on April 18, 1984.

The Debtor has had the benefit of an over 20 months delay from the state court action since the filing of its petition in bankruptcy. Notwithstanding this delay, the Debtor has been unable to sell the subject property or to obtain financing to satisfy the Sub-Agreements of Sale which would thereby satisfy Honolulu Limited’s Agreement of Sale.

The amount of Honolulu Limited’s claim is increasing at the rate of nearly $5,000.00 per month, and the Debtor’s debt to the Blackwells is increasing at the rate of $5,600.00 per month, all at the expense of the unsecured creditors of the Debtor.

The Debtor admits that it has listed the subject property for sale at $2.9 million and at $2.6 million, both figures being substantially higher than Debtor’s own “appraisal”.

Debtor is not operating any business on the subject property which is being used primarily as a vacation residence for the two partners. The property itself does not produce any income. The Debtor itself has no source of income and relies, if anything, upon monies to be furnished by one of the partners, namely by Stephen Love, who has admitted that he has no source of income and in fact has extensive liabilities and debts which are already in default and are subject to foreclosure proceedings in other courts.

Since the purchase of the property, the Debtor has had approximately 6 V2 years in which to attempt to sell the property and has been unsuccessful. The Debtor’s proposed plan of reorganization provides that the Debtor shall have two more years after confirmation of the plan within which to sell the property. Since the subject property is not business property and is used as a vacation home by the two partners, there are no employees other than a caretaker.

Dennis Nakahara, a real estate appraiser, testified that the subject property has a cash sale value, as of December 19, 1984, of not less than $1,750,000.00. Terry Hand, the real estate broker who presently holds a listing of the property, testified that the value of the property is between $1,750,000.00 and $2,300,000.00, depending on the terms of the sale.

Since the filing of the petition on April 18, 1984, the Debtor has been actively marketing the subject property and has received three successive offers of $1,000,-[772]*772000.00, $1,200,000.00 and $1,350,000.00 respectively.

The Debtor’s liabilities, based upon its own Ex Parte Application to Approve Listing Agreement filed on November 23, 1984, are approximately as follows:

1. Secured claims, including the claim of First Interstate Bank. 595,000.00
2. Priority claims (Wages & Taxes) 24,000.00
3. Unsecured claims 180,000.00
$799,000.00

Instead of immediately selling the subject property, the Debtor proposes to take two years to market the property at $2.6 to 2.9 million, which would enable the Debtor to pay the creditors 100 percent of their claims. The Debtor contends that, if the subject property is sold at foreclosure at this time, all of the creditors may not receive a return of 100 percent.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

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Bluebook (online)
49 B.R. 770, 1985 Bankr. LEXIS 6181, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-love-seemann-properties-hib-1985.