In Re Lundeen

207 B.R. 604, 1997 Bankr. LEXIS 475, 1997 WL 189132
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Indiana
DecidedMarch 27, 1997
Docket19-70110
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 207 B.R. 604 (In Re Lundeen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Lundeen, 207 B.R. 604, 1997 Bankr. LEXIS 475, 1997 WL 189132 (Ind. 1997).

Opinion

*605 OPINION

LARRY L. LESSEN, Bankruptcy Judge.

The issue before the Court is whether the goodwill of the Debtor’s podiatry practice is an asset of the bankruptcy estate.

The Debtor, Richard O. Lundeen, obtained his license for the practice of podiatric medicine in the State of Indiana in 1977. He served a one year residency at Westview Hospital in 1978, and he became an employee of Jack B. Glick, D.P.M. upon the completion of his residency. By the time he completed six years of continuous employment with Dr. Glick, the Debtor had become a 50% interest holder with Dr. Glick in the podiatry practice operating in the North Guión Road vicinity. This office is known as the Westview Office.

In 1984, the Debtor contracted with Dr. Glick for the acquisition of Dr. Glick’s 50% interest in the Westview Office. The agreement provided for monthly installment payments over a ten year period to Dr. Glick in full satisfaction of his interest in the West-view Office.

In 1986, the Debtor contracted for the construction of a medical office building at 3731 Guión Road in Indianapolis. This facility included four medical office units including a unit to be utilized by the Debtor for the continuing operation of the Westview Office. Upon completion of construction, the West-view Office was moved to 3731 Guión Road.

In 1986, Winona Memorial Hospital granted the Debtor surgical privileges and created an orthopaedic/podiatric clinic under the trade name “Step Lively Clinic”. The Debt- or and Dr. Frank Throop, an orthopaedic surgeon, provided podiatric and orthopaedic services, respectively, in conjunction with the initiation of clinic services.

In 1988, the Debtor and two other podiatrists, Anthony Miller and Elliot Kleinman, organized Indianapolis Podiatry, P.C., a professional medical corporation, engaged in the practice of podiatric medicine, each owning an equal number of shares of the corporation. Podiatry employs a number of podiatrists to work in offices in several cities in the State of Indiana.

Upon its formation, Podiatry assumed the contract payments to Dr. Glick and continued to make them until the contract expired in August of 1994.

Dr. Miller began providing podiatric services at the Step Lively Clinic in 1988; Dr. Kleinman began providing his podiatric services at the Clinic in 1992.

At its inception, each of Podiatry’s principals executed employment agreements with Podiatry. Dr. Lundeen’s contract, executed on December 30, 1987, and effective beginning January 1, 1988, was for a one year term and was automatically renewed for succeeding one year terms. Podiatry could terminate the contract for cause, including mutual agreement, the absence from employment by the Debtor for more than 90 days due to illness or any other incapacity, disability, refusal to comply with the policies, standards and policies of Podiatry, death or ineompeteney, economic losses, and willful misconduct, fraud or dishonesty. The Debtor could only terminate his contract with Podiatry after giving one year’s notice and finding a suitable replacement. The Employment Contract includes a covenant not to compete whereby the Debtor agreed not to practice podiatry during the course of the agreement or for a two year period following the termination of the agreement in the geographic area serviced by Podiatry. The Debtor further agreed not to employ or solicit for employment the employees of Podiatry for the relevant two year period. A violation of the covenant not to compete resulted in liquidated damages.

On September 1, 1989, Podiatry entered into a “Professional Services Agreement” with Winona by which Winona retained Podiatry to operate and manage the Step Lively Clinic. The Agreement allowed Podiatry to retain 100% of the net patient revenue generated by the Clinic in exchange for annual rent of $15.37 per square foot for the 1,441 square foot facility. The Agreement was for a five year period, but could be terminated early under certain circumstances.

Winona expended thousands of dollars marketing the Step Lively Clinic from the inception of the Professional Services Agreement with Podiatry. In the spring of 1994, *606 Winona became concerned with certain fraud and abuse problems stemming from its marketing of the Step Lively Clinic. Winona was concerned that its marketing program could be perceived as offering financial incentives to doctors to bring business to the hospital which would be against the law. Wi-nona therefore cut back on the advertising to focus more on the hospital services than on the doctors, and then eliminated the advertising in late spring or early summer. The elimination of the advertising resulted in a decline in the number of surgeries performed at Winona. Winona was also concerned that Podiatry was violating the non-eompete provision of the Professional Services Agreement by operating a similar program at a competing hospital, Westview. For these reasons, Winona terminated the Professional Services Agreement with Podiatry in a letter dated August 1, 1994, effective immediately.

On August 3, 1994, Podiatry voted not to perform surgery at Winona after August 3, 1994. However, Podiatry agreed to continue to provide services to the patients that had been treated at the Step Lively Clinic.

On August 9, 1994, nine employees of Podiatry resigned their positions without prior notice.

On August 11, 1994, the Debtor filed his petition pursuant to Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. On this date, the Debtor asserted exclusive possession and control over the Westview Office by changing the locks and refusing admittance to other Podiatry officers. The nine employees of Podiatry who had resigned from Podiatry two days earlier began working for the Debtor on this date.

The Debtor was permitted to continue his podiatry practice by Winona at the Step Lively Clinic on and after August 1, 1994, without interruption. The Debtor also provided podiatrie services at the Westview Office between August 1, 1994, and September 1, 1994. The Debtor’s services during this time period were not rendered as an employee of Podiatry.

Simultaneously with the filing of his petition, the Debtor filed two motions. First, he filed a Motion to Reject his Employment Contract with Podiatry. Second, as the owner of the real estate at 3731 Guión Road, he filed a Motion for Approval of the Rejection of Real Property Lease by and between himself and Podiatry. Podiatry filed responses to the Motions and requested Court intervention to obtain possession of the Westview Office. In addition, Podiatry filed a claim for an alleged breach of the employment contract by the Debtor.

The Debtor and Podiatry began discussions immediately after the filing of the Debtor’s petition. After protracted negotiations, the parties developed a Settlement Agreement on or about September 1, 1994. The parties presented an interim agreement to the Court at a hearing on September 1, 1994. The parties represented that a written accord would be prepared for the Court, and a final hearing on the agreement was set for September 26, 1994. The Court issued an Order approving the settlement on September 27, 1994. Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement, the parties agreed:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
207 B.R. 604, 1997 Bankr. LEXIS 475, 1997 WL 189132, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-lundeen-insb-1997.