In re Olympia Office LLC

574 B.R. 38, 2017 Bankr. LEXIS 1835
United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. New York·Decided June 30, 2017·No. Case Nos.: 16-74892 (AST), 16-75515 (AST), 16-75516 (AST), 16-75517 (AST) (Jointly Administered)·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

ORDER CONCERNING DEBTORS’ STANDING TO OBJECT TO NOTEHOLDER CLAIMS AND TRIAL EVIDENTIARY ISSUES

Alan S. Trust, United States Bankruptcy Judge

The Court enters this Order in accordance with Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 1, 16, 43, and 44, as incorporated by Rules 1001, 7016, 9014, and 9017 of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, as well as the Federal Rules of Evidence. This Order addresses the standing of Debtors to object to the proofs of claim filed by a secured creditor, as well as certain evidentiary issues raised at and after trial.

Pending before the Court are the following:

MLMT 2005-MCP1 Washington Office Properties, LLC’s (“MLMT” or “Note-holder”), Motion for Relief from the Automatic Stay under Bankruptcy Code Sections 362(d)(1), 362(d)(2), and 362(d)(4). [dkt item 94]
MLMT’s Motion for Dismissal or Conversion of the above-captioned Bankruptcy Cases under Bankruptcy Code Section 1112(b). [dkt item 95]
Olympia Office LLC’s (“Debtors”), Opposition to the Relief from Stay Motion and Motion to Dismiss, [dkt item 107]
MLMT’s Reply in Support of the Relief from Stay Motion and Motion to Dismiss. [dkt item 110]
Debtors’ Motion to Object to Proof of Claim # 4-1, filed by MLMT. [dkt item 127]
MLMT’s Memorandum of Law in Opposition to the POC # 4-1 Objection, [dkt item 152]
MLMT’s Motion to Strike (“Motion to Strike”) and Evidentiary Objection to Debtors’ Reply, [dkt item 229]
MLMT and Debtors’ Joint Letter Regarding Admission, of Evidence, [dkt item 245]
Debtors’ Request for admission of Accountant Report, [dkt item 246]
Debtors’ Request to submit David Born-heimer Deposition Transcript and Designations. [dkt items 247,248]

BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY1

Pre-Petition History

In or about 2004, an entity known as CDC Properties I, LLC (“CDC”) entered into two loan agreements (the “Loans”) with Merrill Lynch Mortgage Lending, Inc. (the “Original Lender”), and secured those Loans .with liens against eleven properties located in the State of Washington (the “Original Collateral”) pursuant to duly recorded deeds of trust (the “Deeds of Trust”). On or about September 30, 2005, the Original Lender assigned the Loans to Wells Fargo Bank N.A., as Trustee for the Registered Holders of Merrill [41]*41Lynch Mortgage Trust 2005-MCP1 Commercial Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2005-MCP1 (“Wells Fargo”) and U.S. Bank, N.A., as Successor-Trustee to LaSalle Bank N.A., as Trustee for the benefit of the Certificate Holders of Commercial Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series MCCMT 2004-C2D (“U.S. Bank” and together with Wells Fargo, “Lenders”).

CDC defaulted under the Loans, and on February 10, 2011, filed a voluntary petition for relief under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Western District of Washington (the “CDC Bankruptcy Court”), and assigned Case No. 11-41010 (the “CDC Bankruptcy Case”). On November 22, 2011, the CDC Bankruptcy Court confirmed CDC’s Plan of Reorganization (the “CDC Plan”), under which, inter alia, the Loans and Deeds of Trust remained in effect pursuant to their terms but with new monthly payment amounts and a new maturity date of October 17, 2017. The CDC Bankruptcy Case was closed on or about February 15,2012.

Under the CDC Plan, Midland Loan Services, Inc., a division of PNC Bank, N.A. (“Midland”), acted as special servicer with respect to the Loans secured by the Original Collateral. While the CDC Plan placed various payment and reserve obligations on the reorganized debtor, the cash generated by operation of CDC’s properties was actually collected through a lock box and disburséd through accounts controlled by Midland.

CDC defaulted under its Plan obligations. On March 11, 2016, Lenders commenced non-judicial foreclosure proceedings against the nine commercial properties that remained from the Original Collateral (the “Properties”). In May 2016, Lenders filed a Petition to Appoint Custodial Receiver in Washington state court to, among other things, obtain the appointment of a receiver over the Properties. On May 19, 2016, the state court entered its Order Appointing Custodial Receiver, pursuant to which JSH Properties, Inc, was appointed receiver over the Properties.

On or about July 1, 2016, Lenders served and subsequently recorded Notices of Trustee’s Sales with respect to the Properties (the “Notices of Sale”), pursuant to which non-judicial foreclosure sales of the Properties were scheduled for October 21,2016.

On or about September 23, 2016, CDC, without Lenders’ consent, transferred all of the Properties by Quitclaim Deeds (the “Transfers”) to four different, newly created entities located in four different states other than Washington (New York, Florida, Virginia, and Delaware), as tenants in common. These four entities are: Olympia Office LLC (“Olympia”); Sea-hawk Portfolio LLC; Mariners Portfolio LLC; and WA Portfolio LLC (collectively, the “Acquirers”). While each Acquirer, alone, received fractional interests in the Properties, collectively, they obtained 100% ownership of the Properties. At the time of the Transfers, the outstanding balance owed on the Loans allegedly exceeded $33 million.

On or about October 18, 2016, the Note-holder succeeded to Lenders’ rights under the Loans and the Deeds of Trust.

These Debtors’ Bankruptcies, Parties’ Motions, Evidentiary Hearing, and Post-Hearing Submissions

On October 20, 2016, Olympia filed a voluntary petition under chapter 11 before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York (the “Court”).

On November 16, 2016, Noteholder filed a motion with this Court pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 362(d) seeking entry of an order [42]*42determining that the automatic stay does not apply, [dkt item 19]

On November 28, 2016, the remaining Acquirers (Seahawk Portfolio, Mariners Portfolio, and WA Portfolio) each filed chapter 11 cases with this Court (collectively with Olympia, “Debtors”). These four related cases have been administratively consolidated.

On December 1, 2016, the Court entered an Order that determined, inter alia, the Properties were property of Debtors’ estates and the automatic stay applied to the Properties, [dkt item 33]

On January 27, 2017, Noteholder filed a Motion for relief from the automatic stay pursuant to §§ 362(d)(1), 362(d)(2), and 362(d)(4) of the Bankruptcy Code (the “Relief from Stay Motion”), [dkt item 94]

On January 27, 2017, Noteholder filed a Motion for dismissal or conversion of the above-captioned Bankruptcy Cases pursuant to § 1112(b) (the “Motion to Dismiss”), [dkt item 95]

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In re Olympia Office LLC, 574 B.R. 38, 2017 Bankr. LEXIS 1835 (N.Y. 2017).

574 B.R. 38 (In re Olympia Office LLC) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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