In re Penn Central Transportation Co.

340 F. Supp. 851, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14794
District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania·Decided March 7, 1972·No. No. 70-347·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER NO. 602

FULLAM, District Judge.

Order No. 78 governs sales of real and personal property involving less than $100,000, and the salvage and re-use of personal property of the Debtor. The Trustees and various other parties in interest now seek certain substantive and procedural revisions in that Order. Moreover, some questions have apparently arisen as to the adequacy of notice of the hearing which resulted in Order No. 78.

To consider the requested changes, and to afford a further opportunity for all interested persons to be heard, a further hearing has been held. Pursuant to Order No. 474, direct and adequate notice, in person and by publication, has been given to all taxing authorities involved; indeed, many appeared at the hearing and expressed their views.

The issues raised are many and complex. The taxing authorities seek to have tax claims satisfied from the proceeds of sales, and to expand the definition of tax claims. The Trustees argue for continuation of the practice of es-crowing the proceeds, subject to the tax liens, with payment discretionary. Mortgage indenture trustees seek a declaration of administrative claim status for mortgaged salvage used elsewhere, and for any payments of taxes.

While these matters are being debated and considered, it is essential that the program of sales not be stultified. The form of order proposed by the Trustees permits the sales to continue, but affords protection to all of the interests asserted. However, against the possibility that the definition of “tax claims” may ultimately be enlarged, the proposed order will be modified to insure that sums double the amount of present tax claims as defined in paragraph 3 of Order No. 602 will remain in escrow, not subject to interim withdrawals.

The above determination is interim in nature pending final resolution of the contentions of the parties.

ORDER NO. 602

And now, this 7th day of March, 1972, upon consideration of the Motion of the Trustees to Amend Order No. 78 [853]*853Authorizing the Trustees to Sell Property and to Recover and use Property; it appearing that personal notice and notice by publication has been effectuated pursuant to Order No. 474 of this Court; and upon hearing thereon, it is ordered that Order No. 78, entered November 16, 1970, be amended to read as follows;

1. The Trustees or their duly authorized designees are hereby authorized:

(a) To convey, from time to time, at private sale or exchange, free from all legal and equitable liens or whatever kind and whenever arising, without notice, for the best prices or values obtainable, such of the property of the Debtor, real or personal, referred to in the Petition for Order No. 78 as may be salable and is not needed by the Trustees in the operation of the railroad or in the conduct of their business; subject, however, to the limitation that the amount involved in any single sale or transaction shall not exceed $100,000;
(b) To salvage for reuse any personal property which will be economically useful or valuable in the maintenance or operation of the Debtor’s estate or the conduct of the Trustees’ business;
(c) To scrap any personal property which is no longer economically useful or valuable in the maintenance or operation of the Debtor’s estate or the conduct of the Trustees’ business;

Provided, (i) that any such sale, exchange, salvage or scrap transaction would, in the absence of a default, be permissible under the terms of any mortgage constituting a lien on the property sold, exchanged, salvaged or scrapped (but the documentation provided for under such mortgage shall not be required); (ii) that except in accordance with Section 77(o) of the Bankruptcy Act, no such transaction would break the continuity of any line of railway upon which any such mortgage constitutes a lien or eliminate access to any terminal or interchange point of any such line of railway; and (iii) that nothing herein shall affect the rights and obligations under any equipment obligation affirmed by the Trustees.

2. When any property is sold or exchanged pursuant to this Order, which property is subject to any lien, including tax liens and liens authorized by the Court, all such liens shall attach to any property received in exchange and to the net proceeds from any such sale or exchange, in the respective order of priorities thereof. Such net proceeds shall, subject to all such liens as noted above, promptly be deposited with the indenture trustee of the mortgage constituting the first lien on the property sold or exchanged. Such net proceeds shall be held by the indenture trustee of such mortgage in an appropriate trust account and shall, at the direction of the Trustees or their duly authorized designees, be invested in certificates of deposit of any bank or trust company or short term securities of the United States Government or any agency thereof. The income or proceeds of such investments shall be added to the deposited' funds. In the event that (i) rolling stock or other personal property sold or exchanged is subject to the liens of two or more mortgages and (ii) it is impossible to determine which mortgage constitutes the prior mortgage lien on such property, then the net proceeds shall be deposited with The Industrial Valley Bank & Trust Company, and all of the provisions of Order No. 366 shall apply to such proceeds and the investment, accounting and expenditure with respect thereto, as if such sales or exchange were specifically made subject to the provisions of Order No. 366 by further order of this Court.

3. The Trustees are authorized to withdraw such funds as have been deposited with the various indenture trustees, together with the income therefrom, from time to time to pay for additions and betterments to properties which are or will be subject to the same mortgage liens and in the same order of priority [854]*854as pertained to the property from which the deposited funds were derived; provided, (i) that such additions and betterments to which the deposited funds are to be applied shall not have been made earlier than six months prior to the date such funds were deposited, but in no event prior to June 21, 1970; (ii) that the application of proceeds of transactions described in paragraph 2 hereof to pay for such additions and betterments would, in the absence of default, be permissible under the terms of the first mortgage on the property so improved; and (iii) that any such withdrawals shall be made only upon presentation to the indenture trustee of such first mortgage of a certificate (a copy of which shall be furnished to the indenture trustee of each junior mortgage on such proceeds) made by the Trustees or their duly authorized designees describing the additions and betterments and stating that such additions and betterments are subject to the liens of such mortgages in such order of priority and have a fair value not less than the amount to be so withdrawn, which presentation for withdrawals shall be honored promptly. Withdrawals shall be permitted subsequent to the date of this amended order only in the event that the amount of the proceeds, together with the income thereon, on deposit with an indenture trustee exceeds twice the total amount of any “tax claims” with respect to the parcels of real property from which the deposited funds have been derived.

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In re Penn Central Transportation Co., 340 F. Supp. 851, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14794 (E.D. Pa. 1972).

340 F. Supp. 851 (In re Penn Central Transportation Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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