In re Southern Land Title Corp.

301 F. Supp. 431, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10184
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in In re Southern Land Title Corp.. Read the opinion of the Court — 316 F. Supp. 1059
District Court, E.D. Louisiana·Decided November 27, 1968·No. No. 67-135·Published

Opinion

HEEBE, District Judge:

The § 144, 11 U.S.C. § 544, hearing with respect to the above corporations, all wholly-owned subsidiaries of Southern Land Title Corporation, was held on September 20, 1967. On October 16, 1967, we entered an order sustaining the voluntary petition of each of the subsidiaries as well as the involuntary petition for the reorganization of Southern Land. We indicated that we would assign written reasons at a later date. Inasmuch as the matter is now on appeal, we issue this opinion to serve as our findings of fact and conclusions of law which contain our reasons for our rulings as to the subsidiaries as we have already issued our opinion as to Southern Land on November 25, 1968. On October 11, 1968, we issued orders adjudging Place Vendóme, Inc. and Lakeview Properties, Inc. bankrupt and directed that ordinary bankruptcy proceedings be proceeded with for those corporations. Consequently, no need exists at this time to explain our rulings initially sustaining the petitions for those corporations, and in the interest of economy we will not consider those corporations.

As noted in the Southern Land opinion, In re Southern Land Title Corporation, D.C., 301 F.Supp. 379, each of the six subsidiaries of Southern Land filed its own voluntary petition for reorganization on June 19, 1967, after we dis-missed the involuntary petition for the reorganization of Southern Land and its six subsidiaries insofar as it pertained to the six subsidiaries. We now turn to an individual consideration of the subsidiaries.

(1) Bourbon Kings Hotel Corporation. The National Bank of North America, a creditor, was the only party objecting to the voluntary petition of the Bourbon Kings Hotel Corporation (Bourbon Kings). The issues raised by the Bank’s answer were similar to the issues presented at the good faith hearing of Southern Land. However, since the prior voluntary petition of Southern Land, which was heard by Judge Mitchell, did not relate to any of its subsidi[433]*433aries, there was no issue presented in our ease with respect to any of the subsidiaries regarding the “pending petition’’ and res judicata and estoppel arguments which were presented with regard to the involuntary petition against Southern Land and which we fully discussed in the Southern Land opinion. Nor was there any issue presented with respect to interposition by Southern Land of the petitioning creditors inasmuch as this was a voluntary petition. The Bank, however, did mention in its answer that the petition of Bourbon Kings was filed for purposes of delay. The Bank, however, did not offer anything to support that statement. We assume that the Bank more or less relied on Judge Mitchell’s finding, discussed in our Southern Land opinion, with respect to the voluntary petition filed by Southern Land. However, with the exception of the fact that this was also a voluntary petition, the differences which we pointed out in the Southern Land opinion between Judge Mitchell’s case and our case also exist with respect to Bourbon Kings. On page 394 of the Southern Land opinion we pointed out the eight main factors which Judge Mitchell’s findings of fact and conclusions of law indicated he relied upon. The last four factors did not exist in our Southern Land case and do not exist with respect to Bourbon Kings. Further, the first factor does not exist with respect to Bourbon Kings inasmuch as the debtor corporation included its balance sheet with its verified petition. Nor do the third and fourth factors exist with respect to Bourbon Kings. In the absence of these factors, as well as the absence of any other factors which would lead us to believe that the Bourbon Kings was merely seeking delay, we are unable to conclude that delay was the purpose of the petition. It is true that the petitioner has the burden of proving the statutory elements of good faith when those allegations of the petition are controverted. However, when the petitioner meets that burden, as Bourbon Kings has, and there are no facts apparent to the Court upon which it feels justified to conclude that the petition was filed for purposes of delay or is for some other reason not within the general undefined meaning of good faith, we believe it is incumbent upon the parties opposing reorganization to come forward with some evidence of their position. For once the petitioner has satisfied the Court that the four statutory elements of good faith exist, the only logical inference this Court can draw is that the petition was not filed for purposes of delay.

The crucial issue with respect to Bourbon Kings is, as it was with respect to Southern Land, whether it is unreasonable to expect that a plan of reorganization can be effected. We do not feel it is necessary to discuss the Bank’s averments that no equity exists in the debt- or’s property for the unsecured creditors or for the stockholders and that the debt- or’s earning power is insufficient to meet its obligations as they mature and that therefore it is unreasonable to expect that a plan of reorganization can be effected because we thoroughly discussed the same contentions in Southern Land. We note that the Bank does not aver that the assets of Bourbon Kings are deteriorating and declining in value, as it claimed with respect to its property in Southern Land, and we need not discuss that. In fact, the only asset of Bourbon Kings at the time the petition was filed was the Bourbon Orleans Hotel and its furniture and fixtures, and it is clear that the Hotel is not declining in value and thus the Bank’s security is not being impaired.

The pro forma balance sheet of Bourbon Kings of December 15, 1966, which was attached to its petition, indicates that the Bourbon Orleans Hotel is carried on the books at a value of $12,-500,000. Its liabilities include a first mortgage held by the National Bank of North America (formerly Meadow Brook National Bank) for $4,156,354.21, junior mortgages held by the Exchange National Bank of Chicago for $564,450.00 and by Dan M. White, Agent, for $540,-[434]*434000.00, accounts payable of $370,656.24, notes payable of $55,220.15, and taxes of $8,250.00, for total liabilities of $5,694,-900.60. This leaves an ostensible net equity of Bourbon Kings of $6,805,-099.40. It is clear, however, that the Bourbon Orleans Hotel is not worth $12,-500,000.00. At the good faith hearing of Southern Land, Mr. Henican, who was president of Southern Land until the time it filed its own voluntary petition for reorganization, was called by counsel for the National Bank of North America for cross-examination under F.R. Civ.P. 43 (b) as to the value of the Bourbon Orleans Hotel as well as for other purposes. As we indicated at the hearing, we felt that it was quite proper for the Bank to call Mr. Henican for cross-examination under Rule 43(b) even though at that time he was no longer an officer of Southern Land. Even if this \yas not proper under Rule 43(b), it would be quite proper under § 21 (j) of the Bankruptcy Act, 11 U.S.C. § 44(j), which is applicable to reorganization proceedings by virtue of § 102 of the Bankruptcy Act, 11 U.S.C. § 502, even though counsel for the Bank did not refer us to § 21 (j).

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In re Southern Land Title Corp., 301 F. Supp. 431, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10184 (E.D. La. 1968).

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