In re State Street Associates, L.P.

342 B.R. 32, 2005 Bankr. LEXIS 2884, 2005 WL 4022334
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. New York
DecidedOctober 27, 2005
DocketNos. 04-63673, 04-63672
StatusPublished

This text of 342 B.R. 32 (In re State Street Associates, L.P.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re State Street Associates, L.P., 342 B.R. 32, 2005 Bankr. LEXIS 2884, 2005 WL 4022334 (N.Y. 2005).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM-DECISION, FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND ORDER

STEPHEN D. GERLING, Chief Judge.

Before the Court is a motion filed on October 21, 2004, by New York State Mortgage Loan Enforcement and Administration Corporation (“MLC”), as agent for the New York State Urban Development Corporation (“UDC”), doing business as Empire State Development Corporation (“ESDC”)1 and New York State Project Finance Agency (“PFA”) (collectively the “UDC”), seeking relief from the automatic stay pursuant to § 362(d) of the United States Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. §§ 101-1330 (“Code”). Opposition to the motion was filed on behalf of State Street Associates, L.P. (“SSA”) and State Street Houses, Inc. (“SSH”) (collectively, the “Debtors”) on November 18, 2004.

The motion was heard at the Court’s regular motion term in Utica, New York, on November 23, 2004. Following oral [34]*34argument, the Court indicated that it would schedule an evidentiary hearing on the motion. Originally scheduled for February 23, 2005, the evidentiary hearing was adjourned to March 17, 2005, on consent of the parties. Ultimately, after a further consensual adjournment, two days of evidentiary hearings were held on May 12, 2005 and June 2, 2005.2 In order to allow both parties the opportunity to obtain transcripts of the hearings and to provide the Court with post-hearing memoranda of law, the matter was taken under submission by the Court on July 21, 2005.

JURISDICTIONAL STATEMENT

The Court has core jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter of this contested matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1334, 157(a), (b)(1) and (b)(2)(A), (G) and (O).

FACTS

On July 21, 1971, SSH borrowed $8,105,000 from UDC to construct and operate Kennedy Plaza Apartments (“Kennedy Plaza”), a 303 unit subsidized rental apartment complex located in Utica, New York.3 See UDC’s Exhibit 1. SSH is a New York corporation, which holds legal title to Kennedy Plaza. SSA is a New York limited partnership and owner of the equitable interest in Kennedy Plaza. Mathematical Bridge Corporation is a New York corporation and the managing general partner of SSA. Mathematical Bridge Corp. provides accounting, tax and legal services to SSA and manages Kennedy Plaza. Lanny Horwitz (“Horwitz”) is the sole shareholder and president of SSH and Mathematical Bridge Corp., as well as the sole director of both corporations. Horwitz is one of five employees of Mathematical Bridge Corp. and is the only one residing in Florida.

On January 3, 1972, the Debtors, UDC and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) entered into an Interest Reduction Contract (“IRC”) under Section 236 of the National Housing Act. See Debtors’ Exhibit C. HUD is authorized by statute “to make interest reduction payments with respect to a rental or cooperative housing project owned by a private non-profit corporation or other private non-profit entity ... which is financed under a state or local program providing assistance through loans, loan insurance or tax abatements.” Id. The IRC provided for a cap of $396,697 in interest reduction payments per year for a period not to exceed 50 years. Id. at 3. For purposes of reflecting subsequent increases in UDC’s loans to the Debtors, on August 1, 1975, the terms of the IRC were amended to provide for a new cap of $479,109. See Debtors’ Exhibit D. The IRC was again amended on March 1, 1988, to reflect a cap of $538,381, in conjunction with the increased debt to UDC of $9,613,693 of which $9,343,779 was “attributable to the subsidized dwelling units.” See Debtors’ Exhibit E. Those payments equal approximately $45,000 per month ($538,381 h- 12 = $44,865). White testified that between October 1981 and April 2005, HUD has paid approximately $12 million to UDC in connection with Kennedy Plaza. See May 12th Tr. at 47 and Ds’ Exhibits A and B. According to Horwitz, the monthly debt service is actually approximately $60,000, resulting in a short[35]*35fall of approximately $15,000 per month. See Transcript of June 2, 2005 Hearing (“June 2 Tr.”) at 51. The Debtors have not paid UDC since January 2002, according to White.4 See May 12th Tr. at 27.

In 1983 UDC and SSA, along with two other similarly damaged UDC financed parties, commenced an action against Dow Chemical (“Dow”) for structural damage that occurred to the apartment complex as a result of the failure of a mortar additive, manufactured by Dow and known commercially as “Sarabond,” which was used in the construction of the complex. On July 31, 1985, the Debtors authorized UDC to direct and manage the Dow litigation on their behalf by means of the execution of Powers of Attorney (“POA”). See Exhibit B, attached to UDC’s Exhibit 33D. Under the terms of a Loan Restructuring Agreement (“LRA”), dated July 31, 1985, the Debtors assigned to UDC any settlement or award (“Settlement Proceeds”) they might receive in the Dow litigation in exchange for UDC granting the Debtors a ten year forbearance period. See UDC’s Exhibit 3.

Acting under the POAs, UDC finalized a settlement with Dow in April 1991 in the amount of $20,000,000 (“Sarabond Settlement”). Following receipt of the funds on behalf of the various plaintiffs whose mortgages were held by UDC, including the Debtors, a dispute arose over the distribution of the proceeds. In July 1992 the Debtors and UDC entered into a settlement agreement (“Settlement Agreement”), which provided that the Debtors would receive $7,056,000 as their share of the Sarabond Settlement. In the interim, an Amended LRA, made effective July 31, 1991, provided for an additional five year forbearance period.5 See UDC’s Exhibit 6. The Amended LRA also provided that

(a) To accrued interest on the HUD Flexible Subsidy Loan,6 then to the payment of the Two Million, One Hundred Seventy-three Thousand, Eight Hundred Nine ($2,173,809) Dollars principal thereof ....

See id. at Section 10 (amending Section 5.02 of the original LRA).

On July 16, 2002, SSH filed a voluntary chapter 11 petition in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida following receipt of two default notices from UDC. See In re State Street Houses, Inc., 305 B.R. 726, 731-32 (Bankr.S.D.Fla.2002), aff'd, 305 B.R. 738 (S.D.Fla.2003), aff'd, 356 F.3d 1345 (11th Cir.2004). The case was dismissed on December 3, 2002 based on a finding of bad faith.7 Id.

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342 B.R. 32, 2005 Bankr. LEXIS 2884, 2005 WL 4022334, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-state-street-associates-lp-nynb-2005.