In Re Stoffel

41 B.R. 390, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 5174, 12 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 79
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Minnesota
DecidedAugust 20, 1984
Docket18-44016
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 41 B.R. 390 (In Re Stoffel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Stoffel, 41 B.R. 390, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 5174, 12 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 79 (Minn. 1984).

Opinion

ORDER DENYING CONFIRMATION OF DEBTORS’ PLAN OF REORGANIZATION

JOHN J. CONNELLY, Bankruptcy Judge.

This matter came before the court for confirmation of debtors’ first amended plan of reorganization. Written objections to confirmation were made by Borg Warner Acceptance Corporation (“Borg Warner”), Federal Land Bank of St. Paul (“FLB”), and Cargill Leasing Corporation (“Car-gill”). Oral objections to confirmation were lodged by Farmers Home Administration (“FmHA”) and Commodity Credit Corporation (“CCC”). Also before the court was the motion of Cargill for assumption or rejection of an irrigation equipment lease pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 365. Motions to dismiss the case or, in the alternative, conversion of the case to a Chapter 7 proceeding were brought by FLB, the Unsecured Creditors’ Committee, and Vermillion State Bank.

I

The debtors filed a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition on December 13, 1982. The debtors primary source of income is their cash grain farming operation located in Hastings, Minnesota. At the time of filing, the debtors’ schedules reflected $709,000.00 of debt which included $625,-000.00 of secured debt. The assets were valued at $626,000.00 of which $418,000.00 represented the value of 320 acres of real property.

The debtors have long-term secured debts to the following entities: FLB— $341,085.00; FmHA — $107,617.00; and Florence Stoffel — $120,000.00. Interest accrues on the FLB note at 9% per annum, or approximately $105.20 per day. Interest on the two FmHA notes, the 1979 note for $26,300.00 and the 1981 note for $66,000.00, accrues at the rates of 9V2% and 13V4% per annum respectively. Interest on the Stof-fel note accrues at 7% per annum. FLB is secured by first mortgages on both the homestead and farm real estate. FmHA is secured by a second mortgage on the real estate and security interests in approximately $50,000.00 worth of farm machinery and equipment. Florence Stoffel is secured by a contract for deed on all the farm real estate.

In so far as the debtors’ plan deals with the land debts, it proposes deferral of any payment to both FmHA and FLB until December of 1986 at which time payment is to commence at the contract schedule and *392 rate. The plan further provides that payment of all defaults and suspended payments be postponed until the end of the contracts. The plan proposes to pay Florence'Stoffel, the debtor’s mother, on the contract for deed according to its terms commencing in November of 1984, with all defaults and arrearages to be paid at the end of the contract. It is significant to note that as of the date the bankruptcy petition was filed the debtors had not paid FLB since 1982 and were in default in the amount of $7,331.13. The current delinquency on the FLB note is $62,207.35. Likewise, FmHA had not received any payments since 1981 and, as of the filing, the debtors were in default in the amount of approximately $15,000.00. The current delinquency on the FmHA notes totals approximately $45,000.00.

Objections to confirmation were filed by a number of creditors. FLB filed an objection to confirmation stating that the plan treated their debt in an unfair and inequitable manner in that it proposed substantial deferral of repayment of missed payments. FLB also objected to confirmation on the basis that the plan is not feasible. FmHA lodged oral objections to confirmation substantially similar to those of FLB, i.e., that treatment of their debt was unfair and inequitable and that the plan is not feasible. Borg Warner also filed an objection to confirmation stating that the plan did not provide Borg Warner with the “indubitable equivalent” of their claim, i.e., immediate 100% payment of $7,525.66 as a secured and guaranteed debt. Cargill filed an objection to confirmation on the basis that the plan neither expressly assumed or rejected the Cargill lease as required by 11 U.S.C. § 365. At the hearing on confirmation, the debtors rejected the Cargill lease.

II

Confirming a plan of reorganization requires the court to find that all of the requirements set forth in 11 U.S.C. § 1129 are met. Section 1129(a)(8) conditions confirmation upon a showing that all classes impaired under the plan have voted for acceptance. This requirement has not been met. FLB, FmHA, and Borg Warner are impaired classes under the plan which have not voted for acceptance.

The § 1129(a)(8) requirement may be circumvented if the debtor can demonstrate that the criteria outlined in 11 U.S.C. § 1129(b)(1), the so-called “Cram-down” provision have been met. The subsection reads:

Notwithstanding Section 510(a) of this title, if all of the applicable requirements of subsection (a) of this section other than paragraph (8) are met with respect to a plan, the court, on request of the proponent of the plan, shall confirm the plan notwithstanding the requirements of such paragraph if the plan does not discriminate unfairly, and is fair and equitable, with respect to each class of claims or interests that is impaired under, and has not accepted, the plan.

The burden is on the debtor to prove the plan meets the fair and equitable standards by clear and convincing evidence. See In re National Awards Mfg., Inc., 35 B.R. 691, 693 (Bankr.S.D.Ohio 1983).

This court feels the debtors have not met their burden. The long delay in the initial payment to FLB is simply not fair to that creditor. The debtors have made no payments to the creditor since 1982. The cumulative effect, tacking together the pre-confirmation period and the time before initial payment is due, is to defer any payment on the debt 4V2 years, and further defer repayment of arrearages and defaults 28 years, but continue using the land. If the plan fails in the first two years for any reason, the only remedy available to FLB would be to bring a motion to dismiss. The debtors retain the benefits of use without the burden of payment.

More importantly, the debtors plan to ignore a $202,000.00 debt for 24 years. The plan proposes to commence repayment of the FLB debt on December 1, 1986. Post-petition interest from the date of filing until December 1, 1986 will total approximately $202,000.00. Payment on the *393 accrued interest ($202,000.00) will be further delayed until the year 2010 when full payment will be due. The plan states,

The creditor in Class H, Federal Land Bank, shall be paid 100% of its allowed secured claim by curing default and keeping current according to the contract terms the homestead mortgage. The farm real estate mortgage shall be paid as follows: by deferring all payments of the principal and interest in said claim until December 1, 1986 during which time interest shall accrue at the contract rate. Payment shall then begin on the contract schedule and all default and deferred amounts shall be due at the end of the contract period. Interest shall accrue on the unpaid balance at the contract rate until the balance is paid.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
41 B.R. 390, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 5174, 12 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 79, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-stoffel-mnb-1984.