In re Villamont-Oxford Associates Ltd. Partnership

230 B.R. 457, 1998 Bankr. LEXIS 1835, 1998 WL 993735
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedApril 17, 1998
DocketBankruptcy No. 97-9832-8G1
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 230 B.R. 457 (In re Villamont-Oxford Associates Ltd. Partnership) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Villamont-Oxford Associates Ltd. Partnership, 230 B.R. 457, 1998 Bankr. LEXIS 1835, 1998 WL 993735 (Fla. 1998).

Opinion

ORDER ON MOTION FOR RELIEF FROM AUTOMATIC STAY

PAUL M. GLENN, Bankruptcy Judge.

THIS CASE came before the Court to consider the Motion for Relief from Automat[459]*459ic Stay filed by Multifamily Mortgage Trust 1996-1 and LaSalle National Bank (Mov-ants). The Motion is filed pursuant to Section 362(d)(1) and Section 362(d)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code. Movants assert that they are entitled to relief from the stay under Section 362(d)(1) for “cause,” based on the Debtor’s lack of good faith in filing the bankruptcy petition. Movants also assert that they are entitled to relief from the stay under Section 362(d)(2) because the Debtor has no equity in the property at issue, the property is not necessary to an effective reorganization, and the Debtor is unable to propose a feasible plan of reorganization.

The Debtor filed a written Response to the Motion. In response to the Movants’ claim under Section 362(d)(1), the Debtor asserts that the Chapter 11 case is not objectively futile and was not filed in subjective bad faith. The Debtor further asserts that the Movants’ interest in the property at issue is adequately protected in that (1) the property is not declining in value; (2) the property is insured; and (3) the Debtor has offered to provide adequate protection for its use of the rents generated from the property. In response to the Movants’ claim under Section 362(d)(2), the Debtor asserts that (1) the property is necessary for an effective reorganization; and (2) the Debtor is able to propose a confirmable plan of reorganization.

The Pleadings

In the Motion for Relief from Automatic Stay, Movants allege that the Debtor is the owner of a 176-unit apartment complex located in Hillsborough County, Florida (the Property). On October 3, 1983, the Debtor executed a Mortgage Note and Mortgage encumbering the Property, and the Note and Mortgage were assigned to the Movants on June 24, 1996. Pursuant to the Mortgage, Movants claim to hold the first mortgage on the Debtor’s apartment complex. Movants further allege that the Debtor is in possession of the Property, but that the complex is managed by a separate management company known as NHP Property Management, Inc.

According to the Movants, the Debtor initially defaulted under the Note and Mortgage in 1990, and the Debtor has remained in default since that time. On August 12, 1996, Movants filed an action to foreclose the Mortgage in the Circuit Court for Hillsbor-ough County, Florida. On November 26, 1996, the Circuit Court entered an Order in the foreclosure action requiring the Debtor to deposit “Net Rents” derived from the property, as “Net Rents” are defined in the Order, into a joint account with the Movants. On February 18, 1997, the Circuit Court entered a Final Judgment of Foreclosure in the foreclosure action. The amount of the Final Judgment entered against the Debtor was $7,333,267.89. The Final Judgment included a provision in which the Movants were declared the owners of all rents arising from the Property that were previously collected by the Debtor, in addition to all rents generated from the Property after the date of the Judgment. The foreclosure sale was scheduled for March 10,1997.

The Debtor filed its petition under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code on March 7,1997.

In its Response, the Debtor asserts that the apartment complex was 97.7 percent occupied as of March 1, 1997, less than a week prior to the filing of the bankruptcy petition. The Debtor also asserts that it had entered into a Housing Assistance Payment contract with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), effective October 4,1983, for a period of twenty years. Under this contract, the Debtor is obligated to provide 20 percent of its housing units to persons entitled to receive housing assistance payments under federal law, and the Debtor contends that it continues to rent 20 percent of its units to federally subsidized tenants. Nevertheless, the Debtor asserts that the income generated from the rental of its units is sufficient to pay all of its operating expenses, other than the full of amount of its debt service to the Movants.

The Debtor acknowledges that it employs NHP Property Management, Inc. (NHP) as its property management and leasing agent, and states that NHP is a publicly traded corporation that manages properties nationwide.

[460]*460Stipulated Facts

At the commencement of the evidentiary-hearing, the parties stipulated as to the existence of certain facts in this case. The stipulated facts are as follows:

1. The Debtor has no employees. Generally, NHP operates the day-to-day business of the apartment complex.
2. The apartment complex is the principal asset of the Debtor. Other than the real property, the Debtor owns only minimal personal property, consisting primarily of a vehicle and a small certificate of deposit.
3. The amount owed by the Debtor to the Movants pursuant to the Final Judgment of Foreclosure is $7,333,267.89.
4. The hearing to consider the Movants’ Motion for Summary Judgment in the foreclosure action was conducted on February 14, 1997, and the Final Judgment was entered on February 18,1997.
5. The foreclosure sale was scheduled for March 10,1997.
6. The Debtor filed its petition under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code on March 7,1997.
7. The chapter 11 petition was executed on behalf of the Debtor in September of 1996.
8. If affiliates of the Debtor are excluded from the list of the Debtor’s creditors, the Debtor’s unsecured debt totals less than $100,000. In addition to its unsecured debt, the Debtor has four secured creditors and an obligation for property taxes.
9. The Debtor has no equity in the property.

The Movants contend that the stipulated facts establish all of the indicia of bad faith outlined by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in In re Phoenix Piccadilly, Ltd., 849 F.2d 1393 (11th Cir.1988). Consequently, following the presentation of the stipulated facts, the Movants did not present any additional evidence in their case in chief regarding the request for relief from the automatic stay for “cause” under Section 362(d)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code.

Burden of Proof

Section 362(g) of the Bankruptcy Code allocates the burden of proof with respect to motions for relief from the stay under Section 362.

§ 362. Automatic stay
(g) In any hearing under subsection (d) or (e) of this section concerning relief from the stay of any act under subsection (a) of this section—
(1) the party requesting such relief has the burden of proof on the issue of the debtor’s equity in property; and
(2) the party opposing such relief has the burden of proof on all other issues.

In this case, therefore, since the Debtor and the Movants stipulated that the Debtor has no equity in the Property, Section 362(g) places the burden of proof on the Debtor with respect to the remaining issues raised in the Motion.

The Testimony

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
230 B.R. 457, 1998 Bankr. LEXIS 1835, 1998 WL 993735, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-villamont-oxford-associates-ltd-partnership-flmb-1998.