In Re Wilkins Investment Group, Inc.

171 B.R. 194, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 1266, 1994 WL 460589
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedJuly 13, 1994
DocketBankruptcy 5-93-01602
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 171 B.R. 194 (In Re Wilkins Investment Group, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Wilkins Investment Group, Inc., 171 B.R. 194, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 1266, 1994 WL 460589 (Pa. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

JOHN J. THOMAS, Bankruptcy Judge.

On January 18, 1994, the United States Trustee’s Office filed a Motion to Dismiss the above-captioned Chapter Eleven case. The stated reasons for dismissal allege (1) a failure to file timely monthly reports pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 704(8) which failure causes an inability of the Trustee to supervise the administration of the .case as required by 28 U.S.C. § 586; (2) the unlikelihood of Debtor successfully prosecuting its case to confirmation of a Plan; (3) the existence of only one potential asset which has not been in the Debtor’s possession for a period of over two years prior to the filing of the case; and (4) the absence of other debts other than a liability to the bank which foreclosed on said property. The U.S. Trustee alleges that there is no reason for this bankruptcy filing to proceed and that the case is “nothing more than a blatant example of forum shopping” and that the petition was filed in bad faith.

At the time of the hearing, which was consolidated with a Motion for Abstention in an adversary proceeding in this case, the parties presented to the court oral argument as to why the case should not be dismissed. The U.S. Trustee’s Motion was joined by a creditor (PNC Bank) who foreclosed on certain commercial property which is subject to litigation between the Debtor and the Bank in state court. The U.S. Trustee and the Bank request this court to take judicial notice of the docket in both the adversary referenced above (Adversary No. 5-93-00189, Wilkins Investment Group, Inc. vs. PNC Bank, N.A., Northeast Pa.[p/d/b/a Northeastern Bank of Pennsylvania]) and the docket of the entire bankruptcy case at case number 5-93-01602 (Wilkins Investment Group, Inc.).

The U.S. Trustee’s arguments center around the “good faith” requirements of the filing of any Chapter Eleven case and the specific lack of good faith associated with the filing of this instant case.

This court has previously addressed the requirements of the filing of a bankruptcy petition in “good faith” in the case of In re Selig, No. 5-92-01484, slip op. (M.D.Pa. July 8,1993). In the Selig ease, this court set out the factors which bankruptcy courts tend to look to in an attempt to determine whether a particular bankruptcy case was filed in good faith. Those factors taken from the case of In re Clinton Centrifuge, Inc., 72 B.R. 900 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Pa.1987) are as follows:

1. The debtor has few or no unsecured creditors.
2. There has been a previous bankruptcy petition by the debtor or a related entity.
3. The pre-petition conduct of the debt- or has been improper.
4. The petition effectively allows the debtor to evade court orders.
5. There are few debts to non-moving creditors.
6. The petition was filed on the eve of foreclosure.
7. The foreclosed property is the sole or major asset of the debtor.
8. The debtor has no ongoing business or employees.
9. There is no possibility of reorganization.
10. The debtor’s income is not sufficient to operate.
11. There was no pressure from non-moving creditors.
12. Reorganization essentially involves the resolution of a two-party dispute.
13. A corporate debtor was formed and received title to its major assets immediately before the petition and
14. The debtor filed solely to create the automatic stay.

Id. at page 904.

*196 The Selig opinion also sets forth definitions of good faith provided by In re Clinton, supra and the case of Matter of Grieshop, 63 B.R. 657, 662 (N.D.Ind.1986). The Grieshop court citing In re Victory Construction Co., 9 B.R. 549 (Bkrtey.C.D.Cal.1981) order vacated on other grounds, 37 B.R. 222 (9th Cir. BAP 1984) provided the following in its discussion of the purpose of the good faith requirement:

The provisions of the Code dealing with rehabilitation and reorganization must be viewed as direct lineal descendants of a legal philosophy solidly embedded in American Bankruptcy law. Review and analysis ... disclose a common theme and objective: avoidance of the consequences of economic dismemberment and liquidation, and the preservation of ongoing values in a manner which does equity and is fair to rights and interests of the parties affected. But the perimeters of this potential mark the borderline between fulfillment and perversion.... That borderline is patrolled by courts of equity, armed with the doctrine of “good faith”: the requirement that those who invoke the reorganization or rehabilitation provisions of the bankruptcy law must do so in a manner consistent with the aims and objectives of bankruptcy philosophy and policy — must, in short, do so in “good faith.”

When presented with a Section 1112(b) motion, the movant has the burden of proof. See In re Smith, 77 B.R. 496 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Pa.1987) at page 499; InreD & F Meat Corp., 68 B.R. 39 (Bkrtey.S.D.N.Y.1986).

This court has reviewed all fourteen factors set forth above and has applied them to the evidence presented in this case. As in Selig, this court simply cannot find that the evidence presents a .case where this court can rule that it was filed in bad faith. True, some of the fourteen elements have been shown to this court e.g., that there are few debts to non-moving creditors and that the Debtor has few or no unsecured creditors. Beyond that, however, the testimony and evidence in support is lacking. But, taking judicial notice of the record as requested by the U.S. Trustee and the Bank, this court notes that the Debtor, in January of 1994 and at the time of the review of this file, has failed to file any monthly reports as are required of this Debtor under the dictates of 11 U.S.C. §§ 704(8), 1106(a)(1) and 1107(a) and Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 2015(a)(3). Furthermore, this court, on September 13, 1993, five days after the filing of this petition, served upon the Debtor and its counsel an Order which, inter alia:

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Bluebook (online)
171 B.R. 194, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 1266, 1994 WL 460589, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-wilkins-investment-group-inc-pamb-1994.