Jonas v. Newman (In Re Comark)

53 B.R. 945, 1985 Bankr. LEXIS 5087
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, C.D. California
DecidedOctober 23, 1985
DocketBankruptcy No. SA 82-03850-RP, Adv. No. SA 85-0530
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 53 B.R. 945 (Jonas v. Newman (In Re Comark)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jonas v. Newman (In Re Comark), 53 B.R. 945, 1985 Bankr. LEXIS 5087 (Cal. 1985).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW RE PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION

RALPH G. PAGTER, Bankruptcy Judge.

The matter of Plaintiff’s Request for a Preliminary Injunction came on for hearing before the undersigned Bankruptcy Judge on the date, time and place indicated above. Appearing at the hearing were Theodore B. Stolman, a member of Stutman, Treister & Glatt Professional Corporation, Counsel for Plaintiff, Sam Jonas, Chapter 7 Trustee, and Alan J. Saxe of Hersh & Stoll, a Professional Corporation, Counsel for Defendant Robert Newman, an individual.

The Court having considered the record of the case, the declarations and pleadings *946 submitted in support of and in opposition to the issuance of a preliminary injunction, the evidence adduced at the hearing and the argument of Counsel, and the Court being otherwise advised and finding good cause for the issuance of a preliminary injunction, now enters its Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, as follows:

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Plaintiff, Sam Jonas, is the duly appointed and acting Chapter 7 Trustee for Comark, a California Limited Partnership, which is the Debtor in a proceeding now pending before the Court.

2. The Comark bankruptcy proceeding was commenced upon the filing of an involuntary petition in bankruptcy on September 1, 1982, following which an order for relief was entered on September 22, 1983.

3. Robert W. Bell (“Bell”) and E. Keith Owens (“Owens”) have at all times material hereto been the sole general partners of Comark.

4. On or about May of 1983, defendant Newman commenced an action in the United States District Court, Central District of California C.Y. No. 80-83-3184-MRP, for the purpose of recovering certain alleged obligations owed to Newman by Comark, and Bell and Owens as general partners of Comark.

5. On or about October 18, 1983, counsel for the Trustee notified the District Court of the pendency of the Comark bankruptcy proceeding and the fact that under the automatic stay provisions of Section 362(a) of the Bankruptcy Code all causes of action against Comark were stayed pending further order of the Bankruptcy Court.

6. On November 9, 1983, counsel for the Trustee further notified the District Court in writing that the automatic bankruptcy stay was applicable only to pending claims against Comark and not as against additional party defendants Bell and Owens. This notification further recited that under the provisions of Section 723 of the Bankruptcy Code, the Bankruptcy Court had the authority to enter an order enjoining all creditors of Comark from prosecuting claims against Comark’s general partners pending a determination of whether a deficiency might exist in the Comark bankruptcy estate to satisfy all partnership claims.

7. Thereafter, Newman’s District Court action continued as against Bell and Owens but not against Comark. On March 22, 1985, Summary Judgment was entered in favor of Newman and against Bell and Owens for $100,235.68 plus interest.

8. Starting in may 1985, Newman recorded his judgment with the Secretary of State of California and further recorded abstracts of judgment in certain counties other than Orange County.

9. In addition, Newman successfully levied upon a Mercedes Benz automobile owned by Owens.

10. On July 29, 1985, the Trustee commenced an action against Newman for Permanent Injunction Preventing Enforcement of Liens and Levies on Property and further filed an Application for Temporary Restraining Order to enjoin Newman from further enforcing any of his claims against Bell and Owens including the judgment he obtained in the District Court.

11. Also on July 29, 1985, Trustee filed actions against Bell and Owens to hold each accountable for any deficiency found to exist in the Comark bankruptcy estate and to require Bell and Owens to indemnify the Comark bankruptcy estate for any deficiency, including the imposition of liens upon all of the non-exempt property of Bell and Owens. Additional temporary restraining orders were requested to prevent Bell and Owens from transferring property-

12. On August 23, 1985, the Court entered its Order Granting Plaintiff’s Application for Temporary Restraining Order, thereby enjoining Newman from enforcing any claims against Bell and Owens, including but not limited to his Federal District Court judgment.

13. The Court also entered Orders enjoining Bell and Owens from transferring *947 any property and imposing liens upon all non-exempt property of Bell and Owens to indemnify the Comark bankruptcy estate for any deficiency.

14. At the time of the filing of the Trustee’s action against Newman to enjoin his further enforcement of claims against Bell and Owens, Bell and Owens had real property interests located in Orange and Los Angeles counties; partnership interests, stock interests, personal property interests including bank accounts, household possessions and jewelry, and negotiable securities in the form of promissory notes.

15. But for the issuance of the Temporary Restraining Order and a Preliminary Injunction, Newman would continue to enforce his claims and judgment against Bell and Owens by perfecting such claims against property interests of Bell and Owens by further seizures, levies or recordings.

16. The further enforcement of Newman’s claims against Bell and Owens is adverse to the interest of the Trustee and the estate of Comark in that the enforcement of Newman’s claims against Bell and Owens will result in a diminution of the property or property interests of Bell and Owens available for satisfying Comark bankruptcy creditor claims, including Newman’s. In addition, if Newman is not restrained from enforcing his claims against Bell and Owens, it will likely result in action by other creditors of Comark to “race to the courthouse” to enforce their claims against Bell and Owens. Further, the continued enforcement of Newman’s claims against Bell and Owens, will likely result in the filing of an involuntary bankruptcy proceeding against Bell and Owens, which might be detrimental to the enforcement of the Trustee’s deficiency claims against Bell and Owens.

17. Unless Newman is restrained from further enforcing his claims against Bell and Owens, the Comark bankruptcy estate will suffer irreparable harm and damage in that Newman will obtain a preferred position for himself to the detriment of other partnership creditors and to the detriment of the Trustee’s ability to recover any deficiency in the Comark estate against Bell and Owens.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

18.To the extent any of the foregoing Findings of Fact are deemed Conclusions of Law, such Findings of Fact are incorporated herein by reference. Further, to the extent any Conclusions of Law are deemed Findings of Fact, such Conclusions of Law shall be deemed Findings of Fact.

19. Under the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 1334, in combination with § 105(a) of the Bankruptcy Code, the Bankruptcy Court has jurisdiction and power to enjoin the prosecution of actions against non-debtors where the action is related to a Title 11 case.

20.

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Bluebook (online)
53 B.R. 945, 1985 Bankr. LEXIS 5087, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jonas-v-newman-in-re-comark-cacb-1985.