Joseph v. Feit (In re Liberty Brands, LLC)

476 B.R. 443, 2012 WL 3730578, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 3920
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Delaware
DecidedAugust 27, 2012
DocketBankruptcy No. 07-10645 (MFW); Adversary No. 09-50965 (MFW)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 476 B.R. 443 (Joseph v. Feit (In re Liberty Brands, LLC)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Joseph v. Feit (In re Liberty Brands, LLC), 476 B.R. 443, 2012 WL 3730578, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 3920 (Del. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION1

MARY F. WALRATH, Bankruptcy Judge.

Before the Court are the Liquidating Trustee’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment and the Motions of the Remaining Defendants to Dismiss the Complaint and for Summary Judgment on all counts related to them. For the reasons set forth below, the Court will deny the Motions.

I. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Liberty Brands LLC (the “Debtor”) was in the business of manufacturing, marketing and selling deeply discounted cigarettes in the United States. The Debtor was party to an agreement, as a cigarette manufacturer, to make annual payments to certain states (the “Settling States”). When the Debtor was unable to make a required payment to the Settling States, it filed a voluntary petition for relief under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code on May 10, 2007.

Post-petition, the Debtor was unable to obtain financing or to sell its inventory in the ordinary course of business. The Debtor conducted an auction of its manufacturing equipment and the sales were approved by the Court on November 5 and December 12, 2007. Ultimately, on November 27, 2007, the Court authorized the Debtor to destroy its unsold inventory in accordance with Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau procedures. A Plan of Liquidation was proposed by the Settling States (the “Plan”) which was confirmed by the Court on March 12, 2009. Pursuant to the Plan, Michael Joseph was appointed as the Liquidating Trustee to administer the estate and pursue certain litigation.

On May 8, 2009, the Liquidating Trustee filed a complaint against numerous defendants seeking to avoid and recover certain transfers, under theories of conversion, fraud, fraudulent conversion, preferences, civil conspiracy, disallowance of claims, and unjust enrichment. The Complaint was amended on January 24, 2011, to add more counts and additional defendants (the “Amended Complaint”). The Liquidating Trustee settled with some of the Defendants (Scott Feit, SJF Associates, and National Distribution Network) and another, A & A of Tupelo, Inc., d/b/a Globe Distributing, filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy petition staying the action against it. (Ex. A at 13-14,17; D.1.136 & 169.)2

On February 23, certain of the Defendants, Bentley Investments of Nevada, LLC (“Bentley”), Hall Retained Annuity Trust I (“Trust I”), and The Hall Family Trust (“Family Trust”) filed a Motion to Dismiss the Amended Complaint for failure to allege sufficient facts to support the conversion, preference, fraudulent conveyance and unjust enrichment claims against [446]*446them. On March 3, 2011, the other Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss the Amended Complaint contending that it failed to allege sufficient facts to support the count for committing a fraud on the court. A notice of completion of briefing on those Motions was filed on March 31, 2011.

The next day, the Liquidating Trustee filed a Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on certain of the counts against Gary L. Hall, Barry Garner, Discount Tobacco Warehouse, Inc. (“DTW”), Sunflower Supply Company (“Sunflower”), Bentley, Trust I and Family Trust (collectively, the “Remaining Defendants”). On that same date the Remaining Defendants filed a Cross Motion for Summary Judgment. Briefing on the Cross Motions for Summary Judgment was completed on May 12, 2011, and the matters are ripe for decision.

II. JURISDICTION

This Court has core jurisdiction over the counts for conversion, avoidance of preferences, fraudulent conveyances, and the post-petition transfers, and disallowance of the Remaining Defendants’ claims. 28 U.S.C. §§ 1334 & 157(b)(2)(A), (B), (E), (F) & (H). The Court has related to jurisdiction over the other counts of the Amended Complaint. 28 U.S.C. § 157(c).

III. DISCUSSION

A. Uncontested Facts Relating to Motions 3

Gary L. Hall, Trust I, and the Trust were shareholders of Medallion Company, Inc. (“Medallion”) which was a manufacturer and seller of cigarettes. On February 15, 2002, Medallion was sold to VGR Acquisition, Inc. As part of that sale, Hall and his related entities agreed not to compete with the purchaser in the development or manufacture of cigarettes or to “lend[] assistance to anyone engaged in the business of developing or manufacturing cigarettes in the United States or elsewhere in the world, as an owner, investor, employee, or in any manner whatsoever.” (Ex. 3 at ¶ 4.08.)

The Debtor was formed in 2002 by Scott Feit and began manufacturing, marketing, and selling discount cigarettes in September 2002. (Ex. 1 at 22.) In early 2005, the Debtor entered into a transaction with Discount Tobacco Warehouse (“DTW”) whereby DTW paid the Debtor $7,980,000 as an advance against a Purchase Order for 14,000 cases of cigarettes at a price of $570 per case. (D.I. 173 at ¶ 5.) The Debt- or used those funds to make its required 2005 payment to the Settling States. The Debtor executed a Security Agreement creating a security interest in all its assets in favor of DTW to secure its obligation under the Purchase Order. (Ex. G.) To obtain the funds paid to the Debtor under the Purchase Order, DTW borrowed $8,000,000 from Bentley. (D.I. 159 at 5.)

In 2006, the Debtor borrowed $5,100,000 from T. Davis Miller to make its required annual payment to the Settling States. (D.I. 159 at 6; Ex. B at 85.) The Debtor executed a Promissory Note in favor of Miller dated April 14, 2006, which was due in full on April 14, 2007. (D.I. 159 at 7; Ex. 7.) To make the loan to the Debtor, Miller borrowed funds from Bentley. (D.I. 159 at 6.) After the funds were lent, Hall demanded that the Debtor grant a security interest to secure the repayment, but the Debtor refused. (D.I. 159 at 7.)

Thereafter, Miller assigned the Promissory Note to DTW. (Ex. 9.) On or about October 3, 2006, DTW assigned the Pur[447]*447chase Order, Security Agreement, and Promissory Note to A & A of Tupelo, Inc. (“A & A”) an entity that had been created a few days earlier by Randy Benham (“Benham”) its 100% shareholder. (Exs. 10 & 11; Ex. 8 at 11-13.) In exchange for that assignment, A & A agreed to repay DTW its cost plus a $15 commission for every case of cigarettes A & A received from the Debtor under the Purchase Order. (Ex. 6 at 42-44; Ex. 10.)

On or about March 30, 2007, A & A sent notice to the Debtor that it was in default of the Purchase Order by failing to produce as required. (Ex. 12.) Shortly thereafter, the Debtor filed its bankruptcy case.

Post-petition, counsel for A & A asserted a secured claim in excess of $2 million and other general unsecured claims. (D.I. 145.) One of the Settling States, the Commonwealth of Virginia, objected to the claims. (D.I. 154.) Ultimately a settlement was reached whereby A & A was to receive $1.1 million from the auction of the Debtor’s property and waived its other claims. (D.I. 173.) The settlement was approved by the Court on October 30, 2007. (D.I. 182.) After the auction, the Debtor wired $1.1 million of the proceeds to Bentley at the instruction of A & A’s counsel. (Ex. 14.) Those funds were ultimately transferred to Hall, the Family Trust, and Trust I. (Ex. 15.)

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476 B.R. 443, 2012 WL 3730578, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 3920, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/joseph-v-feit-in-re-liberty-brands-llc-deb-2012.