Jubber v. re C.W. Mining Co. Coal Proceeds (In re C.W. Mining Co.)

530 B.R. 878
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Utah
DecidedMarch 31, 2015
DocketBankruptcy Number: 08-20105; Miscellaneous Adversary Proceeding No. 11-08002
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 530 B.R. 878 (Jubber v. re C.W. Mining Co. Coal Proceeds (In re C.W. Mining Co.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jubber v. re C.W. Mining Co. Coal Proceeds (In re C.W. Mining Co.), 530 B.R. 878 (Utah 2015).

Opinion

[Consolidated Proceedings Regarding C.W. Mining Company Coal Proceeds Issues]

MEMORANDUM DECISION

R. KIMBALL MOSIER, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge

The Court is addressing two matters in this Memorandum Decision. The first is the Motion for Partial Summary Judgment with Respect to Accounts (Motion) filed by Gary E. Jubber, the Chapter 11 Trustee (Trustee) of the bankruptcy estate of C.W. Mining and Plaintiff in this consolidated adversary proceeding (Consolidated Proceeding). The second is the Court’s consideration of summary judgment pursuant to Fed. R. Civ.P. 56(f)(3) (Rule 56(f)(3) Order). The Trustee’s Motion seeks a determination that (1) the assignment of the Debtor’s Accounts1 is subject to the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC); (2) the Debtor’s Accounts are property of C.W. Mining or the bankruptcy estate;' and (3) any security interest in the Debtor’s Accounts is avoided. The Court conducted a hearing on the Motion on October 16, 2014 and took the matter under advisement, and on November 4, 2014, the Court issued a tentative ruling on the Motion. On November 14, 2014, the Court issued its Rule 56(f)(3) Order, which (1) identified for the parties what issues had been determined previously; (2) identified what issues the Court believed were not material to this consolidated adversary proceeding in light of those determinations; (3) invited the parties to brief the issues the Court had identified; and (4) gave notice of the Court’s intent to consider summary judgment on all issues in this consolidated adversary proceeding. The Court conducted a hearing on the Rule 56(f)(3) Order on January 6, 2015.

After carefully considering the Trustee’s Motion, the responses thereto, and .the parties’ briefs on the Rule 56(f)(3) Order, and after conducting its own independent research of applicable law, the Court hereby issues the following Memorandum Decision.

[880]*880 I.JURISDICTION

The Court has jurisdiction over this proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1334 and 157(a) & (b). This is a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(A). Venue is appropriate under 28 U.S.C. § 1409.

II.PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The Court ordered the consolidation of various adversary proceedings (Consolidation Order) to address common questions of law and fact related to the following issues: (1) whether the Coal and Coal Proceeds2 were property of C.W. Mining or property of the bankruptcy estate; (2) whether the Coal and Coal Proceeds were assigned to another party; (3) whether the Coal and Coal Proceeds were subject to a security interest of any defendants in this consolidated adversary proceeding; and (4) whether such security interests may be avoided by the Trustee pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 544.3

III.FINDINGS OF FACT

In 1997, C.W. Mining Company dba CoOp Mining Company (Debtor) entered into a Coal Operating Agreement with C.O.P. Coal Development Company. Under the Coal Operating Agreement, the Debtor was granted “the exclusive authority to operate and control [tracts of land including the Bear Canyon Mine] ... for the term of 25 years, beginning March 1, 1997, and extending to February 28, 2022.” 4 On March 27, 2001, the Debtor and Standard Industries, Inc. (Standard) entered into the Advance Payment Agreement under which Standard agreed that it may make advance payments to the Debtor against future coal production. Paragraph 3 of the Advance Payment Agreement states:

Standard may from time to time make advance payments to or on behalf of. [the Debtor] for the purchase price of coal not yet mined, as the parties may mutually agree. Any such payments shall in no way obligate Standard to make any additional payment. Standard’s payments to [the Debtor] are advance payments for purchases of coal not yet mined, for which Standard shall have full legal and equitable title to the coal as it is mined by [the Debtor], and shall not be construed as a mere loan to [the Debtor].5

Paragraph 13 of the Advance Payment Agreement provides that the Debtor grants Standard a security interest in all of the Debtor’s personal property “now owned or hereafter acquired, and all profits and proceeds from the appreciation, sale, use, or disposition of [the Debtor’s] property.”6

Six years later on March 5, 2007, the Debtor and Standard entered into the Coal Sales Agency Agreement (Agency Agreement). The Agency Agreement appoints Standard as the Debtor’s exclusive sales agent for coal mined during the term of [881]*881the Agency Agreement.7 Paragraph 3 of the Agency Agreement provides:

[The Debtor] shall at no time acquire legal or equitable title to the coal mined by [the Debtor], All legal and equitable title to the coal produced by [the Debt- or] shall transfer from [the Debtor’s] lessor to [Standard] immediately upon severance of the coal from its seam, thereby absolutely and irrevocably divesting [the Debtor’s] lessor of title and simultaneously vesting [Standard] with all right, title and interest in and to the coal, subject to the rights of [the Debt- or’s] customers under the terms of their coal sales contracts, including the customers’ rights to take possession of the coal and have title to the coal transferred to them. [Standard’s] title to the coal shall automatically transfer from [Standard] to [the Debtor’s] customers upon transfer of possession of the coal to-the customers, whether by loading the coal on customers’ rail cars or trucks, or as otherwise provided for in the customers’ coal sales contracts.8

Paragraphs 8 and 9 provide:

[Standard] may from time to time loan money to [the Debtor], or advance money to or for the benefit of or on the account of [the Debtor], for which [the Debtor] shall pay [Standard] according to the terms of any agreement for the loan or advancement of such monies. Unless otherwise set by a promissory note or other agreement, any indebtedness of [the Debtor] to Debtor under this Agreement shall accrue interest at twelve (12) percent per annum.9

Paragraph 10 of the Agency Agreement reads as follows:

[The Debtor] irrevocably assigns, transfers, and conveys to [Standard] all of [the Debtor’s] right, title and interest to all amounts now due or to become due to [the Debtor], including but not limited to all proceeds from the sale of coal payable to [the Debtor], under any and all present and future contracts between [the Debtor] and its customers, together with all amounts payable or to become payable to [the Debtor] under any renewal, amendment, extension, modification, replacement, or substitution of such contracts.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
530 B.R. 878, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jubber-v-re-cw-mining-co-coal-proceeds-in-re-cw-mining-co-utb-2015.