Lebovits v. Halpern (In re Lehal Realty Associates)

112 B.R. 601, 1990 Bankr. LEXIS 791
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedApril 13, 1990
DocketBankruptcy No. 89 B 20078; No. 89 ADV. 6027
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 112 B.R. 601 (Lebovits v. Halpern (In re Lehal Realty Associates)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lebovits v. Halpern (In re Lehal Realty Associates), 112 B.R. 601, 1990 Bankr. LEXIS 791 (S.D.N.Y. 1990).

Opinion

DECISION ON AMENDED COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY JUDGMENT AS TO DIVISION OF PROCEEDS FROM SALE OF PARTNERSHIP PROPERTY

HOWARD SCHWARTZBERG, Bankruptcy Judge.

The dispute between the parties in this case relates to a division of the proceeds received by the debtor partnership from the sale of a golf course in Rockland County, New York, to a corporation controlled by Japanese interests, known as Three Little Willows Corp. The facts in this case are more complicated than Gilbert & Sullivan’s Mikado, although less entertaining. The international interests in the golf course are represented by parties from the United States, Israel and Japan. With the help of an interpreter at the trial, the court was able to unscramble the basic facts as follows:

[602]*602FINDINGS OF FACT

1. On February 9, 1989, an involuntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code was filed with this court by George Lebovits (“Lebovits”) against the debtor, Lehal Realty Associates (“Le-hal”). Lehal is a New York partnership located in Monsey, New York. Lebovits alleged that he owned a 75% interest as a general partner in the debtor and that Israel Halpern (“Halpern”) owned the other 25% interest.

2. The debtor’s only asset was an interest in 140 acres of undeveloped property in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, which was formerly operated as a golf course.

3. In late 1984, Lebovits and Leib Wald-man (“Waldman”), another resident of Rockland County, New York, wanted to acquire an interest in the golf course for the purpose of subdividing the property and constructing single family homes. A portion of the funds for this acquisition, were borrowed by Lebovits from Saul Stru-lovic (“Strulovic”), a resident of Rockland County. As consideration for these funds, Lebovits assigned a portion of his future interest in the property to Strulovic.

4. The purchase price was $1,200,-000.00. Lebovits on his own, could not obtain a mortgage to finance the purchase. However, Waldman said that he represented the interests of Israel Halpern in this country and that Halpern, who resided in Austria and Israel, was a wealthy man who was known to the Trust Company of New Jersey, where sufficient financing could be arranged by way of a mortgage to support their purchase of the golf course.

5. Lebovits gave $550,000.00 to Wald-man for a k interest in a partnership to be formed by Waldman and Lebovits for the purchase of the property. Waldman informed Lebovits that if Waldman and Hal-pern were listed as the purchasing partners, the Trust Company of New Jersey would be willing to advance to the partnership $1,500,000.00 pursuant to a mortgage that would be personally guaranteed by Halpern. Lebovits agreed to this approach.

6. On March 6, 1985, a Certificate of Partnership in the name of Lehal Realty Associates was filed with the County Clerk of Rockland County. The Certificate of Partnership indicated that the two general partners of the debtor, Lehal, were Wald-man and Halpern. Lebovits was not listed as having any interest in the debtor partnership.

7. On March 21, 1985, Waldman transferred title to the golf course to the Lehal partnership after having acquired title to the property in his own name with funds advanced by the Trust Company of New York, which held a mortgage in the amount of $1,500,000.00 and the personal guaranty of Halpern.

8. Lebovits was concerned that while the golf course was owned by the debtor partnership, its listed partners were Wald-man and Halpern. Thus, despite the fact that Lebovits had contributed his funds and those of Strulovic to obtain a 50% interest in the property, there was no reflection of this fact in the debtor’s Business Certificate on file with the Rockland County Clerk.

9. After negotiations between Waldman and Lebovits, Waldman informed Lebovits that Halpern would be willing to sell his interest in the golf course to Lebovits, who would then have a 100% interest in Lehal. Pursuant to this arrangement, Waldman caused to be prepared an amended Business Certificate reflecting that Lebovits and his wife owned a 100% interest in Le-hal. When the Business Certificate was presented to Halpern in Israel for his signature, Halpern not only refused to sign, but took the position that the golf course was acquired because of his personal guaranty and that he owned the property entirety-

10. Halpern claimed that Waldman had no authority to transfer any interest in Lehal to Lebovits and that Lebovits was not a partner in Lehal with Halpern.

11. In order to confirm that Waldman represented Halpern’s interest in the golf course and that Waldman intended to transfer the entire property and a 100% [603]*603interest in Lehal to Lebovits upon consummation of an arrangement for Lebovits’ purchase of the golf course, Waldman executed and recorded on May 5, 1986, a deed conveying the golf course property to Le-bovits, who agreed to hold the property in trust for Lehal until he paid for the remaining 50% interest.

12. On August 25,1985, Halpern, acting individually and on behalf of the debtor, Lehal, commenced an action against Wald-man and Lebovits in the New York Supreme Court, Rockland County, which, among other things, demanded judgment declaring that the conveyance of the golf course property was void. Additionally, on August 26, 1986, Halpern caused a lis pen-dens to be filed against the golf course property. On November 25, 1985 Halpern and his wife filed with the Rockland County Clerk a judgment by confession against the Lehal partnership in the principal sum of $1,700,000.00, which had been previously executed by Halpern in favor of his wife.

13. On December 5, 1985, Halpern and Lebovits entered into an agreement pursuant to which Lebovits agreed to purchase half of Halpern’s 50% interest in Lehal. Lebovits viewed this arrangement as giving him a 75% interest in Lehal, with Hal-pern retaining a 25% interest. Halpern, on the other hand, interpreted this agreement to mean that he agreed to sell 25% of Lehal to Lebovits, retaining 75% for himself.

14. Pursuant to this agreement, Lebo-vits deposited with Halpern’s attorney, Harry L. Klein, a check payable to Halpern in the sum of $375,000.00, to be held in escrow until Lebovits paid $375,000.00 to Halpern as the purchase price for one-half of Halpern’s 50% interest in Lehal, or 25% of the Lehal partnership. Thereafter, Le-bovits paid $240,000.00 to Halpern, $130,-000.00 by wire and $110,000.00 in cash. Additionally, Lebovits paid another $62,-500.00 by check on December 6, 1985, which was paid to a third party named Sandrovic at Halpern’s direction. On March 16, 1986, Lebovits paid $31,000.00 to Halpern and received a signed receipt from him for this amount. On April 16, 1986, Lebovits paid $19,000.00 to Halpern’s brother-in-law for delivery to Halpern, as reflected by a signed receipt from the brother-in-law. The total paid by Lebovits to Halpern was $352,500.00. An additional $22,500.00 was paid by Lebovits indirectly when he paid $90,000.00 in mortgage interest to the Trust Company of New Jersey, of which 25% or $22,500.00, represented Halpern’s portion. The total payments by Lebovits amounted to $375,000.00.

15. Despite the $22,500.00 which Lebo-vits paid towards the mortgage interest, Waldman refused to transfer a deed to the Lehal property to Lebovits until Lebovits paid an additional $23,000.00 to Waldman.

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Related

In Re Lehal Realty Associates
101 F.3d 272 (Second Circuit, 1996)
Lebovits v. Scheffel (In re Lehal Realty Associates)
101 F.3d 272 (Second Circuit, 1996)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
112 B.R. 601, 1990 Bankr. LEXIS 791, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lebovits-v-halpern-in-re-lehal-realty-associates-nysd-1990.