Matter of Luce Industries, Inc.

8 B.R. 100, 3 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 574, 1980 Bankr. LEXIS 3879, 7 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 78
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York
DecidedDecember 24, 1980
Docket09-24277
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 8 B.R. 100 (Matter of Luce Industries, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy 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
Matter of Luce Industries, Inc., 8 B.R. 100, 3 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 574, 1980 Bankr. LEXIS 3879, 7 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 78 (N.Y. 1980).

Opinion

BURTON R. LIFLAND, Bankruptcy Judge.

MEMORANDUM OPINION
OSC to Terminate License
[Issues Limited to § 365(b)(1)]
Section 365 (11 U.S.C. § 365)
Executory Contracts and Unexpired Leases
******
(b)(1) If there has been a default in an executory contract or unexpired lease of the debtor, the trustee may not assume such contract or lease unless, at the time of assumption of such contract or lease, the trustee
(A) cures, or provides adequate assurance that the trustee will promptly cure, such default;
(B) compensates, or provides adequate assurance that the trustee will promptly compensate, a party other than the debt- or to such contract or lease, for any actual pecuniary loss to such party resulting from such default; and
(C) provides adequate assurance of future performance under such contract or lease.
******

The Court is called upon to interpret the prerequisites for the assumption of an exec-utory contract in the form of a trademark license agreement. The controlling statutory provision of the Bankruptcy Code 1 (§ 365(b][l]) is set out above. While there *102 are a handful of cases that have construed this subsection, most deal with leases, and none are foursquare in resolving the controversy herein.

Luce Industries, Inc. (“Luce or Debtor”) entered into a license agreement with Fruit of the Loom, Iric. (“Fruit of the Loom”), dated November 1,1978, whereby Luce was given exclusive use of the Fruit of the Loom trademark in the manufacturing of certain types of ladies’ clothing. On June 19, 1980, an involuntary Chapter 7 petition was filed against Luce. Permissibly, the Debtor filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition converting the case from liquidation to reorganization, § 706, on June 24,1980. On July 22, 1980, Fruit of the Loom, by an Order to Show Cause, moved to terminate the above license agreement with Luce.

The Order to Show Cause proceeded upon two grounds. First, Fruit of the Loom claimed that the Debtor had failed to cure numerous defaults arising under the license agreement within a thirty-day period requiring that they be cured, and hence, the license had terminated prior to bankruptcy, leaving nothing for a trustee. Second, it was alleged that there was a total inability on the part of the Debtor to assume the contract by satisfying Section 365(b)(1) of the Code, and for that reason, the license must be terminated.

In summary form, Fruit of the Loom, enumerated the following violations:

1. The Debtor had not timely submitted (or did not submit at all) for approval, prior to sale, proper samples of the clothing to be manufactured.
2. The Debtor sold Fruit of the Loom trademarked clothing of a quality inferior to that agreed upon.
3. The Debtor violated territorial restrictions.
4. The Debtor did not maintain an expanding business.
5. The Debtor sold clothing with Fruit of the Loom’s trademark slovenly embroidered.
6. The Debtor refused to honor the replace or refund return policy.
7. The Debtor failed to pay license fees.
8. The Debtor failed to properly and timely submit sales reports.
9. The Debtor failed to pay its share of advertising fees.
10. The Debtor failed to submit an advertising “hangtag” for approval and a lawsuit was instituted by a third party because of the unauthorized use of a picture on the hangtag.

The Debtor, desperate to keep its most essential asset and assume the license agreement, served an opposing affidavit that controverted most of the allegations. 2 The Debtor also asserted that the termination motion was but part of a continuing scheme by Fruit of the Loom to transfer its exclusive license to a company named Corn-tec Enterprises, Inc., a company that had earlier shown interest in assisting or buying into the Debtor, but who was now negotiating independently and directly with Fruit of the Loom and had already won a license for jeans, which the Debtor claims is in violation of its own license agreement.

Hearings commenced July 29, 1980. At this time, Fruit of the Loom, in a posthaste effort to receive an award of termination, agreed to forego its pre-bankruptcy license termination claim, provided, the Court conduct a prompt hearing on whether the Debtor could meet the requirements of Section 365(b)(1). 3 The oral motion was granted. 4

*103 The Debtor is obligated by its license agreement to pay royalties of 3% on its gross sales, with a minimum fee of $180,000 due this year. Although there was no financial default by the Debtor prior to the entering of the Order for Relief, $15,000 became due on June 30, 1980 and an additional $45,000 on September 30, 1980 for a total of $60,000.

The Debtor freely admits to its $60,000 financial default and its failures to properly and timely submit representative production samples. However, the other defaults are vigorously contested.

To salvage its license agreement and comply with Section 365(b)(1) the Debtor devised a two-part plan. Part One is a “manufacturing capability package” and Part Two is a “money package”. The two-part proposal involves agreements with two other parties — Fashion House, Inc. (“Fashion House”) and S&S Venture Associates Ltd. (“S&S”).

Fashion House is in the business of “jobbing merchandise”, which consists mainly of “off price” (discount) clothing. It was established in 1968 and has an impressive, expanding sales record, along with a sizea-ble and growing stockholders’ equity. The company projects sales for 1980 of $15-19 million.

As Part One of the Debtor’s plan, “the manufacturing capability package”, (described in testimony and in a letter agreement submitted in evidence), Fashion House has agreed to act as the Debtor’s contractor and arrange for the manufacture of finished garments in accordance with quality standards mandated by the license agreement. An independent sales force will also be provided and Fashion House will further arrange for the leasing of a showroom in the New York City garment district.

Compensation to Fashion House will include the direct cost of manufacture plus a 22% markup to cover other expenses.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Vistam, Inc.
C.D. California, 2024
In Re Food City, Inc.
94 B.R. 91 (W.D. Texas, 1988)
Madisonview Towers v. Yardley (In Re Yardley)
77 B.R. 643 (M.D. Tennessee, 1987)
In Re Gold Standard at Penn, Inc.
75 B.R. 669 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1987)
In Re Westview 74th Street Drug Corp.
59 B.R. 747 (S.D. New York, 1986)
In Re Bon Ton Restaurant & Pastry Shop, Inc.
53 B.R. 789 (N.D. Illinois, 1985)
Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. v. Gamel
45 B.R. 345 (N.D. New York, 1984)
In Re General Oil Distributors, Inc.
18 B.R. 654 (E.D. New York, 1982)
In Re Luce Industries, Inc.
14 B.R. 529 (S.D. New York, 1981)
In Re Lafayette Radio Electronics Corp.
9 B.R. 993 (E.D. New York, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
8 B.R. 100, 3 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 574, 1980 Bankr. LEXIS 3879, 7 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 78, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/matter-of-luce-industries-inc-nysb-1980.