Matter of McM, Inc.

95 B.R. 307, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 2347, 1988 WL 146949
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Delaware
DecidedDecember 23, 1988
Docket17-12763
StatusPublished

This text of 95 B.R. 307 (Matter of McM, Inc.) 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
Matter of McM, Inc., 95 B.R. 307, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 2347, 1988 WL 146949 (Del. 1988).

Opinion

BENCH DECISION

HELEN S. BALICK, Bankruptcy Judge.

MCM, Inc., t/a Alyson’s Restaurant and Mybev Associates each filed Chapter 11 *308 cases on June 3, 1988. MCM is a corporation formed to operate a restaurant that Mybev, a real estate holding company, agreed to construct under a lease and construction agreement with Ruth Hill on property at 1800 Naamans Road, New Castle County, Delaware. The major stockholder of MCM is Michael Moskowitz who is a general partner of Mybev along with his former wife Beverly and NuGelt, Inc. NuGelt is the operating corporation of another Alyson’s Restaurant located on My-bev’s property on the Kirkwood Highway, New Castle County, Delaware. Wilmington Savings Fund Society provided funds for the construction of the restaurant on Naamans Road. These loans were in default before the bankruptcy filings. WSFS has moved in each of the cases for relief from the automatic stay provisions of § 362(a) of title 11, United States Code, to proceed against property located at 1800 Naamans Road.

Section 362(d) provides that relief shall be granted either (1) for cause, including lack of adequate protection of an interest in property OR (2) if the debtor does not have equity in the property and it is not necessary to an effective reorganization. The party requesting relief has the burden of proof on the issue of debtors’ equity. Here, WSFS has that burden. Those opposing relief have the burden of proof on all other issues, that is, that WSFS’ property interest is adequately protected or that it does not have an interest, or that the property is essential to an effective reorganization. That burden falls upon the Trustee and the Creditors’ Committee of the MCM estate. The debtors MCM and My-bev earlier concluded they could not make it at the Naamans Road location and closed the business leaving them without a valid basis for opposing the motion.

Only WSFS presented evidence. Thus, the amount of debt due on two WSFS’ loans is not in dispute. These loans in the amount of $4,000,000 and $750,000 closed on April 1, 1987 and August 13, 1987, respectively. The total amount due as of December 14 is $5,471,094.09. The respective per diem interest is $1,388.88 and $260.41 for a total daily interest charge of $1,649.29.

The paper involved in connection with these loans is enormous so I refer only to the principal documents that WSFS holds as security.

First, on the $4,000,000 loan the documents are dated April 1, 1987. They are:

1. Mortgage and security agreement of Michael Moskowitz, Beverly Moskowitz and NuGelt t/a Mybev on two tracts of land. Tract A is Mybev’s interest and estate under a lease and construction agreement in the Naamans Road property and Tract B is the Kirkwood Highway property containing approximately .9619 acres conveyed to Mybev by deeds of Arlene Czerwinski et al. and Stanley Czerwinski, et al.
2. Accompanying bond executed by the Moskowitzes individually and as general partners along with NuGelt.
3. Guarantee bond and warrant signed by Michael Moskowitz, Beverly Moskow-itz, Carolyn Durbin, NuGelt and MCM, Inc.
4. Financing statement of Mybev, the Moskowitzes and NuGelt individually covering the entire contents of building or buildings located on the Naamans Road property.
5. Assignment of lease from Michael Moskowitz, Beverly Moskowitz and Nu-Gelt, individually and trading as Mybev, for the premises at Naamans Road. Second, on the $750,000 loan, there are:
1. Mortgage and security agreement of Michael Moskowitz, Beverly Moskowitz, and NuGelt t/a Mybev dated August 13, 1987, on the same tracts described in the April 1 mortgage. This mortgage is accompanied by a bond executed by the Moskowitzes and NuGelt individually and as general partner, Carolyn Durbin and MCM, Inc.
2. Mortgage of Michael Moskowitz and Beverly Moskowitz dated August 13 on their residence at 2415 Kingman Drive, Wilmington.
3. Mortgage of Mybev, Michael Mos-kowitz and Beverly Moskowitz dated August 13 on property conveyed to Mybev *309 by Arlene Czerwinski et al. and property conveyed to Michael Moskowitz and Beverly Moskowitz by William and Helen Webb.
4. Financing statement of Mybev, the Moskowitzes and NuGelt individually dated August 13, 1987, covering entire contents of building or buildings located on the Naamans Road property.

Among the numerous documents relating to the April closing is a landlord’s consent of Ruth Hill dated March 31,1987, consenting to a sublease between Mybev and MCM dated as of March 1,1987. Until bankruptcy Mybev had no bank account and its rental payments to Ruth Hill were made directly by MCM. The proceeds of the loans were credited to MCM’s deposit account at WSFS.

On July 30,1987, WSFS subordinated the lien of its $4,000,000 loan against Mybev’s Kirkwood Highway real estate to the lien of First Federal Savings Bank of Delaware. First Federal loaned Mybev and NuGelt $250,000 and $1,600,000 on April 13, 1987 and took as security a $1,800,000 mortgage from Mybev on the Kirkwood Highway property and a financing statement from NuGelt on all inventory, machinery, furniture, fixtures and equipment.

First Federal’s loans carrying a total daily interest of $553.42, were in default before the bankruptcy filing. On December 14 the total amount due was $1,846,915.83.

The real estate and personal property at both locations were appraised at fair market value and liquidation value. The fair market value of the leasehold interest in the Naamans Road real property is $3,425,-000. The fair market value of the restaurant, bar fixtures and equipment in place is $1,203,000 for a total fair market value of $4,628,000. The total fair market value of Kirkwood Highway, which includes land and restaurant in place, is $1,499,400. The fair market value of the Moskowitz’ residence at 2415 Kingman Drive is $175,000.

When the debtors ceased doing business at Naamans Road on November 10, WSFS undertook to protect its interest by hiring a guard service, changing locks, and paying past due rental to Ruth Hill, late real estate taxes to New Castle County and an insurance premium for fire, extended coverage and liability insurance. The payments made as of December 14 total in excess of $172,500. Estimated monthly expenses to preserve and protect the property are $20,000 to $25,000.

In addition to the mortgages of record, there are approximately 20 mechanic’s lien actions pending in Superior Court. Some of these claimants assert lien superiority as to one or both of the WSFS mortgages. There are other claimants asserting a superior interest to WSFS in virtually all items of machinery and equipment at the Naa-mans Road restaurant with the exception of pots, pans, china, kitchen utensils and silverware.

Neither Mybev nor the Trustee for MCM have offered WSFS any form of adequate protection of its interest in property. Neither debtor has any funds nor has the Trustee any definite possibilities for a plan proposal.

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Bluebook (online)
95 B.R. 307, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 2347, 1988 WL 146949, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/matter-of-mcm-inc-deb-1988.