Monsour Medical Center, Inc. v. Stein (In Re Monsour Medical Center, Inc.)

154 B.R. 201, 1993 Bankr. LEXIS 794, 1993 WL 166272
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 12, 1993
Docket19-10176
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 154 B.R. 201 (Monsour Medical Center, Inc. v. Stein (In Re Monsour Medical Center, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Monsour Medical Center, Inc. v. Stein (In Re Monsour Medical Center, Inc.), 154 B.R. 201, 1993 Bankr. LEXIS 794, 1993 WL 166272 (Pa. 1993).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

BERNARD MARKOVITZ, Bankruptcy Judge.

Debtor has been wracked by a fractious dispute among several members of the Monsour family which has paralyzed its board of directors and rendered it incapable of effectively governing debtor. In response to this deplorable situation, the Court of Common Pleas of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania (“state court”), appointed a receiver to manage debtor’s affairs and to procure a buyer.

Several matters are before the court at this time.

Debtor has brought an adversary action against the receiver, Robert B. Stein, pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 543 wherein it seeks an order directing the receiver to turn over its assets to it and. to render an accounting. The obvious unspoken purpose of the adversary action is to have the receiver ousted and to have control of debtor returned to a faction of its board of directors to the exclusion of the other faction.

The receiver has filed a motion pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 305 to dismiss this bankruptcy case or to abstain. According to the receiver, the interests of debtor and of its creditors would be better served by dismissal or abstention. The receiver alternatively avers that the case should be dismissed for cause pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1112(b) because it was filed in bad faith. According to the receiver, the case should be dismissed because it was filed as a blatant attempt by one faction of debtor’s board of directors to reverse setbacks it has suffered in state court in its ongoing dispute with the receiver and with the opposing faction of debtor’s board of directors.

The United States Trustee, as well as Howard P. Monsour and Robert G. Mons-our, bondholders having a first claim to debtor’s assets, also have filed motions to dismiss or to abstain. The grounds offered in support of their respective motions are basically identical to those presented by the receiver.

The chapter 11 petition will be dismissed for reasons set forth in this memorandum opinion. In light of this resolution, it will not be necessary to address debtor’s turnover action or any other matter that presently is pending in this bankruptcy case.

-I-

FACTS

Debtor owns and operates a hospital located in Jeannette, Pennsylvania.

This is not the first time that debtor has been in bankruptcy. Its initial sojourn lasted for nearly a decade and ended less than four (4) years ago.

Debtor filed its first voluntary chapter 11 petition at Bankruptcy No. 80-261 on February 22, 1980. As might be expected in a case that lasted for nearly a decade, debtor made little or no progress for a considerable period of time towards confirmation of a plan of reorganization.

After the case had languished for more than eight (8) years, and at the suggestion of the court, the United States Trustee moved in September of 1988 to convert the case to a chapter 7 proceeding. An order was entered by this court on October 18, 1988, converting the case to a chapter 7 proceeding as of December 19, 1988, unless debtor had submitted a disclosure statement and plan of reorganization by that date.

Debtor, apparently stung by the prospect of liquidation under chapter 7, submitted a disclosure statement and plan of reorganization in time to avoid conversion. Its fourth amended plan of reorganization was finally confirmed on July 13, 1989.

On November 1, 1989, the City Of Jeannette Health Services Authority (“authority”) issued revenue bonds in the amount of $19,000,000.00. The revenues generated then were loaned to debtor, which in turn executed a loan and security agreement in favor of the authority. Debtor also grant *204 ed the authority a first mortgage against its facility as security. Fidelity Bank, National Association, (“Fidelity”), was designated as the indenture trustee to whom the authority’s interest in the loan agreement and mortgage were assigned.

Problems relating to debtor’s governance occurred around the time the bonds were issued. Monsour Medical Foundation, which controls debtor, petitioned the state court to appoint a custodian to take charge of the hospital’s operations. The petition alleged, among other things, that debtor’s board of directors was incapable of making decisions and of taking actions in debtor’s best interest due to misconduct by debtor’s management.

The state court became convinced that a basis existed for taking definitive action and appointed a custodian in December of 1990. Debtor’s problems unfortunately did not abate with the appointment of the custodian, who eventually resigned in frustration. A successor custodian was appointed in April of 1991 and was given additional authority- to pursue a sale of debtor’s assets. The order appointing the successor custodian provided that management of debtor was to be returned to its board of directors on October 31, 1991 if no sale had been consummated by then.

Debtor defaulted on its obligation with respect to repayment of the bond, whereupon the entire debt was accelerated. In excess of $16,000,000.00 was and is due and owing.

Fidelity, the indenture trustee, filed a petition in state court in October of 1991 to appoint a liquidating receiver shortly before control of debtor was to be returned to its board of directors. An order was issued by the state court in October of 1991 appointing the successor custodian as liquidating receiver. However, the order was stayed pending negotiations among several interested parties.

Negotiations ultimately resulted in a joint stipulation whereby Robert B. Stein was to be appointed as receiver of debtor until January 31, 1992. He was not, however, to be appointed as a liquidating receiver. It was further agreed that William Monsour, Roy C. Monsour, Howard P. Monsour, and Robert G. Monsour would purchase the above bonds from Fidelity for the sum of $3,000,000.00. The stipulation further provided that a non-refundable down payment of $250,000.00 was to be made by November 27, 1991, with the balance of $2,750,000.00 to be paid on the closing date of January 31,1992. Fidelity’s status as indenture trustee was to terminate at the closing.

Pursuant to the terms of the joint stipulation, each of four members of the Mons-our family contributed twenty-five percent (25%) of the required $250,000.00 down payment. The remaining $2,750,000.00, however, was tendered at the time of closing by Howard Monsour, Robert G. Mons-our, and Roy C. Monsour. William Mons-our did not contribute anything at the closing. 1 Howard P. Monsour, Sr. subsequently was selected as the new indenture trustee.

An order subsequently was issued by the state court on June 23, 1992 which, among other things, continued the authority of the receiver until July 17,1992, whereupon control of debtor was to revert to its board of directors.

In September of 1992, some two (2) months after control of debtor had reverted to its board of directors, Howard Monsour and Robert G.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
154 B.R. 201, 1993 Bankr. LEXIS 794, 1993 WL 166272, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/monsour-medical-center-inc-v-stein-in-re-monsour-medical-center-inc-pawb-1993.