National Broadcasting Co. v. Rockefeller Center Properties (In re Rockefeller Center Properties)

266 B.R. 52, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11156
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedAugust 3, 2001
DocketNo. 00 CIV. 5268(LAP)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 266 B.R. 52 (National Broadcasting Co. v. Rockefeller Center Properties (In re Rockefeller Center Properties)) 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
National Broadcasting Co. v. Rockefeller Center Properties (In re Rockefeller Center Properties), 266 B.R. 52, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11156 (S.D.N.Y. 2001).

Opinion

[54]*54 MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

PRESEA, District Judge.

Appellant National Broadcasting Company (“NBC”) appeals the Memorandum Decision of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (“Bankruptcy Court”) granting partial summary judgment to appellee Rockefeller Center Properties (“RCP”) and RCP Associates (collectively the “Reorganized Debtors”) denying NBC’s Proof of Claim relating to the lease of property in the Rockefeller Center complex from the years 1989 through 1992.1 For the reasons set [55]*55forth below, the Memorandum Decision of the Bankruptcy Court is affirmed.

I. BACKGROUND

Appellant NBC has been a tenant of Rockefeller Center since 1937. (NBC’s Record on Appeal, Ex. 23, Memorandum Decision Granting in Part, Denying in Part, Debtors’ Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, dated April 17, 2000, “Decision” at 3). Over the years, NBC has entered into several different leases with the owners of Rockefeller Center. (Id.). In 1988, NBC entered into a Consolidated Lease (the “Lease”) with appellee RCP. (Id.). RCP was the company primarily responsible for the maintenance and operation of Rockefeller Center; its affiliate, RCP Associates, was the owner of most of the buildings in the complex. (Id.).

Under the Lease with the Reorganized Debtors, NBC was required to pay a stated annual rent in monthly installments. (Id. at 6). In addition, the Lease required NBC to pay additional rent (“Additional Rent”) which was related to operation and maintenance costs. (NBC Mem. at 11). The method for the calculation and payment of the Additional Rent was defined in the Lease. (Id.). The Additional Rent to be paid each month was one-twelfth of the final amount of Additional Rent for the prior year. (Decision at 6). At the conclusion of each lease year, the Reorganized Debtors set the final amount of Additional Rent for that prior year and issued a retrospective statement adjusting the account as necessary (e.g., if NBC overpaid, the Reorganized Debtors issued a refund). (NBC Mem. at 12). The statements setting forth the amount of Additional Rent were referred to as “Escalation Statements.” (Id.).

The Lease explicitly gave NBC the right to perform an audit within six months after the receipt of any Escalation Statement. (Decision at 9). The Lease also required RCP to furnish additional information in substantiation of the amounts set forth in the Escalation Statements if NBC requested such information within six months after the receipt of the statement. (Id.).

In 1991, in accordance with the Léase provisions, NBC performed an audit of the 1990 Additional Rent as set forth in the Escalation Statement. (Id. at 10). As a result of the audit, NBC discovered that RCP had under billed it by $4,000 for certain elevator usage; the Landlord waived its right to collect the outstanding money. (Id.). On two other occasions, in 1991 and 1992 NBC discovered mistakes in its bills. (See id. at 10 (discussing NBC’s discovery of excessive elevator charges for lease years 1989, 1990, and 1991); id. at 11 (noting rent overcharges for period July 1989 through February 1992)). Both of these errors were resolved by RCP. (Id. at 11).

In early 1994, NBC also requested an audit of the 1993 Escalation Statement. (Decision at 12). After performing the audit and reviewing RCP’s accounting methods, NBC objected to its proportionate share of building costs and certain equipment expense categorizations. (Id. at 30). Because the objections were never resolved, NBC withheld a portion of its 1993 Additional Rent; these objections remain unresolved. (Id. at 12). NBC also objected to certain extra elevator service and chilled water charges which were discovered as a result of the audit of the 1993 Escalation Statement as well. (Id.). The extra elevator charge dispute through July 1993 was settled between the parties by [56]*56two letters dated December 21, 1992 and September 21, 1993. (Id. at 13). Thus, although objections regarding charges in the 1993 Escalation Statement are unresolved, any objections which were raised by NBC with respect to lease years 1989— 1992 were settled between the parties, and there are no outstanding substantive protests for those years. (Id.).

On May 11, 1995, the Reorganized Debtors filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. (Decision at 3). As a result of the bankruptcy petitions, NBC needed to quantify all of its outstanding claims against the Reorganized Debtors. (NBC Mem. at 8-9). On September 13, 1995, NBC filed a Proof of Claim alleging that it was entitled to a refund of at least $16,067,300 in excess rent and overcharges found in the Escalation Statements. (Id. at 9).

In its Proof of Claim, NBC objected to RCP’s accounting methodology for the 1992 and 1993 extra elevator charges and chilled water charges, but did not specify any mistakes or errors in the calculation of the Additional Rent. (Decision at 14). NBC later presented the Bankruptcy Court with a report prepared by BDO Seidman, L.L.P., an accounting firm, which identified mistakes in the calculation of Additional Rent. (Id.) This report, which was prepared after NBC filed its Proof of Claim, asserted that NBC was overcharged at an annual rate of at least $2 per square foot for operating expense calculations from lease year 1989 through July 17,1996. (Id.)

On November 16, 1996, the Reorganized Debtors moved for summary judgment against NBC’s Proof of Claim relating to the excess rent and overcharges during the lease years 1987-1993, and sought a stay of discovery pending the determination of the motion. (NBC Mem. at 9). NBC conceded that the lease years 1987 and 1988 were barred by the statute of limitations and thus only lease years 1989 through 1993 were before the Bankruptcy Court. (Decision at 5). On September 9, 1997, the court granted a limited stay of discovery relating to the lease years at issue until the determination of the summary judgment motion. (Id.). On April 17, 2000, the Bankruptcy Court granted the Reorganized Debtors’ motion for summary judgment with respect to lease years 1987 through 1992 and denied it with respect to NBC’s claim relating to lease year 1993. (Id. at 2). The court held that NBC’s acceptance of Escalation Statements for the lease years 1989 through 1992, the resolution of all objections by NBC to the Escalation Statements, the payment of Additional Rent, and the exercise of NBC’s audit rights created stated accounts for lease years 1989 through 1992. (Id. at 30). The court further found that NBC had failed to establish any reason to reopen the settled and paid accounts. (Id.). Additionally, the court found that NBC was barred from challenging the paid accounts by the doctrine of estoppel in pais and that no further discovery was necessary. (Decision at 39).

On June 2, 2000, NBC filed a notice of appeal from the Bankruptcy Court’s Memorandum Decision.

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266 B.R. 52, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11156, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-broadcasting-co-v-rockefeller-center-properties-in-re-nysd-2001.