Official Unsecured Creditors' Committee of Erie Hilton Joint Venture v. Siskind (In re Erie Hilton Joint Venture)

145 B.R. 215, 1992 Bankr. LEXIS 1520
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedSeptember 23, 1992
DocketBankruptcy No. 89-00571E; Adv. No. 91-0091
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 145 B.R. 215 (Official Unsecured Creditors' Committee of Erie Hilton Joint Venture v. Siskind (In re Erie Hilton Joint Venture)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District 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
Official Unsecured Creditors' Committee of Erie Hilton Joint Venture v. Siskind (In re Erie Hilton Joint Venture), 145 B.R. 215, 1992 Bankr. LEXIS 1520 (W.D. Pa. 1992).

Opinion

OPINION

WARREN W. BENTZ, Bankruptcy Judge.

Introduction

In an Opinion dated March 6, 1992, on Motions to Dismiss the within Complaint to Compel Turnover of Property of the Estate (“Complaint”), we determined that subject matter jurisdiction is proper in this Court; that the Official Unsecured Creditors’ Committee (“Committee”) has standing to bring the Complaint; and that the Complaint states a claim upon which relief can be granted. In re Erie Hilton Joint Venture, 137 B.R. 165 (Bankr.WD Pa.1992). We further stated that “[i]t appears that the Committee would be entitled to Summary Judgment but for the following question of fact — whether the Defendants had knowledge of or agreed to the Confirmed Plan?” Id.

Presently before us are multiple Motions for Summary Judgment filed by the Committee and each of the remaining defendants, Arvin Rosen, Leon Levitsky, Maurice Wyatt, Herman Rubin and Consolidated Management, Inc. (collectively the “Defendants”).

The Committee asserts that there are no genuine issues of material fact and that it is clear that the Defendants had knowledge of and agreed to the obligation to fund the Erie Hilton Joint Venture’s (“Debtor”) Second Amended Plan of Reorganization which was confirmed on October 3, 1990 (“Second Amended Plan” or “Confirmed Plan”).

Defendants agree that there are no genuine issues of material fact, but assert that the facts show a lack of knowledge or agreement to fund the Confirmed Plan.

Much of the factual and procedural background is discussed in our March 6, 1992 Opinion and need not be repeated here.

Based on the pleadings, depositions, pretrial statements, Motions for Summary Judgment and Briefs and Responses thereto, we find that the Committee has suggested no evidence of any fact which could show an agreement by the Defendants to fund the Confirmed Plan. Accordingly, we will grant each of the Defendant’s Motions for Summary Judgment and deny the Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment. The Complaint will be dismissed.

Discussion

On April 26, 1990, the Debtor filed its original Plan of Reorganization. An Amended Plan of Reorganization (“First Amended Plan”) was filed on June 1, 1990. Both plans contemplated an infusion of capital to renovate and continue operation [217]*217of the Debtor’s single asset, the Quality Hotel Plaza (“Hotel”). Debtor’s counsel, Harry D. Martin, Esq. (“Martin”) felt it necessary to have a sum of money in escrow to convince the Court and the Debt- or’s major secured creditor, the Prudential Insurance Company of America (“Prudential”), of the feasibility of the First Amended Plan. In response to Martin’s request, Defendant Rubin prepared a list of proposed amounts of contribution by the various Defendants and began soliciting such contributions. Rubin proposed contributions as follows:

Rubin $850,000
Levitsky 350,000
Siskind 134,597
Wyatt 107,937
Rosen 52,727
Fensterwald 29,953
$1,025,214

Rubin advised Siskind and Rosen that he had met with Prudential on May 10, 1990; that he was to meet again with Prudential on May 22,1990; and that Prudential wanted the contributions of $1,025,214 placed in escrow before May 22, 1990.

Rubin contemplated that he and Levitsky would take over the operation and management of the Hotel but structure the transaction in a manner that the tax attributes of the limited partnership could be maintained. Thus, it was contemplated that the bulk of the contributions would be provided by Rubin and Levitsky with the other limited partners contributing smaller amounts to preserve their tax benefits.

In response to Rubin’s call for contributions, Martin, as escrow agent, received $350,000 from Levitsky; $50,000 from Wyatt; and $52,727 from Rosen. Rosen’s contribution was accompanied by a letter dated May 18, 1990 which stated, in part:

[tjhis amount is being delivered to you in trust and is contingent upon (i) all parties contributing their respective shares as set forth below; and (ii) the plan of reorganization being adopted by the bankruptcy court in Case No. 89-571E. In the event either of these contingencies does not occur, I expect you to return this full amount to the undersigned.

Limited Partners Contributions:

Rubin $350,000
Levitsky 350,000
Siskind 134,597
Wyatt 107,937
Rosen 52,727
Fensterwald 29,953
Total $1,025,214

Based on Rubin’s proposed list of contributions, the Debtor prepared and filed a Combined Summary of Plan of Reorganization which states in part:

A Plan has been proposed on behalf of Hilton by a New Corporation which would be funded with one million dollars. The New Corporation is owned 60% by Herman Rubin and 40% by Leon Levit-sky. The million dollars is being provided by the following individuals:
Herman Rubin $352,168
Leon Levitsky 352,168
Consolidated Management, Inc. 135,000
Arvin E. Rosen 52,727
Maurice Wyatt 107,937
$1,000,000

Martin never had any contact concerning the contributions with Levitsky, Wyatt or Fensterwald. Martin knew as of May 18, 1990 that Consolidated Management, Inc., through its President, William Siskind, was not going to contribute and also learned at some point that Fensterwald would not contribute. Rubin, the catalyst behind this plan, failed to place his contribution in escrow, although Martin was convinced that Rubin had the money available in liquid funds and would contribute when necessary.

Martin understood that he held the funds in escrow without authority to disburse the funds. The only authority Martin had was to make representations to the Court that he had the monies. Despite representations to the Court and Prudential that the Debtor had $1,000,000 available (without advising the Court and Prudential of any qualifications on the monies held in escrow), Prudential continued to oppose the First Amended Plan.

Rather than continue the battle with Prudential, a Second Amended Plan was devised which did not involve continued oper[218]*218ation of the Hotel. Instead, there was an agreement whereby Prudential was given control of the Hotel, while the limited partners would retain the tax benefits by accomplishing a tax-free exchange under § 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. Martin had conversations with Siskind, Rubin and Rosen with regard to the Second Amended Plan but none of those discussions involved funding.

The Debtor filed its Second Amended Plan on August 23, 1990. On August 31, 1990, we entered an Order which required the Debtor to file a Third Amended Disclosure Statement and to follow the same procedure for confirmation of this new Plan as it had followed in the first.

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

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
145 B.R. 215, 1992 Bankr. LEXIS 1520, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/official-unsecured-creditors-committee-of-erie-hilton-joint-venture-v-pawd-1992.