Pavarini McGovern, LLC v. Waterscape Resort LLC (In re Waterscape Resort LLC)

483 B.R. 601
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York
DecidedDecember 10, 2012
DocketBankruptcy No. 11-11593 (SMB); Adversary No. 11-02248
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 483 B.R. 601 (Pavarini McGovern, LLC v. Waterscape Resort LLC (In re Waterscape Resort LLC)) 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
Pavarini McGovern, LLC v. Waterscape Resort LLC (In re Waterscape Resort LLC), 483 B.R. 601 (N.Y. 2012).

Opinion

[604]*604MEMORANDUM DECISION GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

STUART M. BERNSTEIN, Bankruptcy Judge.

The plaintiff Pavarini McGovern, LLC (“Pavarini”) was retained as general contractor by the debtor and defendant Wat-erscape Resort LLC (“Waterscape”) to construct a building (the “Project”) in Manhattan. Allegedly owed approximately $11 million, Pavarini commenced this class action adversary proceeding contending that Waterscape diverted certain trust fund monies owed to Pavarini and, ultimately, the subcontractors that worked on the Project. (See Complaint, dated June 10, 2011 (ECF Doc. # 1).)1 Pavarini has moved for partial summary judgment on the first two counts of the Complaint. For the reasons that follow, the motion is granted in part and denied in part.

BACKGROUND

A. The Deal

1. The Loan Agreements

On or about June 11, 2007, U.S. Bank, National Association and USB Capital Resources, Inc. f/k/a USB Capital Funding Corp. (collectively “US Bank”) made the following loan facilities available to Water-scape to refinance pre-existing debt and fund the construction of the Project, a 45-story hotel and condominium building located at 66-70 West 45th Street in Manhattan:

_Loan_Amount_

Construction Loan $100,112,566_

Project Loan_$ 9,180,486_

Acquisition Loan2 $ 31,321,306

USB Loan$ 8,653,589

(Affidavit of Gary D. Houston in Connection with Pavarini McGovern LLC’s Motion for Summary Judgment, sworn to Aug. 8, 2012 (“Houston Affidavit ”), at ¶ 4 (ECF Doc. # 60).) The Acquisition and USB Loans were fully funded at the closing; the Construction and Project Loans were advanced as construction progressed. (Id.) The Construction Loan was to fund “a portion of the actual hard costs” (see Amended and Restated Construction Loan Agreement, dated June 11, 2007 (“Construction Loan Agreement ”), at 1, ¶ C),3 and the Project Loan was to fund “certain indirect construction costs ... that do not qualify as cost of improvements under the Lien Law.” (See Acquisition and Project Loan Agreement, dated June 11, 2007 (“Project Loan Agreement ”), at p. 1, second paragraph.)4 The Construction Loan was secured by a mortgage, and the Project Loan was secured by a Project Mortgage, Assignment of Rents and Security Agreement. (Houston Affidavit at ¶ 6.)

[605]*6052. Funding the Project

Pursuant to the Construction Loan and Project Loan Agreements, U.S. Bank agreed to make monthly advances to Wat-erscape to fund Project costs. (See Construction Loan Agreement at §§ 3.1 & 3.2; Project Loan Agreement at §§ 3.1 & 3.2.) Waterscape requested advances by submitting monthly Draw Requests to U.S. Bank containing copies of, among other things, invoices of the Project contractors and vendors. (Houston Affidavit at ¶ 9.) The Draw Requests had to be accompanied by a Draw Request Certification that contained affirmative representations by Waterscape to U.S. Bank that, among other things, the funds being drawn would be applied to fund the Project as specified in the requisition. (Id. at ¶ 10.) Once approved, U.S. Bank transferred the funds to Waterscape.

3. The Construction Agreement

On June 28, 2007, Waterscape entered into a contract with Pavarini that designated Pavarini as the Construction Manager for the Project. (See Construction Management Agreement, dated June 28, 2007 (“CM Agreement ”).)5 Pavarini entered into subcontracts with various trade contractors and vendors to perform the necessary work. (Frederick Affidavit at ¶7.) Pavarini was responsible for managing and hiring subcontractors, and was entitled to a fee of 2.75% of the entire cost of construction exclusive of the fee itself. (See CM Agreement at Art. 9.5.1.)

Waterscape was not in privity with the subcontractors; it paid Pavarini and Pa-varini was responsible for paying the subcontractors. Pavarini agreed to provide Waterscape with the necessary paperwork to submit Draw Requests to U.S. Bank for funds with which Waterscape could make periodic payments to Pavarini as work was completed. (See id. at Art. 12.) Among other things, Pavarini was required to submit monthly requests for payment (requisitions) to Waterscape. These monthly requests constituted an express representation by Pavarini, inter alia, that to the best of its knowledge, the payment requested was for work on the Project and that the work performed thus far complied with the CM Agreement. (See id. at Art. 12.1.4.) Within five business days after receipt of Pavarini’s request for payment, Waterscape had to issue a Certificate for Payment or notify Pavarini in writing why it was withholding the Certificate. (See id. at Art. 12.2.) If Waterscape issued a Certificate of Payment, it was required to pay Pavarini within five but no later than thirty days of receipt of the Application of Payment, in full, irrespective of whether it disputed the amounts due Pavarini. (See id. at Arts. 12.3.1 & 19.5.)6 Any disputes were committed to a dispute resolution board (“DRB”). (See id, at Art. 19.5.)

B. The Dispute Between the Parties

The dispute between the parties centers on two sets of events. First, U.S. Bank funded certain requisitions but Waterscape failed to remit all of the funded proceeds [606]*606to Pavarini. Second, Waterscape sold condominium units and paid the proceeds to U.S. Bank rather than Pavarini in satisfaction of its loan obligations. In a nutshell, Pavarini alleges that the funded requisitions and sales proceeds were trust funds under New York’s Lien Law that Water-scape illegally diverted.

1. The Funded Requisitions

Pavarini submitted forty-two correspondingly numbered requisitions to Wat-erscape. Waterscape submitted Draw Requests to U.S. Bank for the first forty requisitions. US Bank funded all or part of the forty Draw Requests, but Water-scape did not turn over the entire funded portion to Pavarini. The shortfall, $4,458,616.97 (the “Shortfall”), represents what Pavarini has characterized as diverted trust funds. (See Frederick Affidavit at ¶ 15.) Pavarini also submitted a draft of Requisition no. 41 in the amount of $815,022, which U.S. Bank did not fund and Waterscape did not pay. (Id. at ¶ 16.) On December 22, 2010, after Waterscape terminated the CM Agreement,7 Pavarini sent Requisition no. 42 in the amount of $5,145,809, and the total amount owing under all of the unpaid requisitions aggregates $10,833,132.59.8 (Id. at ¶ 17.)

Although Waterscape has not specifically accounted for the Shortfall, it has offered evidence that "it used all monies received by U.S. Bank per the Draw Requests to pay trust fund expenses. According to Waterscape, it received $85,157,163.64 in advances from U.S. Bank pursuant to the Construction Loan. (See Verified Statement Pursuant to Lien Law sworn to Nov. 11, 2011 (“Verified Statement

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Bluebook (online)
483 B.R. 601, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pavarini-mcgovern-llc-v-waterscape-resort-llc-in-re-waterscape-resort-nysb-2012.