Pitter v. Baker (In re Cohoes Industrial Terminal, Inc.)

89 B.R. 377, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 1356
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedAugust 16, 1988
DocketBankruptcy No. 86 B 20201
StatusPublished

This text of 89 B.R. 377 (Pitter v. Baker (In re Cohoes Industrial Terminal, Inc.)) 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
Pitter v. Baker (In re Cohoes Industrial Terminal, Inc.), 89 B.R. 377, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 1356 (S.D.N.Y. 1988).

Opinion

DECISION ON MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

HOWARD SCHWARTZBERG, Bankruptcy Judge.

The debtor has filed two motions for summary judgment claiming that no factual dispute exists regarding the two adversary proceedings and other various actions brought on by the trustee against the debt- or. The trustee, in her adversary proceeding, is seeking a determination that a lease, which is the only remaining asset of the debtor in addition to approximately $350,-000, was not terminated and may be assumed by the trustee. Additionally, the trustee seeks to recover alleged improper post-petition payments made by the debtor-in-possession while under the control of one of the defendants, Leon C. Baker, and to hold the defendants responsible for the diversion of rent receipts and the their post-petition return of funds to the debtor’s subtenants. The trustee argues there are various factual disputes which exist which may be resolved with further discovery and requests the motion for summary judgment be denied. Finally, the trustee requests sanctions be imposed upon the debtor’s attorney for the filing a motion that is not warranted by existing law.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

1. On April 28,1986, the debtor, Cohoes Industrial Terminal, filed with this court its petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. The debtor was named as lessee under a leasehold interest. This lease involved an industrial terminal located at 100 North Mohawk Road, Cohoes, New York. The lessor of these premises is the Coleman Capital Employees’ Profit Sharing Trust which is an entity controlled by Leon Baker, who is also special counsel and a shareholder and president of the debtor. When the Baker-controlled debtor did not pay rent to the Baker-controlled lessor the latter terminated the lease and put in as a new tenant another Baker-controlled entity which he formed, known as Cohoes Terminal, Inc.

2. In October of 1986, the debtor, without court approval, paid Niagara Mohawk a pre-payment for future utility services which resulted in a credit balance in the debtor’s favor of $36,514.07. It is alleged that by the end of November 1986, the debtor’s account still had a credit balance of $24,816.24.

3. In October of 1986, the debtor, without court approval, refunded to its subleas-ees pre-paid rent amounting to nearly $70,-000.

4. By decision of this court dated October 10, 1986 and order dated October 27, 1986, a Chapter 11 trustee was appointed. In re Cohoes Industrial Terminal, Inc., 65 B.R. 918 (Bankr.S.D.N.Y.1986).

5. By decision of this court dated October 9, 1987, Lathem Sparrowbush Associates (“LSA”) obtained a judgment against the debtor in the approximate amount of $840,000. In re Cohoes Industrial Terminal, Inc., 78 B.R. 681 (Bankr.S.D.N.Y.1987) aff'd 87 Civ. 8919 (S.D.N.Y. May 2, 1988 Brieant, C.J.).

[379]*3796. On December 17, 1987 an order was entered converting this case to Chapter 7. A trustee was retained by order of this court dated April 4, 1988. The Baker-controlled entities objected to LSA’s voting for a trustee. This court’s decision dated March 14, 1988, which approved the trustee’s election, In re Cohoes Industrial Terminal, 83 B.R. 256 (Bankr.S.D.N.Y.1988), was affirmed by the District Court, 90 B.R. 67 (S.D.N.Y.1988)(Brieant, C.J.).

DISCUSSION

In ruling on a motion for summary judgment the court’s function is to determine whether a genuine issue as to any material fact exists, not to resolve any factual issues, Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2553, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). The court must deny summary judgment where there is a genuine issue as to any material fact, Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986), and grant summary judgment where there is no such issue and the movant is entitled to judgment as á matter of substantive law. Hamilton v. Smith, 773 F.2d 461 (2d Cir.1985). The moving party for summary judgment has the burden of showing the absence of any genuine issue as to all the material facts which entitle him to judgment as a matter of law. Katz v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, 131 F.2d 238, 244 (2d Cir.1984); See 2 J. Moore, A. Vestal, P, Kurkland, Moore’s Federal Practice and Procedure § 17.10 at 17-34 (2d ed. 1987).

The Lease

The first count of the trustee’s complaint claims the lease for Cohoes Industrial Terminal, under which the debtor was the lessee before the lease was transferred to the newly created Baker-controlled entity, Co-hoes Terminal Inc., was never terminated and therefore, the estate may assume the lease for the benefit of the estate pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 365. The debtor argues that the lease was terminated in October 1986 as a result of a letter sent by Leon Baker to the debtor wherin he expressed the debt- or’s intent to terminate the lease. Even if the letter did not terminate the lease, the debtor argues that the lease terminated by its own terms in November of 1986. Furthermore, the debtor argues that even if it did not properly terminate the lease or the lease did not terminate by its own terms, the Chapter 11 trustee failed to assume the lease within 60 days of the filing of the Chapter 11 petition and the Chapter 7 trustee failed to assume the lease after 60 from the conversion of the debtor from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 in compliance with 11 U.S.C. § 365. The debtor also asserts that even if the lease is still effective the value of the lease is so minimal that it has absolutely no value to the debtor’s estate.

The trustee states that the lease was not terminated because the debtor exercised its option to renew and therefore the lease did not terminate by its own terms. The trustee bases this conclusion on the information included in the memoranda of lease recorded pursuant to New York Real Property law and on the fact that the debtor included the lease as an asset on its schedules filed with court with its bankruptcy petition. This memoranda stated the duration of the lease was 30 years, as opposed to stating the duration was 20 years with an option to renew for 10 years. The schedules stated the lease was worth $100,000 at the time of the filing of the schedules.

Assuming the lease was not terminated, the Chapter 7 trustee states that the reason the Chapter 11 trustee neglected to assume the lease within 60 days of the filing of the bankruptcy petition was because Leon Baker and the Chapter 11 trustee entered into an agreement whereby the Chapter 11 trustee agreed to wait until the outcome of the debtor’s litigation with La-them Sparrowbush Associates. Because the trustee agreed to leave in abeyance all administrative matters in the bankruptcy, the Chapter 7 trustee argues she retained the right to assume the lease once the litigation with LSA terminated. This litigation has not terminated and is the subject of an appeal. Meanwhile, the debtor’s case was converted to Chapter 7. Therefore, the Chapter 7 trustee contends that she had 60 days from the day of conversion to assume the lease.

[380]

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Related

Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.
477 U.S. 242 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Hamilton v. Smith
773 F.2d 461 (Second Circuit, 1985)
In Re Cohoes Industrial Terminal, Inc.
65 B.R. 918 (S.D. New York, 1986)
In Re Cohoes Industrial Terminal, Inc.
83 B.R. 256 (S.D. New York, 1988)
In Re Cohoes Industrial Terminal, Inc.
90 B.R. 67 (S.D. New York, 1988)
In Re Cohoes Industrial Terminal, Inc.
78 B.R. 681 (S.D. New York, 1987)
Oklahoma Natural Gas Co. v. Ross
131 F.2d 238 (Tenth Circuit, 1942)

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Bluebook (online)
89 B.R. 377, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 1356, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pitter-v-baker-in-re-cohoes-industrial-terminal-inc-nysd-1988.