Redondo Construction Corp. v. Summertime Development, Corp. (In re Redondo Construction Corp.)

411 B.R. 114, 2009 Bankr. LEXIS 3359
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedAugust 31, 2009
DocketBankruptcy No. 02-02887 (GAC); Adversary No. 04-00017
StatusPublished

This text of 411 B.R. 114 (Redondo Construction Corp. v. Summertime Development, Corp. (In re Redondo Construction Corp.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Redondo Construction Corp. v. Summertime Development, Corp. (In re Redondo Construction Corp.), 411 B.R. 114, 2009 Bankr. LEXIS 3359 (prb 2009).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

GERARDO A. CARLO-ALTIERI, Chief Judge.

I. Procedural Background

Pending before the Court is a Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Eurobank (docket # 161) and an Opposition to the Motion for Summary Judgment and a Cross-Motion for Partial Summary Judgment filed by Redondo Construction Corporation (“debtor”)(docket # 169).

The debtor filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 on March 19, 2002. On October 8, 2003, the debtor filed a motion requesting an order to show cause against Summertime Development Corp. (“Summertime”) and its president, Ramon Martinez Perez (“Martinez”), for violation of the automatic stay (docket # 586, legal ease). The debtor claimed that Summertime withheld the sum of $390,579.00, that it owed debtor for work performed at the project Summertime Beach Resort (“Casa de Playa”), and that these funds are property of the estate. On December 1, 2003, Summertime requested leave to deposit the disputed amounts in court (docket # 669, legal case).

On March 24, 2004, the Court scheduled a hearing and ordered the debtor to file an adversary proceeding to seek turnover of property. The Court ordered Summertime to show cause as to why it failed to deposit the funds (docket # 743, legal case). The debtor filed the present adversary proceeding on February 9, 2004, requesting the same relief that it had requested in its motion seeking the order to show cause (docket # 1).

On April 27, 2004, the Court held a hearing in which it concluded that the debtor had a strong possibility of prevailing on the merits and that Summertime ignored the orders of the Court to deposit the sum of $390,579.00. It concluded that instead Summertime sold the project receiving $250,000.00 as a down payment, $500,000.00 at the closing and the note payable of $500,000.00. The Court fined Summertime and Martinez the amount of $10,000.00 and ordered Summertime, Martinez and the Bank & Trust of Puerto Rico (“B & T”) to deposit the $500,000.00 note payable with the Court until the matter was decided (docket # 819, legal case).

Eurobank, as subsequent holder in interest of the mortgage note, filed a motion for reconsideration of the Court’s order to deposit the note (docket # 842, legal case), arguing it had the sole right to hold the mortgage note until full payment of the first mortgage and arguing that the Court’s order deprived Eurobank of property without due process.

On October 3, 2005, the Court entered a Decision and Order granting Eurobank’s motion for reconsideration of the Court’s order to deposit the mortgage note, vacating the order requiring Eurobank to deposit the note without prejudice to the debtor seeking this relief in this adversary [117]*117proceeding (dockets # 1185 in legal case and # 56 in the present adversary proceeding).

On December 19, 2005, the debtor filed an amended complaint to include Euro-bank as a co-defendant, in the present adversary proceeding (docket # 85). The complaint was later dismissed against Juan Martinez and Ramon Martinez (docket # 114). On August 24, 2006, Eurobank filed a motion to dismiss, and debtor filed a reply (dockets # 122 and # 123). On May 25, 2007, the Court entered an order denying Eurobank’s motion to dismiss, finding that the complaint was sufficiently served (docket # 151).

On August 10, 2007, Eurobank filed the motion for summary judgment (docket # 161) and the debtor filed and opposition and a cross-motion for partial summary judgment (dockets # 169 and # 170). Then, the debtor filed a motion requesting entry of order denying Eurobank’s motion for summary judgment (docket # 185) and Eurobank filed a reply to the debtor’s opposition (docket # 187). Finally, the debtor filed a sur-reply (docket # 196).

On June 26, 2008, Eurobank filed a Third Party complaint against Doral (docket # 197). Then, on December 12, 2008, Doral filed a Third Party complaint against Lyon (docket #203) and on the same day, Doral filed the answer to complaint (docket #204). On May 28, 2009, Lyon filed the answer to complaint and a cross-party complaint against the debtor (docket #209). Finally, the debtor filed the answer to the cross-complaint on June 11, 2009 (docket # 210).

II. Position of the Parties

A. Debtor

Debtor asserts that B & T, predecessor to Eurobank, provided financing to Summertime for the Project Casa de Playa (docket # 169-2, Exhibit B page 1). On February 28 and March 4, 2003, the debt- or and Summertime executed amendments to the Contract, including a Subcontract Agreement and an Amended Contract, whereby the parties agreed that the construction of the Project was to be completed by Lyon Builders, Inc. (“Lyon”), Summertime’s affiliate. The Amended Contract was relative to the construction of sixty (60) walk up units. The debtor asserts that under the Amended Contract, Summertime agreed to pay the debtor $6,509.65 per unit as retainage, due and payable at the execution of the individualization and purchase deed of each unit or within six (6) months from the execution of the amendment, whichever came first (docket # 169-2, Exhibit B page 2).

The debtor asserts that on March 2004, Summertime sold the Project to Playa Ba-hía, Inc. (“Playa Bahía”) and from the sale of the Project, Summertime was to receive $588,024.03 at the time of the purchase, and $500,000.00 deferred as a mortgage note issued by Playa Bahía, due in 120 days to a year, secured by a second mortgage on the Project (docket # 169-2, Exhibit B page 4). The debtor also asserts that on several occasions, prior to the closing on the sale, B & T’s officials agreed that from the proceedings of the sale of the Project to Playa Bahía, the debtor would be paid the $390,579.00, due thereto (docket # 169-2, Exhibit B page 3). The sale to Playa Bahía was effected and despite demands for payment of the $390,579.00, B & T refused to comply with the agreement. The debtor asserts that he fulfilled its obligations under the Amended Contract and that there is no valid reason for Eurobank to withhold the $390,579.00 due.

Secondly, the debtor asserts that B & T issued checks made payable jointly to the [118]*118debtor, Summertime and Lyon for payment to the debtor for work performed and certified. He also asserts that B & T authorized payments on the jointly issued checks without the debtor’s indorsement. Specifically, checks numbers 36-005797 for $74,916.90, 36-005926 for $151,791.30, 36-006010 for $188,483.00, 36-006090 for $204,377.40, and 36-006223 for $163,977.30, for the total of $783,545.90, were paid to Summertime and Lyon without the debt- or’s indorsement (docket # 169-5, Exhibit E). The debtor argues that some case law has found that, not only does the depositary bank have responsibility, as Eurobank contends, but also the payor bank in favor of the non-indorsing joint payee.

Finally, as to Eurobank assertion that it does not have responsibility as a successor bank, the debtor contends that Eurobank’s arguments refer to the asset purchase agreement and are inapposite to a merger transaction, as that of B & T and Euro-bank (docket # 170-6, Exhibit F).

The debtor contends that Eurobank’s acts of withholding the amount due to the debtor under the Amended Contract violates the provisions of 11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(3).

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Bluebook (online)
411 B.R. 114, 2009 Bankr. LEXIS 3359, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/redondo-construction-corp-v-summertime-development-corp-in-re-redondo-prb-2009.