Sabine Oil & Gas Corp. v. HPIP Gonzales Holdings, LLC (In re Sabine Oil & Gas Corp.)

551 B.R. 132
United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York·Decided June 15, 2016·No. Case No. 15-11835 (SCC); Adversary Proceeding No. 16-01042 (SCC), Adversary Proceeding No. 16-01043 (SCC)·Published·Cited by 23 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER ON (I) MOTIONS FOR STAY PENDING APPEAL AND (II) EXPEDITED REQUESTS FOR CERTIFICATION OF ORDERS FOR DIRECT APPEAL PURSUANT TO 28 U.S.C. § 158(d)(2) AND FED. R. BANKR. P. 8006(f)

SHELLEY C. CHAPMAN, UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY JUDGE

Before the Court are (i) the motion of Nordheim Eagle Ford Gathering, LLC (“Nordheim”) for an order staying the Court’s May 11, 2016 Order Authorizing Rejection of Certain Executory Contracts [Dkt. No. 1082] (the “Rejection Order”) pending Nordheim’s appeal of the Rejection Order (the “Rejection Stay Motion”);1 (ii) Nordheim’s expedited request for direct certification to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (the “Second Circuit”) of its appeal of the Rejection Order (the “Rejection Certifica-, tion Request”);2 (iii) Nordheim’s motion for an order staying the Court’s May 11, 2016 Order on-Debtors’ Motion for Summary Judgment and Nordheim’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings [Adv. Pro. No. 16-1043, Dkt. No. 22] (the “Nordheim Summary Judgment Order”) pending Nor-dheim’s appeal of the Nordheim Summary Judgment Order (the “Summary Judgment Stay Motion”);3 and (iv) Nordheim’s expedited request for direct certification to the Second Circuit of its appeal of the Nordheim Summary Judgment Order (the [136] “Summary Judgment Certification Request”).4 On May 24, 2016, HPIP Gonzales Holdings, LLC (“HPIP”) filed a join-der to the Rejection Certification Request (collectively, with the Rejection Certification Request and the Summary Judgment Certification Request, the “Certification Requests”).5

Procedural History

This dispute initially arose when the above-captioned debtors (the “Debtors”) filed their Omnibus Motion for Entry of an Order Authorizing Rejection of Certain Executory Contracts pursuant to section 365 of the Bankruptcy Code (the “Rejection Motion”)6 seeking to reject the Nordheim Agreements and the HPIP Agreements (each as defined below). By decision dated March 8, 2016 (the “Rejection Decision”),7 the Court granted the Rejection Motion, but it concluded that, consistent with the Second Circuit’s decision in Orion Pictures Corp. v. Showtime Networks,8 in the procedural context of a motion to reject an executory contract, it was unable to make a final determination as to whether the covenants at issue were covenants “running with the land.” Accordingly, in authorizing the rejection of the Nordheim Agreements and the HPIP Agreements, the Court provided its nonbinding analysis on the “running with the land” issue, but it noted that further proceedings would be necessary in order to enable the Court to render a binding ruling on the issue.

The Debtors subsequently commenced adversary proceedings against Nordheim and HPIP, respectively, seeking declaratory judgments that the covenants contained in the Nordheim Agreements and the HPIP Agreements do not run with the land. The Debtors moved for summary judgment, and Nordheim and HPIP moved for judgment on the pleadings. On May 3, 2016, the Court issued its Memorandum Decision on (I) Motions of Nordheim Eagle Ford Gathering, LLC and HPIP Gonzales Holdings, LLC for Judgment on the Pleadings and (II) Debtors’ Omnibus Motion for Summary Judgment (the “Summary Judgment Decision”),9 which (i) granted the Debtors’ omnibus motion for summary judgment; (ii) denied the motions of Nordheim and HPIP for judgment on the pleadings; and - (iii) held that the covenants at issue do not run with the land either as real covenants or as equitable servitudes. On May 11, 2016, the Court entered the Rejection Order, the Nor-dheim Summary Judgment Order, and the Order on Debtors’ Motion for Summary Judgment and HPIP’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings (the “HPIP Summary Judgment Order”).10 Nordheim subsequently filed notices of appeal of the Rejection Order and the Nordheim Summary Judgment Order;11 HPIP filed a [137] notice of appeal of the Rejection Order and the HPIP Summary Judgment Order.12

By the Rejection Stay Motion and the Summary Judgment Stay Motion, Nor-dheim seeks, pursuant to Rules 8007 and 9006(b) of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (the “Bankruptcy Rules”), entry of an order staying the Rejection Order and the Nordheim Summary Judgment Order pending its appeal of such orders. By the Certification Requests, Nordheim requests direct certification of its appeal of the Rejection Order and of its appeal of the Nordheim Summary Judgment Order to the Second Circuit.

The Debtors objected to the Rejection Stay Motion, the Summary Judgment Stay Motion, the Rejection Certification Request, and the Summary Judgment Certification Request.13 A hearing on the four motions was held on June 2, 2016 (the “Hearing”).14

Background

Although the Court assumes familiarity with the prior record of these proceedings, the Rejection Decision, and the Summary-Judgment Decision, it will provide some limited factual background for the purposes of this Decision.

One of the Debtors, Sabine Oil & Gas Corporation (“Sabine”), is a party to two contracts with Nordheim, each dated January 23, 2014, relating to the gathering of gas and condensate produced by Sabine from a designated area (together, the “Nordheim Agreements”). Sabine is also party to two contracts with HPIP, one dated May 3, 2013 and the other dated as of May 2014, relating to the gathering, handling, and disposal of oil, gas, and water produced by Sabine from a designated area (together, the “HPIP Agreements”). In the Rejection Decision and the Summary Judgment Decision, the Court summarized many of the central provisions of the Nordheim Agreements and the HPIP Agreements and it incorporates those summaries by reference here.15

Nordheim and HPIP have argued throughout these proceedings that (i) the Nordheim Agreements and the HPIP Agreements contain real covenants that “run with the land;” or (ii) in the alternative, such agreements contain covenants that are equitable servitudes. Based on the undisputed facts and applicable law, the Court held in the Summary Judgment Decision (consistent with its statements in the Rejection Decision) that the covenants at issue in the Nordheim Agreements and the HPIP Agreements16 do not run with [138] the land under Texas law either as real covenants or as equitable servitudes.

Discussion

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Sabine Oil & Gas Corp. v. HPIP Gonzales Holdings, LLC (In re Sabine Oil & Gas Corp.), 551 B.R. 132 (N.Y. 2016).

551 B.R. 132 (Sabine Oil & Gas Corp. v. HPIP Gonzales Holdings, LLC (In re Sabine Oil & Gas Corp.)) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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