Scherer v. Federal National Mortgage Ass'n (In Re Terrace Chalet Apartments, Ltd.)

159 B.R. 821, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14376, 1993 WL 437229
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedOctober 12, 1993
Docket93 C 2621, Bankruptcy No. 92 B 18070
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 159 B.R. 821 (Scherer v. Federal National Mortgage Ass'n (In Re Terrace Chalet Apartments, Ltd.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Scherer v. Federal National Mortgage Ass'n (In Re Terrace Chalet Apartments, Ltd.), 159 B.R. 821, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14376, 1993 WL 437229 (N.D. Ill. 1993).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

ALESIA, District Judge.

On June 16, 1993, the Appellants, Franz and Use Scherer, appealed to this court to challenge a bankruptcy court’s order authorizing the sale of an asset in which the Scherers have a security interest. The Scherers argue the bankruptcy court erred because it did not condition the sale upon compliance with state foreclosure law. In the alternative, they argue the bankruptcy order violates Section 363(f) of the Bankruptcy Code. The Appellees, Terrace Chalet Apartments and the Federal National Mortgage Association, argue that the sale need not comply with state law. They further argue that the Scherers waived their right to contest the validity of the bankruptcy order under Section 363(f). Finally, they contend the sale is excepted from Section 363(f) under 363(f)(3), 363(f)(4) and/or 363(f)(5). For the reasons set forth in this opinion, the bankruptcy order is remanded for further consideration consistent with this decision.

I. STATEMENT OF FACTS

This appeal is taken from the order entered by the bankruptcy court on April 9, 1993 (the “Order”) in the Chapter 11 proceedings of Terrace Chalet Apartments, Ltd. (“Terrace Chalet”). The Order allows for the auction of Terrace Chalet’s sole asset, a 180-unit apartment complex known as Camelot Arms.

In October 1984, Terrace Chalet purchased Camelot Arms for $4,250,000 from the Scherers. The Scherers loaned Terrace Chalet $1,050,000 and secured the loan by *824 taking a second mortgage against the property. The Appellee, the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) holds the first mortgage against the property. After defaulting on both of these mortgages, Terrace Chalet filed for Chapter 11 reorganization on August 13, 1992. As debtor-in-possession, Terrace Chalet is the bankruptcy trustee.

In January of 1993, Fannie Mae moved the bankruptcy court to lift the automatic stay 1 and to allow Fannie Mae to foreclose on its mortgage; Fannie Mae contended its interest in the Camelot Arms was not adequately protected. In February of 1993, the bankruptcy court began to conduct hearings on the issue. At the March 4th hearing, Terrace Chalet and Fannie Mae advised the court they had successfully negotiated a settlement agreement the previous night. The court therefore adjourned the hearings on adequate protection.

According to the proposed agreement, Fannie Mae would attempt to sell its interest in Camelot Arms to a third party for $4,200,000. If Fannie Mae was unable to consummate such a purchase before February 14, 1994, Terrace Chalet would sell the property at a public auction on March 7, 1994 pursuant to Section 363(b) of the Bankruptcy Code.

The proposed settlement agreement further provided that the sale of Camelot Arms at the auction would extinguish the Scherers’ security interest. The Scherers filed written objections with the bankruptcy court, and the bankruptcy court heard oral arguments regarding the settlement agreement. The court decided the sale did not violate Section 363(f) and adopted the settlement agreement as a bankruptcy order.

II. DISCUSSION

Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code provides in pertinent part:

(b)(1) The trustee, after notice and a hearing, may use, sell, or lease, other than in the ordinary course of business, property of the estate....
(f) The trustee may sell property under subsection (b) ... of this section free and clear of any interest in such property of an entity other than the estate, only if—
(1) applicable nonbankruptcy law permits sale of such property free and clear of such interest;
(2) such entity consents;
(3) such interest is a lien and the price at which such property is to be sold is greater than the aggregate value of all liens on such property;
(4) such interest is in bona fide dispute; or
(5) such entity could be compelled, in a legal or equitable proceeding, to accept a money satisfaction of such interest.

11 U.S.C. § 363 (1993).

1. Whether a Sale Under Section 363 Must Comply With State Foreclosure Law

The Scherers argue that the bankruptcy court erred by failing to condition the trustee’s sale of Camelot Arms upon compliance with the procedural requirements of Wisconsin foreclosure law. However, the Bankruptcy Rules — not state law — provide the procedural requirements with which a bankruptcy trustee must comply. The Rules expressly provide that the trustee need only give 20 days notice to sell property pursuant to Section 363(b). Fed.R.Bankr.P. 2002(a)(2). The Rules further provide that such a sale may be private or by public auction. Fed.R.Bankr.P. 6004(f)(1). Because the United States Supreme Court has established these requirements, it is specious for the Scherers to argue that a trustee must comply with the requirements of Wisconsin foreclosure law. Indeed, the Scherers have cited no statutory authority for this proposition. Moreover, the Scherers have not presented this court with any cases which have interpreted Section 363(b) as requiring compliance *825 with state foreclosure law. Rather, courts have consistently acknowledged, “[T]he manner of sale is within the discretion of the Trustee...” E.g., Berg v. Scanlon (In re Alisa Partnership), 15 B.R. 802, 802 (Bankr.D.Del.1981); In re Canyon Partnership, 55 B.R. 520, 524 (Bankr.S.D.Cal.1985). Therefore, the bankruptcy court did not err in permitting Terrace Chalet to sell the property outside of the constrictions of Wisconsin law.

2. Whether the Scherers Waived their Right to Argue that Section 363(f) Prohibits the Extinguishment of their Lien

The Scherers argue that Section 363(f) invalidates the portion of the Order which provides for the extinguishment of the Scherers’ lien. Section 363(f) provides that a sale cannot extinguish a secured party’s lien unless one of the five specified exceptions applies. 11 U.S.C. § 363(f)(1)-(5).

Fannie Mae asserts the Scherers waived their right to argue that Section 363(f) prohibits the extinguishment of their lien because the Scherers failed to raise the issue before the bankruptcy court. However, “[w]hile it is true that an argument cannot be raised for the first time on appeal, it is also true that a party may attack the legal theory upon which the [lower] court based its decision.” Allison v. Ticor Title Ins. Co., 979 F.2d 1187, 1194 (7th Cir.1992) (citing

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Bluebook (online)
159 B.R. 821, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14376, 1993 WL 437229, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/scherer-v-federal-national-mortgage-assn-in-re-terrace-chalet-ilnd-1993.