United States v. Lange (In re Netal, Inc.)

498 B.R. 225, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 3803, 58 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 119
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 13, 2013
DocketBAP No. 13-6007
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 498 B.R. 225 (United States v. Lange (In re Netal, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Lange (In re Netal, Inc.), 498 B.R. 225, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 3803, 58 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 119 (bap8 2013).

Opinion

SCHERMER, Bankruptcy Judge.

The United States of America (the “Government”) appeals from orders of the bankruptcy court denying: (1) the Government’s motion to approve its superpriority administrative expense claim under § 507(b) of Title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”); (2) the Government’s Motion for Evidentiary Hearing (the “Evidentiary Hearing Motion”); and (3) the motion of the Government to alter or amend the bankruptcy court’s denial of its motion for a § 507(b) administrative expense claim. We have jurisdiction over this appeal from the final orders of the bankruptcy court. See 28 U.S.C. § 158(b). For the reasons set forth below, we reverse the bankruptcy court’s denial of the Government’s Evidentiary Hearing Motion, and remand this case to the bankruptcy court for determination of the amount, if any, of the Government’s claim under § 507(b).

ISSUE

The issue in this appeal is whether the bankruptcy court abused its discretion when it denied the Government the opportunity to conduct discovery and produce evidence.

BACKGROUND

On November 5, 2009, Netal, Inc. (the “Debtor”) filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. On the petition date, the Government held a federal tax lien, and claimed that it held a first priority security interest in the Debtor’s cash collateral.

[227]*227The Debtor and the Government agreed that the Debtor could continue to use the Government’s cash collateral, and that the Government would be granted a replacement lien in the Debtor’s post-petition cash collateral to the same extent as its lien on the pre-petition cash collateral. The Debtor and the Government also agreed that, to the extent that the adequate protection provided under their agreement was inadequate to protect the Government against post-petition diminution in the value of the collateral, the Government would be entitled to a superpriority administrative expense claim under § 507(b). The bankruptcy court approved cash collateral agreements of the Debtor and the Government.

Unfortunately, the Debtor’s Chapter 11 reorganization attempt was unsuccessful. In 2011, the Debtor’s Chapter 11 case was converted to Chapter 7. There were insufficient funds to pay all claims.

After the Debtor’s case was converted to Chapter 7, the Government filed a motion to approve its superpriority administrative expense claim under § 507(b), based on an alleged diminution in the value of the Government’s collateral. The Contractors, Laborers, Teamsters and Engineers Health and Welfare Plan; Contractors, Laborers, Teamsters and Engineers Pension Plan and International Union of Operating Engineers, Local No. 571 (the “Benefit Plans”) objected to the Government’s § 507(b) motion, on the basis that, under Bankruptcy Code § 724(b), plan contributions owed to them for the 180 days pre-petition had priority over the Government’s § 507(b) claim. Rick D. Lange, Chapter 7 trustee (the “Trustee”), objected to the Government’s § 507(b) motion “to the extent the [mjotion seeks to alter the priorities [under Bankruptcy Code § 726(b) ].” The Government ultimately agreed to the Trustee’s position regarding the priority of claims.

The bankruptcy court held a hearing on the Government’s § 507(b) motion. At the hearing, the Benefit Plans raised, for the first time, a dispute regarding the amount of the Government’s § 507(b) claim. The Benefit Plans alleged that the Government failed to present facts or evidence in support of its claim. At the hearing, the Government stated that prior to that time, the amount of its claim had not been challenged, and it requested that, if the court found a factual dispute concerning its request for a superpriority administrative expense claim, the court allow the Government additional time to conduct discovery. The bankruptcy court took the matter under advisement.

Thereafter, and before the bankruptcy court issued its ruling on the § 507(b) motion, the Government filed its written Evidentiary Hearing Motion. In the Evi-dentiary Hearing Motion, the Government requested an evidentiary hearing on its § 507(b) motion if the bankruptcy court found the existence of a factual question, asking for additional time to conduct discovery prior to such hearing. The bankruptcy court entered a written order, dated September 26, 2012, denying the Government’s motion for approval of its § 507(b) claim because the bankruptcy court determined that § 724(b) governed the claim.1 The same day, the bankruptcy court also entered a text order on the docket, denying the Government’s Evi-dentiary Hearing Motion and referring the parties to the written order entered the same day on the Government’s motion for a § 507(b) claim.

[228]*228The Government then filed a motion asking the bankruptcy court to alter or amend its decision denying the Government’s request for a claim under § 507(b). After a hearing, the bankruptcy court denied the motion to alter or amend. Accordingly, the Government’s § 507(b) claim was never liquidated.

The Government asserts two claims: (1) a secured claim; and (2) an unsecured superpriority administrative expense claim under § 507(b). And, the estate has two pools of money: (1) one subject to the Government’s lien; (2) one that is not subject to the Government’s lien, but it is subject to the motion for a superpriority administrative expense claim under § 507(b). At oral argument, the Government conceded that its secured claim is subject to the terms of Bankruptcy Code § 724(b), making it subordinate to other claims in accordance with that statute. At issue in this appeal is whether the Government is entitled to an unsecured superpri-ority claim under § 507(b).

STANDARD OF REVIEW

We review the bankruptcy court’s findings of fact for clear error, and its conclusions of law de novo. First Nat’l Bank of Olathe, Kansas v. Pontow (In re Pontow), 111 F.3d 604, 609 (8th Cir.1997). The bankruptcy court has discretion regarding whether to hold an evidentiary hearing, and such a decision is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. In re Anthony, 481 B.R. 602, 615 (D.Neb.2012) (citing TriState Fin., LLC v. Lovald, 525 F.3d 649, 655 (8th Cir.2008); Roberts v. Pierce (In re Pierce), 435 F.3d 891, 892 (8th Cir.2006)). “A court abuses its discretion “when its ruling is founded on an error of law or a misapplication of law to the facts.’ ” Vafer Inv. Group, L.L.C. v. Case (In re Visionaire Corp.), 299 B.R. 530, 533 (8th Cir. BAP 2003) (quoting Pontow, 111 F.3d at 609 and Sholdan v. Dietz (In re Sholdan), 108 F.3d 886, 888 (8th Cir.1997)).

DISCUSSION

Bankruptcy Code § 507(b), the statute under which the Government brought its motion, states that if the trustee or debtor in possession:

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Bluebook (online)
498 B.R. 225, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 3803, 58 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 119, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-lange-in-re-netal-inc-bap8-2013.