Vanguard Airlines, Inc. v. International Aero Components, Inc. (In Re Vanguard Airlines, Inc.)

298 B.R. 626, 2003 Bankr. LEXIS 1214, 41 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 267, 2003 WL 22138499
United States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Missouri·Decided September 17, 2003·No. 17-40324·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM ORDER

JERRY VENTERS, Bankruptcy Judge.

This matter comes before the Court on a Motion for Relief Under Rules 9023 and 9024 of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure filed by Vanguard Airlines, Inc. (“Debtor”). On July 25, 2003, this Court ordered that 11 U.S.C. § 1110 prevented the Debtor from avoiding the unperfected hens of International Aero Components, Inc., and GMAC Commercial Credit LLC (collectively “IAC”) on aircraft parts and equipment. The Court also ruled that the Debtor was precluded from recharacteriz-ing the interests of IAC in the aircraft parts and equipment as something other than a secured party, lessor, or conditional vendor. The Debtor asserts that this preclusion was ruled in error, and requests that the Court amend its Order to allow the Debtor “to pursue at trial its challenge to IAC’s standing under Code § 1110.” In response, IAC contends that the Debtor judicially admitted that IAC had standing to assert § 1110 to repossess aircraft parts and equipment and that § 1110 prevents the Court from recharacterizing its interest. After reviewing the relevant pleadings and motions, and viewing the context of the litigation as a whole, the Court finds it appropriate to set aside its prior Order, defer ruling on IAC’s Motion to Compel, grant the Debtor leave to amend its adversary complaint, and schedule a hearing on the issue of whether IAC has standing to assert rights under § 1110 with all other issues in this matter.

I. STANDARD OF REVIEW

Fed. R. Bankr.P. 9023 makes Fed.R.Civ.P. 59 applicable to bankruptcy proceedings. Under Fed.R.Civ.P. 59(e), a party may file a motion to alter or amend a judgment. In ruling on a motion to alter or amend a judgment the court has broad discretion. Innovative Home Health Care v. P.T.-O.T. Associates of the Black Hills, 141 F.3d 1284, 1286 (8th Cir.1998). With certain exceptions, Fed. R. Bankr.P. 9024 makes Fed.R.Civ.P. 60 applicable to bankruptcy proceedings. Under Fed.R.Civ.P. 60(b), a court may grant relief from a judgment or order if it was based on mistake, or for any other reason justifying relief from the operation of a judgment. The court has broad discretion in ruling on a Rule 60(b) motion and the court should give the motion a liberal construction so as to prevent injustice. MIF Realty L.P. v. Rochester Associates, 92 F.3d 752, 755 (8th Cir.1996).

II. BACKGROUND

The Debtor, an air carrier, entered into a transaction with IAC titled: “Inventory Sale, Repurchase and Use Agreement” (the “Agreement”), whereby the Debtor sold aircraft parts to IAC and simultaneously repurchased those assets from IAC on a fixed payment schedule. The written Agreement provided that the transaction was a “conditional sale” and IAC had the right to take possession of the aircraft parts if the Debtor defaulted. IAC did not perfect its security interest in the aircraft equipment by recording its interest with the Federal Aviation Administration or by filing a UCC-1 financing statement. After the Debtor defaulted on the agreement, IAC filed its Proof of Claim on November 8, 2002, asserting that it had a security interest in the Debtor’s aircraft parts. The Debtor filed an adversary proceeding, No. 03-04021, on January 8, 2003, alleging, inter alia, that IAC’s claim was unperfected and subject to avoidance. IAC filed an Answer on Feb *631 ruary 7, 2003, and denied the Debtor’s allegations.

Meanwhile, on April 9, 2003, IAC sent the Debtor a written demand to surrender and return the aircraft parts and equipment pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1110. The Debtor refused IAC’s request, and on April 15, 2003, in the main bankruptcy case (No. 02-50802), IAC filed a Motion to Compel the surrender of the parts and equipment. On April 23, 2003, the Debtor sought leave to amend its counterclaim in the adversary proceeding to allege that IAC’s lien should be recharacterized and/or equitably subordinated. Two days later, on April 25, 2003, the Debtor objected to IAC’s Motion to Compel in the main case arguing that the Motion should be denied because IAC’s unperfected lien was avoidable, its interpretation of § 1110 was repugnant to the interests of equity, and that IAC lacked standing to assert rights under § 1110.

On May 5, 2003, IAC replied to the Debtor’s Objection to its Motion to Compel, asserting that an unperfected lien under § 1110 was not avoidable by the Debt- or and that § 1110 prohibited the Court from recharacterizing or equitably subordinating its hen. On May 12, 2003, the Debtor filed its Reply rehashing its hen avoidance arguments, but failing to mention its recharacterization or subordination theories. Before the hearing on IAC’s Motion to Compel and the Debtor’s right to amend its Complaint/Objection that initiated the adversary proceeding, the Debt- or and IAC entered into the following Stipulation “for the purposes of the May 21, 2003 hearing:”

3. The agreement states that it provides for a conditional sale by IAC to Vanguard of certain personal property (the “Property”). Included in the property are ....
4. The agreement provides that IAC may take possession of the Aircraft Parts if Vanguard defaults on its obligations thereunder....
9. The parties agree that they will not present evidence at the May 21, 2003 hearing regarding whether IAC’s loan should be recharacterized or its debt equitably subordinated.

(Document No. 670).

After the hearing, the Court Ordered that IAC had the right to repossess the aircraft parts and equipment pursuant to the plain language of § 1110. Regarding the Debtor’s argument that IAC’s interest should be recharacterized as an equity contribution, the Court entered the following two footnotes:

3. The Debtor and the Committee also argued in their respective replies to IAC’s Motion under § 1110 that IAC was not a secured party, lessor, or conditional vendor, but was an equity investor nor entitled to the protections of § 1110. In a subsequently filed joint stipulation between IAC, GMAC, and the Debtor, the parties agreed that they would not submit any evidence at the May 21, 2003 hearing regarding whether IAC’s loan should be recharacterized or equitably subordinated. The parties also stipulated that the transaction between IAC and the Debtor was a conditional sale.

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Vanguard Airlines, Inc. v. International Aero Components, Inc. (In Re Vanguard Airlines, Inc.), 298 B.R. 626, 2003 Bankr. LEXIS 1214, 41 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 267, 2003 WL 22138499 (Mo. 2003).

298 B.R. 626 (Vanguard Airlines, Inc. v. International Aero Components, Inc. (In Re Vanguard Airlines, Inc.)) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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