Warex Terminals Inc. v. Halsted Energy

367 F.3d 110
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedMay 11, 2004
DocketDocket No. 02-5040
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 367 F.3d 110 (Warex Terminals Inc. v. Halsted Energy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Warex Terminals Inc. v. Halsted Energy, 367 F.3d 110 (2d Cir. 2004).

Opinions

HURD, District Judge, filed an opinion concurring in part, dissenting in part.

POOLER, Circuit Judge.

Beginning in 1993, A. Tarricone, Inc. (“ATI”) and HQP issued three promissory notes totaling $390,000, as joint and several obligors, to Warex for gasoline purchased on credit (the “Notes”). ATI and HQP secured their obligations under the Notes by mortgages on two properties owned by ATI and a third piece of property owned by its affiliate, Majac Enterprises, Inc. ATI and HQP also executed security agreements.

ATI is owned by three individuals who are officers and directors of Halstead Energy and HQP. ATI owned, managed and operated a chain of gasoline service stations. In 1993, ATI leased some of its stations to HQP, which sublet some of the stations to Mid-Valley. Pursuant to the sublease, Mid-Valley was required to pay rent and remediation costs to HQP. Mid-Valley had a right to set off the remediation costs that it incurred during the first five years against rent due and owing during the last five years (the “set-off’). If rent payments were insufficient to set off the remediation costs, HQP was required to pay the excess at the end of the sublease. Further, the sublease required Mid-Valley to make certain equipment upgrades but permitted it to recoup the cost of these upgrades if HQP rejected the sublease.

On June 10, 1997, ATI filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court (Hardin, J.). On Octo[112]*112ber 13, 1997, Warex filed a secured claim for $266,216.65, alleging that this amount was the remaining debt on the Notes. Warex and ATI negotiated and entered into a settlement agreement whereby ATI would transfer two gas stations (“ATI Properties”), which at the time were leased to HQP, to Warex in satisfaction of Warex’s claim under the Notes. ATI submitted an application to settle this claim to the bankruptcy court on December 22, 1998, which stated that “[t]he Settlement Agreement settles all claims between the Debtor [ATI] and Warex relating to or in connection with the Properties and the Notes, respectively.” Application In Support of Settlement at 6 (No. 99-20821) (Dec. 22, 1998); Record at 126. On January 20, 1999, the bankruptcy court issued an order approving the settlement (“Settlement Order”), in part, because it would result in “release, by operation of law, of Warex’s secured claims in excess of $250,000.00 against the Debtor including a release of any deficiency claim against the Debtor and its estate.” The Settlement Order, however, would become null and void unless HQP surrendered its leases and subleases “to Warex for, and in consideration of, the release from liability to Warex in proportion to its interest therein.”

Annexed to the Settlement Order is a contract of sale between ATI and Mid-Valley, Warex’s nominee to take the ATI Properties. Section 19.01 of the rider to the contract provides:

This agreement and the obligations of the parties hereunder are also expressly conditioned hereby upon Halstead-Quinn’s (i) surrender of its lease with ATI and sublease with Mid-Valley of the Premises to Purchaser for, and in consideration of, the release from liability to Warex in proportion to its interest therein....

Also attached to the contract was a document, entitled Schedule C, setting forth the purchase price of the ATI Properties:

The Purchase Price shall be paid by (i) credit to Seller on account of debt in the aggregate amount of $266,216.65, owed by Seller to Warex for the purchase of gasoline ...; (ii) releasing Seller and Halstead-Quinn — -to the extent of the Purchase Price — from its obligations to Warex under the Notes, the Security Agreements and the Mortgages.

The ATI Properties, however, were not transferred until September 1999, and only after the bankruptcy court twice extended ATI’s time to perform.

In July 1999, HQP also filed a petition for Chapter 11 protection in the bankruptcy court. Warex filed a proof of claim alleging HQP’s liability under the Notes, which it valued at “$266,216.65 less $250,000, plus various add-ons.” The theory underlying its claim was that its prior settlement with ATI did not fully satisfy the debt owing on the Notes. HQP, as co-obligor of the Notes, was responsible for paying additional amounts due under the Notes, including the interest that had accrued during the two years between ATI’s bankruptcy filing and HQP’s bankruptcy filing.

During the reorganization process, HQP sought to dispose of several properties improved by gas stations. ATI leased these properties to HQP, which sublet some of them to Mid-Valley (“HQP Properties”) for a term of ten years. Mid-Valley objected to HQP’s plan to sell the leases on properties that it subleased from Mid-Valley free and clear of its sublease, but withdrew its objection “when HQ[P] agreed to sell the leases subject to the subleases.” The auction, conducted by the bankruptcy court, took place on March 20, 2001. Wa-rex, the only bidder, purchased the HQP Properties at Mid-Valley’s request and [113]*113with Mid-Valley’s funds. On June 15, 2001, the bankruptcy court approved the sale and assignment of ATI’s and HQP’s interests in the HQP Properties to Warex:

The transfer authorized herein of the Mid-Valley Stations to Warex Terminals in fee simple (ATI) or by assignment (HQ[P]), as the case may be, shall be free and clear of all liens, claims, mortgages, encumbrances, interests and security interests of any kind ... except for Mid-Valley’s rights under § 365(h) of the Bankruptcy Code (and accordingly, Warex Terminals as the purchaser and assignee of the ATI Properties and HQ Leases shall be purchasing and accepting the assignment of such assets subject to Mid-Valley’s rights under § 365(h) of the Bankruptcy Code).

Mid-Valley filed two proofs of claim against HQP on January 7, 2000 and May 29, 2001, respectively. The first claim demanded undetermined and contingent damages for HQP’s alleged breach of its sublease with Mid-Valley. The second claim demanded $387,500, the amount that supposedly represented the value of the set-off.

On November 28, 2001, the bankruptcy court, after receiving extensive briefing and hearing oral argument, dismissed both Warex’s claim regarding the Notes and Mid-Valley’s claim regarding the auction of ATI’s and HQP’s leasehold interest in the HQP properties. The bankruptcy court rejected Warex’s claim by finding that since the settlement agreement released any and all obligations owed under the Notes, “there was no claim remaining against either ATI or Halstead Quinn ... in respect of those three notes because that liability was released and discharged by the conveyance.” It further found that ATI’s settlement with Warex regarding the Notes “was intended and written in such a manner as to release both ATI and Halstead Quinn of liability.” Thus, once the settlement agreement was made, according to the bankruptcy court, there was no longer any debt owed to Warex by HQP or ATI, and HQP was therefore not obligated to pay any additional amounts or accrued interest as a matter of law. The bankruptcy court found that, pursuant to “fundamental principles of law,” HQP was released once ATI was released.

Mid-Valley’s claim for $387,500, the amount it allegedly gave Warex to pay for the leases, was based on its theory that HQP materially breached the 10-year sublease by “rejecting” the unexpired subleases, which thereby entitled Mid-Valley to pursue HQP for the promised set-off.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
367 F.3d 110, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/warex-terminals-inc-v-halsted-energy-ca2-2004.