Webb Mtn, LLC v. Executive Realty Partnership, L.P. (In Re Webb Mtn, LLC)

420 B.R. 418, 2009 Bankr. LEXIS 3897, 2009 WL 4505624
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Tennessee
DecidedNovember 25, 2009
DocketCase No. 07-32016, Adv. Proc. No. 08-3070
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 420 B.R. 418 (Webb Mtn, LLC v. Executive Realty Partnership, L.P. (In Re Webb Mtn, LLC)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Webb Mtn, LLC v. Executive Realty Partnership, L.P. (In Re Webb Mtn, LLC), 420 B.R. 418, 2009 Bankr. LEXIS 3897, 2009 WL 4505624 (Tenn. 2009).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

RICHARD STAIR, JR., Bankruptcy Judge.

This adversary proceeding is before the court upon the Complaint filed by the Plaintiff on May 27, 2008, as amended by the Amended Complaint filed on July 31, 2008, seeking to nullify and/or set aside four quit claim deeds transferring real property from the Plaintiff to the Defendants. Following entry of an Order on February 11, 2009, dismissing ten (10) of the thirteen (13) counts of the Amended Complaint and the corresponding Memorandum on Motion to Dismiss Adversary Proceeding, Motion of Webb Mtn, LLC for Summary Judgment, Defendants’ Cross Motion for Summary Judgment, and Motion to Strike Portions of Affidavit of Kenneth Whaley, the Defendants filed the Answer of Defendants to Amended Complaint on March 3, 2009. Pursuant to the Amendment to Pretrial Order entered on September 22, 2009, the Plaintiff now seeks to *422 avoid only the transfer between the Plaintiff and the Defendant, Gerald Franklin, Trustee. An Order dismissing two of the three remaining counts in their entirety, with prejudice, was entered by agreement after the trial on October 6, 2009, while the third remaining count was dismissed, with prejudice, with respect to all of the transfers except the transfer to the Defendant, Gerald Franklin, Trustee.

The trial was held on September 28, 2009. The record before the court consists of Stipulations of Facts and Documents Related to September 28 Trial (Joint Stipulations) filed on September 18, 2009, twenty-eight exhibits introduced into evidence, the testimony of two certified real estate appraisers, Robert Jeffrey Fletcher and Donald White, and the testimony of four additional witnesses, Jack Collier, William P. Evans, Gerald Franklin, and Kenneth Whaley. During the course of the trial and at the close of the Plaintiffs proof, the Defendants made an oral motion to strike the testimony of the Plaintiffs appraiser, Mr. Fletcher, which, for reasons hereinafter discussed, will be denied.

This is a core proceeding. 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(A), (H), and (O) (2006).

I

The Plaintiff is a Tennessee limited liability company, whose sole member is Jack Collier. Jt. Stips. at ¶ 2. On October 5, 2005, Mr. Collier entered into a First Agreement for Purchase and Sale with the Defendants for the purchase of approximately 1,865.60 acres comprised of several tracts having different owners, the Defendants, known as Webb Mountain, State Route 416, Pittmann Center Road, Sevier-ville, Sevier County, Tennessee (Webb Mountain Property). Jt. Stips. at ¶ 1. The October 2005 contract was amended by Amendments to First Agreement for Purchase and Sale, Second Amendment to First Agreement for Purchase and Sale and Third Amendment to First Agreement for Purchase and Sale (collectively, Purchase Contracts) dated December 23, 2005, January 26, 2006, and March 10, 2006, respectively. Jt. Stips. at ¶ 1; Coll. Trial. Ex. 1. Mr. Collier subsequently assigned the Purchase Contracts to the Plaintiff, and it purchased the Webb Mountain Property from the Defendants on March 24, 2006, for a total consideration of $27,975,000.00 through the execution and recordation of six General Warranty Deeds, with the final General Warranty Deed being a “catch all” based upon the survey of the entire Webb Mountain Property less the acreage conveyed by the Defendant, M & A Enterprises, Inc. Jt. Stips. at ¶ 3; Coll. Trial Ex. 2. 1

The Plaintiff paid $1,750,000.00 at closing and the remaining $26,225,000.00 was financed through five non-recourse Promissory Notes executed on March 24, 2006. Jt. Stips. at ¶ 4. Each Promissory Note had a maturity date of January 3, 2007, and each was secured by a corresponding Deed of Trust as follows: (1) Promissory Note to Kenneth Whaley, Greenbrier Developers, LLC, M & A Enterprises, Inc., and Gerald Franklin, Trustee, in the amount of $4,790,000.00, secured by the Whaley Tract, consisting of approximately 71 acres; (2) Promissory Note to Executive Realty Partnership, L.P. in the amount of $990,000.00, secured by the Executive Realty Tract consisting of approximately 21 acres; (3) Promissory Note to Greenbrier Developers, LLC in the amount of $10,465,000.00, secured by the Greenbrier Tract consisting of 195.89 acres; (4) Promissory Note to Gerald Franklin, Trustee, in the amount of $8,980,000.00, secured by the Franklin Tract consisting of approxi *423 mately 1,445 acres; 2 and (5) Promissory Note to M & A Enterprises, Inc. in the amount of $1,000,000.00, secured by the M & A Tract consisting of approximately 131 acres (collectively, Promissory Notes). 3 Jt. Stips. at ¶ 4; Trial. Exs. 3-7.

On June 23, 2006, the Plaintiff made the following payments totaling $3,250,000.00 to be applied to the corresponding Promissory Notes: (1) $50,000.00 to Executive Realty Partnership; (2) $1,000,000.00 to M & A Enterprises, Inc.; (3) $1,000.000.00 to Gerald Franklin, Trustee; (4) $200,000.00 to Kenneth Whaley, Greenbrier Developers, LLC, M & A Enterprises, Inc., and Gerald Franklin, Trustee; and (5) $1,000,000.00 to Greenbrier Developers, LLC. Jt. Stips. at ¶ 5. On December 8, 2006, the Plaintiff paid the balance of approximately $12,000.00 owed to M & A Enterprises, Inc. on its Promissory Note, and the Deed of Trust encumbering the 131 acre tract was released. Jt. Stips. at ¶ 5. The amounts due under the remaining Promissory Notes were not paid by January 3, 2007, and the Defendants, through the trustee appointed under the deeds of trust, initiated foreclosure proceedings against the Webb Mountain Property. Jt. Stips. at ¶ 7.

On March 27, 2007, the parties entered into a Conditional Extension of Borrowers’ Obligations Under Promissory Note (Conditional Extension Agreement) and an Escrow Agreement, as contemplated by the Conditional Extension Agreement, under the terms of which the scheduled foreelo-sures were adjourned to a date to occur after June 25, 2007, so long as the Plaintiff executed four quit claim deeds conveying to the respective Defendants the tracts of property securing the outstanding Promissory Notes (collectively, Quit Claim Deeds). Jt. Stips. at ¶ 8; Trial Exs. 9-11. The Quit Claim Deeds were delivered to Patrick Harrell, as escrow agent, and held in a safety deposit box at Smart Bank pursuant to the Escrow Agreement. Jt. Stips. at ¶ 8. Additionally, an interest payment of $421,679.23 required by the Conditional Extension Agreement was made on March 28, 2007. Jt. Stips. at ¶ 5.

The Plaintiff filed the Voluntary Petition commencing its case under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code on June 25, 2007. Following an evidentiary hearing held on September 11, 2007, the court granted the Motion to Dismiss Bankruptcy Case filed on August 10, 2007, by the Defendants, and the case was dismissed on September 17, 2007. Jt. Stips. at ¶ 10. No stay pending appeal was in effect subsequent to the entry of the dismissal Order, and the Escrow Agent, Patrick Harrell, thereafter released the Quit Claim Deeds from escrow, and they were recorded with the Sevier County Register of Deeds on September 18, 2007. Jt. Stips. at ¶ 10; Coll. Trial Ex. 14.

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Bluebook (online)
420 B.R. 418, 2009 Bankr. LEXIS 3897, 2009 WL 4505624, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/webb-mtn-llc-v-executive-realty-partnership-lp-in-re-webb-mtn-llc-tneb-2009.