Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Loop 76, LLC (In Re Loop 76, LLC)

465 B.R. 525, 2012 D.A.R. 2511, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 876
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedFebruary 23, 2012
DocketBAP AZ-11-1094-KiWiJu, AZ-11-1113-KiWiJu; Bankruptcy 09-16799-RJH
StatusPublished
Cited by36 cases

This text of 465 B.R. 525 (Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Loop 76, LLC (In Re Loop 76, LLC)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Loop 76, LLC (In Re Loop 76, LLC), 465 B.R. 525, 2012 D.A.R. 2511, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 876 (bap9 2012).

Opinion

OPINION

KIRSCHER, Bankruptcy Judge.

We are asked to determine whether a third-party source for recovery on a creditor’s unsecured claim, such as a guarantor, is a factor the bankruptcy court may consider when determining whether claims are substantially similar under 11 U.S.C. § 1122(a). 2 We conclude that it is, and we AFFIRM. 3

*529 I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Loop 76 is an Arizona limited liability-company that was formed in 2004 for the purpose of constructing, developing, and operating an office/retail complex located in the Airpark Design Center portion of Scottsdale, Arizona (the “Airpark Property”). Its owners are John Wright (“Wright”), who is an Arizona licensed real estate agent, and Crown City Properties, LLC (“Crown City”), an Arizona limited liability company. Wright and Crown City each hold a 50% interest in Loop 76, and Wright is the managing member. The principal member of Crown City is Michael Herlihy (“Herlihy”). Herlihy is a licensed broker in California. Wright and Herlihy have over 25 years experience as landlords, developers, and real estate brokers.

In 2005, Loop 76 obtained a $23,125,000 construction loan from Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (‘Wells Fargo”) secured by the Air-park Property (the “Wells Fargo Loan”). Between March 2007 and February 2008, Loop 76 sought permanent financing from Wells Fargo, among others, before the Wells Fargo Loan matured on December 31, 2008. Due to the tightened credit markets and the downturn in Phoenix’s real estate market, Loop 76 was unable to secure replacement financing, and it defaulted on the Wells Fargo Loan. In July 2009, Wells Fargo filed suit against Loop 76 in state court seeking appointment of a receiver.

Loop 76, a single asset real estate case, filed a chapter 11 petition for relief on July 20, 2009. In September 2009, Wells Fargo filed suit in state court against the guarantors of the Wells Fargo Loan, including Wright, Herlihy, their respective spouses, and Phyllis Krause, Crown City’s other principal. That suit remains pending.

After filing two plans and disclosure statements, to which Wells Fargo filed objections, on April 9, 2010, Loop 76 filed its First Amended Plan of Reorganization dated March 5, 2010, as modified March 22, 2010, and the accompanying Disclosure Statement (the “Plan”). For voting purposes, the Airpark Property’s stipulated value was $17,050,000.

Class 3 consisted of an impaired secured claim by Genesee Funding, LLC (“Gene-see”) for $7,865.00 (the “Genesee Claim”). It was secured by a piece of window washing equipment called a Tractel Griphoist (“Griphoist”). Loop 76 proposed 24 equal payments on the Genesee Claim at 3.25% interest, with the remainder paid in full.

Class 2 consisted of the impaired secured claim of Wells Fargo. Because Wells Fargo was an undersecured creditor, Loop 76 proposed two alternative treatments of its allowed claim (approximately $23 million) in the Plan. Under either alternative, the Plan provided monthly payments to Wells Fargo at the contract rate of 3.25% (or such other rate the court deemed appropriate) for a period of ten years on the secured portion of its claim. If Wells Fargo made an § 1111(b) election, it would receive these same monthly payments, plus 3.25% interest, until its $23 million claim was paid in full. If Wells Fargo did not make the § 1111(b) election, the unsecured deficiency portion of its claim would be placed in its own class— Class 8(B) — and receive a distribution of 10%. 4 All remaining unsecured creditors’ *530 claims (approximately $181,000) were put into Class 8 (or Class 8(A) if Wells Fargo did not make the § 1111(b) election) and would also receive a 10% distribution. In addition to using encumbered and unencumbered cash on hand to fund the Plan, Loop 76’s equity holders agreed to contribute new value in an amount of up to $1 million, with $500,000 in the form of a cash deposit, and committed to provide up to another $500,000, if needed. •

The bankruptcy court approved the Disclosure Statement on April 12, 2010. Shortly thereafter, Wells Fargo purchased three claims from various unsecured trade creditors. It filed notices of transfer for each claim.

Wells Fargo declined the § 1111(b) election. As a result, its claim was bifurcated into a secured claim in Class 2 and an unsecured deficiency claim (about $6 million) in Class 8(B). It voted to reject the Plan for each of its claims. Impaired Classes 3 (Genesee) and 8(A) (other unsecured trade claims) voted to accept the Plan, with 100% of the claims and dollar amounts of Class 3 voting to accept the Plan, and 60% of the claims and 84% of the dollar amounts of Class 8(A) voting to accept the Plan. 5

A. The Genesee Claim objection.

On May 14, 2010, Wells Fargo filed an objection to the Genesee Claim, contending that it consisted of a bogus transaction with a bogus company, and that it had been contrived to create an accepting impaired class. Specifically, Wells Fargo argued that although Loop 76 produced a UCC-1 Financing Statement filed with the Arizona Secretary of State on July 21, 2009, which was one day after the petition date, Loop 76 failed to ever produce a security agreement. Therefore, without any terms of the arrangement provided in the Disclosure Statement or otherwise, no one could determine whether the Genesee Claim was even impaired as Loop 76 asserted. Wells Fargo further contended that Genesee was a bogus Colorado company that was not in good standing, and Greg Harrington (“Harrington”), its principal, was an elusive character whom Wells Fargo was unable to locate and whom the Arizona bankruptcy court, in an unrelated case, had determined was involved in a number of bankruptcy misdeeds and frauds, including a Ponzi scheme.

Loop 76 contended that no basis existed to disallow the valid Genesee Claim, and that Wells’s Fargo’s objection was merely an attempt to prevent confirmation of the Plan. Attached to Loop 76’s response were declarations from Herlihy, Wright, and Harrington, and a Loan Agreement. According to Loop 76, Herlihy had approached Wright in early 2009 about purchasing a window washing system for the Airpark Property. The men decided that Loop 76 would borrow the funds for the equipment rather than pay cash for it. Wright learned that Harrington could procure the equipment and financing for it. Wright referred Harrington to Herlihy to discuss the purchase and financing of the equipment. Herlihy agreed to purchase *531 the equipment and finance it through one of Harrington’s companies. On May 1, 2009, Genesee sent a letter offer to Loop 76. Loop 76 accepted the offer and the parties entered into the Loan Agreement on May 4, 2009.

The Loan Agreement, governed by Arizona law, provided for a maximum loan of $100,000. The loan proceeds were to be used for “general equipment purchases for maintenance” for the Airpark Property and would be secured by any equipment Loop 76 purchased. The loan’s interest rate was to be between 13.5% to 15%.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
465 B.R. 525, 2012 D.A.R. 2511, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 876, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wells-fargo-bank-na-v-loop-76-llc-in-re-loop-76-llc-bap9-2012.