Wilkes Street Realty Trust v. Hallinan Capital Corp. (In re Wilkes Street Realty Trust)

477 B.R. 1, 2012 WL 2803748, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 3118
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedJuly 10, 2012
DocketBankruptcy No. 08-31553; Adversary No. 09-03024
StatusPublished

This text of 477 B.R. 1 (Wilkes Street Realty Trust v. Hallinan Capital Corp. (In re Wilkes Street Realty Trust)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wilkes Street Realty Trust v. Hallinan Capital Corp. (In re Wilkes Street Realty Trust), 477 B.R. 1, 2012 WL 2803748, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 3118 (Mass. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

HENRY J. BOROFF, Bankruptcy Judge.

Before the Court is a “Complaint for Breach of Good Faith and Fair Dealing, Fraud, Massachusetts General Laws Cha-pert [sic] 93A Damages, and For Related and Other Relief’ (the “Complaint”) filed by Wilkes Street Realty Trust, the debtor in this Chapter 11 case (the “Debtor” or “Trust”). In the six-count Complaint, the Debtor seeks, on various grounds, damages from Hallinan Capital Corporation (“Hallinan”) and Regional Financing Co., LLC (“Regional”) (together, the “Defendants”), arising from (i) Hallman’s requirement that the Debtor execute and deliver to Hallinan a deed in lieu of foreclosure at the origination of the Debtor’s mortgage to Hallinan; and (ii) payments made to Halli-nan and Regional that the Debtor claims were fraudulent transfers or otherwise improper.

1. FACTS AND TRAVEL OF THE CASE

In early 2006, Jerry and Tiffany Carr (together, the “Carrs”) became interested in purchasing and rehabilitating property at 37 Wilkes Street, Springfield, Massachusetts (the “Property”). The Carrs, who had some experience with similar real property rehabilitation projects in western Massachusetts, envisioned developing the Property into a church, daycare center, and bookstore/coffee shop and four house lots in the rear. The Property already included a partially built church, but was otherwise overgrown, landlocked, and had accumulated significant outstanding real estate taxes.1 The Carrs formed the Wilkes Street Realty Trust to hold the Property, naming Tiffany as trustee and both Tiffany and Jerry as beneficiaries of the Trust.2 The Carrs retained Attorney Elin Gaynor (“Attorney Gaynor”) to represent the Carrs and the Trust in the acquisition of the Property.

The Carrs’ plan was to obtain 100% financing to purchase and develop the Property. That development would necessarily include purchasing an abutting property in order to provide the needed frontage and ultimately subdividing the rear portion of the property into the four separate house lots. They engaged Regional— a company that specializes in brokering short-term financing deals for real estate developers — to help them attain the necessary financing.3

[4]*4Joseph Giuttari, the sole owner of Regional, was successful in brokering that financing from Hallinan.4 Hallinan conditioned the financing, however, on the Debtor’s willingness to execute and deliver a deed in lieu of foreclosure (the “Deed in Lieu”) at the closing. Attorney Frank Tassoni (“Attorney Tassoni”), who represented Hallinan with respect to this loan transaction and prepared the corresponding documents,5 warned Regional that the Deed in Lieu might not be effective because, inter alia, the Deed in Lieu was not accompanied by an estoppel affidavit.

On September 29, 2006, the Debtor executed and delivered a mortgage to Halli-nan (the “Hallinan Mortgage”) as security for a loan represented by a promissory note of even date in the principal amount of $345,000 and due in full (including interest) on January 29, 2007 (the “Hallinan Note”). Considering that they would need at least another $600,000 to fully develop the Property, it was always the Carrs’ intention to refinance the Hallinan loan once they had made some progress on the development of the Property. In addition to the other Hallinan loan documents, Tiffany, in her capacity as trustee, executed the Deed in Lieu.

Attorney Gaynor testified that she advised the Carrs, and the Carrs understood, that the Hallinan loan was a short-term loan that did not provide enough funds to fully develop the Property and that the Carrs would need to refinance within four months of closing on the Hallinan loan. This strategy of obtaining a series of short-term loans to carry a project to completion was described by Attorney Gaynor as the Carrs’ “business model.”

When the Hallinan Note came due in late January 2007, the Debtor was unable to pay the outstanding balance. The Carrs allege that Giuttari told them that, unless a solution was obtained, Hallinan intended to record the Deed in Lieu. The Carrs also allege that Giuttari, on behalf of Hallinan, suggested instead that the Debt- or and Hallinan enter into a joint venture agreement whereby an additional lien would be created on a portion of the Property and the Debtor would pay Hallinan an additional $125,000. Giuttari denied that a joint venture agreement was ever proposed or existed.6 However, Tiffany testified that on March 3, 2007, in her capacity as trustee, she executed a joint venture agreement, but did not retain a copy. Tiffany further testified that she would not have signed the joint venture agreement but for Hallinan’s threat to record the Deed in Lieu. Hallinan never recorded the Deed in Lieu.7

On March 27, 2007, the Debtor obtained two new loans related to the Property and brokered by Regional. The first loan was from Line Investments and in the principal amount of $519,750 (the “Line loan”). The Line loan paid off the Hallinan Note and [5]*5Mortgage in full, leaving approximately $125,000 for continued construction on the Property. The second loan was from Whitehall Management, Inc. and was in the principal amount of $125,000 (the “Whitehall loan”). Giuttari testified that the purpose of the Whitehall loan was to pay Regional’s outstanding fees.8 However, the Carrs testified that they believed that the purpose of the Whitehall loan was to pay the additional $125,000 to Hallinan required under the joint venture agreement and, unless the Wdiitehall loan documents were executed, Hallinan would record the Deed in Lieu.9 The Debtor did not produce a copy of the purported joint venture agreement at trial. Instead, the Debtor relies on the description of a $117,839.17 payment to Regional on line 808 of the Whitehall HUD Settlement Statement, which refers to a “Joint Venture Buyout Fee.”10

Construction with respect to the Chico-pee Property was never completed and Hallinan ultimately foreclosed on that property in January 2007.11 On October 24, 2008, with the Line and Wdiitehall loans totaling over $625,000 and insufficient capital to complete development of the Wilkes Street Property, the Debtor filed a Chapter 11 petition with this Court and continues to operate as a debtor in possession under 11 U.S.C. § 1107.12

A three-day trial on the Debtor’s Complaint commenced on October 26, 2011. A total of 29 exhibits were entered into evidence and five witnesses (Attorney Gay-nor, Jerry Carr, Tiffany Carr, Attorney Tassoni, and Giuttari) presented testimony. At the close of day 3, the Court continued the case for a fourth day to further address the existence vel non of a fee agreement by and between Regional and the Debtor and/or the Carrs. On November 21, 2011, the parties reconvened, but no fee agreement was produced by either party. With no further testimony to be given or evidence to be introduced, the Court took the matter under advisement and ordered the parties to file proposed findings of fact, conclusions of law and any other post-trial briefs.

II. POSITIONS OF THE PARTIES

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Bluebook (online)
477 B.R. 1, 2012 WL 2803748, 2012 Bankr. LEXIS 3118, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilkes-street-realty-trust-v-hallinan-capital-corp-in-re-wilkes-street-mab-2012.