In re Diamondhead Casino Corp.
In re Diamondhead Casino Corp.
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Before the Court is the Emergency Motion of Petitioning Creditors for Entry of an Order Directing the Appointment of (I) an Interim Chapter 7 Trustee, or (II) Alternatively, a Chapter 11 Trustee Should the Involuntary Bankruptcy Case be Converted (the “Emergency Motion”)
On August 6, 2015, David A. Cohen, Arnold J. Sussman, and F. Richard Stark filed an involuntary chapter 7 petition against Diamondhead. On August 28, 2015, Diamondhead moved to dismiss, or in the alternative convert the case to one under chapter 11 (the “Motion to Dismiss”).
While the Motion to Dismiss was pending, on September 11, 15, and 17, respectively, Robert F. Skaff, David J. Towner, and DDM Holdings, LLC (together with Mr. Cohen, Mr. Sussman, and Mr. Stark, the “Petitioning Creditors”) joined in the involuntary petition. Also on September 17, the Petitioning Creditors filed the Emergency Motion seeking the appointment of an interim trustee. After a status conference, the parties agreed that the Emergency Motion would be heard separately from the Motion to Dismiss.
An evidentiary hearing on the Emergency Motion was held on October 16 and 20, 2015. The Court heard testimony from six-witnesses and admitted, without objection, the documents that were used during the hearing. The Court was also asked to take judicial notice of Diamondhead’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which were submitted in exhibit binders provided to the Court. While I will take judicial notice of certain of the SEC filings, I do so to ascertain their contents and not for the truth of the matters asserted therein, except where such content has not been disputed by the Petitioning Creditors.
Factual Background
Prior to August of 2000, the alleged debtor, Diamondhead, operated ship-based gambling operations primarily out of ports located in Florida.
The Property is carried at cost on Dia-mondhead’s books.
Diamondhead has no operating revenues and expects continued losses for the foreseeable future.
Deborah A. Vitale is currently Diamond-head’s chief executive officer and a member of its seven member board of di~ rectors.
Diamondhead hopes to develop the Property into a destination resort centered around a casino.
In 2010, the Company completed two rounds of financing. Diamondhead raised $475,000 in March 2010 and another $475,000 in October 2010.
In February 2014, the Company sought to raise $3 million through a Private Placement Memorandum in three $1 million tranches. As disclosed therein, the funds raised in the first tranche were to be used to pay: (i) closing costs of the issuance, (ii) $100,000 to Ms. Vitale as partial payment of certain amounts owed to her, and (iii) general administrative and operating expenses. Funds were also to be used to bring the Company’s SEC filings into compliance and to prepare and apply for gaming site approval with the Mississippi Gaming Commission. The Private Placement Memorandum stated “[e]ven assuming the Company raised the maximum proceeds available under this Offering, inasmuch as the Company has no -operations or revenue, the Company will still be required to seek additional funding in the future.”
The debentures issued by the Company pursuant to the Private Placement Memorandum are collateralized by a lien on the Property. While the Company did raise $3 million, at least $850,000 was returned.
In June of 2015, Mr. Skaff (one of the Petitioning Creditors) was a participant in a group that undertook a consent solicitation to remove and replace the Company’s incumbent Board of Directors.
The Company has no plans to sell or transfer the Property in the near future.
The Petitioning Creditors
Two of the Petitioning Creditors, Messrs. Sussman and Skaff, testified at the hearing. Mr. Sussman was first introduced to Diamondhead 17 years ago.
Mr. Skaff first acquired a significant investment in Diamondhead stock in 2008, and currently owns approximately 1.3 million shares of common stock.
The Law
An involuntary petition is an “extreme remedy with serious consequences to the alleged debtor.”
There is limited case law applying section 303(g), no doubt because the request for such relief is rare. The case law that does exist counsels that a request for an interim trustee should be denied in “the absence of an exceptionally strong need for doing so”
A. The Likelihood that an Order for Relief will be Issued
Section 303(b)(1) provides that an involuntary case may be commenced by “three or more entities” each of which holds a claim that “is not contingent as to liability or the subject of a bona fide dispute as to liability or to amount ... if such claims aggregate at least $15,325 more than the value of any lien on property of the debtor securing such claims____”
For purposes of the determination of whether there is a “reasonable likelihood” that an order for relief will be entered, it appears, based on the evidence presented to date, that the requirements of section 303(b)(1) are satisfied. At the hearing, Diamondhead did not take issue with the amount of debt owed to the Petitioning Creditors, which, per the involuntary petition and joinders, aggregates to $394,872. Even assuming, without deciding, that the portion of the debt secured by that certain Land Deed of Trust recorded September 26, 2014
I also find for purposes of the Emergency Motion that the debt held by petitioners is not subject to a bona fide dispute. A bona fide dispute exists “if there is a genuine issue of material fact that bears upon the debtor’s liability, or a meritorious contention as to the application of undisputed facts.”
For purposes of determining whether there is a “reasonable likelihood” that an order for relief will be entered, I find that Diamondhead is generally not paying its debts as they become due and, thus, the requirements of section 303(h)(1) have also been satisfied. In addition to not paying its noteholders as their notes mature, Dia-mondhead elicited testimony that, in general, it is not paying Ms. Vitale’s salary or the rent for Diamondhead’s office space as these debts become due because Diamond-head has insufficient cash.
The more difficult question to resolve on this preliminary record is whether the involuntary petition was filed in bad faith. Diamondhead argues in its motion to dismiss that an order for relief should not be entered because the Petitioning Creditors filed the involuntary petition in bad faith in an attempt to gain in the bankruptcy process what it lost on the proxy fight battlefield.
The Third Circuit recently held that bad faith provides an independent
the creditors satisfied the statutory criteria for filing the petition; the involuntary petition was meritorious; the creditors made a reasonable inquiry into the relevant facts and pertinent law before filing; there was evidence of preferential payments to certain creditors or of dissipation of the debtor’s assets; the filing was motivated by ill will or a desire to harass; the petitioning creditors used the filing to obtain a disproportionate advantage for themselves rather than to protect against other creditors doing the same; the filing was used as a tactical advantage in pending actions; the filing was used as a substitute for customary debt-collection procedures; and the filing had suspicious timing.76
The evidence adduced at the hearing on the Emergency Motion, which was not a hearing on the Motion to Dismiss, reflects that some of the above factors likely favor the Petitioning Creditors in this analysis and some of them likely favor the alleged debtor. Further evidence is required to make even a preliminary decision on the good faith/bad faith issue. For this reason and because the Petitioning Creditors are entitled to a presumption that the petition was filed in good faith, I find that there is a “reasonable likelihood” that an order for relief will be entered.
B. The Merits of the Petitioning Creditors’ Request for a Trustee
As set forth above, the appointment of an interim trustee in an involuntary case should only be ordered if “necessary to preserve property of the estate or to prevent loss to the estate.”
The crux of the Petitioning Creditors’ argument is that management has mismanaged the Property by not developing it in the last 15 years. Petitioning Creditors assert in the Emergency Motion that the appointment of an interim trustee is necessary because Diamondhead’s management has: “(i) grossly mismanaged the Company by refusing to pay what was due on the Notes, while continuing to enrich themselves and run the Company primarily for their own benefit; (ii) repeatedly acting contrary to the interests of its creditors and shareholders; (iii) mislead investors about the status of the Company to raise additional funds; and (iv) used ESOP shares to entrench management.”
At argument, counsel for the Petitioning Creditors stressed the lack of development
First, as the Petitioning Creditors stressed throughout the hearing on the Emergency Motion, Diamondhead is (and has been) a non-operating entity for the past 15 years,' with a wholly owned subsidiary that owns real estate. There was no testimony that during the gap period anything different will occur, or that the Property will be sold; Ms. Vitale credibly testified to the contrary. Indeed, it is difficult on this record to imagine that the Company could negotiate, document and close on any type of deal in the next few months.
Second, as of early fall 2015, the Property was valued at $39 million on an undeveloped basis. Currently, the Property is subject to liens that secure up to $5 million of outstanding (and future) liabilities to Ms. Vitale and certain directors, as well as liens that secure the obligations on the debentures issued under the 2014 Private Placement Memorandum. There was no testimony that the equity of the Property will dramatically decline in value over the next few months and that, as a result, the equity cushion will be depleted during the. gap period.
Third, while there is a distinct possibility that current cash, which has declined from $163,000 to $70,000 in the first six months of the year, could decline substantially, or to zero, such cash would decline under the auspices of a trustee as he, too, would need to pay any ongoing expenses, including attorney fees.
Finally, lack of trust in management or frustration with the lack of progress on the development of the Property, no matter how justified, does not suffice to warrant an interim trustee on the facts of this case. With respect to the noteholders, particularly those who lent funds under the 2014 Private Placement Memorandum, the continuance of the status quo pending a determination on the Motion to Dismiss is consistent with their investment.
Accordingly, the request for an interim trustee will be denied. An order will follow.
. This Opinion constitutes the Court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law pursuant to Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure Rule 7052.
. D.I. 11
. D.I. 53
.I am not ruling on whether the evidence to date merits the appointment of a chapter 11 Trustee. This record was made on an expedited basis, and there were complained of deficiencies in Diamondhead's production of documents. The Petitioning Creditors may submit additional evidence if they so choose with respect to a chapter 11 trustee if and
. Motion of the Alleged Debtor, Diamondhead Casino Corporation, to Dismiss the. Involuntary Bankruptcy Petition or, in the Alternative, to Convert the Case to Chapter 11 [D.I. 4]
. In re NAHC, Inc. Sec. Litig., 306 F.3d 1314 (3d Cir. 2002)
. Private Placement Memorandum for Diamondhead Casino Corporation, dated February 14, 2014, Alleged Debtor’s Ex. I at 2
. Id.
. Interim Trustee Hr’gTr. 165:18-20, Oct. 16, 2015 ("Interim Trustee D.ay 1 Tr.”)
. Id. at 165-66
. Id. at 166
.Id. at 170
. Id. at 173
. Id. at 170-71
. Id. at 74
. Id. at 219
. Id. at 219. I will accept this valuation for purposes of this hearing as the initial questioning on this topic came from the Petitioning Creditors.
. Id. at 208
. Interim Trustee Day 1 Tr. 177
. Id. at 176
. Id. at 177
. Id. at 178
. Id. at 178 166, 230
. Id. at 230
. Id. at 179
. Id. at 245
. Id. at 245
. Id. at 237-38
. Id. at 247
. Id. at 251
. Id. at 167
. Id. at 167
. Id.
. Id. at 264-68
. Id. at 268
. Id. at 268
. Alleged Debtor’s Ex. I at 20
. Id. at 11-19
. Interim Trustee Day 1 Tr. 277
. Id. at 178-79
. Alleged Debtor's Ex. L
. Interim Trustee Day 1 Tr. 144-50
. Id. at 150
. Id. at 146
. Id. at 144
. Id. at 147
. Id. at 157
. Id. at 255
. Id. at 217, 255-56
. Id. at 217
. Id. at 7
. Id.
. Petitioning Creditors' Ex. 246
. Id.
. Id.
. Petitioning Creditors' Ex. 246 at 2-3
. Interim Trustee Day 1 Tr. 8
. Id. at 15
. Id. at 116
. Petitioning Creditors' Exs. 247, 249
. Interim Trustee Day 1 Tr. 150
. In re Forever Green Athletic Fields, Inc., 804 F.3d 328, 335 (3d Cir. 2015)
. 11 U.S.C. § 303(g)
. In re Levin, 2011 WL 1469004, at *2 (Bankr.S.D.Fla. Apr. 15, 2011) (citing In re R.S. Grist Co., 16 B.R. 872, 873 (Bankr.S.D.Fla. 1982))
. Id. (citing In re Reed, 11 B.R. 755, 757 (Bankr.S.D.W.Va. 1981)
. In re Barkats, 2014 WL 6461884, at *2 . (Bankr.D.D.C. Nov. 17, 2014)
. In re The Centre for Management and Technology, Inc., 2007 WL 3197221, at *3 (Bankr.D.Md. Oct. 26, 2007) (citing In re Professional Accountants Referral Services, Inc., 142 B.R. 424 (Bankr.D.Colo. 1992))
. 11 U.S.C. § 303(b)(1)
.11 U.S.C. § 303(h)
. In re AMC Investors, LLC, 406 B.R. 478, 483 (Bankr.D.Del. 2009)
. Alleged Debtor’s Ex. L
. B.D.W. Assocs., Inc. v. Busy Beaver Bldg. Ctrs., Inc., 865 F.2d 65, 66-67 (3d Cir. 1989) (citing In re Lough, 57 B.R. 993, 997 (Bankr.E.D.Mich. 1998)); In re AMC Investors, LLC, 406 B.R. at 483
. C.A. No. N15C-01-119 WCC
. Forever Green, 804 F.3d at 335 (internal citations omitted)
. Id.
.Id. at 336
. 11 U.S.C. § 303(g)
. Emergency Motion, ¶ 38
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN RE: DIAMONDHEAD CASINO CORPORATION, Alleged Debtor
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published