Carbide Industries, LLC v. Lecessee Construction Services, LLC (In re Carbide Industries, LLC)
Carbide Industries, LLC v. Lecessee Construction Services, LLC (In re Carbide Industries, LLC)
Opinion of the Court
ORDER DENYING DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS COUNT II
Defendant, Lecessee Construction Services, LLC, seeks dismissal of Count II
In this adversary proceeding, Carbide Industries alleges that Lecessee Construction Services owes it money for work performed under a contract between the parties. Carbide recorded a “Sworn Statement and Notice of Intention to Hold Mechanic’s Lien of Carbide Industries, LLC” on the basis of this contract in Hamilton County, Indiana.
• November 22, 2013: Carbide’s Mechanic’s Lien was recorded.2
• May 1, 2014: Lecessee caused the mechanic’s lien to be transferred to a surety bond.3
• August 28, 2014: Carbide filed its Chapter 11 petition.4
• June 29, 2015: The effective date of Carbide’s Final Chapter 11 Confirmed Plan.5
• November 20, 2015: This Adversary Proceeding was filed.6
The relevant Count II seeks to foreclose upon this surety bond.
Lecessee makes two primary arguments for dismissal: (1) the extension of time of Bankruptcy Code § 108 does not apply to “post-confirmation” debtors; and (2) under Indiana Code (the “IC”) 32-28-3-6, Carbide had to foreclose on its mechanic’s lien within one year of its creation—November 22, 2014.
Rule 12(b)(6) provides that before an answer is filed a defendant may seek dismissal of a complaint if the complaint fails to state a claim.
Lecessee first argues that, although Bankruptcy Code § 108(a) extends deadlines giving a debtor-in-possession or a trustee an additional two years to sue,
Here, the effective date of Carbide’s confirmed plan was June 29, 2015. This adversary proceeding was filed on November 20, 2015, when Carbide no longer was a debtor-in-possession. Carbide’s Confirmed Plan of Reorganization did not provide that recoveries from any adversary proceedings would fund the estate post-confirmation.
Indiana law,' however, still may allow Carbide to prosecute Count II with no extension. Under IC 32-28-3-6, a “complaint must be filed not later than one (1) year after; (1) the ... notice of intention to hold a lien was recorded ... or (2) subject to subsection (c), the expiration of
Mechanic’s lien statutes in Indiana are strictly construed in the creation and existence of such lien; however, "provisions [in the statute] relating to enforcement should be liberally construed” to give the statute effect.
Lecessee asks this court to take a narrow interpretation of the word “credit, if credit was given” by relying on a different portion of Indiana’s Code.
Lecessee’s argument ignores the statutory construction requirement that I must liberally construe for the enforcement of an already perfected mechanics lien. “The best evidence of legislative intent is the language of the statute itself, and all words must be given their plain and ordinary meaning unless otherwise indicated by statute.”
In granting a 12(b)(6) motion, this court must construe the facts in the light most favorable . to the plaintiff. Because Indiana’s mechanic’s lien statute must be
Accordingly, it is
ORDERED:
1. Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss (Doc. No. 47) is DENIED.
2. Defendant shall answer the Amended Complaint by December 2,2016.
3. A pretrial conference is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on December 15, 2016.
ORDERED.
. Doc. No. 41-4, p. 2.
. Doc. No. 41.-4, p. 6.
. Doc. No. 41-5.
. Main Case 6:14-bk-09894-KSJ, Carbide Industries, LLC, Doc. No. 1.
. Doc. No. 16-1, p. 7.
. Doc. No. 1.
. Doc. No. 41, p. 4.
. See generally Doc. No. 41, p. 5.
. Doc. No. 47, p. 4-12.
. Doc. No. 53, p. 3-7.
. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6).
. Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 1964-65, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (internal citations omitted).
. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 677-78, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955) (internal quotation marks omitted).
. Id.
. Gonsalvez v. Celebrity Cruises Inc., 750 F.3d 1195, 1197 (11th Cir. 2013) (quoting La Grasta v. First Union Sec. Inc., 358 F.3d 840, 845 (11th Cir. 2004)).
. Brophy v. Jiangbo Pharm., Inc., 781 F.3d 1296, 1301 (11th Cir. 2015) (quoting Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. v. XL Speciality Ins. Co., 769 F.3d 1291, 1293 (11th Cir. 2014) (quoting Hill v. White, 321 F.3d 1334, 1335 (11th Cir. 2003))).
. Roberts v. C.I.R., 175 F.3d 889, 897 (11th Cir. 1999); Also see 11 U.S.C § 1107 (2012); Matter of Roberson, 53 B.R. 37, 39 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. 1985).
. Nat'l Envtl. Waste Corp. v. Stephens, Berg & Lasaster (In re Nat'l Envtl. Waste Corp.), 200 F.3d 1266, 1268 (9th Cir. 2000).
. Id. at 419.
. Carbide's Amended Disclosure Statement does provide: "such assets include claims of-litigation against third parties, which is speculative." Main Case Doc, No 106, p. 5. Carbide's Confirmation Affidavit states that they "will fund the plan .., from a collection of outstanding accounts receivable.” Main Case Doc. No. 131, p. 2.
. Doc. No. 105, p. 12.
. Natco Industries, Inc. v. Federal Ins. Co., 69 B.R. 418, 419 (S.D.N.Y. 1987). See U.S. Am. Bank v. CI.T. Const. Inc. of Texas, 944 F.2d 253, 260 (5th Cir. 1991) ("Post-confirmation debtors are not entitled to the tolling provisions of section 108(a) because their interests diverge from those of the creditors in the estate.”).
. Ind, Code. § 32-28-3-6 (2016) (emphasis added).
. Deluxe Sheet Metal, Inc. v. Plymouth Plastics, Inc., 555 N.E.2d 1296, 1298 (1990); accord Midwest Biohazard Servs., LLC v. Rodgers, 893 N.E.2d 1074, 1077 (2008); Haimbaugh Landscaping, Inc. v. Jegen, 653 N.E.2d 95, 99 (Ind. Ct. App. 1995).
. Defendant asks the Court to interpret ‘credit’ in IC § 32-28-3-6 by using IC § 32-28-3-1, entitled Mechanic’s liens; persons to whom available; effect of contract provisions; credit transactions; restrictions. ‘Credit’ would equate to someone who purchased material, labor, or machinery "on credit” for an “owner occupied single or double family dwelling,...” Ind. Code. § 32-28-3-=6, Sec. 1, at (hMi).
. Ind. Code. § 32-28-3-11.
. Bailey v. Holliday, 806 N.E.2d 6, 10 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004) ("The surety needs to cover any judgement, including the amount of the lien, costs, and attorney’s fees.”).
. Bailey, 806 N.E.2d at 10.
. Given the plain and ordinary meaning of the word ‘credit’, a credit is more synonymous with surety, and thus whether a credit expired under IC may be applicable. Compare Credit, Black’s Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014) (the faith in one’s ability to pay debts, or the time that a seller gives a buyer to make payment), with Surety, Black’s Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014) (“someone who is primarily liable for paying another’s debt”), and Performance Bond, Black’s Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014) ("a bond given by a surety to ensure the timely performance of contract”).
. See generally John Wendt & Sons v. Edward C. Levy Co., 685 N.E.2d 183, 188 (Ind. Ct. App. 1997) (where the dispute was over labor and cranes for a 10-yard dredge and a conveyor system).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN RE CARBIDE INDUSTRIES, LLC, Debtor. Carbide Industries, LLC v. Lecessee Construction Services, LLC
- Status
- Published