In re TM Vill., Ltd.
In re TM Vill., Ltd.
Opinion of the Court
TM Village, Ltd. (the "Debtor ") moved to assume prepetition sales contracts (the "Contracts ") covering forty-three of fifty condominium units it owns. Its motion drew responses from: (1) the majority of counterparties to the Contracts, who refer to themselves as the "Condo Owners ;"
*853Partners, LLC ("SKR ").
I. Jurisdiction
The court has jurisdiction over the Motion to Assume under
II. Factual and Procedural History
A. The Debtor's Corporate Structure and Real Estate
The Debtor, a Texas limited partnership,
The Debtor owns contiguous parcels of real estate: 1146 W. Trinity Mills Road, Carrollton, Texas ("TM Village ") and 1220 W. Trinity Mills Road, Carrollton, Texas ("TM Place ").
*854B. Construction of the TM Place Office Suites and Condominiums
The record reflects that the Debtor's record keeping was disorganized: indeed, Mr. Chong often was unaware the specific entity that owned a given asset. According to Ms. Benham,
Mr. Chong and his entities, oblivious to the Debtor's failure to transfer the land, constructed the building assuming that TMV Condo owned the property.
Assumption of the forty-three Contracts would yield approximately $ 550,000 in sale proceeds for the Debtor.
III. Legal Analysis
The objections to the Motion to Assume are that:
(1) TMV Condo is the party to the Contracts and no evidence supports a finding that the Contracts were validly assigned to the Debtor;
(2) creditors cannot make an informed decision on the Motion to Assume without copies of the Contracts or evidence of TMV Condo's use of the sale proceeds;
(3) the Motion to Assume impermissibly seeks to assume forty-three Contracts without complying with Bankruptcy Rule 6006(f)'s omnibus procedures;
(4) the Contracts are not executory and so cannot be rejected because the Debtor has no remaining material obligations; and
(5) assumption of the Contracts is not an exercise of sound business judgment because the Debtor could reject the Contracts and resell the Condominiums at higher prices.
These objections are addressed in turn.
A. TMV Condo Assigned the Contracts to the Debtor Through the August 3, 2018 Assignment of Contract of Sale.
The Assignment of Contract of Sale entered into evidence at the hearing
B. The Record Contains Sufficient Information to Support an Informed Decision on the Motion to Assume.
The Contracts were admitted into evidence at the hearing without objection.
C. Failure to Comply Strictly with Fed. R. Bankr. P. 6006(f) is Not Prejudicial to the Debtor's Motion.
The objectors argue that the Motion to Assume must be denied as procedurally improper because it fails to meet the requirements for omnibus objections set forth in Fed. R. Bankr. P. 6006(f). Under Rule 6006(f) :
(f) Omnibus Motions. A motion to reject or, if permitted under subdivision (e), a motion to assume or assign multiple executory contracts or unexpired leases that are not between the same parties shall:
(1) state in a conspicuous place that parties receiving the omnibus motion should locate their names and their contracts or leases listed in the motion;
(2) list parties alphabetically and identify the corresponding contract or lease;
(3) specify the terms, including the curing of defaults, for each requested assumption or assignment;
(4) specify the terms, including the identity of each assignee and the adequate assurance of future performance by each assignee, for each requested assignment;
(5) be numbered consecutively with other omnibus motions to assume, assign, or reject executory contracts or unexpired leases; and
(6) be limited to no more than 100 executory contracts or unexpired leases.
The rule was amended in December 2007 to "ensure that the nondebtor parties to the contracts and leases receive effective notice of the motion." FED. R. BANKR. P. 6006 (2007 Advisory Committee Notes).
Nothing in the record suggests that the Debtor's less than scrupulous compliance disserved the objectives of the amended rule. First, the motion involves one type of executory contract, all identified on Exhibit A by unit number and a purchaser's name. Second, the motion is straightforward: it is only five pages long (six pages with Exhibit A) and does not seek a ruling on a myriad of complex agreements contained in an extensive and convoluted motion. On these facts it is doubtful that a Condo Owner was unable to locate its Contract on the exhibit or an objecting party was confused about the objective of the motion. Finally, no party has claimed any confusion regarding the relief the Debtor sought or the Contracts to which the motion referred. Indeed, none of the Condo Owners, the proposed purchasers of forty-two *857of the forty-three Condominiums, object to assumption.
On this record, strict compliance with Rule 6006(f) is not required and this objection is overruled.
D. The Contracts Are Executory and May be Assumed or Rejected.
Bankruptcy Code § 365(a) permits the Debtor, subject to court approval, to assume or reject executory contracts or unexpired leases to which it is a party.
Although the Contracts each include unique terms, such as unit number, purchaser name and purchase price, they are largely identical and may be analyzed as a group. The main substantive difference between the Contracts is that some Condo Owners fully prepaid for their Condominiums prepetition, while others did not. Because none of the purchases had closed prepetition, the analysis of treatment of the prepaid and the non-prepaid Contracts differs.
1. Contracts Where the Purchase Price was Not Fully Prepaid as of the Petition Date are Executory Contracts that May be Assumed or Rejected.
Contracts where the proposed purchaser had not fully prepaid the purchase price are clearly executory because there are material obligations yet to be performed by each party-namely, the purchaser must pay the remainder of the purchase price, as well as other closing costs allocated to it in the Contract, and the Debtor must deliver title and perform its other closing-related obligations.
SKR attempts to avoid this ruling by arguing in its brief that:
Out of the 43 Contracts, twenty-five (25) [Condo Owners] do not owe any additional sums, one (1) Investor [Condo Owner] owes $ 50.00, one (1) Investor owes $ 733.65, ten (10) Investors owe less than $ 20,000, one (1) Investor owes $ 23,000, one (1) Investor owes $ 46,000, one (1) owes $ 70,000 and one (1) another owes $ 130,000.... Thus, other than a select few, there is nothing for the Investors to do and there is nothing for the Debtor to do.
SKR's Post-Hearing Brief [ECF No. 118] ¶ 15. The fact that varying amounts are *858owed does not change the analysis: a contract remains executory if performance remains due to some extent on both sides and if, at the time of the bankruptcy filing, the failure of either party to complete performance would constitute a material breach of the contract, thereby excusing the performance of the other party. Remaining obligations include the Condo Owner's duty to pay the full purchase price; the Debtor's obligation to deliver a general warranty deed conveying title to the property to the Condo Owner; and for both parties to proceed to closing and pay their respective closing costs.
2. Contracts Where the Purchase Price was Fully Prepaid as of the Petition Date are Executory Contracts that May be Assumed or Rejected.
The analysis is not as straightforward for Contracts where the Condo Owner had paid in full for the Condominium before the bankruptcy commenced. Although the Debtor's obligation to execute and deliver a general warranty deed conveying title to the property is plainly material, whether the Condo Owners who prepaid the purchase price have any unperformed material obligations - thus, rendering the contracts executory, considering the Debtor's unperformed obligation - is disputed.
The objecting parties have two principal objections. First, they allege that
Second, the objectors argue that because the buyers paid the purchase price in full prepetition, they have no remaining material obligations and so the Contracts cannot be executory. In support of this argument, SKR relies on several opinions for the unremarkable proposition that "[i]f the payment of money is the only remaining obligation, such a contract is not executory." SKR's Post-Hearing Brief [ECF No. 118 ] § 16.
A review of the Contracts shows that, even if the purchase price for a Condominium has been prepaid, the buyer must still:
• Pay for the title policy that will be obtained by the Debtor from Reliant Title. Contract § 6.A.
• Pay for copies of restrictive covenants and documents evidencing exceptions in the commitment for title insurance.Id. § 6.B.
• "[O]bject not later than the earlier of: (i) the Closing Date; or (ii) 7 days *859after buyer receives the Commitment and Exception Documents" or be deemed to have waived its right to object to certain exceptions.Id. § 6.C.2.
• "[E]xecute and deliver any notices, statements, certificates, affidavits, releases, loan documents and other documents required of them by this contract, the Commitment or law necessary for the closing of the sale and the issuance of the Title Policy."Id. § 9.B.3.
• Pay at or prior to closing: one-half the escrow fee, recording fees for the deed and any deed of trust, and fees for copies of easements and restrictions.Id. § 12.A.2, c-e.
• Pay all homeowner association (HOA) fees and charges related to the transfer, not to exceed $ 750,29 and all other deposits for reserves required by the HOA.Id. § 12.A.3-4.
These remaining obligations are not trivial and based upon the Contracts' terms, even if a Condo Owner had prepaid the purchase price as of the petition date, it still had material obligations to the Debtor that are sufficient to render the Contract executory.
For these reasons, the Contracts were executory as of the petition date and so the Debtor may assume or reject them in accordance with
E. Assumption of the Contracts is an Exercise of the Debtor's Sound Business Judgment.
Bankruptcy Code § 365 allows a debtor to assume an executory contract or unexpired lease if (1) outstanding defaults under the contract or lease have been cured under § 365(b)(1) (a provision not applicable here), and (2) the debtor's decision to assume the executory contract or unexpired lease is supported by valid business justifications.
The objectors argue that if the Contracts are executory, it is not a sound exercise of the Debtor's business judgment to assume them. The objectors contend that the Debtor based its decision on Mr. Chong's desire to preserve his reputation within the community and not ultimately to benefit the estate. See, e.g., SKR's Post-Hearing Brief [ECF No. 118] ¶¶ 18-29. They insist that sound business judgment dictates rejection of the Contracts and that the Condominiums be resold at higher prices, with the net proceeds paid to creditors in accordance with the priority established by the Bankruptcy Code. They maintain that action would leave the Condo Owners as holders of general unsecured claims.
The Debtor counters that any benefit the estate might receive from rejecting the Contracts and reselling the Condominiums would be offset by the liens and claims granted to the Condo Owners under
Under
(1) If the trustee rejects an executory contract of the debtor for the sale of real property ..., under which the purchaser is in possession, such purchaser may treat such contract as terminated, or, in the alternative, may remain in possession of such real property or timeshare interest.
(2) If such purchaser remains in possession-
(A) such purchaser shall continue to make all payments due under such contract, but may offset against such payments any damages occurring after the date of the rejection of such contract caused by the nonperformance of any obligation of the debtor after such date, but such purchaser does not have any rights against the estate on account of any damages arising after such date from such rejection, other than such offset; and
(B) the trustee shall deliver title to such purchaser in accordance with the provisions of such contract, but is relieved of all other obligations to perform under such contract.
Bankruptcy Code 365(j) provides that:
(j) A purchaser that treats an executory contract as terminated under subsection (i) of this section, or a party whose executory contract to purchase real property from the debtor is rejected and under which such party is not in possession, has a lien on the interest of the debtor in such property for the recovery of any portion of the purchase price that such purchaser or party has paid.
So, should the Debtor reject contracts for Condominiums "in possession" of a Condo Owner, the Condo Owner may remain in possession and continue to make all payments, with the Debtor being required to deliver title upon payment in full of the purchase price.
1. Rejecting the Contracts of Condo Owners in Possession Would Not Materially Benefit the Estate or its Creditors.
The objectors argue that a Condo Owner's physical presence in a Condominium does not establish possession under § 365(i) because each Contract provides that the Debtor will not deliver title until "closing and funding."
Though the parties have not cited, and independent research has not produced, any reported opinions on all fours with these facts, a party's continuous and exclusive occupancy of property is sufficient to establish possession under § 365(i). As one court explained:
The legislative history of § 365(i) suggests that "possession" is concerned with buyers whose connection with the land is more permanent than ephemeral, more continuous than intermittent, more exclusive than shared, and more personal than delegable. In re Summit Land Co. ,13 B.R. 310 , 316-18 (Bankr. D. Utah 1981). See also In re Silberkraus ,253 B.R. 890 , 907 n.4 (Bankr. C.D. Cal. 2000) (same); In re Balco Equities Ltd., Inc. ,323 B.R. 85 , 97 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2005) (same).... The legislative history of § 365(i) clearly indicates that the provision was originally enacted because of a concern for "obviating the hardship involved in forcing a purchaser already in possession to leave." McCannon v. Marston ,679 F.2d 13 , 18 (3d Cir. 1982). The Legislative History and Comments for § 365(i) state that subsection (i) gives a purchaser of real property under a land installment sales contract protection similar to that § 365(h) provides to lessees. If the contract is rejected, the purchaser "in possession" may choose to remain in possession or may treat the contract as terminated. If the purchaser remains in possession, he is required to continue to make the payments due, but may offset damages that occur due to rejection. The Debtor would then be required to deliver title, but is relieved of all other obligations to perform. H.R. Rep. No. 595, 95th Cong., 1st Sess. 349 (1977); S. Rep. No. 989, 95th Cong., 2nd Sess. 60 (1978), U.S. Code Cong. & Admin. News 1978, pp. 5963, 5787.
In re Chicago Hudson, LLC ,
Summit Land , cited in Chicago Hudson , involved contracts for the use of recreational park land for hunting, fishing and similar activities where the purchasers' use of the property was intermittent, the purchaser was prohibited from making any permanent improvements to the land, use of the land was shared and easements on *862the land were intentionally nonexclusive. In light of those findings, the court held that the purchasers were not "in possession" as required by § 365(i).
Balco , another opinion on which Chicago Hudson rested, also involved a contract to purchase raw land. There the purchaser argued it should be considered "in possession" because it maintained insurance on the property and also had the right, among other things, to enter the property and often did so for surveys, tests, inspections and studies. The court relied on Summit Land to hold that the purchaser was not "in possession," given the absence of evidence of the purchaser's actions of physical possession, including improvements on the land.
Here, the evidence established that Mr. Chong on the Debtor's behalf consented to the Condo Owners' occupying the Condominiums once the City of Garland issued the Certificate of Occupancy on March 1, 2018.
But that does not complete the analysis because it is necessary to determine the effect on the estate of assumption or rejection of Contracts involving Condo Owners in possession. In the case of assumption, both parties would be required to perform under the Contracts and proceed to closing. The Debtor would receive approximately $ 550,000 in sale proceeds.
In contrast, rejection of the Contracts would entitle each Condo Owner in possession to exercise its rights under § 365(i), including remaining in its unit and paying any outstanding purchase price. The Debtor would be obligated to deliver title to the purchaser in accordance with the Contract and would be relieved from all other obligations to perform in accordance with § 365(i)(2)(B). A comparison of the two outcomes shows little material difference to the estate between assumption and rejection of the Contracts involving Condo Owners in possession.
*8632. Neither the Estate Nor its Creditors Would Materially Benefit from a Rejection of the Contracts for Condominiums Not Currently Occupied by Condo Owners.
A Condo Owner not in possession of a unit (or one in possession who chooses to treat its Contract as rejected) still would be entitled to the protections of § 365(j). That subsection gives the Condo Owner "a lien on the interest of the debtor in such property for the recovery of any portion of the purchase price that such purchaser or party has paid."
Tamamoi and SKR prefer that the Debtor reject the Contracts and the subject Condominiums be resold and the proceeds used to pay them as senior lienholders. In that event, each Condo Owner not in possession under § 365(j) would receive a lien subordinated to Tamamoi and SKR's mortgages. The objectors claim this would benefit the estate because the Condominiums have appreciated "maybe ten, fifteen percent,"
The business judgment standard is highly deferential to the decisions of a debtor in possession, and the record is far from clear that rejection actually would result in an overall benefit to the estate. The possibility that an alternative course of action may result in higher sale proceeds alone will not support a finding that the Debtor's decision to assume was made in bad faith or a gross abuse of its business discretion.
Accordingly, assumption of the Contracts is an exercise of the Debtor's sound business judgment and the Motion to Assume should be granted.
Debtor's counsel is directed to prepare a form of order, circulate it to opposing counsel for review, and upload it within 14 days of entry of this Memorandum Opinion. If the parties are unable to agree to a form of order, each party shall provide to *864the Courtroom Deputy its preferred from of order with an explanation of why its proposed form is proper.
Motion to Assume Contracts Pursuant to
ECF No. 56.
ECF No. 64.
ECF No. 65.
The Debtor was initially formed on May 15, 2013 as a Texas corporation. Debtor's Ex. 1 (Certificate of Formation). Deb Benham, who manages the Debtor's books and records, testified that the Debtor's formation as a corporation was a mistake; and so it was converted to a limited partnership on October 16, 2014. Hr'g Tr. 11/26/18 [ECF 98] at 10:6-16 (Benham); Debtor's Ex. 3 (Certificate of Conversion). She explained why the Warranty Deeds covering the two parcels of real estate (Debtor's Exs. 4 and 5) erroneously identified the purchaser as "TM Village LTD, a Texas Limited Liability Company, " when TMV Village LTD actually was a corporation at the time of the purchase. Ms. Benham credibly testified that the Debtor owned the two parcels of real estate at all times relevant to this Memorandum Opinion. Hr'g Tr. 11/26/18 [ECF No. 98] at 10 :6-11:10, 12:18-13:10 (Benham).
Debtor's Ex. 2 (Certificate of Formation); Hr'g Tr. 11/26/18 [ECF 98] at 5:5-16, 11:11-22 (Benham); Debtor's Ex. 76 (Certificate of Formation).
Debtor's Exs. 4 (Warranty Deed, TM Village), 5 (Warranty Deed, TM Place); Hr'g Tr. 11/26/18 [ECF 98] at 10:17-24, 12:18-13:7 (Benham).
Hr'g Tr. 11/26/18 [ECF No. 98] at 10 :17-24 (Benham).
Ms. Benham handles most of the Debtor's day-to-day administrative functions.
Although many of the Contracts list the seller as "TMV Office & Condo Park," Ms. Benham credibly testified that the seller was actually TMV Condo.
Debtor's Ex. 53 (Assignment of Contract of Sale).
Hr'g Tr. 11/28/18 [ECF No. 99] at 24 :1-27:17 (Chong). The balances due from the Condo Owners at closing are relatively modest because most of the Condo Owners had prepaid all or a significant portion of the purchase price.
The Debtor proposes to use the $ 550,000 in sale proceeds to pay $ 257,000 in 2018 property taxes (Claim Nos. 1 and 24), $ 4,670 for title insurance, estimated closing costs of $ 34,400 and broker fees of $ 71,000. Hr'g Tr. 11/29/18 [ECF No. 99] at 24 :16-27:9 (Chong).
Mr. Chong believed the Condominiums had appreciated in value by approximately 10-15% since construction was completed.
Debtor's Ex. 53 (Assignment of Contract of Sale).
Hr'g Tr. 11/26/18 [ECF No. 98] at 14 :20-16:13, 18:13-25, 19:17-20:20; 21:9-18 (Benham).
Debtor's Exs. 7-49 (Contracts).
Although the Condo Owners filed a limited objection to the Motion to Assume [ECF No. 41 ], they only sought to correct information they felt was incorrect or incomplete. The Condo Owners do not oppose the proposed assumption.
RPD Holdings, L.L.C. v. Tech Pharmacy Serv. (In re Provider Meds, L.L.C. ),
Debtor's Exs. 7-49 (Contracts) § 9.B.
Citing In re Waste Sys. Int'l, Inc. ,
The amount payable under § 12.A.(3) varies by Contract, with the vast majority falling between $ 300 and $ 750. The exceptions are: (1) Units 2005 and 3002 (Debtor's Exs. 11, 17) where the amount was left blank, and (2) Unit 2007 (Debtor's Ex. 13), which states "[a]ll."
Although not directly on point, cases addressing contracts for deed under Texas law are persuasive. A contract for deed differs from a conventional contract for sale of real estate in that title remains with the seller until the purchase price is paid in full. Courts consistently hold that contracts for deed are executory contracts governed by the provisions of § 365(i). See In re Hendrickson ,
In re Idearc Inc. ,
NLRB v. Bildisco & Bildisco (In re Bildisco) ,
The exact number and identities of Condo Owners who have moved into their units is not material: no party disputes that at least some of the Condominiums are occupied, the only fact relevant to this Memorandum Opinion.
Debtor's Exs. 7-49 (Contracts) ¶ 10.
Summit Land,
Balco,
Debtor's Ex. 54 (Building Inspection Ticket/Tag); Hr'g Tr. 11/26/18 [ECF No. 98] at 29 :7-39:20, 82:25-83:7 (Benham).
Hr'g Tr. 11/26/18 [ECF No. 98] at 30 :25-31:6, 82:25-83:30 (Benham).
Id. at 82:25-83:30 (Benham). Ms. Benham also testified that, upon taking possession, a Condo Owner "had to sign paperwork that they understood that they were not going to be closing for a while and that they assumed all the responsibilities with the fees and the HOA and such." Id. at 83:15-20.
Hr'g Tr. 11/28/18 [ECF No. 99] at 24 :1-27:17 (Chong). $ 550,000 is the approximate aggregate purchase price for all the Condominiums, not just the occupied Condominiums.
If the court approves assumption, the Debtor requests that the sale of each Condominium be free and clear of all liens, claims and interests under
Aetna Bank v. Dvorak ,
Hr'g Tr. 11/29/18 [ECF No. 99] 52 :5-22 (Chong).
All objections not addressed in this Memorandum Opinion are overruled.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN RE: TM VILLAGE, LTD., Debtor.
- Status
- Published