In Re: v. Willis Furniture Co

U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

In Re: v. Willis Furniture Co

Opinion

USCA1 Opinion









December 11, 1992
[NOT FOR PUBLICATION]

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT



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No. 92-2391



IN RE:

WILLIS FURNITURE COMPANY, INC.,

Appellant.

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APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS

[Hon. Joseph L. Tauro, U.S. District Judge]
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Before

Selya, Cyr and Boudin,
Circuit Judges.
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Andrew M. Corwin and Eskenas, Schlossberg & Kaplan, P.C. on brief
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for appellant.
Leonard M. Krulewich and Leonard M. Krulewich & Associates on
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Emergency Motion for an Expedited Hearing, or in the Alternative, for
an Expedited Decision on Briefs Alone, for the Unofficial Creditors
Committee of Willis Furniture Company, Inc.


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Per Curiam. Debtor contends that the bankruptcy
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court order authorizing debtor's cash raising sale, but

forbidding the sale to be advertised as a "Bankruptcy Sale,"

"Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Sale," or words of similar import if

merchandise being sold is not part of debtor's present

inventory precludes truthful advertising and thereby violates

debtor's First Amendment rights. We disagree.

The arrangement debtor described with ZLI permits

debtor to serve in large measure as a conduit through which

ZLI may sell new inventory, financed by ZLI, utilizing

debtor's premises and goodwill. To refer to such a sale as

debtor's chapter 11 bankruptcy sale, when inventory is

furnished on a consignment basis by a solvent company not

under the pressure of chapter 11 to raise funds, is

misleading. Misleading or deceptive advertising is not

protected by the First Amendment. Friedman v. Rogers, 440
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U.S. 1, 13-16 (1979).

Debtor contends that the advertising prohibition is

broader than necessary since a narrower prohibition -- such

as a requirement that debtor disclose the existence of new

inventory brought into the sale -- would suffice. So far as

the excerpts of the record debtor has presented show, debtor

never argued below that a narrower prohibition allowing

debtor both to explain that it was in chapter 11 and to

disclose accurately the circumstances of its argument with

ZLI should be permitted. Rather, in moving for

reconsideration, debtor pointed to another company's



















advertisement containing the words "chapter 11 bankruptcy

sale" and contended it was unfair not to allow debtor to

advertise in the same manner. We will not consider debtor's

rather undeveloped argument, presented (so far as appears)

for the first time on appeal. Nothing in this opinion,

however, precludes debtor from seeking to modify the November

16, 1992 order and explaining to the bankruptcy court how

debtor could frame an accurate advertisement containing the

words "bankruptcy sale" or "chapter 11 bankruptcy sale" which

also discloses the relevant aspects of debtor's arrangement

with ZLI.

Affirmed.
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Reference

Status
Published