Summary: The Debtor was the manager and majority member of IYB Properties (“IYB”), where he executed and personally guaranteed a promissory note in favor of Prestige Wealth Management (“Prestige”) for $1.5 million. The Debtor owned an 85% interest in IYB, with Prestige holding 15%, with the purpose of acquiring and developing specific real property to expand the recycling operation owned by the Debtor.

Summary: Petromax sought to prohibit the use by the Debtor of cash collateral of all of the profits produced by convenience stores, or at least a portion of the funds attributable to rent payments, due to an assignment of “rents and emoluments from the premises” provision in a Deed of Trust. In the present case, the bankruptcy court drew a distinction between income generated by the real property itself, which would constitute “rents”, and sales and services, which are merely sold or performed at the location, even if those services and sales relied on improvements on the re

Summary: Following a objections to a Chapter 11 plan by the bankruptcy administrator, First Citizens Bank and other creditors, the Debtor negotiated confirmation, which provided, in part pertinent to this decision, that it would be allowed 11 months to actively market and sell to parcels of real property, against which First Citizens held liens. Failure to sell the collateral during that time would allow First Citizens to foreclose.

Summary: Applying principles enunciated by the United States Supreme Court in Assocs. Commercial Corp. v. Rash, 520 U.S. 953, 117 S.Ct. 1879 (1997), the Bankruptcy Court also found that it was appropriate to apply a minority discount when gauging the fair market value of the Corporate Holdings. To hold otherwise would give the best interest of the creditors a “punitive effect” on the Debtor by requiring payment of more than the fair market value of the assets in order to retain them.

Summary: RTJJ is the largest owner of low-income housing in Gastonia. Following first the closure of area textile mills and then the housing crash, RTJJ became unable to pay its debts and faced foreclosure by Community One, its largest secured creditor. Despite proposing a Chapter 11 plan that would have paid creditors substantially more than a Chapter 7 liquidation, Community One objected to the plan and pressed for the sale of the assets.

Summary: In a “vigorously litigated case”, the Debtor proposed to surrender certain parcels of real property to satisfy the claim of Capital Bank, i.e. “Dirt for Debt”. Based on the valuations of the real property at issue, the bankruptcy court held that those properties had sufficient value to fully satisfy the claim of Capital Bank, leaving it with no unsecured deficiency claim. Capital Bank nonetheless contended that it should not be subject to cram-down under 11 U.S.C. § 1129.

Summary: The creditor had obtained a judgment against the debtor, with such judgment still being on appeal. The creditor, nonetheless, filed a Proof of Claim in the debtor’s Chapter 11 case, to which the debtor objection. Read together, 11 U.S.C. § 502(a) and 1126(a) prohibit a claimant from voting on a Chapter 11 plan if the debtor has objected to the claim. Bankruptcy Rule 3018(a), however, allows the bankruptcy court, at its sound discretion, to temporarily allow the claim for purposes of accepting or rejecting the proposed plan.

Summary: Conversion from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 is governed by 11 U.S.C.

Summary: Previously, the bankruptcy court granted the Debtor’s Motion to Employ Jones and DJP (the “Special Counsel Motion”) for the “limited purposes” of representing the Debtor “with respect to such corporate and securities matters as may be requested.” The Special Counsel Motion disclosed the fact that DJP was prepetition counsel to the Debtor and was owed a prepetition debt, but did not state the amount owed, which was in excess of $500,000.

Summary: Pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1129(e), in a small business case, a plan shall be confirmed not later than forty-five days after it is filed, unless the time for confirmation is extended. In a Chapter 11 case, a disclosure statement complying with 11 U.S.C. § 1125 shall be filed with the plan.