Angell, Trustee v. Rose Hill Enterprises, LLC et al

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA
RALEIGH DIVISION
IN RE:
CAREMERICA, INC.,
DEBTOR.
CASE NO.
06-02913-8-JRL
JAMES B. ANGELL, TRUSTEE,
Plaintiff
v.
ROSE HILL ENTERPRISES, LLC
POWELL/RHOADES, LLC, POWELL
PROPERTIES OF DURHAM COUNTY, LLC,
RALEIGH ASSISTED LIVING, LLC, GRIFTON
ASSISTED LIVING, LLC, GREENVILLE
ASSISTED LIVING, LLC, ROCKY MOUNT
ASSISTED LIVING, LLC, SUSAN W. SIMMS,
THOMAS G. HUSVAR, BETH C. BURRELL,
BST MANAGEMENT, LLC, PROVIDENCE
CARE, LLC, AND ROBERT AND JULIA
DIXON,
Defendants.
ADVERSARY PROCEEDING NO.
L-08-00185-8-AP
SO ORDERED.
SIGNED this 14 day of January, 2010.
________________________________________
J. Rich Leonard
United States Bankruptcy Judge
____________________________________________________________
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1 Though the Dixons filed a motion to dismiss the original complaint, they did not file a
motion to dismiss the amended complaint, which is at issue here.
2
ORDER
The matters before the court are the motions to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, made applicable in this adversary proceeding by Rule 7012(b) of
the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, filed by all of the defendants except Robert and Julia
Dixon.1 A hearing took place in Raleigh, North Carolina on December 14, 2009.
On September 15, 2006, Caremerica, Inc., Caremerica Adult Care, Inc., The Meadows of
Hermitage, Inc., The Meadows of Fayetteville, Inc. and The Meadows of Wilmington, Inc. filed
petitions for relief under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. 	These cases were subsequently
converted to cases under chapter 7. On February 4, 2008, the court entered an order allowing the
substantive consolidation of the cases and appointed James B. Angell as trustee. The consolidated
cases are administered under the case of Caremerica, Inc., Case No. 06-02913-8-JRL.
The trustee filed the complaint in this adversary proceeding on September 15, 2008, seeking
to avoid and recover alleged preferential and fraudulent transfers. 	On November 5, 2008 and
November 14, 2008, the defendants filed motions to dismiss and to sever claims. On July 28, 2009,
the court entered an order directing the trustee to file a supplemental brief addressing issues raised
by the motions to dismiss and to sever in light of the rulings made by the court in a related adversary
proceeding, Angell v. BER Care, Inc., Adv. Pro. No. L-08-00174-8-AP (Bankr. E.D.N.C. Jul. 23,
2009), addressing the heightened pleading standards for pleading under Rule 8(a) of the Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure. Instead of filing a supplemental brief, the trustee amended his complaint
on August 27, 2009, and the instant motions to dismiss were filed.
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2 For a detailed analysis of Twombly and Iqbal, see Angell v. BER CARE, Inc. (In re
Caremerica, Inc.), Adv. Pro. No. L-08-00174-8-AP (Bankr. E.D.N.C. July 23, 2009).
3
Until recently, the standard for determining a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6)
of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure was governed by Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78
S. Ct. 99, 102 (1957), which provided that "a complaint should not be dismissed for failure to state
a claim unless it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his
claim which would entitle him to relief." Because the rules required only notice pleading, courts
construed a plaintiff's allegations liberally. Courts were to accept the plaintiff's factual allegations
as true, drawing all reasonable inferences in the plaintiff's favor. Ibarra v. United States, 120 F.3d
472, 474 (4th Cir. 1997).
However, the Supreme Court rejected the Conley standard in Bell Atlantic Corp. v.
Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S. Ct. 1955, 1974 (2007), instead holding that a complaint must
include "enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." The Court fleshed out
this standard in Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S. Ct. 1937 (2009), holding first that "the tenet that a court
must accept as true all of the allegations contained in a complaint is inapplicable to legal
conclusions," and second that "only a complaint that states a plausible claim for relief survives a
motion to dismiss." 129 S. Ct. at 1949. The allegations must be more than a "formulaic recitation
of the elements" of a claim. 129 S. Ct. at 1951. "A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff
pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is
liable for the misconduct alleged. 	The plausibility standard is not 	akin to a 'probability
requirement,' but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully."
129 S. Ct. at 1949. 2
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Prior to filing its petition, Caremerica, Inc. oversaw operations and maintenance for various
assisted living facilities in North Carolina. The facilities in Grifton, Greenville, Raleigh and Rocky
Mount were owned by defendant Rose Hill Enterprises, LLC, which leased the real estate and
personal property to defendants Grifton Assisted Living, LLC, Greenville Assisted Living, LLC,
Raleigh Assisted Living, LLC, and Rocky Mount Assisted Living, LLC, respectively. The facilities
in Kinston, Greenville, and Wilson were owned by defendant Powell/Rhoades, LLC, which leased
the real estate and personal property to debtor Caremerica Adult Care, Inc., The Meadows at Red
Oak, Inc., and The Meadows at Wilson, Inc., respectively. The Durham facility was owned by C.
Stephen Powell, Robin W. Powell, and Hazel H. Powell, who leased the real estate and personal
property to Caremerica West, Inc. 	The lessees, all of which are related to the debtors, had
agreements with Caremerica, Inc. to oversee operation of the facilities.
Though it is not clearly delineated in the amended complaint, it appears that all of the leases
were terminated on or about April 30, 2006, and on May 1, 2006, Caremerica, Inc. agreed to
terminate its management agreements with Raleigh Assisted Living, LLC, Rocky Mount Assisted
Living, LLC, Grifton Assisted Living, LLC, and Greenville Assisted Living, LLC. Immediately
upon termination of the leases, Rose Hill entered leases with defendant BST Management, LLC
("BST") for the Raleigh and Greenville facilities, Powell/Rhoades entered leases with BST for the
Kinston, Red Oak (Greenville) and Wilson facilities, and Powell Properties entered a lease with BST
for the Durham facility. At the same time, Rose Hill entered into a lease with defendant Providence
Care, LLC for the Rocky Mount facility, and entered a lease with defendants Robert and Julia Dixon
for the Grifton facility.
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The trustee's first cause of action alleges that the debtors' termination of its lease with
Powell/Rhoades for the Kinston facility, and the termination of the debtors' management agreement,
were fraudulent transfers because the debtors received insufficient or no consideration in exchange
for the termination of the lease and the management rights. According to the complaint, the debtors
agreed to terminate the agreements in exchange for a new lease of the Goldsboro facility operated
by the debtors and a reduction in rent for the Fayetteville facility operated by the debtors, but neither
of these events occurred. Unlike the elusive management rights for the facilities not leased by the
debtors, discussed below, the Kinston lease (and possibly the management rights that may have gone
with the lease) is a clearly identified property right that may have had some value to the debtors.
The trustee has stated a plausible claim for relief with respect to the alleged fraudulent transfer of
the Kinston lease to Powell/Rhodes.
The trustee's second cause of action alleges that the debtors' termination of management
rights for the other facilities were transfers of interests of the debtors in property for less than
reasonably equivalent value while the debtors were insolvent, and thus are avoidable fraudulent
transfers. 	The problem with this cause of action is that there is no allegation of any written
agreement giving the debtors the management rights for the various facilities, nor is there any
allegation of an agreement as to the term of those rights. 	Thus, there is no clearly delineated
property interest that has allegedly been transferred, and there are insufficient facts to state a claim
to relief that is plausible on its face and the second cause of action will be dismissed.
The complaint also alleges that Thomas Husvar, Beth Burrell, and Susan Simms were
employees of the debtors, and that each tendered his or her resignation in April 2006 to take effect
prior to April 30, 2006. 	According to the complaint, Mr. Husvar, Ms. Burrell, and Ms. Simms
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formed BST Management, LLC on April 13, 2006, for the purpose of owning and operating assisted
living facilities. 	The complaint also alleges that prior to April 13, 2006, these defendants had
conversations with the defendant landlords regarding the termination of the leases and management
contracts and re-leasing them to Mr. Husvar, Ms. Burrell, and Ms. Simms or an entity to be formed
by them. Further, on May 1, 2006, BST Management entered into leases with Rose Hill for the
Raleigh and Greenville facilities, with Powell/Rhoades for the Kinston, Red Oak and Wilson
facilities, and with Powell Properties of Durham for the Durham facility.
The trustee's third cause of action alleges that the transfers of the debtors' management rights
were made for the benefit of the various defendants on account of antecedent debt, and that the
transfers are avoidable preferences. Though the trustee alleges that Powell/Rhoades was owed rent,
that Ms. Simms was owed $469,600 by Caremerica, Inc., and that Mr. Husvar and Ms. Burrell were
owed funds by Caremerica both for money loaned and for money owed to their business, Employer
Services, Inc., there is no allegation or evidence that the transfers of the management rights in any
way extinguished or reduced the debts owed to these defendants or were made on account of those
debts. The trustee also alleges that defendants Rocky Mount Assisted Living, Raleigh Assisted
Living, Grifton Assisted Living, and Greenville Assisted Living released the debtors from any and
all claims arising out of the management agreements when the management agreements were
terminated, but there is no allegation that there was any antecedent debt owed that was satisfied by
the release. Because one of the essential elements of § 547, antecedent debt, is missing, the trustee's
third cause of action must be dismissed.
The fourth cause of action contends that Rose Hill, Mr. Husvar, Ms. Burrell, Ms. Simms,
BST Management, Providence Care, and Robert and Julia Dixon are the mediate transferees of the
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fraudulent transfers made to the landlord and lessee defendants. Because the complaint failed to
state a claim for the initial fraudulent transfer, there can be no claim for the mediate transfer.
Accordingly, the fourth cause of action will be dismissed.
Finally, the trustee's fifth cause of action is a claim for breach of fiduciary duty as to
defendants Mr. Husvar, Ms. Burrell and Ms. Simms. The complaint alleges that these defendants
met with the landlords and arranged for their company to lease and operate the facilities prior to the
termination of the leases and management agreements, while they were employed by the debtors.
If this is true, the trustee has made a plausible claim that these defendants misappropriated property
or corporate opportunities of the debtors. Though Mr. Husvar and Ms. Burrell contend that they
were never employed by the debtors, the complaint does allege that they were employees. The
complaint does state a claim for breach of fiduciary duty, and if there is uncontroverted evidence
that Mr. Husvar and Ms. Burrell were not employed by the debtors, they may raise that issue in a
motion for summary judgment.
Based on the foregoing, the motions to dismiss the first cause of action and the fifth cause
of action in the amended complaint are DENIED, and the motions to dismiss the second, third, and
fourth causes of action as to the moving defendants are ALLOWED. Pursuant to Rule 7012(a) of
the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, defendants Powell/Rhoades, Husvar, Burrell, and
Simms shall have 14 days from the date of this order to serve a responsive pleading to the amended
complaint.
END OF DOCUMENT
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