## United States Bankruptcy Appellate Panel FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

____________ No. 98-6003/6005/6006/6007/6008/6009EM

____________

In re: West Pointe Limited Partnership dba West * Pointe Apartments, a Missouri Limited * Partnership; Northwest Village Limited * Partnership dba Northwest Village Apartments, * a Missouri Limited Partnership; Grandview * Hills Limited Partnership dba Grandview Hills * Apartments, a Missouri Limited Partnership; * Park Ridge Apartments Limited Partnership * dba Park Ridge Apartments, a Missouri Limited * Appeal from the United States Partnership; Lamplite Limited Partnership dba * Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern Springwood Apartments, a Missouri Limited * District of Missouri Partnership * * Debtors. * * West Pointe Limited Partnership dba West * Pointe Apartments, a Missouri Limited * Partnership; Northwest Village Limited * Partnership dba Northwest Village Apartments, * a Missouri Limited Partnership; Grandview * Hills Limited Partnership dba Grandview Hills * Apartments, a Missouri Limited Partnership; * Park Ridge Apartments Limited Partnership * dba Park Ridge Apartments, a Missouri Limited * Partnership; Lamplite Limited Partnership dba * Springwood Apartments, a Missouri Limited * Partnership * * Appellants/Cross-Appellees, * *2 -v.- * * William Franke; Gannon Management * Company of Missouri * * Appellees/Cross-Appellants, * * GP19; Prairie Properties, LLC; Susman, * Schermer, Rimmel & Shifrin; Cynthia McNeill * * Appellees. * *

____________ Submitted: January 23, 1998 Filed: February 4, 1998

____________ Before KOGER, Chief Judge, SCOTT, and DREHER, Bankruptcy Judges. DREHER, Bankruptcy Judge. This c ase comes before the Court on appeal from a decision of the United State s Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missour i valuing the assets and liabilities of the bankruptcy estate of joint Chapter 11 debtors. The cases were commenced on September 12, 1990 , by the filing of five separate voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of th e United States Bankruptcy Code. On October 10, 1990, the bank ruptcy court ordered that the five bankruptcy cases be jointly administered. On January 31, 1992, the debtors filed their First Amend ed Joint Plan of Reorganization. Immediately following the close of th e exclu sivity period, on February 11, 1992, creditors William E. Franke and Ganno n Manage ment

Company of Missouri filed with the bankruptcy court a competing plan o f reorganization. On June 22, 1992, the bankrup tcy court confirmed the Gannon/Franke plan, and the d ebtors appealed to the United States District Court for the Eastern District o f Missouri.3

Upon review of the bankruptcy court's confirmation order, the district c ourt remanded the case to the bankruptcy court for further findings of fact. Specifically, the district court remanded "for the sole purpose of determining at a hearing the value of t he estate's assets and its liabilities." The district c ourt opinion concluded, "The District Court retains jurisdiction of th is matter and the appeal, but remands for this sole purpose. Upon the Bankruptc y Court's de termination of said issue, the Court will render a decision upon this matter. " Following the remand, on De cember 18, 1997, the bankruptcy court issued a Memorandum Order valuing the assets and liabilities of thejoint debtors prior to confirmation, from which order the debtors, Gannon Manag ement Company of Missouri, and William E. Franke filed notices of appeal without electing to have the appeal heard by the district court. 28 U.S.C. § 158(c)(1) (1994); L. R. BAP 8th Cir. 8001A. After considering this matter, we conclude that we lack subject matter jurisdiction to hea r this appeal because the district court retained jurisdiction to render a final decisio n following the further proceedings of the bankruptcy court. See Amrine v. Bowersox , 12 8 F.3d 1222, 1230 (8th Cir. 1997); United States v. Hall , 85 F.3d 367, 368 (8th Cir. 1996)

. See also United States v. Jacobson , 15 F.3d 19, 22 (2d Cir. 1994) (discussing appellat e co urt's authority to retain jurisdiction over an appeal while remanding to lower court t o su pplement

the record with further findings and conclusions). Accordingly, we hereb y dismi ss both the appeal and the cross-appeal and direct the clerk to transfer the file to th e United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. A true copy.

Attest: CLERK, U.S. BANKRUPTCY APPELLATE PANEL FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT