# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ No. 1 3- 36 36

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ In re: Civ ic Part ne rs Sio ux Cit y , LLC

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Deb to r

----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Ci vi c Par tn ers Sio ux Cit y , LLC

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l

App el la nt

v.

Mai n S tre et Thea te rs , Inc .; Ma in Str eet -Si ou x C it y , Inc .; St ev en Sem in gs on ; Nor th wes t Ba nk , su cces so r by m erg er wi th Fir st Nati on al Ban k; Cit y of S io ux Cit y

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l

App el le e s

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ No. 1 3- 36 38

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ In re: Civ ic Part ne rs Sio ux Cit y , LLC

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Deb to r

----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Ci vi c Par tn ers Sio ux Cit y , LLC

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l

App el la ntv.

Mai n S tre et Thea te rs , Inc .; Ma in Str eet -Si ou x C it y , Inc .; No rth wes t Ba nk , su cces so r by m erg er wi th Fir st Nati on al Ban k; Cit y of S io ux Cit y

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l

App el le e s

__ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

th e Uni te d S ta te s B an kr

up tc y App el la te Pan el for th e Eig ht h C irc ui t

__ __ __ __ __ __ Su bm it te d: Octo be r 7, 2 01 4 Fil ed : M arch 3, 2 01 5

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re MUR PHY, SMITH, an d GRUENDER, Ci rcu it Ju dg es

.

__ __ __ __ __ __ GRUENDER, Circ ui t J ud ge

.

D eb to r Ci vi c Part ne rs Si ou x Ci ty, LLC (“ Ci vi c”) ap pe al s fo ur or de rs of t h e ba nk ru pt cy

co ur t. W e d is m is s fo r la ck of ju ris di ct io n.

1

As pa rt of a red ev el op m en t pr ojec t pa rti al ly fin an ced by Si ou x Ci ty, Io wa (th e

“ Ci ty”), Ci vi c bo rro wed m on ey fro m Nor th wes t Ban k (th e “ Ban k” ) to bu il d a m ov ie

th eat er co m

pl ex

. Mai n St reet The at ers , In c. (“ Mai n St reet ”) le as ed th e th eat er sp ace in 20 04

. Bec au se of va rio us pr ob le m s, Mai n St reet di d no t fu ll y pa y it s ren t to Ci vi c,

an d Civ ic di d no t ful ly m ak e it s l oa n p ay m en ts to th e Ban k. Afte r m ed ia ti on , Ci vi c

an d Mai n St reet ag reed on an am en de d le as e th at su bs ta nt ia ll y lo wered Mai n St reet ’s

The Hon or ab le Tha d J. Co ll in s, Ch ie f Ju dg e, Uni te d St at es Ban kr up tc y Co ur t 1 fo r th e Nor th ern Dis tri ct of I owa

. -2

-ren t. Non et he le ss , di ffi cu lt ie s co nt in ue d. Eve nt ua ll y , Ci vi c fi l e d fo r Ch ap te r 11

ba nk ru pt cy

.

In ba nk ru pt cy co ur t, Ci vi c fil ed a pl an of reo rg an iz at io n. As pa rt of th e pl an , Ci vi c arg ue d th at th e co ur t sh ou ld su bo rd in at e th e in te res ts of th e Ban k an d th e Ci ty be cau se th ey ha d de frau de d Ci vi c i n t o a c cep ti ng th e am en de d le as e. Afte r Ci vi c

mo v e d fo r a ru li ng th at th e or ig in al , 20 04 le as e wit h Mai n St reet ap pl ie d, t h e ba nk ru pt cy

co ur t i ss ue d t wo o rd ers de ci di ng th at th e am en de d l eas e ap pl ie d. Ci vi c

m ov ed fo r reco ns id erat io n, whi ch th e co ur t de ni ed

. Ci vi c th en ap pe al ed th e two le as e

or de r s an d th e de ni al of reco ns id erat io n to th e Ban kr up tc y App el la te Pan el (th e

“ BAP”)

. On Feb ru ary 1, 20 13 , th e BAP ru le d th at Ci vi c’s a p p e al was im pr op erl y in te rlo cu to ry

an d d is m is se d fo r la ck of ju ris di ct io n. Se e 28 U.S.C. § 1 58 (a), (c )(1 ). Ci vi c d id no t ap pe al th at rul in g.

Ci vi c fil ed a se co nd pl an , whi ch res ta te d th e frau d arg um en t. The ba nk ru pt cy

co ur t de ni ed co nf

irmatio n of

th e se co nd pl an an d re

jecte d t he frau d a rg um en t. The

co ur t, ho wev er, di d no t di sm is s th e ba nk ru pt cy pe ti ti on

. Ci vi c th en ap pe al ed th is ne w

or de r an d— ag ai n— th e th ree earl ie r or de rs

. The BAP ag ai n di sm is se d fo r la ck of juri sd ic ti on

. Ci vi c no w ap pe al s al l fo ur or de rs to th is co ur t— th e two le as e or de rs , th e de ni al of reco ns id erat io n of th os e two or de rs , an d th e de ni al of th e se co nd pl an ’s

co nf irmatio n.

W it h ex cep ti on s no t rel ev an t he re, ou r juri sd ic ti on ov er ap pe al s fro m th e BAP i s l i m it ed to ap pe al s fro m “ fin al de ci si on s, jud gm en ts , or de rs , an d de cree s.” I d

. § 15 8( d)

. Fo r th is pu rp os e, “ a de te rmi n a t i on of th e [BAP] is no t ‘fina l’ un le ss th e

un de rlyin g or de r of th e ba nk ru pt cy c o ur t is fin al .” In re Pop ki n & St er n , 10 5 F.3 d 12 48 , 1 2 5 0 (8 th Ci r. 19 97 ) (q uo ti ng In re Flo r , 7 9 F.3 d 28 1, 28 3 (2 d Ci r. 19 96 )). “ Acco r d i n g l y, juri sd ic ti on to he ar th e m eri ts

. . . res ts on whe th er th e ba nk ru pt cy co ur t is su ed a fin al , ap pe al ab le or de r.” In re Gai ne s , 93 2 F.2 d 72 9, 73 1 (8 th Ci r. 19 91 ). Fu rth er, th e “ [t]im el y fil in g” of a no ti ce of ap pe al “ ‘is m an da to ry an d

-3

-juri sd ic ti on al .’ ” Uni te d St at es v. S t u t e Co
., In c. , 40 2 F.3 d 82 0, 82 2 (8 th Ci r. 20 05 )

(q uo ti ng Uni te d St at es v. Fit zg er al d , 10 9 F.3 d 13 39 , 13 42 (8 th Ci r. 19 97 )). Here, we la ck juri sd ic ti on to rev ie w any of t he fou r or de rs

.

The th ree earl ie r, le as e-re la te d or de rs were d e e med no n- fin al by t he BAP on Feb ru ary 1, 20 13

. Ci vi c in vo ke s ou r juri sd ic ti on on ly by arg ui ng th at th e th ree or de rs

were fin al

. Bu t ev en as su m in g th e or de rs were fin al , Ci vi c ha d on ly th irt y da y s aft er Feb ru ary 1, 20 13 to ap pe al th em to us

. Fed

. R. App

. P. 4( a)(1 )(A), 6( b) (1 ). Ci vi c di d

no t ap pe al wit hi n t ha t t im e, an d s o we l ack juri sd ic ti on

.

W e al so la ck juri sd ic ti on to rev ie w th e fo ur th or de r, whi ch de ni ed co nf irmatio n of Ci vi c’s se co nd pl an

. In Lewi s v. Uni te d St at es , Far mer s Home Admi ni s t r a ti on , 99 2 F.2 d 76 7 (8 th Ci r. 19 93 ), we he ld th at “ ba nk ru pt cy or de rs de nyin g co nf irmatio n of a pr op os ed pl an bu t no t di sm is si ng th e un de rlyin g pe ti ti on are no nf in al de ci si on s

no t su bj e c t t o a p pe al .” Id

. at 77 2. Fi fte en y ears la te r, we rep eat ed th at “ [u ]nde r Eig ht h Ci rcu it la w, w hi ch is co ns is te nt wit h th e vi ews of ot he r ci rcu it s, an or de r de nyin g co nf

irmatio n of a pl an , whi ch do es no t di sm is s th e cas e, is no t a fin al or de r

an d can no t be ap pe al ed .” In r e Za hn , 52 6 F.3 d 11 40 , 11 43 (8 th Ci r. 20 08 ). The ba nk ru pt cy co ur t ha s no t di sm is se d Ci vi c’s pe ti ti on

. I t i s th us cl ear th at we can no t

rev ie w th e de ni al of Ci vi c’s se co nd pl an

. To th e ex te nt th at Ci vi c’s rep ly br ie f ur ge s

us to rev ie w th e ba nk ru pt cy co ur t’s rejecti on of th e frau d clai m s, a ru li ng co nt ai ne d wit hi n th e pl an de ni al , Lewi s fo recl os es th at po ss i b i l i t y as well

. Cf

. Lewi s , 99 2 F

. 2 d a t 76 9- 77 1, 77 4 (fi nd in g pl an de ni al no t ap pe al ab le whe re de ni al al so in cl ud ed rul in g o n u nd erl y in g i ss ue ).

-4

-Thi s ap pe al is di sm is se d. 2

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

Im m ed ia te ly aft er Ci vi c a p p eal ed to th is co ur t, th e Ban k fil ed a m ot io n to 2 di sm is s an d a se pa rat e mo t io n fo r da m ag es an d co st s. Se e Fed

. R. App

. P. 38

. Pres um ab ly be cau se it was fil ed im m ed ia te ly, th e l a t t e r mo t io n di d no t id en ti fy or it em iz e th e am ou nt s req ue st ed

. Hav in g no w effe ct iv el y gr an te d t h e m ot io n to di sm is s, we de ny th e m ot io n fo r da m ag es an d co st s wit ho ut pr ejud ic e to refi li ng su ch

a m ot io n in acco rd an ce wit h Fed eral Ru le s of App el la te Pro ced ur e 38 an d 39 an d 8t h Ci rcu it Ru le 39 A.

-5

-