In Re Rufener Construction, Inc.

53 F.3d 1064 149 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2268 , 63 USLW 2690 , 27 Bankr.Ct.Dec. 309 , Bankr. L. Rep. P 76,494 In re RUFENER CONSTRUCTION, INC., Debtor. CARPENTERS HEALTH AND WELFARE TRUST FUNDS FOR CALIFORNIA, et al., Creditors-Appellants, v. Jerome ROBERTSON, Trustee-Appellee. No. 93-16098. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted Dec. 15, 1994. Decided May 8, 1995. Christian L. Raisner, Van Bourg, Weinberg, Roger & Rosenfeld, San Francisco, CA, for creditors-appellants. Heinz Binder (argued), Mark V. Isola, Binder & Malter, San Jose, CA, for trustee-appellee. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Before: TANG, REINHARDT, and RYMER, Circuit Judges. REINHARDT, Circuit Judge: 1 Section 1113(f) of the bankruptcy code limits the power of a bankrupt company to unilaterally terminate or modify the terms of a collective bargaining agreement. Some courts have found that this provision also affects the priority accorded debts payable under a collective bargaining agreement in the bankruptcy priority scheme. In this case, we decide whether Sec. 1113(f) applies to bankruptcies filed under Chapter 7 of the Code. We…