American Eagle Bank v. Friedman (In re Friedman)

543 B.R. 833
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedDecember 29, 2015
DocketBankruptcy No. 12-bk-40168; Adversary No. 13-ap-01199
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 543 B.R. 833 (American Eagle Bank v. Friedman (In re Friedman)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Eagle Bank v. Friedman (In re Friedman), 543 B.R. 833 (Ill. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION ON AMERICAN EAGLE BANK’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Jack B. Schmetterer, United States Bankruptcy Judge

This Adversary Proceeding relates to the bankruptcy case filed by debtor-defendant Arthur Friedman (the “Debtor”) under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. Creditor-plaintiff American Eagle Bank (the “Plaintiff’) filed its three-count Complaint (Adv. Dkt. 1)1 on September 30, 2013. Counts I and II seek to determine the dischargeability of the Plaintiffs debt under 11 U.S.C. §§ 523(a)(2)(A) and (a)(6), respectively, and Count III objects to the Debtor’s discharge under 11 U.S.C. §§ 727(a)(3) and (a)(5). On March 25, 2015, the Plaintiff filed an Amended Complaint (Adv. Dkt. 26), adding a Count IV objecting to the Debtor’s discharge under 11 U.S.C. §§ 727(a)(2), (a)(4), (a)(5) and (a)(7). The Debtor filed an answer to the Complaint on October 31, 2013 (Adv. Dkt. 5) and an answer to the Amended Complaint on April 24, 2015 (Adv. Dkt. 31).

On or about August 4, 2015, the Plaintiff served the Debtor with Requests for Admission under Fed.R.Civ.P. 36, made applicable by Fed. R. Bankr.P. 7036. The Debtor never responded to the Plaintiffs [837]*837Requests for Admission. The Plaintiff then brought this Motion for Summary-Judgment as to Count IV of the Amended Complaint based on the Requests for Admission having been deemed admitted under Fed.R.Civ.P. 36(a)(3). For following reasons, summary judgment will be- granted in favor of the Plaintiff on Count IV.

I. JURISDICTION AND VENUE

Subject matter jurisdiction lies under 28 U.S.C. § 1334. The district court may refer bankruptcy proceedings to a bankruptcy judge under 28 U.S.C. § 157, and this proceeding is thereby referred here by District Court Operating Procedure 15(a) of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Venue lies under 28 U.S.C. § 1409. This is a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C. §§ 157(b)(2)(A), (I), and (0). It seeks to determine the dischargeability of a debt. Therefore, it “stems from the bankruptcy itself,” and may constitutionally be decided by a bankruptcy judge. Stern v. Marshall, — U.S. -, 131 S.Ct. 2594, 2618, 180 L.Ed.2d 475 (2011).

II. UNCONTESTED FACTS

The Plaintiff filed its Statement of Material Facts as required by Rules 7056-1 of the Local Bankruptcy Rules for the Northern District of Illinois. The Debtor, however, failed to file an opposing statement of material facts as required by Local Rule 7056-2. Because the Debtor did not provide a statement of .facts controverting the Plaintiffs statement, “[a]ll material facts set forth in the [Plaintiffs] statement ... will be deemed to be admitted.... ” Local Rule 70562(B); see also Smith v. Lamz, 321 F.3d 680, 683 (7th Cir.2003) (“We have consistently held that a failure to respond by the nonmovant as mandated by the local rules results in an admission.”). Therefore, the following facts are taken from the Plaintiffs Statement of Material Facts, as well as from documents referenced therein, mainly the. Debtor’s Answer to the Amended Complaint and the Requests for Admission.

The Debtor was one of the principal owners' and president of an automobile leasing company known as Prestige Leasing, Inc. (“Prestige”). Statement of Material Facts, ¶¶ 13-14 (Adv. Dkt. 39-1). Pri- or to the Debtor filing for bankruptcy, the Debtor was a party to- a lawsuit that was ultimately settled . (hereinafter “Lawsuit Settlement”. or- “Settlement”). Id. at ¶¶ 15-17, As part of the-Settlement, the Debtor received $75,000 annually,, minus his attorneys’ fees. .Id. at-¶ 18. Payments-were made biannually on April 15 and September 15. ..Id. at ¶¶ 18-19. The Debtor received these payments from 2006 through 2013. Id.

The Settlement payments were -made to' Prestige until it closed in 2011, after which payments were paid to the Debtor. Id. at ¶ 22. However, the Debtor made specific instructions as to how he would receive the payments. Id. at ¶23. The payments were directed by the Debtor to his wife’s-bank account, but the Debtor had access to that account at all times. Id. at ¶¶ 24-27. The Debtor was thereby able to use and spend the funds as he wished; Id. The Debtor thereby received Settlement payments in 2012 and 2013. Id. at ¶ 23.

■ In the Answers to the Amended Complaint filed by the Debtor, he admitted:

(1) that the Debtor received the Settlement payments in 2012 and 2013 (Answer, ¶¶ 6061, 66 (Adv. Dkt 31));
(2) that the Debtor directed how he was to receive the Settlement payments (Id. at ¶¶ 67, 70, 74);. ’
(3) that the 'Debtor had the payments delivered to his wife’s account (Id. at ¶¶ 71-73, 7577);'
[838]*838(4) that the Debtor spent the funds (Id. at ¶¶ 69, 91);
(5) that the Debtor’s Schedules and Statement of Financial Affairs' did not contain the Settlement payments (Id. at ¶¶ 78-81, 84);
(6) that the Debtor did not schedule the payments, albeit, unintentionally (Id. at ¶ 8.6); and - .,
(7) that the aforementioned acts were committed within a year, of filing for bankruptcy (Id. at ¶ 92).

The Debtor filed under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code ' on October 10, 2012. The Debtor’s schedules state that-he has no account receivables or income. Id. at IT 28; see also Schedules B, I (Dkt. 1). Moreover, the Debtor’s Statement of Financial Affairs • state that he received income from employment- or operation of business in 2009 and 2010, but nothing after that., Id. at ¶ 29; see also Statement of Financial ¡Affairs (Dkt. 1). No other source of income is provided. Id. Neither the Settlement nor the Settlement payments were included. on the Debtor’s schedules. . Moreover, the Debtor never amended the filings to include these assets. ■

On or about August 4, 2015, the Plaintiff served the Debtor with Requests for Admission. The Plaintiff ¿requested that the Debtor admit, in relevant part, the following:

26. That Arthur . Friedman directed funds from the settlement of lawsuit ... to .be paid into an account held by his wife. .
28.[That] Arthur Friedman intentionally failed to disclose the settlement of lawsuit ...

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Bluebook (online)
543 B.R. 833, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-eagle-bank-v-friedman-in-re-friedman-ilnb-2015.