Bank of Chester County v. Cohen (In Re Cohen)

139 B.R. 327, 1992 Bankr. LEXIS 627, 1992 WL 87902
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 1, 1992
Docket19-11187
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 139 B.R. 327 (Bank of Chester County v. Cohen (In Re Cohen)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bank of Chester County v. Cohen (In Re Cohen), 139 B.R. 327, 1992 Bankr. LEXIS 627, 1992 WL 87902 (Pa. 1992).

Opinion

OPINION

DAVID A. SCHOLL, Bankruptcy Judge.

A. INTRODUCTION

At issue is a motion to amend an adversary Complaint to assert a challenge to the Debtor’s discharge, pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(2), as opposed to a challenge to the dischargeability of the Plaintiff’s own indebtedness, pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A), the only claim asserted in the original Complaint. Because the new claims arise out of the same facts as are pleaded in the original Complaint; the only amendments requested are to paragraphs asserting the jurisdiction of this court and the prayer for relief in the original Complaint; and the Plaintiff’s initial filings and court records did identify this proceeding as a contest to the Debtor’s discharge, we will permit the modest requested amendments. However, because the Defendant may be prejudiced by the allowance of this amendment, he will be allowed a brief period for making additional discovery and, per the parties’ agreement at trial, an opportunity to present additional evidence at a supplemental trial.

B. PROCEDURAL AND FACTUAL HISTORY

LARRY JAY COHEN (“the Debtor”) filed a voluntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy case on August 30, 1991. The instant ad-' versary proceeding, filed on December 30, 1991, by the BANK OF CHESTER COUNTY (“the Plaintiff”), is one of three proceedings thus far instituted against the Debtor which challenge his discharge and/or the dischargeability of certain of his debts in this case. 1

*329 On October 10, 1991, the notice of the meeting of creditors was issued in the Debtor’s main ease, and the meeting was scheduled for November 5, 1991. However, the meeting was postponed due to a change in the identity of the interim Trustee and was not actually held until November 29, 1991. The notice set the deadline for filing complaints objecting to the Debt- or’s discharge or the dischargeability of certain debts as January 6, 1992.

Apparently because of some confusion of the Plaintiff as to what was to be considered “the first date set for the meeting of creditors” pursuant to Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (“F.R.B.P.”) 4004(a), 2 the parties stipulated that the deadline for the Plaintiff’s filing a Complaint objecting to the discharge of the Debtor or the dischargeability of the Debt- or’s obligation to it would be “extended” until 30 days after the conclusion of the meeting of creditors. 3

On December 30, 1991, the Plaintiff filed the instant proceeding, by a document captioned “Complaint To Determine Dis-chargeability.” Paragraph 3 of the Complaint stated that this court had jurisdiction over the matter “pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157 and § 1334 and 11 U.S.C. 523,” and that “[tjhis is a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(l).” 4

The Complaint begins its factual aver-ments by alleging, in paragraphs 7 through 9, that a certain false financial statement given to the Plaintiff by the Debtor was a material inducement to the Plaintiff to make the loans in issue. 5 Paragraphs 10 through 16, the balance of the Complaint’s factual averments, allege that, in August, 1990, the Debtor transferred all of his considerable real estate holdings to Brad without consideration. Further, they aver that, despite this transfer, the Debtor continued to perform acts relevant to the realty. The Plaintiff contends that these actions “constitute ... a fraudulent conveyance as to the Plaintiff” and “constitute ... actual fraud.”

In its Prayer for Relief, the Plaintiff requested that this court declare that the Defendant’s debt “is non-dischargeable under § 523(a)(2)(A)” and that it “be granted such further relief as equity may appertain.”

Filed with the Complaint was an Adversary Proceeding Cover Sheet (“the Cover Sheet”), as required by court rule, dated December 24, 1991. In the portion of the Cover Sheet in which the cause of action was to be summarized, the Plaintiff stated as follows:

*330 Plaintiff objects to discharge of the Defendant under 11 U.S.C. § 727 because the Defendant engaged in actual fraud by fraudulently conveying the bulk of his assets to his brother with no consideration.

Additionally, in the portion of the Cover Sheet for designating the “NATURE OF SUIT,” Plaintiff checked box number 424, which pertains to objections to discharge under 11 U.S.C. § 727. 6

Trial of the Complaint was scheduled on February 18, 1992, and continued by agreement of the parties until March 17, 1992. The Debtor filed an Answer to the Complaint on February 10, 1992, which indicates no awareness of any tension between the Complaint’s invocation of 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A), and its Cover Sheet and factual averments supporting claims on other grounds. 7 The docket entries produced by the Clerk’s Office, probably due to the Cover Sheet designation of the proceeding, consistently refer to the “Complaint 727 Objection.” In the references to the matter on the published court lists, the action is referenced as one “objecting to discharge.”

On March 17, 1992, the date of trial, the Plaintiff submitted a Pre-Trial Memorandum (“the Memo”) to the court and the Debtor. 8 The Memo references the action as challenging exclusively the Debtor’s discharge under 11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(2)(A), 9 and briefed only a cause of action under that Code section.

Having perused the Memo, the court, prior to the commencement of the trial, called the attention of the parties to the discrepancy between the Code sections invoked in the Complaint and those referenced in the Memo. The Plaintiff’s counsel was, at this point, firm in stating that he was proceeding only under § 727(a)(2)(A), and not under §§ 523(a)(2)(A), 523(a)(2)(B), or any other Code section.

The Debtor’s counsel expressed surprise and some alarm at the prospect of jeopardy of the Debtor’s entire discharge in this proceeding.

Related

Michener v. Brady (In Re Brady)
243 B.R. 253 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 2000)
Michener v. Brady (In Re Brady)
234 B.R. 652 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1999)
In Re Magno
216 B.R. 34 (Ninth Circuit, 1997)
La Brioche, Inc. v. Ishkhanian (In Re Ishkhanian)
210 B.R. 944 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1997)
Croge v. Katz (In Re Katz)
203 B.R. 227 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1996)
Sullivan v. Clayton (In Re Clayton)
195 B.R. 342 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1996)
Caruso v. Segal (In Re Segal)
195 B.R. 325 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1996)
Bank of Chester County v. Cohen (In Re Cohen)
142 B.R. 720 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1992)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
139 B.R. 327, 1992 Bankr. LEXIS 627, 1992 WL 87902, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bank-of-chester-county-v-cohen-in-re-cohen-paeb-1992.