Batanado v. Clark (In re Clark)

591 B.R. 99
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedSeptember 6, 2018
DocketBANKRUPTCY CASE NO. 17-53487-JWC; ADVERSARY PROCEEDING NO. 17-5147
StatusPublished

This text of 591 B.R. 99 (Batanado v. Clark (In re Clark)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Batanado v. Clark (In re Clark), 591 B.R. 99 (Ga. 2018).

Opinion

Jeffery W. Cavender, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge

This matter came before the Court upon the Complaint Objecting to and Seeking to Determine Dischargeability of Debt filed by Panawe Batanado ("Plaintiff") in the above-captioned matter. At the conclusion of the trial conducted on August 1, 2018, the Court took this matter under advisement. The Court has jurisdiction over this proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 157(b)(2) and 1334(b). Venue is proper in this Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1408 and 1409. The claim of Plaintiff and the counterclaims of Defendant Allyson Renea Clark ("Defendant") constitute core proceedings pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(C) and (J).1 Upon consideration of the testimony and documentary evidence admitted, arguments presented by the parties, the pleadings submitted and the record in this case, the Court makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law:

I. Procedural History

Defendant filed a petition for relief under Chapter 7 of Title 11 of the United States Code (the "Bankruptcy Code") on February 27, 2017. Plaintiff commenced this adversary proceeding on June 1, 2017 *104by filing a complaint seeking to determine the dischargeability of a debt allegedly due from Defendant. Plaintiff alleges that he engaged in an ongoing sexual relationship with Defendant that lasted more than eight years. During that period, Plaintiff contends Defendant represented to Plaintiff that she was neither married nor engaged in a sexual relationship with a party other than Plaintiff. Notwithstanding such representations, Plaintiff asserts that Defendant was actually married to and engaged in a sexual relationship with another man throughout most of their eight-year relationship. In May of 2013, with full knowledge that she was married to another man, Plaintiff contends that Defendant informed him that she was two months pregnant with Plaintiff's child and failed to disclose any question or qualification as to the potential paternity of the unborn child. Plaintiff asserts that Defendant falsely and fraudulently told him that he was the father of the child and demanded and received money from Plaintiff for support and expenses of the child on the basis that he was the child's father. The following year, Plaintiff alleges Defendant represented that she was pregnant with Plaintiff's second child without disclosing that she was engaged in a sexual relationship with another party and without disclosing any question or qualification as to the potential paternity of the second child. Plaintiff brings a claim under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A) alleging that Defendant "perpetuated a fraud on Plaintiff by knowingly making false and fraudulent statements to Plaintiff concerning Plaintiff's paternity of the children that Defendant knew were false at the time that Defendant made the statements." Compl. ¶ 56 [Adversary Docket No. 1]. Through actual fraud, false pretenses and/or false representations as to Plaintiff's purported paternity of both children, Plaintiff asserts that Defendant intentionally induced Plaintiff to provide Defendant in excess of $25,000, which should be excepted from Defendant's discharge in her chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding.

In response to the Complaint, Defendant asserts that Plaintiff misrepresented his marital status to Defendant from the outset of their relationship. She further contends that she never represented to Plaintiff that he was the father of her children. Instead, Defendant contends Plaintiff assumed as much based on their "on again, off again" sexual relationship over an eight-year period. Given that she was sexually active with more than one person during the period of time in which each of the two children were conceived, Defendant asserts that she did not know who the father of either child was and therefore could not have falsely represented their paternity to Plaintiff. Additionally, Defendant contends that any money paid by Plaintiff to Defendant was not child support but instead represented an allowance so that Defendant would continue the sexual relationship with Plaintiff and for child care so that Defendant was free to meet with Plaintiff. Defendant asserts that Plaintiff is barred from recovering any amounts from Defendant due to his own unclean hands. Facts that Defendant contends support her unclean hands defense include, among other things, Plaintiff's marital status, his alleged commission of the crime of adultery under Georgia law and Plaintiff paying Defendant an "allowance" to continue their sexual relationship notwithstanding his marriage to another woman. Defendant also asserts counterclaims for fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress against Plaintiff. Defendant contends that Plaintiff misrepresented his marital status to Defendant at the outset of their relationship and seduced Defendant into a destructive eight-year relationship for which she suffered *105damages, including, but not limited to, having multiple abortions, severe anxiety, loss of self-esteem and diagnosed depression. Plaintiff disputes Defendant's unclean hands defense and denies any liability to Defendant on her counterclaims. On August 1, 2018, the Court conducted a full-day trial on the claims, defenses and counterclaims.

II. Findings of Fact

This sordid story began in or around July of 2008 when Plaintiff, who is originally from Togo, West Africa, posted his profile on eHarmony.com seeking connections to date women. Shortly after connecting on the site, Plaintiff and Defendant went on a number of dates, and their relationship quickly became sexual in nature. During this early period, Defendant accompanied Plaintiff on business trips to Los Angeles and Boston, and Plaintiff frequently provided gifts or money in various amounts to Defendant. As quickly as the relationship started, it just as quickly came to what would become the first of many ends in November of 2008, when Defendant discovered she was pregnant. Defendant testified that Plaintiff demanded that she have an abortion, which led to a breakdown in their relationship.

After the breakup, Plaintiff traveled to Togo in December of 2008 and did not return to Atlanta until January of 2009. While Plaintiff was in Togo, Defendant married another man with whom she had been friends for many years (the "First Husband"). Defendant realized soon thereafter that the marriage was a mistake and commenced divorce proceedings to end the marriage. Plaintiff was unaware of Defendant's marriage to the First Husband. Upon his return to Atlanta in January of 2009, Plaintiff paid for Defendant to have an abortion and accompanied Defendant to the procedure.

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Bluebook (online)
591 B.R. 99, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/batanado-v-clark-in-re-clark-ganb-2018.