Bender v. Tobman (In Re Tobman)

96 B.R. 429, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 179, 19 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 299, 1989 WL 12157
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York
DecidedFebruary 14, 1989
Docket19-22394
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 96 B.R. 429 (Bender v. Tobman (In Re Tobman)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bender v. Tobman (In Re Tobman), 96 B.R. 429, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 179, 19 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 299, 1989 WL 12157 (N.Y. 1989).

Opinion

DECISION ON MOTION AND CROSS-MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

BURTON R. LIFLAND, Chief Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

The discharge provisions of the Bankruptcy Code (the “Code”) were intended to give an honest debtor a fresh start “unhampered by the pressure and discouragement of preexisting debt.” Lines v. Frederick, 400 U.S. 18, 19, 91 S.Ct. 113, 113-14, 27 L.Ed.2d 124 (1970); Combs v. Richardson, 838 F.2d 112, 116 (4th Cir.1988). However, when a debtor has engaged in unwholesome conduct, he becomes ineligible for entitlement to the “fresh start” desideratum. Congress, therefore, created various exceptions to discharge enumerated in § 523 of the Code. 1 In determining whether a particular debt falls within one of these exceptions, “the statute should be strictly construed against the objecting creditor and liberally in favor of the debt- or.” 3 Collier, Bankruptcy ¶ 523.05A, at 523-16 (15th ed.1987).

In the instant case, Defendant Tobman, (“Debtor/Tobman”), argues that although a jury found that Plaintiff Bender, (“Creditor/Bender”), was entitled to both compensatory damages and punitive damages against Tobman for fraudulent inducement, *431 willful conversion, and violation of Rule 10b-5 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, Bender is not entitled to summary judgment as to the issue of nondischarge-ability pursuant to § 523 of the Code. Bender, on the other hand, asserts that based on the doctrine of collateral estoppel, Tobman is precluded from relitigating facts which were previously determined by a Special Verdict in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (the “District Court Action”), and therefore there are no genuine issues of material fact to be tried in this subsequent nondischarge-ability proceeding. For the reasons that follow, this Court concludes that this motion is ripe for summary judgment determination.

II. FACTS

On October 16, 1981, Bender filed a complaint (the “District Court Complaint”) against Tobman and others in the District Court Action. The District Court Action was later consolidated with a civil action by American Security Bank N.A. (“ASB”) against Tobman and others. (Morton A. Bender v. Irwin A. Tobman et al., Civ. Nos. 82-0533 and 81-2517 (OG)).

The following is a summary of District Judge Gasch’s instructions to the District Court Jury, (the “Jury Instructions”), which recounted Bender’s multi-count Complaint, which inter alia asserted claims against Tobman for fraudulent inducement, willful conversion, securities fraud, and breach of fiduciary duty:

(1)It is undisputed that Bender gave Tobman $125,000 for the purpose of purchasing a 25% interest in Universal Housing and $162,500 for the purpose of making loans to Universal Housing. The Complaint asserts that Tobman orally personally guaranteed Universal Housing’s obligation to Bender. The Complaint further asserts that Tobman’s leading purpose for making the guarantee was to obtain a direct personal benefit because, it is alleged, Bender’s funds were used to satisfy Tobman’s own loan obligations.
(2) The Complaint maintains that Bender never received the stock in Universal Housing for which he paid Tobman $125,-000. It is undisputed that the stock in question was transferred from a third party to Tobman and that Bender was never listed as a stockholder in Universal Housing’s books. The Complaint also claims that Tobman converted Bender’s funds by purchasing the stock and having it registered in his own name and thereafter failing to deliver the stock to Bender.
(3) The Complaint alleges that Tobman converted the $110,000 which Bender gave Tobman for the purpose of making a loan to Universal Housing. It further asserts that Tobman misused these funds by using them for his own purpose, and to the extent that the loans were actually made to Universal Housing, these loans were recorded under the name of Tobman to Tobman Management Corporation and not under Bender’s own name.
(4) The Complaint also asserts various claims based upon Tobman’s fraudulent inducement of Bender to advance funds for Tobman and Universal Housing. Bender claims (i) that Tobman misrepresented to him the financial condition and business prospects of Universal Housing and a second corporation, Extrudyne; (ii) that Tobman misrepresented the capital contributions and loans that had been made to one of the corporations by Tob-man and á third party; (iii) that Tobman misrepresented his own financial condition and ability to make further loans to the corporations; (iv) that Tobman misrepresented how Bender’s funds were going to be applied; and (v) that Tobman misrepresented that Bender’s loans would be fully secured.
(5) The Complaint alleges that based upon the aforementioned misrepresentations, Tobman’s conduct constituted a violation of Rule 10b-5 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. {See Jury Instructions at 15-19; District Court Complaint.)

The District Court Action was fully tried before a jury and on February 14, 1983 the *432 Jury found for Bender in the form of a Special Verdict. The Jury found that Bender had been damaged by reason of Tobman's fraudulent inducement and violations of Rule 10b-5 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1984. The Jury also found that Bender was entitled to punitive damages on his claims against Tobman. The pertinent parts of the Jury Verdict are summarized as follows:

1) Defendant had fraudulently induced Plaintiff to transmit to Defendant the sum of $125,000 for the purpose of purchasing stock in Universal Housing. (See Verdict Form 1(a)).
2) Defendant had fraudulently induced Plaintiff to make a $110,000 loan to Universal Housing in May, 1978. (See Verdict Form 1(b)).
3) Defendant had fraudulently induced Plaintiff to make a loan of $52,500 to Universal Housing in October, 1978. (See Verdict Form 1(c)).
4) Jury awards Plaintiff punitive damages against Defendant in the amount of $100,000. (See Verdict Form 6(b)).

On February 14, 1983 the District Court entered two Judgments totalling $387,500 plus costs later assessed at $5,742.02. The Judgments were later amended on May 26, 1983 to reflect an additional $38,748.44 in accrued pre-judgment interest on Bender’s $52,500 loan to Tobman.

On February 25, 1983, Tobman moved pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 50(b) (the “Federal Rules”) for Judgment Notwithstanding the Jury’s Verdict seeking an order disallowing the Jury’s award against Tobman on the issue of punitive damages and disallowing the Jury’s award finding Tobman liable as a guarantor of the $110,000 loan to Universal.

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Bluebook (online)
96 B.R. 429, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 179, 19 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 299, 1989 WL 12157, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bender-v-tobman-in-re-tobman-nysb-1989.