Capp Equities, LLC v. David Wayne Christine and Joleen Ann Christine

CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Michigan
DecidedJune 14, 2010
Docket08-80336
StatusUnknown

This text of Capp Equities, LLC v. David Wayne Christine and Joleen Ann Christine (Capp Equities, LLC v. David Wayne Christine and Joleen Ann Christine) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Capp Equities, LLC v. David Wayne Christine and Joleen Ann Christine, (Mich. 2010).

Opinion

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN ________________

In re:

DAVID WAYNE CHRISTINE and Case No. DK 08-03766 JOLEEN ANN CHRISTINE, Hon. Scott W. Dales Chapter 7

Debtors. ____________________________________/

CAPP EQUITIES, LLC, Adversary Pro. No. 08-80336

Plaintiff,

v.

DAVID WAYNE CHRISTINE and JOLEEN ANN CHRISTINE,

Defendants. ____________________________________/

OPINION AND ORDER

PRESENT: HONORABLE SCOTT W. DALES United States Bankruptcy Judge

I. INTRODUCTION AND JURISDICTION

Plaintiff Capp Equities, LLC filed a complaint against Defendants David and Joleen Christine to except from discharge a debt arising from the Christines’ alleged misrepresentations in connection with the sale of an apartment building in the Chicago area. The court held a trial on May 12, 2010 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, during which Mark Cappetta (“Mr. Cappetta”) and Joleen Christine (“Ms. Christine”) testified. David Christine (“Mr. Christine”) did not appear for trial, though he did participate in pretrial proceedings. The court finds that both witnesses were credible. The following findings are based upon the testimony of those witnesses and the exhibits admitted at trial. The court has jurisdiction over the Christines’ bankruptcy case pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 157(a) and 1334(a) and the automatic reference from the United States District Court for the

Western District of Michigan. See LCivR 83.2(a) (W.D. Mich.). This adversary proceeding to except the Christines’ debt from discharge is a core proceeding within the meaning of 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(I). II. FACTUAL FINDINGS & ANALYSIS Prior to filing bankruptcy, David and Joleen Christine (the “Christines” or the “Defendants”), owned an apartment building located at 8133 and 8139 Ogden Avenue in Lyons, Illinois (the “Building”).1 Pursuant to a real estate purchase agreement dated July 25, 2005 (the “Sale Contract”), the Christines sold the Building to Capp Equities, LLC (“Capp Equities” or the “Plaintiff”), an Illinois limited liability company owned by Mr. Cappetta and his mother. At the

closing, which took place on October 21, 2005, the parties executed an addendum to the Sale Contract (the “Addendum”) wherein the Defendants agreed to escrow $12,000.00 to repair a certain RP2 backflow prevention valve. (See Pl. Exh. 2). Mr. Cappetta learned of the defective valve at the closing after reviewing an inspection report issued by the Village of Lyons (the “Inspection Report”). (See Def. Exh. C). Under the Addendum, once the repair was made, Capp Equities was supposed to return any unused portion of the escrowed funds to the Christines. Years later, because Capp Equities had not returned the balance of the escrowed funds, the Christines filed a lawsuit in state court against Capp Equities. In the meantime, Mr. Cappetta discovered numerous problems with the Building, and was preparing a lawsuit on behalf of Capp

1 Although there are two addresses associated with the Building, it is in fact one building. Equities. However, before Capp Equities could commence any state court lawsuit, the Christines filed a voluntary bankruptcy petition on April 29, 2008. Capp Equities timely filed an adversary proceeding against the Christines under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2) on August 18, 2008, claiming that the Christines made fraudulent misrepresentations to induce Capp Equities to purchase the Building. More specifically, in its

Complaint (the “Complaint”), Capp Equities contends that the Christines made misrepresentations concerning fire damage, tenant rental disputes, payment of water and utility bills, the condition of appliances and the roof, as well as the Building’s occupancy levels, rental rates, and gross annual revenue. Although the Christines initially retained counsel to defend them against Capp Equities’s charges, they were without counsel by the time of trial.2 Indeed, Mr. Christine, apparently choosing not to participate, left Ms. Christine to mount a defense on her own. As the court explained at the start of trial, Ms. Christine was only permitted to argue her own case and testify in her own defense because she is not an attorney. See 28 U.S.C. § 1654; LBR 9010-2(a).

Ms. Christine argued that Capp Equities bought the Building at a large discount due to the myriad problems associated with it. In addition, through the closing and pre-closing documents, Mr. Cappetta, as the managing member of Capp Equities, discovered the various problems, and in the course of several conversations and correspondence with Mr. Christine, negotiated even further discounts, primarily due to the aging roof. Further, Ms. Christine argued that if Mr. Cappetta was harboring suspicions at closing because of contradictory statements and documents, or if he needed more time to inspect the Building, he could have halted the sale at or before closing. Indeed, Mr. Cappetta admitted that at closing he consulted with two attorneys

2 The court adjourned the trial for several months to permit the Christines to obtain replacement counsel, and to accommodate Mr. Christine’s unspecified medical issues. after reviewing the Inspection Report among other documents, yet proceeded to close based primarily on Mr. Christine’s explaining away various concerns. In short, Ms. Christine’s argument challenged Capp Equities’s reliance, suggesting that the company should have known better than to close if it harbored such doubts, and should not be permitted to, in effect, re- negotiate the deal many years later.

To prevail under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2) as applicable to this case, Capp Equities must prove by a preponderance of the evidence3 that: (1) each defendant obtained money through a material misrepresentation known at the time to be false or made with gross recklessness as to its truth; (2) each defendant intended to deceive the plaintiff; (3) the plaintiff justifiably relied on the false representations and; (4) the plaintiff’s reliance was the proximate cause of loss. Brady v. McAllister (In re Brady), 101 F.3d 1165, 1172 (6th Cir. 1996) (citing Atassi v. McLaren (In re McLaren), 990 F.2d 850, 852 (6th Cir. 1993) and Coman v. Phillips (In re Phillips), 804 F.2d 930, 932 (6th Cir. 1986)). If the Plaintiff fails to establish any of these elements, its case fails. Having sat through the trial, and putting aside the applicable law for a moment, the court

would be inclined to agree with Ms. Christine’s admonition that Capp Equities should have known better, and that the company’s reliance was not reasonable. The United States Supreme Court, however, has held that the proper measure of reliance -- when a portion of a debtor’s discharge is in question -- is not an objective or “reasonable” standard, but a less demanding “justifiable” reliance standard. Field v. Mans, 516 U.S. 59, 68 (1995).

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Related

Grogan v. Garner
498 U.S. 279 (Supreme Court, 1991)
Field v. Mans
516 U.S. 59 (Supreme Court, 1995)
In Re Phillips
804 F.2d 930 (Sixth Circuit, 1986)
In RE McLAREN
990 F.2d 850 (Sixth Circuit, 1993)
Weeber v. Boyd (In Re Boyd)
322 B.R. 318 (N.D. Ohio, 2004)

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