Cervac v. Littman (In re Littman)

561 B.R. 79
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedDecember 21, 2016
DocketCase No. 11bk38875; Adversary No. 12ap00155
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 561 B.R. 79 (Cervac v. Littman (In re Littman)) 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
Cervac v. Littman (In re Littman), 561 B.R. 79 (Ill. 2016).

Opinion

[80]*80MEMORANDUM DECISION

TIMOTHY A. BARNES, Judge.

Before the court once again is the Motion for Summary Judgment [Adv. Dkt. No. 48] (the “Motion”) of Susan K. Cervac (the “Plaintiff”). The Motion seeks summary judgment with respect to the Complaint to Determine Dischargeability of Debt [Adv. Dkt. No. 1] (the “Complaint”) filed against Kimberly A. Littman (the “Debtor”), wherein the Plaintiff asserts grounds for finding her claims nondis-chargeable under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A), (a)(4) and (a)(6).

The matter previously came before the court in 2013, at which time the court, for the reasons stated from the bench, granted summary judgment in favor of the Plaintiff on some but not all of the Complaint. See Order Granting Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment [Adv. Dkt. No. 61] (the “MSJ Order”); Rule 7058 Judgment Order [Adv. Dkt. No. 60] (the “Judgment”). Following involved hearings on the Debtor’s requests to vacate the MSJ Order and the Judgment, the Debtor appealed.

The court took up the Motion anew after the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (the “District-Court”) vacated the Judgment. Upon careful review of the matter, the court finds that summary judgment in favor of the Plaintiff in the manner set forth herein is appropriate. Accordingly, the Motion is granted, in part, as discussed below.

This Memorandum Decision constitutes the court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law in accordance with Rule 7052 of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure.

JURISDICTION

The federal district courts have “original and exclusive jurisdiction” of all cases under title 11 of the United States Code, 11 U.S.C. § 101, et seq. (the “Bankruptcy Code”). 28 U.S.C. § 1334(a). The federal district courts also have “original but not exclusive jurisdiction” of all civil proceedings arising under the Bankruptcy Code, or arising in or related to cases under the [81]*81Bankruptcy Code. 28 U.S.C. § 1334(b). District courts may, however, refer these cases to the bankruptcy judges for their districts. 28 U.S.C. § 157(a). In accordance with section 157(a), the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has referred all of its bankruptcy cases to the Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois. N.D. Ill. Internal Operating Procedure 15(a).

A bankruptcy judge to whom a case has been referred may enter final judgment on any core proceeding arising under the Bankruptcy Code or arising in a case under the Bankruptcy Code. 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(1). A proceeding for determination of the dischargeability of a particular debt arises only as a result of a case under the Bankruptcy Code and is statutorily specified as a core proceeding. 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(B) and (I); Birriel v. Odeh (In re Odeh), 431 B.R. 807, 810 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2010) (Wedoff, J.); Baermann v. Ryan (In re Ryan), 408 B.R. 143, 151 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2009) (Squires, J.). In addition, a motion for summary judgment under Civil Rule 56 relating to the foregoing is also a core proceeding. 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(1) & (2).

Accordingly, final judgment is within the scope of the court’s jurisdiction and constitutional authority.

BACKGROUND

The procedural history of this case is complex. See Cervac v. Littman (In re Littman), 517 B.R. 847, 851-59 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2014) (Barnes, J.) (setting forth the history of the matter prior to remand) (the “Bankruptcy Court Opinion” and, for citation purposes, “Littman I”). The court-assumes familiarity with the Bankruptcy Court Opinion. The following summary provides additional context.

The Plaintiff and the Debtor are sisters. Their dispute is regarding the assets of their deceased mother’s estate, of which the Debtor was executor. The Plaintiff accused the Debtor of improperly disbursing funds from their mother’s estate, including a trust created by their mother, of which the Debtor was the trustee. She also accused the Debtor of failing to repay a loan and other miscellaneous debts, and failing to pay fees and costs related to all of the foregoing.

Prior to the commencement of the Debt- or’s chapter 7 bankruptcy case, an action in the Illinois courts resulted in the entry of an agreed judgment order (the “State Court Judgment”) providing for restitution to the Plaintiff. Id. The State Court Judgment ordered the Debtor to pay restitution to the Plaintiff in the amount of $49,451.60 within two years of its entry.

On September 24, 2011, just prior to the two-year restitution deadline, the Debtor filed a petition for relief under chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code and listed the Plaintiff as the holder of a disputed claim. In defense thereof, the Plaintiff filed the Complaint seeking to have the debt set forth in the State Court Judgment deemed nondischargeable under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2), (a)(4) and (a)(6). The Debtor, who was then represented by counsel, answered the Complaint. After two unsuccessful attempts to dismiss the adversary proceeding, the Debtor’s original counsel withdrew.1

[82]*82The Plaintiff thereafter filed the Motion. The court, after examining the Motion and the State Court Judgment and reviewing the pleadings and filings submitted with respect thereto, granted the Plaintiff partial summary judgment, finding that the portion of the State Court Judgment restitution obligation relating to improperly disbursed funds and attorney’s fees "was nondischargeable, but that the remaining debt therein could be discharged.

The Plaintiff, first pro se and then with newly retained counsel, sought to vacate that determination. Through counsel, the Plaintiff raised a number of collateral attacks to the State Court Judgment. This court, for a number of reasons including, in part, the Rooker-Feldman doctrine, declined to entertain those attacks. Littman 1, 517 B.R. at 862-63; see also Rooker v. Fid. Trust Co., 263 U.S. 413, 416, 44 S.Ct. 149, 68 L.Ed. 362 (1923); D.C. Court of Appeals v. Feldman, 460 U.S. 462, 476, 103 S.Ct. 1303, 75 L.Ed.2d 206 (1983) (together holding that federal courts do not have subject-matter jurisdiction to act as the reviewing court for state court decisions).

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Bluebook (online)
561 B.R. 79, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cervac-v-littman-in-re-littman-ilnb-2016.