Chisholm v. Colton (In Re Colton)

108 B.R. 605, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 2216, 1989 WL 154946
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedDecember 14, 1989
Docket19-11022
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 108 B.R. 605 (Chisholm v. Colton (In Re Colton)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chisholm v. Colton (In Re Colton), 108 B.R. 605, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 2216, 1989 WL 154946 (Ohio 1989).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF OPINION AND ORDER

RANDOLPH BAXTER, Bankruptcy Judge.

The matter before the Court is a complaint filed by Thogus Products Co. and Warren F. Chisholm, Jr. (Plaintiffs) to determine the dischargeability of a debt owed them by Jack C. Colton (Debtor). Proper notice having been made on all parties, the Court has received evidence and heard the arguments of counsel. Upon review of the admitted evidence and the arguments of counsel, the following constitutes ■ the Court’s findings pursuant to R. 7052, Bankruptcy Rules.

I.

Debtor borrowed money from both Plaintiffs who subsequently filed suit against Debtor in state court on November 1, 1981. After a period of negotiations in which *606 both sides were represented by counsel, a Stipulation for Entry of Judgment was entered into by the parties and contained inter alia the following provisions:

1. Both Plaintiffs were awarded $56,-680.00 plus interest and costs.
2. Further action to recover on the judgment was stayed until January 1, 1983.
3. Debtor was to quit claim three pieces of property to the Plaintiffs: The Bradley Road property (Permanent Parcel No. 211-23-22), Center Ridge Road property (Permanent Parcel No. 217-13-4), Mastick Road property (Permanent Parcel No. 331-12-13).
4. The Bradet partnership property, in which Debtor held a 20% interest, was not to be subject to judicial liens or any other type of execution until Plaintiffs had exhausted their remedies against the three aforementioned properties.
5. Debtor agreed to dismiss his counterclaim against the Plaintiffs. (PX 8).

Debtor acknowledged that he entered into this agreement, was familiar with it and signed it.

Plaintiffs claim that they relied on Debt- or’s representations that he was the titled owner of the three pieces of real property, that there would be sufficient equity in the three pieces of property to satisfy Plaintiffs’ judgment should Plaintiffs be forced to execute on them, and that Debtor would not transfer any other property until Plaintiffs’ judgment was satisfied.

Plaintiffs claim that these representations induced them to enter into the agreement and that the representations were false. They state that Plaintiffs’ forbearance from execution on the property of the Defendant, as agreed to in the Stipulated Order of Judgment, constituted a refinancing, renewal or extension of credit within the meaning of Section 523(a)(2) that would exempt from discharge a debt for renewal or refinancing of credit obtained by false representations.

Debtor raises the issue of the applicability of the state statute of limitations to the present action. The Court finds this issue is without merit. There is no statute of limitations in § 523(a). That section applies to all debts existing at the time the petition was filed. The subject debts clearly meet that requirement. The only relevant limitation would be the time period in which a complaint to determine discharge-ability could be filed, which presently is not an issue.

II.

The relevant bankruptcy statute governing dischargeability of these debts is § 523(a)(2)(A).

(a) A discharge under section 727 ... of this title does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt—
(2) for money, property, services, or an extension, renewal, or refinancing of credit, to the extent obtained by—
(A) false pretenses, a false representation, or actual fraud, other than a statement respecting the debtor’s or an insider’s financial condition.... 11 U.S.C. 523(a)(2)(A).

The Court finds that Debtor resorted to false representations that would render the subject debts nondischargeable. The Court notes the following unrefuted facts:

1. The Bradley Road property, which Debtor quit-claimed and mortgaged to Plaintiffs on August 11, 1982 (EX 9) had been foreclosed upon by the seller and second mortgage holder on August 13, 1981 (EX 13).
2. The Center Ridge Road property, also transferred to Plaintiffs on August 11, 1982 (PX 12) was titled in the name of William Chambers. Although Debtor and his wife are listed as grantors, neither one had a conveyable interest in the property (PX 14). Testimony was clear to indicate that the property transfer was made by the Debtor at a time when he knew that he was not a title holder of the property.
3. The Mastick Road property, which was transferred on the same date as the two aforementioned properties *607 (PX 10), with a mortgage granted to Plaintiffs in the amount of $56,000.00 (PX 11), was insufficient to satisfy Debtor’s obligations to Plaintiffs.
4. Debtor possessed a 20% interest in Bradet Investments (Bradet) at the time the Stipulation for Entry of Judgment was entered into. Because of the foreclosure against the Bradley Road property, which divested Debtor of interest, because Debt- or had no interest in the Center Ridge Road property, and because Debtor’s interest in the Mastick Road property was insufficient to satisfy his obligation to Plaintiffs, the provision subjecting Bradet to execution was then triggered. Plaintiffs were enjoined, however, from enforcing this provision until January 1, 1983. Debtor, nonetheless transferred half of his interest in Bradet to Janice Wernli (Wernli) on October 27, 1982 (EX 4) and the other half to Gerald M. Smith (Smith) on December 10, 1982 (PX 6) for antecedent debts. The transfers to Wernli and Smith set forth in Exs. 4 and 6 left the Debtor with no interest to convey to Plaintiffs to satisfy their judgment. This intentional act effectively served to perpetrate a fraud on Plaintiffs relative to their ability to recover on their judgment.

Debtor had knowledge of the provisions of the Stipulated Entry, and his testimony that the transfers to Wernli and Smith were without intent to defraud was incredible. The Court further finds that Debtor’s testimony that he told Plaintiffs of the pending foreclosure on the Bradley Road property and of the fact that he had only a partnership interest in the Center Ridge Property was also incredible. Debtor’s failure to list Wernli or Smith as creditors on his petition is further evidence of bad faith. Wernli testified that she considered herself a creditor, and Smith’s deposition, accepted in lieu of appearance, also stated that Smith was owed an unsecured debt by the Debtor (Deposition of Gerald M. Smith, October 10, 1989, p. 22, 1. 3. See also p. 23, 1. 13-25).

III.

The establishment of five elements have generally been required to satisfy the provisions of § 523(a)(2)(A); that the Debt- or made the representations, that he knew they were false at the time he made them, that the misrepresentations were made with an intention and purpose of deceiving the creditor, that the creditor relied on the misrepresentations, and the creditor sustained a loss as a proximate result. See, In re Phillips,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
108 B.R. 605, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 2216, 1989 WL 154946, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chisholm-v-colton-in-re-colton-ohnb-1989.