Dardanell Co. Trust v. United States

630 F. Supp. 1157, 58 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5097, 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 27842
CourtDistrict Court, D. Minnesota
DecidedMarch 21, 1986
DocketNo. Civ. 6-85-246
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 630 F. Supp. 1157 (Dardanell Co. Trust v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dardanell Co. Trust v. United States, 630 F. Supp. 1157, 58 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5097, 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 27842 (mnd 1986).

Opinion

ORDER

DEVITT, Senior District Judge.

In this quiet title action the plaintiff questions the validity of nominee liens filed against some of its property by the United States pursuant to I.R.C. § 6321. The government contends that taxpayers John A. and Angela Ellering fraudulently transferred the subject property to plaintiff, a Minnesota business trust, in order to avoid paying their income tax liability. Before the court is the government’s motion for summary judgment.

[1159]*1159Oral arguments were heard on the government’s motion on February 24, 1986. Beth Ann Sabbath, Esq., trial attorney for the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice, appeared for the defendant. John R. Koch, Esq. appeared for the plaintiff. Because plaintiff submitted a tardy response to the defendant’s motion, the government requested, and was granted, one week to submit a reply memorandum. This reply memorandum, as well as the parties’ original memoranda and documentation, is now before the court.

On November 17,1982 taxpayers John A. and Angela Ellering, husband and wife, transferred two parcels of real property to plaintiff Dardanell Company Trust. The transfers were accomplished by two quit claim deeds which were duly recorded in the Stearns County, Minnesota recorder’s office. At the time of the transfers, the Ellerings had unpaid income tax obligations for the years 1977 through 1980.

After the Ellerings’ income tax liabilities were assessed,1 the federal government filed nominee liens against the property which the Ellerings had transferred to plaintiff. Plaintiff has sued to quiet title to the property.

It is the government’s position, and the basis of its summary judgment motion, that the Ellerings’ transfers to plaintiff were fraudulent and, as a matter of law, should be set aside. See Minn.Stat. §§ 518.20-32 (1984) (Minnesota’s uniform fraudulent conveyance act).

Minn.Stat. § 513.23 (1984) provides:

Every conveyance made and every obligation incurred by a person who is or will be thereby rendered insolvent is fraudulent as to creditors without regard to his actual intent if the conveyance is made or the obligation is incurred without a fair consideration.

Minn.Stat. § 513.28 (1984) provides:

(1) Where a conveyance or obligation is fraudulent as to a creditor, such creditor, when his claim has matured, may ...:
(a) Have the conveyance set aside or obligation annulled to the extent necessary to satisfy his claim, or
(b) Disregard the conveyance and attach or levy execution upon the property conveyed.

There is no dispute that the transfers involved were made for less than fair consideration. Mr. Ellering testified that he received “nothing” in return for transferring the property to Dardanell Company Trust. Transcript of Deposition of John A. Ellering taken November 26, 1985, at 11, lines 16-18. Mrs. Ellering testified that she received only trust certificates in exchange for the transfers. Transcript of Deposition of Angela Ellering taken January 9, 1986, at 10, lines 12-27. Since by their own terms these certificates granted the bearer no legally recognized interests or rights, they are of little or no value. Finally, the quit claim deeds themselves recite that “the total consideration for the transfer of [each] property is $1,000 or less.” The properties had a tax valuation of $59,800 in 1982.

There being inadequate consideration for the transfers, the question becomes whether the Ellerings were rendered insolvent within the meaning of the uniform fraudulent conveyance act.

Until the government brought its motion for summary judgment, there had been no question that the Ellerings were rendered insolvent as a result of the transfers. In his deposition Mr. Ellering testified that at the time of the transfers he owned “nothing” besides the property transferred. When asked what else his wife owned at the time of the transfers, he testified “Nothing I know of.” Transcript of Deposition of John A. Ellering, taken [1160]*1160November 26, 1985, at 11, lines 8-15. Mrs. Ellering’s deposition testimony was similar. See Transcript of Deposition of Angela Ellering taken January 9, 1986, at 9, lines 28 and 29. The Internal Revenue Service was unable to locate sufficient income or assets after the transfers to fully satisfy the Ellerings’ tax liabilities. Declaration of Alfred Cleland, Clerk’s Entry No. 18, at paragraph 25.

In response to the government’s motion for summary judgment, however, Mr. and Mrs. Ellering filed a joint affidavit stating that they had retained assets with a market value of $100,500 at the time of the transfers. Clerk’s Entry No. 44. This affidavit obviously contradicts their earlier testimony and, in plaintiff's opinion, raises a fact issue precluding summary judgment. Mr. and Mrs. Ellering, however, offer no substantiation for the conclusory statements in their affidavit.2

A similar issue was considered in In re Norsom Medical Reference Laboratory, Debtor, 41 B.R. 846 (Bankr.N.D.Ill.1984). When faced with an affidavit filed in opposition to a summary judgment motion and contradicting earlier deposition testimony, the court disregarded the affidavit and granted summary judgment. In so holding, the court noted the dearth of evidence supporting the “bald allegations” in the affidavit and reasoned as follows:

Where a party’s affidavits and deposition testimony conflict, the question arises whether the conflict, in itself, creates a genuine issue of material fact. Several rules have evolved to guide [the] court in that situation. First, a witness’ affidavit may not be excluded because it conflicts with his deposition. Camerlin v. New York Central Railroad Co., 199 F.2d 698 (1st Cir.1952). However, because cross-examination of an affiant is impossible, where there is conflict, a deposition is generally given more weight than an affidavit. Shearer v. Homestake Mining Co., 557 F.Supp. 549 (D.S.D.1983).
Further, a genuine issue of material fact may not be created for summary judgment purposes merely by sworn statements which conflict with deposition testimony. U.S. v. Dercacz, 530 F.Supp. 1348 (E.D.N.Y.1982). Even though a party opposing a summary judgment motion submits an affidavit which contradicts his deposition testimony, summary judgment may be granted based upon the deposition testimony if the court is satisfied that the issue created by the affidavit is not genuine. Shearer v. Homestake Mining Co., 557 F.Supp. 549 (D.S.D.1983). A case must go to trial unless it appears that the party opposing the motion cannot prevail in any event. Where parties cannot establish the existence of substantial competent evidence to support the allegations or denials thereby indicating a genuine issue of fact, the court may sum[1161]*1161marily determine the issue on the law. Griffith v. William Penn Broadcasting Co., 4 F.R.D. 475, 477 (E.D.Pa.1945); Illinois v. Climatemp, Inc., 91 F.R.D. 252, 254 (N.D.Ill.1981).

Norsom Medical, 41 B.R. at 847-48 (emphasis added).

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

Related

Dardanell Co. Trust v. United States
634 F. Supp. 186 (D. Minnesota, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
630 F. Supp. 1157, 58 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5097, 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 27842, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dardanell-co-trust-v-united-states-mnd-1986.