Douglas v. Hill

199 P.3d 493
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJanuary 20, 2009
Docket60428-7-I
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 199 P.3d 493 (Douglas v. Hill) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Douglas v. Hill, 199 P.3d 493 (Wash. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

199 P.3d 493 (2009)

Joel DOUGLAS and Barbara Douglas, husband and wife, d/b/a Harbor Lands Company, Appellants/Cross-Respondents,
v.
Diane G. HILL and Forrest S. Hill, husband and wife, both individually and as a marital community, Respondents/Cross-Appellants.

No. 60428-7-I.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 1.

January 20, 2009.

*495 J. Richard Aramburu, Aramburu & Eustis LLP, Seattle, WA, for Appellants/Cross-Respondents.

Patrick F. Hussey, Anderson Hunter Law Firm PS, Everett, WA, for Respondents/Cross-Appellants.

GROSSE, J.

¶ 1 A creditor need only establish a right to collect payment in order to void a fraudulent transfer under the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (UFTA).[1] Hence, a creditor's failure to record a lien with the local auditor does not preclude a claim under the UFTA. Here, to avoid paying a judgment against her, the defendant transferred her interest in real property to her husband, from whom she is legally separated. Because the transfer was made for the purpose of avoiding a creditor, such transfer is fraudulent under the UFTA as a matter of law. We reverse the trial court.

FACTS

¶ 2 Diane Hill embezzled over $500,000 from Joel and Barbara Douglas, husband and wife, d/b/a/ Harbor Lands Company (collectively, Douglases). Diane and her husband, Forrest Hill (collectively, Hills), subsequently filed for bankruptcy in 1991. Although the bankruptcy discharged Forrest from any individual liability for the embezzled funds, Diane and the marital community remained liable. After discharge from bankruptcy, the Hills executed a separation agreement and legally separated. Diane was convicted of embezzlement and served four years in prison. When released, she continued to live with Forrest as his wife.

¶ 3 In 2000, Forrest acquired property in Clinton as his separate property by quitclaim deed from his son. Both Forrest and Diane reside on that property. In 2002, Forrest refinanced the property. He contends that in order to refinance, the brokerage firm required Diane to be on the title to the property. However, the broker's agent testified that he could not recall making such a recommendation. In any event, Forrest executed a quitclaim deed in favor of Diane and himself as husband and wife. Both Diane and Forrest signed the deed of trust refinancing the property.

¶ 4 On October 22, 2002, the Douglases filed the bankruptcy judgment in Island County Superior Court, but failed to record it with the Island County Auditor. Then in December 2002, Diane quitclaimed the Clinton property back to Forrest as his separate property. In January 2006, the Douglases sued and filed a lis pendens on the property, alleging that the December 2002 quitclaim deed was a fraudulent conveyance designed to hide assets and prevent the Douglases from collecting on their judgment against Diane and the marital community.

¶ 5 On summary judgment, the trial court initially dismissed the Douglases' action on the grounds that the property was the separate property of Forrest and thus not subject to the judgment. However, on reconsideration, the trial court found genuine issues of material fact existed as to whether the Hills had mutually rescinded the separation agreement by their subsequent actions. The trial court further held that any judgment the Douglases obtained would be reduced by a bank lien on the property in the amount of $317,900, plus interest, and the $40,000 homestead exemption,[2] leaving a balance of approximately $17,000 from which the Douglases could collect should they prevail in their action.

¶ 6 On supplemental reconsideration, the trial court again summarily dismissed the action in its entirety but this time on the basis that the Douglases had not recorded their lien with the county auditor as required by statute.[3] The court reasoned that a judgment creditor was entitled only to recover the amount it would have received but for the fraudulent conveyance of the property. *496 Since the Douglases had not recorded their lien with the county auditor as required by statute, they could not collect upon the judgment and were thus not injured by Diane's December 2002 conveyance to Forrest. The Douglases appeal.

¶ 7 The Hills moved for CR 11 sanctions and attorney fees per the lis pendens statute.[4] The trial court denied both requests in a separate order and the Hills cross-appeal.

ANALYSIS

¶ 8 The Douglases argue that they had a sufficient claim under the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (UFTA) to set aside the December 2002 quitclaim deed. We agree. The Douglases secured a judgment in excess of $1.3 million on October 18, 2002, while Diane (along with Forrest) was on the title to the property. Diane did not quitclaim her interest in the property until December 12, 2002.

¶ 9 The trial court's holding that there was no claim because the judgment was not recorded is erroneous. The UFTA defines a "claim" as

a right to payment, whether or not the right is reduced to judgment, liquidated, unliquidated, fixed, contingent, matured, unmatured, disputed, undisputed, legal, equitable, secured, or unsecured.[[5]]

A "creditor" and a "debtor" are also defined:

"Creditor" means a person who has a claim.[[6]]
"Debtor" means a person who is liable on a claim.[[7]]

¶ 10 Thus, under the definitions provided in the UFTA, a creditor need only have a right to collect a payment to void a fraudulent transfer. Such a reading is bolstered by the language found in RCW 19.40.041, which states that a transfer may be fraudulent "whether the creditor's claim arose before or after the transfer was made or the obligation was incurred."[8]

¶ 11 Once a creditor has established that the transfer meets the pertinent definitions set forth in the UFTA, a creditor may seek relief available under that statute. RCW 19.40.071 permits a creditor to void "the transfer or obligation to the extent necessary to satisfy the creditor's claim."[9] The court in Davis v. Nielson explained:

A creditor, for the purposes of the Uniform Fraudulent Conveyances Act, is "a person having any claim, whether matured or unmatured, liquidated or unliquidated, absolute, fixed or contingent." RCW 19.40.010. The status of "creditor" is not lost because security has been taken for a debt, and a secured creditor is entitled to bring an action to set aside a fraudulent conveyance by his debtor. The security holder may sue to set aside, as fraudulent, a conveyance of property not covered by the security. It follows that a mortgagee is a "creditor," and a mortgagor a "debtor" within the definitions of the Uniform Fraudulent Conveyances Act in respect to the right to set aside as fraudulent a conveyance of property not secured by the mortgage. Thus, the secured creditor may proceed, as any other creditor whose claim has matured under RCW 19.40.090, to (a) set aside the conveyance or annul the obligation or (b) attach or levy upon the property conveyed.[[10]]

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199 P.3d 493, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/douglas-v-hill-washctapp-2009.