Farmers Trust Co. v. Kircher (In re Kircher)

9 B.R. 270, 1981 Bankr. LEXIS 4850
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Missouri
DecidedFebruary 23, 1981
DocketBankruptcy Nos. 76B-1754-W-4, 76B-1755-W-4
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 9 B.R. 270 (Farmers Trust Co. v. Kircher (In re Kircher)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Farmers Trust Co. v. Kircher (In re Kircher), 9 B.R. 270, 1981 Bankr. LEXIS 4850 (W.D. Mo. 1981).

Opinion

FINAL DECREE AND JUDGMENT DECLARING DEFENDANTS’ INDEBTEDNESS TO PLAINTIFF TO BE DIS-CHARGEABLE IN BANKRUPTCY

DENNIS J. STEWART, Bankruptcy Judge.

These bankruptcy proceedings were reassigned from the docket of the late Jack C. Jones, Bankruptcy Judge, to the undersigned judge on November 1,1979, by order of the Honorable Frank P. Barker, Jr., Chief Bankruptcy Judge. This court entered an order on December 3,1979, “directing parties to show cause in writing within 15 days why the undersigned transferee judge should not render decision based on hearing before transferor judge or else consent in writing to his doing so.” The parties then filed their written consents to a decision based on the February 22, 1979, hearing before the late Judge Jones.

The controversy itself began on February 10, 1977, when the plaintiff filed a “complaint to determine dischargeability of bankrupt.” An. amended complaint was subsequently filed on December 21, 1978. Basically, the plaintiff asserted that the defendants’ indebtedness to it was nondis-chargeable under § 17(a)(2) of the Bankruptcy Act because the defendants (1) were guilty of “obtaining an extension or renewal of credit in reliance upon a materially false statement in writing respecting [their] financial condition made . . . with intent to deceive”; (2) were guilty of the “willful and malicious conversion of the property of another”; and (3) “failed to explain satisfactorily any losses of assets or deficiency of assets to meet [their] liabilities.”1

The files and records in this case reveal that a series of loan transactions took place between the plaintiff and the defendants in which Harry Lee Kircher was the borrower and Rosealee Kircher was the guarantor. The following is a summary of those trans[272]*272actions: (1) Sometime during 1971 the defendants borrowed $3,000.00 from the plaintiff. This loan was unsecured. (2) Sometime during 1972 the defendants borrowed an additional $2,000.00 from the plaintiff. This loan was secured by certain livestock. (3) On May 2, 1973, the defendants borrowed $8,000.00 from the plaintiff. Five thousand dollars of this amount was used to pay off the 1971 and 1972 notes. The remaining $3,000.00 was new money. This loan also was secured by livestock. (4) On December 7, 1974, the defendants borrowed an additional $2,000.00, bringing their total obligation up to $10,000.00. At this time the defendants submitted a financial statement in which they listed $316,650.00 in assets and $8,000.00 in liabilities for a net worth of $308,650.00. See Plaintiffs Exhibit No. 3. Fifty-four Holstein heifers and 1 Holstein bull secured the loan. (5) Finally, on August 8, 1975,’ Harry Lee Kircher executed a new promissory note in the principal sum of $10,270.00 and a new security agreement granting plaintiff a security interest in “54 Holstein Heifers with Natural Increase Average We. 1200 lbs.” and in “1 Holstein Bull We. 1250 lbs.” See Plaintiff’s Exhibit No. 1. As with the earlier notes, Rosealee Kircher served as guarantor of this note pursuant to the terms and conditions of the guaranty executed on August 9, 1971. See Exhibit B attached to the complaint. There is no dispute that the defendants owe the plaintiff $9,102.32 plus accrued interest on the August 8, 1975, note.

On April 28, 1980, the court entered an order directing the parties to show cause in writing why a proposed judgment attached thereto should not be filed as the findings of fact, conclusions of law and judgment in this case. This was done “[i]n order to ensure that the facts found [we]re not based upon a wholly erroneous view of the evidence which was submitted to the prior judge.” At that time the court did not have a transcript of the February 22, 1979, hearing. After receiving many continuance es between them, the parties finally responded to that order. Included in the plaintiff’s October 10, 1980, response was a certified copy of the transcript of the hearing.

First, the court will address the plaintiff’s contention that the defendants obtained “an extension or renewal of credit in reliance upon a materially false statement in writing respecting [their] financial condition made or published . .. with intent to deceive.” Section 17(a)(2) of the Bankruptcy Act. The burden is on the party objecting to the discharge of a particular debt to prove the facts essential to nondis-chargeability. “Courts have consistently held that in order for § 17(a)(2) to bar a discharge, the party alleging fraud must prove actual or positive fraud, not merely fraud implied by law.” In re Taylor, 514 F.2d 1370, 1373 (9th Cir. 1975). This means that the plaintiff herein had to show that: “ ‘(1) the debtor made the representations; (2) that at the time he knew they were false; (3) that he made them with the intention and purpose of deceiving the creditor-, (4) that the creditor relied on such representations, and (5) that the creditor sustained the alleged loss and damage as the proximate result of the representations having been made.’’ ” Id., quoting from Sweet v. Ritter Finance Co., 263 F.Supp. 540, 543 (W.D.Va.1967). However, once the creditor “meets the initial burden of producing evidence which establishes that a materially false statement was made and that credit was obtained thereby, the burden of showing lack of intent to deceive will be upon the bankrupt.” 1A Collier on Bankruptcy ¶ 14.43 at p. 1407 (14th ed. 1977). The files and records herein reveal that Mr. Kircher made two written statements regarding his financial condition. Both were originally made in connection with the December 7, 1974, transaction. The first of these statements which the court will discuss is the financial statement in which Mr. Kircher showed his net worth to be $308,650.00.

One of the assets listed therein was 307 acres of land with a present value, at the time, of $250,000.00. The evidence clearly shows that Mr. Kircher did not own that land. It was owned by Mr. Kircher’s [273]*273parents. The defendants only lived on it and farmed it. Thus, the transcript of the hearing conducted by Judge Jones reflects the following testimony at pp. 35-36 by the defendant Mr. Kircher:

“Q. [By Mr. McCormick] Now, let me refer you to a portion in the upper left-hand corner of the front page of Plaintiff’s Exhibit No. 3, a portion of it or a title called ‘Farmlands per schedule,’ and this is under what is also titled ‘Resources.’ You’ve listed there a farm valued at $250,-000, is that correct?
A. Yeah.
Q. And down further on this same page under what is titled ‘Schedule of Real Estate,’ you have also listed this $250,000 farm, is that correct?
A. Yeah.
Q. And you’ve stated that no encumbrances whatsoever were on that piece of farm land.
A. Right.
Q. And the name that you list the farm as being recorded under is Harry Kircher, is that correct?
A. Yes.
Q. And your name is Harry Kircher?
A. (Nods head.)
Q. Now, who is that farm actually owned by?
A. Owned by my father and mother.
Q. Have you ever had title to it yourself?
A. No.”

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Bluebook (online)
9 B.R. 270, 1981 Bankr. LEXIS 4850, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/farmers-trust-co-v-kircher-in-re-kircher-mowd-1981.