First Commercial Bank v. Robinson (In Re Robinson)

192 B.R. 569, 1996 Bankr. LEXIS 391, 1996 WL 69396
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Alabama
DecidedFebruary 13, 1996
Docket19-80309
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 192 B.R. 569 (First Commercial Bank v. Robinson (In Re Robinson)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
First Commercial Bank v. Robinson (In Re Robinson), 192 B.R. 569, 1996 Bankr. LEXIS 391, 1996 WL 69396 (Ala. 1996).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

THOMAS B. BENNETT, Bankruptcy Judge.

I. The Road to Trial

Having filed a petition under chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code on September 10,1993, Lester L. Robinson, the defendant-debtor (“Robinson”) in this matter, put in motion a sequence of events one of the first of which required his creditors to assess whether a basis existed to contest all or a portion of the discharging of his debts. The conundrum for his creditors was whether to expend additional monies and effort to obtain a judgment preserving what is not now collectible in the hope that one day it might be. On December 13, 1993, one of Robinson’s creditors, First Commercial Bank (“Bank”), took the first public steps down the lengthy road to trial by filing a complaint against Robinson seeking to have a debt determined to be nondischargeable under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(B): the extension, renewal, or refinancing of credit obtained by a use of a materially false, written financial statement. In March, 1994, the Bank sought and was allowed to amend its complaint. This necessitated that Robinson respond by an amended answer. However, Robinson strategically added a demand for a jury trial.

The Bank redounded to the jury demand by a motion to strike. This the Court denied by order dated March 22,1994. Disagreeing with the denial, the Bank filed a motion to reconsider which was denied by this Court in May, 1994. Ever hopeful of victory, the Bank by a second motion to reconsider sought that a jury trial be denied Robinson. Its hope was again not realized by yet another denial of its request.

In August, 1994, the Bank was allowed a second amendment to its complaint to further define its claim for the exception to discharge. In an attempt to avoid trial, Robinson requested summary judgment. Within a week of Robinson’s motion for summary judgment, the Bank sought partial summary judgment to establish the amount of debt owed. On October 28, 1994, the Court denied Robinson’s request for summary judgment and granted the Bank partial summary judgment establishing the amount owed for dischargeability purposes at $202,675.36, excluding attorneys’ fees, costs, and interest from that date forward. 1 The issues deter *572 minative of dischargeability were reserved for trial. However, the opposing parties were not ready to do battle at trial.

The October 28, 1994, order included an agreement to send the adversary proceeding to the District Court for a trial on the remaining exception to discharge issues. By order entered November 3, 1994, the case was certified to the District Court. Constant in its belief that Robinson should not be accorded a jury trial, the Bank sought the District Court’s striking of Robinson’s jury demand. This time the Bank prevailed and the District Court returned the adversary proceeding to this Court for a bench trial on the exception to discharge issues. By the time this case returned to the Bankruptcy Court, two Bankruptcy Judges and one District Court Judge had heard and ruled on portions of it. As the day of trial approached, Robinson filed in September, 1995, a second motion for summary judgment with the third Bankruptcy Judge assigned this case. This motion, too, was denied.

On October 17, 1995, the pretrial skirmishes ended and the trial commenced. However, the procedural sorties did not cease. In addition to the barrage of eviden-tiary motions by both sides, Robinson requested a directed verdict at the conclusion of the Bank’s case in chief and the end of the trial. Both were denied.

II. The Factual Events

Trial — just as a battle — does not always proceed according to one’s strategic plan. A party with the burden of proving facts to a level of legal certainty is sometimes assisted by the opposing party. The help may be the intentional or inadvertent proof of a necessary fact. As in this case, it may also be in a more subtle, yet equally effective form: absence of credibility of a witness when compared to that of others. In this case where the Bank must prove its entitlement to have Robinson’s debt excepted from discharge by a preponderance of the evidence, findings of fact with respect to critical elements disputed by Robinson were resolved by the balancing of the credibility of Robinson relative to that of witnesses called by the Bank and Robinson. As this opinion evidences, Robinson’s credibility is lacking. A telling factor regarding his credibility — or lack thereof — is no substantial facts or arguments were presented disputing the falsity of the financial statements upon which the Bank’s claims are predicated. The result is that Robinson assisted the Bank in meeting its burden of proof by displacing the evidentiary imbalance in his favor had equality of credibility exists ed. The greater weight thus accorded the evidence proffered by the Bank tilted the initial unfavorable imbalance to one favoring it. It is in this context that essential factual events have been established.

From the mid-1980’s, Robinson had an established relationship with Cahaba Bank and Trust, located in TrussviUe, Alabama. In 1988, the Bank acquired the assets and loan portfolio of Cahaba Bank and Trust. The evidence is unclear regarding the form of business acquisition which occurred. Af-terwards, Robinson continued conducting business with the Bank at the TrussvUle branch. InitiaUy, Robinson dealt with one of the Bank’s loan officers, Danny Boyd. In the summer of 1990, Don Garvich (“Garvich”) was transferred to the TrussviUe office and commenced handling Robinson’s various accounts. Garvich is currently a vice-president *573 and the branch manager of this office, contradistinction to Robinson, Garvich was a highly credible witness. In

In early 1991, Garvich and Robinson discussed restructuring and renewing Robinson’s line of credit which was evidenced in part by two promissory notes. In connection with this transaction, Garvich requested a current financial statement from Robinson and received one dated January 15, 1991. He reviewed this financial statement as well as other information in the credit file including memoranda written to the file each time a loan had been made to Robinson. These typically contained a description of the transaction, Robinson’s financial situation, the collateral securing the loan, the Bank’s relationship with Robinson, and his outstanding debts. When Garvich extended or renewed credit to any borrower, he followed the Bank’s and his practice of examining the borrower’s credit file maintained by the Bank, the financial statement, the relationship with the Bank, outstanding debt, and available collateral. Other factors relevant to and which varied by transaction would also be reviewed to determine whether the Bank should extend credit. Normally, the Bank did not verify financial statements supplied by a borrower. For the restructuring which was finalized on April 22, 1991, and a later, August 6,1992, renewal, Garvich followed the Bank’s customary procedures.

After receiving the January 15,1991 financial statement, Garvich discussed its contents with Robinson and made notes on its margins.

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Bluebook (online)
192 B.R. 569, 1996 Bankr. LEXIS 391, 1996 WL 69396, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-commercial-bank-v-robinson-in-re-robinson-alnb-1996.