Grochocinski v. Spehar Capital, LLC (In Re CMGT, Inc.)

417 B.R. 69, 2009 Bankr. LEXIS 2974, 52 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 64, 2009 WL 3055434
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedSeptember 24, 2009
Docket16-24449
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 417 B.R. 69 (Grochocinski v. Spehar Capital, LLC (In Re CMGT, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Grochocinski v. Spehar Capital, LLC (In Re CMGT, Inc.), 417 B.R. 69, 2009 Bankr. LEXIS 2974, 52 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 64, 2009 WL 3055434 (Ill. 2009).

Opinion

*72 MEMORANDUM OPINION

JOHN H. SQUIRES, Bankruptcy Judge.

This matter comes before the Court on the motion filed by Spehar Capital, LLC (“Spehar”) for relief from a judgment pursuant to Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9024, which adopts Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60. For the reasons set forth herein, the Court denies Spehar’s motion.

I. JURISDICTION AND PROCEDURE

On March 17, 2009, the Court entered a Memorandum Opinion and Order that granted judgment in favor of David E. Grochocinski, the Chapter 7 trustee (the “Trustee”) for the estate of CMGT, Inc. (“CMGT”), and against Spehar. Grochocinski v. Spehar Capital, LLC (In re CMGT, Inc.), 402 B.R. 262 (Bankr.N.D.Ill.2009). Thereafter, on March 27, 2009, Spehar filed a notice of appeal of the judgment. (Docket No. 200.) The appeal was assigned to Judge Robert W. Gettleman of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Case No. 09 C 2822). On July 29, 2009, Judge Gettle-man entered an order that remanded this matter to the Court for the limited purpose of having the Court entertain Spe-har’s Rule 60 motion. The Court afforded the Trustee the opportunity to respond to the motion and Spehar the chance to reply thereto. The Court then took the matter under advisement.

II. FACTS AND BACKGROUND

The relevant facts and background are contained in the Court’s March 17, 2009 Opinion and will not be repeated here. CMGT, 402 B.R. 262. That Opinion made findings of fact and conclusions of law that are incorporated here by reference. The Court concluded, upon hearing the testimony and reviewing all of the documentary evidence after a two-day trial in November 2008, that citations to discover assets filed by Spehar on April 7, 2004 were not properly served on CMGT, and, as a result, Spehar did not have a lien against any of the assets of CMGT pursuant to the citations. Id. at 278. This conclusion was based in part on the Court’s finding that Spehar’s April 2004 service of the citations to discover assets upon Louis J. Franco (“Franco”), the former president and chief executive officer of CMGT, did not constitute proper service on CMGT because at the time Spehar served its citations to discover assets, Franco had resigned from CMGT. Id. at 275. The Court found that Franco testified credibly that he resigned from CMGT on or about September 2003, and went to work for another employer in October or November of 2003. Id. Franco further testified that after his resignation, he ceased acting as president and chief executive officer of CMGT, and he did not have any other employment relationship with CMGT. Id. The Trustee testified that no officer or agent of CMGT took any action after Franco’s resignation to reappoint him as president or confer any authority on him to act on behalf of CMGT in an agency capacity. Id.

An e-mail sent by CMGT’s corporate counsel, Ronald Given, to CMGT shareholders on September 19, 2003, confirmed Franco’s intent to resign, and stated that CMGT could no longer act on behalf of shareholders because the corporation had run out of time and money. (Id.; Spehar Trial Ex. No. 42). In an April 10, 2004 letter to shareholders, Franco stated, “[a]s Ronald B. Given of Mayer, Brown ... indicated to you in his e-mail dated September 19, 2003, I have resigned as President & CEO of CMGT, Inc. and no longer have any employment relationship with the *73 company. This letter is to bring to your attention in my capacities of a fellow CMGT shareholder and claimant, the attached legal papers.” {CMGT, 402 B.R. at 275-76; Spehar Trial Ex. No. 45.) This statement was repeated by Franco in an email dated April 12, 2004. (Spehar Trial Ex. No. 46.)

The Court found that these documents along with the testimony heard at trial were sufficient evidence of effective notice of Franco’s resignation to CMGT’s shareholders. CMGT, 402 B.R. at 276. Gerry Spehar, the president and owner of Spe-har, testified that he received the same email announcement that was sent to CMGT’s shareholders regarding Franco’s intent to resign. Id. Furthermore, the evidence presented at trial did not suggest that Ronald Given or any of CMGT’s shareholders expressed any doubts regarding Franco’s resignation from CMGT. Id. Franco’s subsequent employment with another company also demonstrated that both CMGT and Franco clearly understood that he had resigned from CMGT. Id.

The Court further found that the evidence did not establish that Franco was in any way paid, supervised, controlled, or directed by CMGT at the time of service on him, nor did it establish that Franco had the ability to affect the legal relationships of CMGT at that time. Id. at 277. Franco testified that a December 1, 2003 “security agreement” was sent as a courtesy to shareholders and his signature was an electronic template that he had neglected to remove from his computer. {Id.; Spehar Trial Ex. No. 44). Franco testified that a November 2003 e-mail to Spehar was not sent in his capacity as president and chief executive officer because at that time Franco “was basically winding down the affairs of the company as best I could_” (Trial Tr. p. 25 lines 20-21, Nov. 25, 2008; Spehar Trial Ex. No. 43). The e-mail also contained a signature block that had been left on his computer as an “oversight.” (Trial Tr. p. 25 lines 17-20; p. 26 lines 6-7, Nov. 25, 2008; Spehar Trial Ex. No. 43.) Franco also testified that during the citation proceedings he was not clear what was his role was, and he informed Spehar’s attorneys that he was no longer president of the company. CMGT, 402 B.R. at 277. In the April 10, 2004 letter and the e-mail dated April 12, 2004, Franco clearly stated that the letter and the e-mail were sent “in my capacities of a fellow CMGT shareholder and claimant. ...” (Spehar Trial Ex. Nos. 45 & 46.) Both Gerry Spehar and Stephen Klenda, Spehar’s former attorney, testified that they had doubts regarding Franco’s ability to accept process at the time of service. CMGT, 402 B.R. at 277. Spehar did not present any evidence that CMGT, which was dissolved and not conducting business in April of 2004, represented Franco to be its agent at that time. Id. Thus, the Court found that Franco’s alleged conduct was not sufficient to establish an agency relationship with CMGT. Id.

The Court additionally found that Spe-har failed to establish that Franco was a director or officer of CMGT at the time of service on him. Id. In support of this argument, Spehar presented only one document containing an entry from CMGT’s directors’ register in 2000. (Spehar Trial Ex. No. 38.) While the register appeared to indicate that Franco was elected as director of CMGT on July 15, 2000, this alone was insufficient to demonstrate that Franco remained a director in April of 2004. CMGT, 402 B.R. at 276.

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Related

Spehar Capital, LLC v. Grochocinski
424 B.R. 355 (N.D. Illinois, 2010)
In Re Cmgt, Inc.
424 B.R. 355 (N.D. Illinois, 2010)

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Bluebook (online)
417 B.R. 69, 2009 Bankr. LEXIS 2974, 52 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 64, 2009 WL 3055434, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grochocinski-v-spehar-capital-llc-in-re-cmgt-inc-ilnb-2009.