Hackerman v. Demeza (In re Demeza)

570 B.R. 33
United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Pennsylvania·Decided July 28, 2017·No. CASE NO. 1-16-bk-02789 RNO; ADVERSARY NO. 1-16-ap-00141 RNO·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

OPINION1

Robert N. Opel, II, Chief Bankruptcy Judge

In this non-dischargeability action, the Chapter 13 Debtor moved to dismiss both counts of the Second Amended Complaint. For the reasons stated below, I will deny the Motion to Dismiss with respect to Count One which is based upon the 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A) fraud exception. The Motion will be granted, with prejudice, with respect to Count Two which is grounded upon the 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(4)2 fiduciary exception.

I. Jurisdiction

The Court has jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 157 and 1334. This is a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(I).

II. Facts and Procedural History

Donald L. Demeza (“Debtor”) filed a Voluntary Petition under Chapter 13 of the [36]*36Bankruptcy Code on July 5, 2016. The attendant schedules, statements, and other documents were also filed. On February 23, 2017, an Amended Order was entered confirming the Debtor’s Chapter 13 Plan. Am. Order Confirming Ch. 13 Plan, February 23, 2017, ECF No. 94. This case was originally assigned to The Honorable Mary D. France. In anticipation of Judge France’s retirement, on February 26, 2017, the case was reassigned to me.

Pre-petition, Richard Hackerman (“Creditor”) commenced an action against the Debtor in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The District Court diversity action was commenced on November 26, 2013; that proceeding is filed to No. 1:13-02883-SES (“Diversity Action”). In the Diversity Action, Creditor sought damages from the Debtor due to the death of the Creditor’s pregnant broodmare and her foal. The broodmare and foal were in the Debtor’s possession at the time the foal was delivered which arguably led to the euthanization of the broodmare and the foal.

In the underlying Chapter 13 case, the Creditor previously moved to convert the case to a case under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code, Mot. to Convert Case to Ch. 7, September 4, 2016, ECF No. 28. The Motion was briefed and argued and, on February 21, 2017, Judge France entered an Opinion and an Order which denied the Motion to Convert. The Court’s Opinion appears at 567 B.R. 473 (Bankr. M.D.Pa. 2017) (“Conversion Opinion”). Creditor appealed the denial of the case conversion and that appeal is pending in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Today, I consider an Adversary Proceeding brought by the Creditor against the Debtor seeking non-dischargeability of his claim pursuant to certain subsections of § 523 of the Bankruptcy Code. Specifically, I consider the Motion to Dismiss filed by the Debtor in response to the Creditor’s Second Amended Complaint. Second Am. Compl. to Determine Dischargeability of Debt and Objection to Discharge, April 27, 2017, ECF No. 20 (“Second Amended Complaint”).

Count One of the Second Amended Complaint seeks non-dischargeability of the Creditor’s claim pursuant to § 523(a)(2)(A), which is often referred to as the fraud exception. Count Two seeks a determination of non-dischargeability grounded upon § 523(a)(4), commonly known as the fiduciary exception. On May 10, 2017, the Debtor moved to dismiss the Second Amended Complaint. Debtor’s Mot. to Dismiss Richard J. Hackerman’s Second Am. Compl. to Determine Dis-chargeability of Debt and Obj. to Discharge, May 10, 2017, ECF No. 21 (“Motion to Dismiss”). The Motion to Dismiss seeks dismissal of both Count One and Count Two of the Second Amended Complaint, with prejudice. The Motion to Dismiss has been briefed and was argued at a hearing held on July 20, 2017; it is now ripe for decision.

III. Discussion

A. Motion to Dismiss Standard

The Motion to Dismiss alleges that Creditor has failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) requires dismissal of a complaint which fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Rule 12(b)(6) applies in bankruptcy adversary proceedings. F.R.B.P. 7012(b).

Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a) requires that a complaint contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief’. This Rule is also applicable in bankruptcy adversary proceedings. F.R.B.P. 7008. At this stage, the [37]*37complaint’s well-pleaded factual allegations are assumed to be correct. However, legal conclusions are not entitled to the assumption of truth. Ultimately, the court must determine whether the complaint plausibly gives rise to an entitlement to relief, Santiago v. Warminster Tp., 629 F.3d 121, 129 (3d Cir. 2010).

Generally, while detailed factual allegations are not required in every complaint, “a plaintiffs obligation to provide the grounds of his entitlement to relief requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do,” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 1964-65, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007).

Some aspects of complaints are subject to heightened pleading requirements. Count One of the Second Amended Complaint is based upon § 523(a)(2)(A) of the Bankruptcy Code. That subsection excepts from an individual debtor’s Chapter 13 discharge any debt:

(2) for money, property, services, or an extension, renewal, or refinancing of credit, to the extent obtained by—
(A) false pretenses, a false representation, or actual fraud, other than a statement respecting the debtor’s or an insider’s financial condition;

11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A). Where fraud is alleged, the party must state with particularity the circumstances constituting fraud. Fed. R. Civ. P. 9(b); Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7009(b). The particularity pleading requirement for fraud allegations serves important objectives. It gives a defendant fair notice of the claim against him, provides an increased measure of protection for a party’s reputation, and hopefully, reduces the number of frivolous suits brought to extract settlements. In re Rockefeller Center Properties, Inc. Securities Litigation,

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Hackerman v. Demeza (In re Demeza), 570 B.R. 33 (Pa. 2017).

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