Harrison, Jr v. Simon

CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Louisiana
DecidedSeptember 30, 2022
Docket20-01041
StatusUnknown

This text of Harrison, Jr v. Simon (Harrison, Jr v. Simon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harrison, Jr v. Simon, (La. 2022).

Opinion

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA

IN RE:

JULES ANTHONY SIMON CASE NO. 19-11330 DEBTOR CHAPTER 7

ANDREW J. HARRISON, JR. PLAINTIFF

VERSUS ADV. NO. 20-1041

JULES ANTHONY SIMON DEFENDANT

CONSOLIDATED FOR TRIAL WITH

VERSUS ADV. NO. 21-1024

MEMORANDUM OPINION

I. PROCEDURAL HISTORY Consolidated for trial were complaints in adversary no. 20-1041 objecting to the dischargeability of Jules Simon's debt to Andrew Harrison and adversary no. 21-1024, in which Harrison objected to Simon's discharge.1

1 October 8, 2021 order in Adversary No. 20-1041, P-18. The court dismissed part of Harrison's amended complaint in adversary no. 20-1041 on Simon's motion.2 The remaining causes of action in adversary no. 20-1041 are objections to dischargeability as a debt arising out of 1) false pretenses, false representation or actual fraud under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A) and 2) willful and malicious injury under § 523(a)(6). On motion by Harrison based on his discovery of post-petition actions after the

February 18, 2020 deadline for objecting to discharge,3 the court extended the deadline under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 4004(b)(2) for Harrison to object to the debtor's discharge.4 Harrison then timely filed adversary no. 21-1024 objecting to the debtor's discharge under 11 U.S.C. §§ 727(a)(2)(B), (d)(1) and (d)(2). Harrison later abandoned his claims under §§ 727(d)(1) and (d)(2),5 so the sole objection to discharge remaining for trial fell under § 727(a)(2)(B). The plaintiff premised that claim on Simon's alleged post-petition transfer, removal or concealment of property with the intent to hinder, delay or defraud creditors. II. OBJECTION TO DISCHARGE A. FACTS

The plaintiff alleged that Simon had transferred, removed or concealed property with the intent to hinder, delay or defraud creditors, sanctionable by loss of his discharge.6 Harrison's

2 January 25, 2021 order in Adversary No. 20-1041, P-43. 3 June 11, 2021 Motion to Extend Deadline to Object to Discharge in Case No. 19-11330, P-218. 4 August 9, 2021 order Extending Deadline to Object to Discharge through August 27, 2021 in Case No. 19-11330, P-250. 5 Harrison's contested conclusions of law in the pretrial order [P-165] and his proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law [P-181] address only Bankruptcy Code section 727(a)(2)(B). Sections 727(d)(1) and (d)(2) are inapplicable because they deal with revocation of a previously-entered discharge. 6 See 11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(2)(B). challenge to Simon's discharge rests on the debtor's post-petition dealings relating to D Squared Hunting LLC ("D Squared"), in which Simon owned an interest when he filed chapter 7. Simon, his brother Denis Simon, III ("Denis"), and Wendell Spencer, through his company WJC Enterprises, LLC, formed D Squared to buy land for a hunting camp. On February 9, 2010, D Squared bought real estate in Wilkinson County, Mississippi for $635,000,

financed in part by Louisiana Land Bank.7 The D Squared members agreed that each would make one-third of the quarterly mortgage payments to the bank. Simon became unable to make his share of the quarterly payments in 2016. Denis at first loaned Simon money to make the payments8 but later made his brother's share of the quarterly payments directly to the bank. The two orally agreed that Denis would at some point receive Simon's interest in D Squared to satisfy the debt, but the brothers never documented their agreement.9 Simon filed chapter 7 on November 11, 2019 and scheduled his one-third interest in D Squared as having no value. The schedules recited that D Squared "owns 350 wetland acres in Woodville, MS, valued at $375,000, Land Bank mortgage balance $375,000."10 Simon did not

schedule Denis as a creditor, nor did Denis file a proof of claim.

7 February 9, 2010 sale documents, Defendant's Exhibit 20. The bank financed $463,500 of the sale price, 8 Denis testified that if there was not enough time to pay Simon before the payment was due, he would make Simon's mortgage payment directly. Transcript Vol. 2, 3/29/22, Adversary No. 20-1041, P-175, p. 408, ll. 21-25. 9 Transcript Vol. 2, 3/29/22, Adversary No. 20-1041, P-175, p. 409, ll. 9-22; Transcript Vol. 4, 3/31/22, P-177, p. 627, ll. 12-21; p. 632, l. 12–p. 633, l. 12. 10 Simon's Schedule B and Amended Schedule B are identical as to D Squared, Case No. 19-11330, P-8, p. 6; and P-14, p. 7; Plaintiff's Exhibit 81. D Squared sold the property on March 3, 2021 for $469,800, well after Simon filed chapter 7.11 Louisiana Land Bank's debt was satisfied, and the two D Squared members other than the debtor divided the remaining sales proceeds of $168,244.01: one-third to WJC Enterprises, LLC ($56,081.34) and two-thirds to Denis ($112,162.67). Neither the debtor nor the bankruptcy estate received any of the sale proceeds.

Later that month, Harrison, without knowing of the sale, propounded to Simon interrogatories and requests for production of documents related to D Squared. Simon objected on the basis of relevancy on April 23, 2021.12 That objection was of dubious merit given that merely weeks later, Simon's bankruptcy counsel reported the sale to the chapter 7 trustee, Martin Schott, advising that Simon did not receive any part of the sale proceeds.13 Harrison learned of the sale in late May 2021, when Simon supplemented the discovery responses he had previously challenged as irrelevant.14 Harrison objects to Simon's discharge on the ground that Simon transferred his share of the sale proceeds to Denis to keep them out of the reach of creditors. Simon responds that he

was not entitled to any share of the money because he and his brother had an unwritten agreement giving Denis any sums attributable to Simon's one-third interest in D Squared.

11 The property sold for significantly less than its $635,000 purchase price. March 3, 2021 sale documents, Defendant's Exhibit 21. Denis attributed the decline in value to repeated river flooding that made the road to the site impassable much of the year, as well as loss of timber on the property. Transcript Vol. 2, 3/29/22, Adversary No. 20-1041, P-175, pp. 427-30. 12 Defendant's Response to Plaintiff's First Set of Requests for Production of Documents, Plaintiff's Exhibit 62, Response 17; Defendant's Answers to Plaintiff's First Set of Interrogatories, Plaintiff's Exhibit 63, Response 6. 13 May 11, 2021 email, Defendant's Exhibit 26. 14 Defendant's Supplemental Discovery Responses, Plaintiff's Exhibit 90. Harrison's counsel emailed Schott regarding the sale on May 24, 2021. Defendant's Exhibit 27. The trustee replied that he already knew of the sale. Defendant's Exhibit 28. Schott ultimately decided not to object to Simon's discharge because he doubted that he could prove the debtor's intent as section 727(a)(2)(B) requires. Transcript Vol. 4, 3/31/22, Adversary No. 20-1041, P-177, p. 680, ll. 8-14. Harrison also alleges that Simon concealed the transfer by not disclosing it to the trustee for two months after the sale15 and by not amending his schedules.16 B. ANALYSIS Bankruptcy Code § 727(a)(2)(B) provides in relevant part: (a) The court shall grant the debtor a discharge, unless—…

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