In re Jones

268 B.R. 865, 15 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. B 3, 2001 Bankr. LEXIS 1365, 88 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5980
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedSeptember 6, 2001
DocketNo. 99-5737-8G1
StatusPublished

This text of 268 B.R. 865 (In re Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Jones, 268 B.R. 865, 15 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. B 3, 2001 Bankr. LEXIS 1365, 88 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5980 (Fla. 2001).

Opinion

ORDER ON CROSS-MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT BY UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

PAUL M. GLENN, Bankruptcy Judge.

THIS CASE came before the Court for hearing to consider the Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment filed by the United States of America.

The Department of the Treasury — Internal Revenue Service (IRS) filed a Proof of Claim (Claim No. 6) in this chapter 11 case in the total amount of $2,991,771.11. The total amount claimed includes an income tax for the 1993 tax year in the principal amount of $1,722,536.00, plus interest and penalties on the tax.

The Debtors filed a written Objection to the Claim, and assert that Claim No. 6 should be disallowed in its entirety. Generally, the Debtors acknowledge that they received the sum of $4,360,417.00 in 1993 in connection with the settlement of certain claims that they held against a corporation known as Southeast Toyota Distributors, Inc. and other parties. The Debtors contend, however, that the settlement amount is excluded from their gross income for tax purposes by virtue of § 104(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, because it was received “on account of personal injuries or sickness.”

The IRS asserts that the settlement funds were not received by the Debtors on account of personal injuries or sickness, as required by § 104(a)(2), and that the funds therefore were not excluded from the Debtors’ income in 1993. The IRS further asserts that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact with respect to this question, and that it is entitled to an order allowing Claim No. 6 as a matter of law.

Background

On April 4, 2001, the Court entered an Order denying a Motion for Summary Judgment that had been filed by the Debtors. The factual record in this case has not been supplemented since the entry of that Order.

The Debtor, David B. Jones, was involved in the automobile industry since approximately 1971. In the late 1980’s, Mr. Jones owned 100% of the shares of a South Carolina corporation known as Magic Toyota, Inc. (Magic Toyota). In 1986, Mr. Jones or Magic Toyota purchased a Toyota dealership in Beauford, South Carolina, and contracted with Southeast Toyota Distributors, Inc. to serve as a Toyota dealer. The dealership closed on March 31,1989.

On April 17,1991, Magic Toyota and Mr. Jones filed a Complaint against Southeast Toyota Distributors, Inc. (Southeast Toyota) and other Defendants in the United States District Court. On May 2, 1991, Magic Toyota and Mr. Jones filed an Amended Complaint. (Debtors’ Exhibit 1, [868]*868submitted in connection with their Motion for Summary Judgment). The Amended Complaint, which was eighty pages in length, contained six Counts.

1. Count I was an action for Breach of Contract. In Count I, Magic Toyota and Mr. Jones alleged that (1) they had entered into a contract with the Defendants to become a Toyota dealer; (2) that the Defendants breached their contractual duty to exercise good faith and fair dealing; and (3) that Magic Toyota and Mr. Jones “sustained enormous financial damages” as a result of the breaches. Specifically, Magic Toyota and Mr. Jones alleged that they “had fewer cars to sell, had less desirable models available, had little or no control over the accessories that were provided on their vehicles, lost profits on new car sales, lost warranty and service business, lost finance and insurance business, lost used car business, lost repeat business, lost customer goodwill, and had to sell the business at a greatly reduced price.” (Amended Complaint, ¶ 166).
2. Count II was an action for “Violation of South Carolina Code Section 39-5-10, Et Seq.” In Count II, Magic Toyota and Mr. Jones alleged that the Defendants engaged in numerous acts of unfair methods of competition and unfair and deceptive trade practices in violation of the South Carolina statute. Magic Toyota and Mr. Jones claimed that they were entitled to the full damages permitted under the statute. (Amended Complaint, ¶ 245).
3. Count III was an action for “Violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.” In Count III, Magic Toyota and Mr. Jones alleged that they “were injured in their business and property by reason of the violations,” and that they were therefore “pursuant to 18 U.S.C. section 1964(c), entitled to recover threefold the damages they sustained.” (Amended Complaint, ¶ 267).
4. Count IV was an action for fraud. In Count IV, Magic Toyota and Mr. Jones alleged that the Defendants made false representations to them, and knew that the representations were false at the time that they were made. Magic Toyota and Mr. Jones further alleged that they were damaged by the false representations “in that they received less than their fair allocation of new vehicles, suffered allocation penalties, lost sales, incurred business expenses related to their inability to obtain and therefore sell new cars,” and that they were further damaged “in that they were not able to conduct business and were forced out of business, and otherwise suffered economic devastation.” (Amended Complaint, ¶¶ 286, 287).
5. Count V was an action for “Actual and Punitive Damages against the Defendants for Violation of South Carolina Statute Section 56-15-30, et seq.” In Count V, Magic Toyota and Mr. Jones alleged that the Defendants engaged in unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in violation of the statute, and further alleged that they were therefore “entitled to recover double their actual damages and punitive damages against the Defendants, pursuant to South Carolina Statute section 56-15-110.” (Amended Complaint, ¶ 299).
6. Count VI was an action for injunc-tive relief against the Defendants. In Count VI, Magic Toyota and Mr. Jones requested that the Defendants be permanently enjoined from engaging in the sale and distribution of vehicles in the state of South Carolina, and also requested other injunctive relief. (Amended Complaint, ¶ 305).

[869]*869In the Amended Complaint, Magic Toyota and Mr. Jones sought actual and punitive damages “in excess of $150,000,000.00.” (Amended Complaint, p. 79).

Linda Jones was not named as a plaintiff in the District Court action.

Mr. Jones did not allege any personal injuries in the Amended Complaint, and did not seek damages for personal injuries or illness in the District Court action. (Doc. 85, Deposition Transcript of David Jones, p. 58; Doc. 83, Deposition Transcript of Donald Strickland, p. 54).

In August of 1991, Mr. Jones verified the Answers to certain Interrogatories propounded by a Defendant in the District Court action. (Debtors’ Exhibit 3, Deposition Transcript of Donald Strickland, Exhibit 22). In response to a request to identify all expert witnesses whom the Debtor proposed to call at trial, Mr. Jones listed only two individuals, and stated that the individuals were “expected to testify concerning the economic damages sustained by the Plaintiffs.” In response to a request to identify and itemize each element of damage that Magic Toyota and Mr. Jones were claiming in the lawsuit, Mr. Jones replied:

The calculations of damages in this case will be complex and will by necessity involve expert testimony, as well as testimony from the Plaintiff, David B. Jones.

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Bluebook (online)
268 B.R. 865, 15 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. B 3, 2001 Bankr. LEXIS 1365, 88 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5980, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-jones-flmb-2001.