ITOC Petroleum Corp. v. Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc.

72 B.R. 540, 1987 Bankr. LEXIS 521
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedApril 22, 1987
DocketBankruptcy No. 83-03685-H2-5; Adv. No. 85-0575-H2
StatusPublished

This text of 72 B.R. 540 (ITOC Petroleum Corp. v. Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
ITOC Petroleum Corp. v. Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc., 72 B.R. 540, 1987 Bankr. LEXIS 521 (Tex. 1987).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER FOR ENTRY OF JUDGMENT

EDWARD J. RYAN, Bankruptcy Judge.

This court is fully aware that the trial court may not blindly accept the proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law of the prevailing party. United States v. El Paso Natural Gas, 376 U.S. 651, 84 S.Ct. 1044, 12 L.Ed.2d 12 (1964).

However, when the proposed findings are consistent with the evidence and the conclusions are agreeable to the state of the law, no useful purpose would be served by recasting the same in the language of the court.

Accordingly, the substance of the prevailing party’s proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law are made and stated simultaneously with the filing of this memorandum.

The court has given full consideration to the plaintiff’s amended proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law and its Memorandum of Points and Authorities and rejects the same to the extent that they are inconsistent with the Decision and Order directing entry of judgment for the defendants.

[541]*541The court makes the following findings of fact:

FINDINGS OF FACT

This is a claim for damages in which the debtor-in-possession, ITOC Petroleum Corporation, seeks to recover losses incurred in its commodities trading account at Dean Witter Reynolds during the month of July, 1983. The court has jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1477.

On December 16, 1981, ITOC Petroleum Corporation entered into a Customer’s Agreement with Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc., incident to ITOC’s decision to commence trading of commodities futures with that firm.

On December 8, 1981, ITOC Petroleum Corporation acknowledged receipt of a Risk Disclosure Statement from Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc., wherein the risks of loss in trading commodities futures were described to plaintiff.

During the months of June and July, 1983, plaintiff ITOC Petroleum Corporation traded commodities in its account with Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc., by and through Ron Fort, a commodities broker then in the employ of Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc.

During the period of July 6-7, 1983, Hei-no Ahrens, the individual at ITOC Petroleum Corporation who was responsible for authorization of commodities trades, was engaged in foreign travel.

Before departing for foreign travel, Ah-rens implicitly authorized Ron Fort to continue to trade in the ITOC commodities account in his absence, taking advantage of information or market movements that demonstrated the desirability of trading against the positions then reflected in the account. On July 6 and 7, 1983, Ron Fort brokered commodities trades in plaintiff’s account consistent with the direction given by Mr. Ahrens.

On July 6 and 7,1983, Dean Witter Reynolds communicated these trades, by telephone, by telex, and by computer-generated Account Activity Reports to the individual at ITOC Petroleum Corporation who was authorized to receive and confirm such trading information.

In a telephone conversation on the morning of Friday, July 8, 1983, Ron Fort communicated to Heino Ahrens sufficient information to demonstrate to Mr. Ahrens that numerous trades had been conducted in the ITOC account during the period of Mr. Ahrens’ absence, and that such trades had resulted in a substantial loss of equity in the ITOC account.

In this telephone conversation with Fort, Ahrens registered no protest or disavowal of ITOC’s responsibility for the trades of July 6-7, 1983, but only disappointment with the results.

On Friday, July 8th, Monday, July 11th, Tuesday, July 12th, and Wednesday, July 13th, Ahrens exercised exclusive control over the disposition of the trades placed in ITOC’s account on July 6 and 7, 1983.

On July 11, 1983, a margin call in the amount of $67,000.00 was made upon ITOC Petroleum Corporation to cover losses sustained upon the positions opened on July 6 and 7, 1983.

On July 13,1983, ITOC Petroleum Corporation paid the $67,000.00 margin call without protest.

On July 19,1983, ITOC Petroleum Corporation corresponded with Ron Fort, claiming entitlement to a commission rebate. This correspondence made no mention of allegedly unauthorized trades conducted in the ITOC account during the period July 6-7, 1983.

On August 30, 1983, ITOC Petroleum Corporation corresponded with Dean Witter for the purpose of memorializing an alleged agreement regarding a commission rebate. This correspondence made no mention of allegedly unauthorized trades conducted in the ITOC account during the period July 6-7, 1983.

On October 19, 1983, ITOC Petroleum Corporation corresponded, by telex, with the New York office of Dean Witter, complaining of alleged commission overcharges and other matters. This correspondence made no mention of allegedly unauthorized [542]*542trades conducted in the ITOC account during the period July 6-7, 1983.

On August 31, 1983, ITOC Petroleum Corporation filed its debtor petition and attached schedules in this proceeding. None of the schedules attached to this petition refer to any claim against Dean Witter for allegedly unauthorized trades occurring in ITOC’s account on July 6-7, 1983, although such schedules specifically refer to other claims against Dean Witter.

Although Lester Hare was the individual who would normally relay any protest regarding unauthorized trades to Ms. Monique Gibson, who was the individual at Dean Witter responsible for confirming the validity of trades with various customers, Mr. Hare at no time protested to Ms. Gibson, either for himself or for Mr. Ahrens, that unauthorized trades had been conducted in the ITOC Petroleum account.

Ahrens continued to trade with Dean Witter in another account for several weeks after liquidation of the positions opened on July 6-7, 1983 in the ITOC account.

ITOC Petroleum Corporation was content with and did not complain of the profitable precious metals trades conducted in its account during the period of Ahrens’ absence from the country on July 6-7, 1983, even though ITOC asserts that no trades were to have been conducted in that account during that period.

Although it was obligated to do so in accordance with the protest provision found on the back of each of Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc.’s Account Activity Reports, plaintiff failed to notify the manager of the office servicing its account within three business days after receipt of its July 6 and 7 Account Activity Reports that it protested certain of the trades found therein.

Although it was obligated to do so under paragraph fourteen of the Customer’s Agreement, plaintiff failed to object in writing to the daily report of the execution of orders conducted on July 6 and 7, 1983 within two days after forwarding of those reports to plaintiff, or to the statement of accounts within ten days after forwarding of those statements by Dean Witter Reynolds to plaintiff.

Mr. Ahrens’ principal business endeavor for many years has been the trading of refined petroleum products on the spot market. He is no novice, rather he is a sophisticated investor with business interests on an international scale.

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Related

United States v. El Paso Natural Gas Co.
376 U.S. 651 (Supreme Court, 1964)
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Jaksich v. Thomson McKinnon Securities, Inc.
582 F. Supp. 485 (S.D. New York, 1984)
Altschul v. Paine, Webber, Jackson & Curtis Inc.
518 F. Supp. 591 (S.D. New York, 1981)

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72 B.R. 540, 1987 Bankr. LEXIS 521, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/itoc-petroleum-corp-v-dean-witter-reynolds-inc-txsb-1987.