Mitchell v. Burt & Gordon, P.C. (In re Stein)

210 B.R. 177, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9486
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Mitchell v. Burt & Gordon, P.C. (In re Stein). Read the opinion of the Court — 208 B.R. 209
District Court, D. Oregon·Decided June 27, 1997·No. Civil No. 93-438-FR; Adversary No. 392-33885-S7·Published

Opinion

OPINION

HELEN J. FRYE, District Judge.

The matters before the court are 1) the cross-claim for indemnity asserted by defendant Mark A. Gordon against defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C.; 2) the cross-claim for indemnity asserted by defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C. against defendant Mark A. Gordon; 3) the third-party claims against George V. Stein and the Premium Companies; and 4) the objections to the proposed judgment.

BACKGROUND

This is an adversary proceeding in which the trustee in bankruptcy, John H. Mitchell, seeks to recover property for the bankruptcy estate of the debtor, Alexander V. Stein, punitive damages, attorney fees, and costs.

On February 24, 1997, a jury returned a verdict against defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C., defendant Robert G. Burt, and defendant Mark A. Gordon. The jury found that defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C., defendant Robert G. Burt, and defendant Mark A. Gordon breached the fiduciary duties that they owed to Alexander V. Stein, which caused Stein to suffer the loss of his stock in In Focus Systems, Inc. (In Focus Systems). The jury found that the plaintiff, John H. Mitchell, trustee, was entitled to recover punitive damages from the three defendants in the following amounts: Burt & Gordon, P.C. — $786,000; Robert G. Burt — $670,000; and Mark A. Gordon — $17,000.

[179]*179On April 21,1997, this court entered Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law pursuant to Rule 52 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure resolving the following claims of the trustee in bankruptcy: (1) avoidance of fraudulent transfer under O.R.S. 95.200 et seq.; (4) to set aside the Sheriffs sale; (5) turnover of property of the estate under 11 U.S.C. § 542(a); and (6) recovery of avoided transfer under 11 U.S.C. § 550(a)(1). The court concluded:

The plaintiff/trustee is entitled to prevail on the first claim for fraudulent transfer against the defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C. The court will impose a constructive trust in favor of the plaintiff/trustee on the monies held in the interpleader fund. The court will dismiss the first claim for fraudulent transfer as to the defendants Robert G. Burt and Mark A. Gordon in their individual capacities. The court will not award punitive damages against the defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C. on the first claim for relief.
The plaintiff/trustee is entitled to recover the interpleader funds based upon the verdict of the jury on the second claim for breach of fiduciary duty. Any and all claims of the defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C. to the interpleader funds are denied based upon the verdict of the jury.
The plaintiff/trustee is entitled to judgment on the fourth claim for relief. In order to return the parties to the positions they held before the entry of the void judgment, the interpleader funds will be awarded to the creditors of Stein.
The court will dismiss the fifth and sixth claims for relief without prejudice.

Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, p. 15.

ANALYSIS

I. The Cross-Claim for Indemnity Asserted by Defendant Mark A Gordon Against Defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C.

Defendant Mark A. Gordon contends that this court should order defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C. to indemnify him for the $17,000 in punitive damages awarded against him by the jury on the grounds that the evidence at trial was undisputed that he acted in good faith and in the best interests of the law firm. Defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C. contends that it is not fair and reasonable that defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C. indemnify defendant Gordon because the jury found that defendant Gordon acted with malice and reckless disregard of the rights of Alexander Stein, which finding is inconsistent with a finding that defendant Gordon acted in good faith and in the best interests of Burt & Gordon, P.C.

O.R.S. 60.401 provides, in part:
Unless the corporation’s articles of incorporation provide otherwise, a director of the corporation who is a party to a proceeding may apply for indemnification to the court conducting the proceeding or to another court of competent jurisdiction. On receipt of an application, the court after giving any notice the court considers necessary may order indemnification if it determines:
(2) The director is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification in view of all of the relevant circumstances, whether or not the director met the standard of conduct set forth in ORS 60.391 or was adjudged liable as described in ORS 60.391(4), whether the liability is based on a judgment, settlement or proposed settlement or otherwise.

The court finds that it is not fair and reasonable to order Burt & Gordon, P.C. to indemnify defendant Gordon for $17,000 in punitive damages awarded to the plaintiff in this case. The jury had to have found that defendant Gordon breached a fiduciary duty to Alexander Stein and acted with malice and with reckless disregard of the rights of Alexander Stein. These acts were not taken in the best interests of the corporation or with good faith.

2. The Cross-Claim for Indemnity Asserted by Defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C. Against Defendant Mark A. Gordon

Defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C. alleges a cause of action against defendant Gordon for common law indemnity seeking the $1.7 million in the interpleader fund and seeking $786,000 in punitive damages awarded by the [180]*180jury against defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C. Burt & Gordon, P.C. also seeks the costs of Burt & Gordon, P.C. in defending the claims against it in this action. Burt & Gordon, P.C. contends that this corporation can only be held vicariously liable for the acts of defendant Burt and defendant Gordon.

Defendant Gordon contends that the claim for indemnity against him for the interpleader fund must fail because he is not liable to the plaintiff for the constructive trust placed on the interpleader fund. Defendant Gordon further contends that the court should not order him to indemnify defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C. for the jury verdict of $786,000 in punitive damages or for the costs and attorney fees in defending this action on the grounds that 1) the jury verdict shows that the liability of Burt & Gordon, P.C. was derived from the conduct of defendant Burt and not the conduct of defendant Gordon; and 2) the jury was instructed, without objection from defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C., that the shareholders of the firm would not be responsible for any verdict the jury may return against defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C., and defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C. is estopped from shifting its position in order to hold defendant Gordon liable for the punitive damages awarded against defendant Burt & Gordon, P.C.

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Mitchell v. Burt & Gordon, P.C. (In re Stein), 210 B.R. 177, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9486 (D. Or. 1997).

210 B.R. 177 (Mitchell v. Burt & Gordon, P.C. (In re Stein)) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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838 P.2d 596 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1992)
Mitchell v. Burt & Gordon, P.C. (In Re Stein)
208 B.R. 209 (D. Oregon, 1997)