Morales v. Giddens (In re Giddens)

514 B.R. 542
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedAugust 5, 2014
DocketBankruptcy No. 12 B 15638; Adversary No. 12 A 947
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 514 B.R. 542 (Morales v. Giddens (In re Giddens)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Morales v. Giddens (In re Giddens), 514 B.R. 542 (Ill. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

PAMELA S. HOLLIS, Bankruptcy Judge.

This matter comes before the court following trial on the complaint brought by Plaintiff Marta Morales against her ex-husband, Defendant Christopher Giddens. Morales sought a finding that Giddens’ debt to her is nondischargeable pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §§ 523(a)(2), (a)(5), (a)(6) and (a)(15).

Judgment will be entered for Giddens on § 523(a)(5), because there was no evidence that the debt he owes to Morales is in the nature of alimony, maintenance or support. Judgment will also be entered for Giddens on § 523(a)(15), because Giddens converted his bankruptcy case to Chapter 13 after the adversary proceeding was filed and a Chapter 13 discharge includes debts that would otherwise be excepted under § 523(a)(15) from a Chapter 7 discharge.

For the reasons stated below, the court will enter judgment for Giddens on § 523(a)(6).

Finally, judgment will be entered for Morales pursuant to § 523(a)(2). As discussed below in greater detail, since Gid-dens incurred the debt to Morales without any intention of paying it, and because he delayed and consistently attempted to thwart her efforts to collect the debt, Gid-dens committed fraud. Therefore, even if Giddens completes his Chapter 13 plan and receives a discharge, his debt to Morales will be excepted from that discharge. As discussed at previous hearings in this proceeding, the amount of that debt will not be liquidated by this court.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Marta Morales and Christopher Giddens were married in 1998 and divorced in 2008. Tr. at 25-26. At the time of their divorce, they were joint owners of a single family home at 6208 West Wrightwood in Chicago. Giddens kept the home and still lives there today. Tr. at 168.

The Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage entered on June 23, 2008, memorialized the agreement that Giddens and Morales reached to divide their property. Morales was awarded certain personal property from the home (the guest bedroom sleigh bed and bedroom set, two 37-inch flat screen televisions, a sectional sofa and matching chair and ottoman), a 2007 [545]*545Jeep Cherokee, a 2005 BMW, and $257,000, less a $30,000 credit. The money was due in full on or before July 1, 2008. The JDOM provided that “[e]aeh of the parties shall promptly ... perform all acts necessary to effectuate and satisfy the terms and provisions as set forth herein.” Bates 000019-22.

Morales relied on the promise that she would quickly receive $227,000 when deciding whether to settle or to go to trial against Giddens. Tr. at 50; Tr. at 200. During the marriage, Morales worked for the Chicago Public Schools, and she and Giddens each started their own business, Tr. at 53-54, but she planned to go back to school and to live by herself after the divorce, Tr. at 51. At the time of the trial, however, Morales testified that she lives with her brother. She earns $13.60 per hour working as a night cook at a casino. Tr. at 25.

Morales returned to state court numerous times to compel Giddens to comply with the JDOM. Just two months after the JDOM was entered, the state court began issuing orders regarding Giddens’ lack of compliance. Orders issued by the state court include:

■ August 26, 2008. State court granted Morales the right to place a lien on Giddens’ property “as well as file non-wage garnishments against Respondent’s [Giddens’] bank account to satisfy the outstanding judgment in the amount [of] $227,000.” Bates 000012.
■ September 11, 2008. State court issued Order on Rule to Show Cause why Giddens should not be held in contempt of court for failure to pay $227,000 to Morales. Bates 000009.
■ September 25, 2008. State court ordered Giddens’ Bentley to be sold and all proceeds remaining after the lien-holder has been paid “to be held in client escrow account for the benefit of Petitioner [Morales].” Bates 000007.
■ October 23, 2008. State court “finds an emergency exists and orders $5,000.00 of the proceeds from the sale of the Bentley shall be turned over to Marta Morales immediately.” Bates 000005.
■ December 22, 2008. State court forbade Giddens from transferring or destroying any property under any circumstances, and requiring him to immediately turn over a Range Rover. Bates 000004.
■ August 11, 2010. State court ordered Giddens to appear on August 18, 2010, to show cause why he should not be held in contempt for failure to pay Morales $157,000 plus interest as ordered in the JDOM. Bates 000039.
■ August 18, 2010. State court found Giddens in contempt of court and ordered him to turn over personal property by August 28, 2010. He was warned that failure to comply could result in incarceration. Bates 000036-38.
■ September 10, 2010. After a hearing on a rule to show cause, state court found Giddens guilty of willful contempt for failure to comply with the August 18, 2010 order. The judge ordered the Sheriff to take Giddens into custody. Bates 000033.
■ October 4, 2010. State court ordered turnover to Morales’ counsel of $3,000 of Giddens’ $5,000 cash bond from the body attachment. The body attachment was then quashed. Bates 000031.
■ December 8, 2010. After trial, state court found that Giddens owned a 2008 Land Rover, Range Rover Sport that he had fraudulently transferred to his aunt, Marchella Williams. [546]*546Williams was ordered to turn over the vehicle to the court for transfer to Morales so that she could sell it and “[a]ll proceeds from the sale of said vehicle shall be tendered to MARTA, a payment toward the judgment owed by CHRISTOPHER.” Bates 000023-24.
■ October 28, 2011. State court held that Giddens failed to purge the contempt and that he “shall be committed to the Cook County Department of Corrections until he pays $162,427.47 to Ms. Marta Morales; a sum which represents the remainder of the amount due per the agreed judgment entered on 6-23-08.” Bates 000044. An order of commitment was issued on the same date. Bates 000045.
■ March 30, 2012. State court entered attachment order directing the Sheriff to take Giddens into custody immediately. “Purge amount only by Cash Bond in the amount of $162,227.47.” Bates 000049.

In fact, more than two years passed before Giddens turned over to Morales the personal property described in the JDOM. Tr. at 30. Only after Giddens served time in jail did Morales get her furniture. Tr. at 152-53. In the interim, Giddens tried to pass off thrift store furniture as the property that he owed to Morales. Tr. at 30. Photographs introduced into evidence demonstrated a stark difference between the well-maintained, higher quality furniture that was in the Wrightwood home and had been awarded to Morales, and the furniture Giddens initially turned over to his ex-wife. Bates 000490-495. Although the JDOM specifically stated that Morales was awarded flat screen televisions, Bates 000020 at 2 ¶ J(5), Giddens tried to give her what are clearly cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions.

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Bluebook (online)
514 B.R. 542, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morales-v-giddens-in-re-giddens-ilnb-2014.