Pelton v. Meeks

993 F. Supp. 804, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1574, 1998 WL 59189
CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedFebruary 5, 1998
DocketNo. CV-N-97-074-ECR
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 993 F. Supp. 804 (Pelton v. Meeks) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pelton v. Meeks, 993 F. Supp. 804, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1574, 1998 WL 59189 (D. Nev. 1998).

Opinion

ORDER

EDWARD C. REED, Jr., District Judge.

Defendant Audrey Annette Meeks has moved (# 13) for summary judgment. Plaintiff Seana Pelton has opposed (# 14), and Ms. Meeks has replied (# 15). For the reasons outlined below, this motion is DENIED without prejudice.

BACKGROUND

Our summary of the facts comes from Defendant’s summary judgment motion. James H. Meeks lived in Elko, Nevada, with his wife and two children, James O. Meeks and Diane Mackie. At some point he divorced his wife and in 1994 married Defendant Audrey Annette Meeks. For reasons not germane to the present motion, on September 12,1995 he murdered his ex-wife and his daughter Diane, and then killed himself. James O. Meeks, his son, was appointed executor of the estate.

The estate lacks sufficient assets to pay all its debts. About two weeks before his death, James H. Meeks had written a check on an account he owned jointly with his son James O. Meeks. The check was for $128,000 and was made out to his wife Audrey. On September 12, 1995, the same day he died, he withdrew an additional $27,000 or so from the same joint checking account, purchased a cashier’s check, and delivered it to Audrey.

Plaintiff Seana Pelton, the daughter of Diane Mackie, successfully sued her grandfather’s estate for the wrongful death of Ms. Mackie, and accordingly became a judgment creditor of the estate of James H. Meeks. In January 1997 she sued Audrey Meeks alleging, among other things, that James H. Meeks’ two payments to his wife were void as gifts in contemplation of death and as fraudulent transfers, and seeking a declaration that she has a “priority creditor’s claim.” Compl. at 6-8(# la). The action was removed to this Court. Notice (# 1). Defendant Audrey Meeks moved (# 13) for summary judgment, which motion is now ripe. Defendant also moved (# 13) to dissolve a writ of attachment on certain real property, but this motion has been rendered moot by the parties’ stipulation to keep it in place. Stipulation (# 16).

DISCUSSION

1. Summary Judgment Standard.

The purpose of summary judgment is to avoid unnecessary trials when there is no [806]*806dispute as to the facts before the court. Northwest Motorcycle Ass’n v. U.S. Department of Agriculture, 18 F.3d 1468, 1471 (9th Cir.1994). The moving party is entitled to summary judgment where, viewing the evidence and the inferences arising therefrom in favor of the nonmovánt, there are no genuine issues of material fact in dispute and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P: 56(c); Bagdadi v. Nazar, 84 F.3d 1194, 1197 (9th Cir.1996). Judgment as a matter of law is appropriate where there is no legally sufficient évidentiary basis for a reasonable jury to find for the nonmoving party. Fed.R.Civ.P. 50(a). Where reasonable minds could differ on the material facts at issue, however, summary judgment is not appropriate. Warren v. City of Carlsbad, 58 F.3d 439, 441 (9th Cir.1995), cert, denied, — U.S. -, 116 S.Ct. 1261, 134 L.Ed.2d 209 (1996).

The moving party bears the burden of informing the court of the basis for . its motion, together with evidence demonstrating the absence of any genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Once the moving party has met its burden, the party opposing the motion may not rest upon the mere allegations or denials of his pleadings but must set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L,Ed.2d 202 (1986). Although the parties may submit evidence in an inadmissible form — namely, depositions, admissions, interrogatory answers, and affidavits — only, evidence which might be admissible at trial may be considered by a trial court in ruling on a motion for summary judgment. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c); Beyene v. Coleman Security Services, Inc., 854 F.2d 1179, 1181 (9th Cir.1988).

In' evaluating the appropriateness of summary judgment, three steps- are necessary: (1) determining whether a fact is material; (2) determining whether there is a genuine issue for the trier of fact, as determined by the documents submitted to the court; and (3) considering that evidence in light of the appropriate standard of proof. . Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248. As to materiality, only disputes over facts that might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law will properly preclude the entry of summary judgment. Factual disputes which are irrelevant or unnecessary will not be considered. Id. Where there is a complete failure of proof concerning an essential element of the non-moving party’s case, all other facts are rendered immaterial, and the moving party is entitled- to judgment as a matter of law. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323. Summary judgment is not a disfavored procedural shortcut, but an integral part of the federal rules as a whole. Id.

II. Merits

Defendant argues that Plaintiff has no standing to maintain this suit (at least with respect to the gift, fraudulent transfer, and creditor’s claim causes of action), for three reasons: 1) funds drawn oh the joint account of James Meeks, father and son, would have passed to the son on the father’s death had they not been withdrawn, and therefore they would not have been part of the estate subject to. the father’s creditors, 2) actions to recover gifts in contemplation of death or fraudulent transfers are maintainable only by the estate executor, and 3) assuming that James O. Meeks assigned to Plaintiff the right to sue to void the- gift/frauduleñt transfer, the assignment was never confirmed by the probate court.

A Assignment

The third argument has merit, although not for the reasons given by Defendant. 1 NRS-148.210 states that “ehoses in action 11 ihay be soldán the same manner as other personal property.” A “chose in action” is defined as a “personal right not reduced into possession, but recoverable by a suit at law.” Black’s Law Dictionary Rev. 4th ed. (1968). Plainly, the right to recover the gifi/fraudulent transfer is just such a chose in action. Thus, as we read the Nevada statute, the present right of action may be sold in the same manner as other personal property. We note that the Nevada Supreme Court has published no cases construing this language.

[807]*807Other personal propérty is to be sold with 10 days’ notice, in public, preferably at the courthouse door. NRS 148.190. There is no evidence that Ms. Pelton and Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
993 F. Supp. 804, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1574, 1998 WL 59189, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pelton-v-meeks-nvd-1998.