Ritter v. Smith (In re Smith)

517 B.R. 793
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedSeptember 18, 2014
DocketBankruptcy No. 13-59021; Adversary No. 13-05412
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 517 B.R. 793 (Ritter v. Smith (In re Smith)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ritter v. Smith (In re Smith), 517 B.R. 793 (Mich. 2014).

Opinion

[795]*795 ORDER GRANTING IN PART DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND DENYING PLAINTIFF’S CROSS MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

MARK A. RANDON, Bankruptcy Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

In hindsight, Austin Ritter’s decision to invest $50,000.00 in Anthony and Dorothy Smith’s (“Defendants”) commercial cleaning company was a bad one: less than one year later, he sold his interest for just $5,000.00. Ritter sued Defendants in Oakland County Circuit Court for misrepresentation and silent fraud, negligent and innocent misrepresentation, breach of contract, and minority shareholder oppression to recover his losses. He alleges that Defendants misrepresented information about the company’s financial health, and he relied on that information in deciding to invest.

Several months after Ritter sued, Defendants filed a Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition. Ritter filed a proof of claim for $45,000.00 and initiated this adversary proceeding, alleging the debt is non-dis-chargeable under 11 U.S.C. §§ 523(a)(2)(A), (a)(2)(B), (a)(4), and (a)(6).

Defendants’ motion for summary judgment, and Ritter’s cross motion for partial summary judgment are pending; the Court heard argument on September 15, 2014. Because there is a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the debt is non-dischargeable under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(B) only, Defendants’ motion is GRANTED IN PART; Ritter’s cross motion is DENIED.

II. BACKGROUND

Mrs. Smith owned Building Service Specialists, Inc. (“BSSI”), a commercial cleaning business; Mr. Smith was the Vice President.1 On November 17, 2011, Ritter signed a Letter of Intent to purchase 50% of BSSI’s common stock. The negotiations were finalized on December 2, 2011: Ritter and Mr. Smith signed an Agreement for the Purchase and Sale of Stock. Ritter paid $50,000.00 for 965 shares.2 At the time he sold his shares in October 2012 for $5,000.00, Ritter had received approximately $11,000.00 in dividend payments.

On April 18, 2013, BSSI sold its assets for $22,000.00 and dissolved. One month later, Ritter sued Defendants in Oakland County Circuit Court to recover his $45,000.00 loss; Defendants filed for personal bankruptcy protection five months later.3 This adversary proceeding followed.

Ritter alleges that Defendants induced his investment through fraud, misrepresentations, or omissions about BSSI’s operation and financial condition. In particular, Defendants misrepresented that BSSI had $100,000.00 in accounts receivable, no outstanding debts or liabilities, and would use Ritter’s contribution for working capital and operations.4 Ritter also says he was denied access to bank account information; and, Defendants prevented him from obtaining relevant financial information, failed to pay appropriate dividends, and made payments to themselves and [796]*796family members for work they did not perform. According to Ritter, at the time of his investment, BSSI’s actual value was far less than Defendants represented.

III. STANDARD OF REVIEW

Under Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, made applicable to this proceeding by Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 7056, summary judgment must be granted “if the movant shows that there are no genuine issues as to any material fact in dispute and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(a); CareToLive v. Food & Drug Admin., 631 F.Bd 336, 340 (6th Cir.2011). The standard for determining whether summary judgment is appropriate is whether “the evidence presents a sufficient disagreement to require submission to a jury or whether it is so one-sided that one party must prevail as a matter of law.” Pittman v. Cuyahoga County Dep’t of Children Servs., 640 F.3d 716, 723 (6th Cir.2011) (quoting Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 251-52, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986)). The Court must draw all justifiable inferences in favor of the party opposing the motion. Pluck v. BP Oil Pipeline Co., 640 F.3d 671, 676 (6th Cir.2011). However, the non-moving party may not rely on mere allegations or denials, but must “cit[e] to particular parts of materials in the record” as establishing that one or more material facts are “genuinely disputed.” Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(c)(1). A mere scintilla of evidence is insufficient; there must be evidence on which a jury could reasonably find for the non-movant. Hirsch v. CSX Transp., Inc., 656 F.3d 359, 362 (6th Cir.2011).

IV. ANALYSIS

Not every bankruptcy debt is discharge-able: there are certain exceptions enumerated in 11 U.S.C. § 523. These exceptions are strictly construed in favor of debtors (Defendants), and Ritter has the burden to prove every element by a preponderance of the evidence. Armbrustmacher v. Redburn (In re Redburn), 202 B.R. 917, 923 (Bankr.W.D.Mich.1996).

Ritter alleges that Defendants’ debt is non-dischargeable under four exceptions.

A. Statements Respecting the Debt- or’s or an Insider’s Financial Condition

11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A) and 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(B) are mutually exclusive: “[a]ll statements regarding a debt- or’s financial condition, whether written or oral, are expressly excluded from subsection (A). Rather, such a creditor must proceed under subsection (B) and satisfy the requirement that the statement of financial condition be in writing.” Prim Capital Corp. v. May (In re May), 2007 WL 2052185, at *5 (6th Cir. BAP July 19, 2007) (internal citations omitted).

1. 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A)

11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A) excepts from discharge “debt[s] for money, property, services, or an extension, renewal, or refinancing of credit, to the extent obtained by[] false pretenses, a false representation, or actual fraud,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
517 B.R. 793, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ritter-v-smith-in-re-smith-mieb-2014.