Rose v. Reaves (In re Rose)

574 B.R. 141
CourtDistrict Court, D. Arizona
DecidedMay 3, 2017
DocketNo. 2:16-cv-3868-HRH
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 574 B.R. 141 (Rose v. Reaves (In re Rose)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rose v. Reaves (In re Rose), 574 B.R. 141 (D. Ariz. 2017).

Opinion

ORDER

H. Russel Holland, United States District Judge

Appellants/defendants Jack D. Rose and [146]*146Vanessa Palma Rose appeal1 the bankruptcy court’s order and judgment denying a discharge under sections 727(a)(2)(A) and 727(a)(4)(A) of the Bankruptcy Code. Oral argument was not requested and is not deemed necessary.

Background2

Jack Rose was a real estate developer whose business was adversely affected by the real estate market crash in 2007 and 2008. Mr. Rose is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School. Vanessa Rose is a registered nurse and her role in Mr. Rose’s business was to sign papers, such as personal guarantees, upon request.

In approximately February of 2010, Mu-been Aliniazee formed the entity Highpoint Management Solutions LLC (“Highpoint”). Aliniazee was a former employee as well as a personal friend of Mr. Rose.

In approximately May 2010, the Roses began using a bank account maintained in Highpoint’s name. The Roses deposited their own funds into the Highpoint account and Highpoint created a ledger to track these deposits The Highpoint ledger also tracked any payments made out of the Highpoint account on the Roses’ behalf. The Roses deposited their state income tax refund into the Highpoint account in December 2010 and their federal income tax refund in February 2011. These two deposits into the Highpoint account totaled approximately $800,000. Mr. Rose and Highpoint entered into written agreements regarding the deposit of the tax refunds into the Highpoint account, one for each of the tax refund deposits. In addition to the two tax refund deposits, the Roses made eleven other deposits into the Highpoint account between May 27, 2010 and May 5, 2011, totaling $411,285.82 in all.

Highpoint issued checks from the account at the direction of Mr. Rose. In addition, Mr. Rose had a debit card for this account. The money deposited in the Highpoint account by the Roses was primarily used to pay lawyers, including Mr. Rose’s defense attorney3 and the Roses’ bankruptcy counsel. In addition, at least one creditor (Irene Beard/Touch Stone) was paid out of the Highpoint account as were the Roses’ accountants. The Highpoint account was also used to pay personal expenses of the Roses. Mr. Rose testified that he used the Highpoint account because he had no other bank account and he needed to pay his attorneys. Mr. Rose testified that he had no intent to conceal the funds in the Highpoint account and that he had no intent to defraud his other creditors by using the Highpoint account to pay his attorneys.

In June 2010, Meridian Bank NA (“Meridian”) obtained an $8 million judgment against the Roses. Meridian pursued collection by garnishing the Roses’ bank ac- , counts. In December 2010, Mr. Rose closed ’ his bank account at Washington Federal after it was garnished by Meridian. Meridian also served a writ of garnishment on Highpoint in December 2010. This garnishment was limited to funds in the account that constituted earnings of the Roses and was not a general garnishment of assets. Highpoint denied paying earn-[147]*147mgs to Mr. Rose.4 As part of its collection efforts, Meridian also served document subpoenas on the Roses and sought, among other documents, “[sjtatements on all checking and savings accounts maintained by or on behalf of the named Defen-danVJudgment Debtor in any depository, wherever located....”5 The Roses provided no information about the Highpoint account in response to this request.

On May 6, 2011, the Roses filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. As part of their case, the Roses filed schedules, a statement of financial affairs (“SOFA”), an amended SOFA, amended Schedules A, B, and C, amended Schedules B and F, and a final amended SOFA. The Roses each read these various schedules, statements, and amendments before signing them. The Roses signed all of these filings under oath, knowing that their creditors would rely on them and after being warned of possible sanctions for making a false statement.

The Roses’ Schedules listed thirty general unsecured creditors with claims totaling more than $35 million.6 The SOFAs listed more than fifty entities in which the Roses’ had an interest, twenty-one lawsuits involving the Roses’ in some capacity, and five foreclosure actions against real estate owned by the Roses.7

The Roses’ initial SOFA did not list the funds deposited into the Highpoint account or otherwise mention the Highpoint account. The Highpoint account was also not listed on the Roses’ initial Schedule B. Mr. Rose believed that at the time the Roses filed their petition, there were no Rose funds left in the Highpoint account, but there was in fact $1,325.41 in the account. The Roses’ September 2013 amendment of Schedule B was the first time the Highpoint account was listed.

On June 7, 2011, the United States Trustee conducted a meeting of creditors. The Highpoint account was not mentioned or discussed during the June 7 meeting. This meeting was relatively short because of Mrs. Rose’s work schedule and the Trustee’s availability.8 The meeting was continued to June 30, 2011. At the June 30, 2011 meeting, Mr. Róse was questioned extensively about the Highpoint account. After the creditors’ meeting, Highpoint produced a copy of the Highpoint ledger and bank statements from the Highpoint account.

On November 16, 2011, plaintiff David Reaves was appointed as Chapter 11 trustee. Copies of the Highpoint ledger and Highpoint account bank statements were forwarded to him.

On January 9, 2012, the Roses’ bankruptcy case was converted to a Chapter 7 liquidation case. Reaves was appointed the Chapter 7 trustee.

On May 23, 2012, Reaves commenced an adversary proceeding seeking to deny the Roses a Chapter 7 discharge pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §§ 727(a)(2)(A), 727(a)(4)(A), and 727(a)(7). After four days of trial testimony and post-trial briefing and argument, on September 27, 2016, the bankruptcy court [148]*148entered its Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order. The bankruptcy court concluded that Mr, Rose had violated sections 727(a)(2)(A) and 727(a)(4)(A), but that Mrs. Rose had not. The bankruptcy court also concluded that there had been no violation of section 727(a)(7) by either of the Roses. The bankruptcy court thus ordered that Mr. Rose and the marital community of Jack D. Rose and Vanessa Pal-ma Rose would not be granted a discharge in their bankruptcy case. Judgment to that effect was entered on September 29, 2016.

On November 7, 2016, the Roses filed an appeal of the bankruptcy court’s order and judgment denying a discharge under sections 727(a)(2)(A) and 727(a)(4)(A).

Standard of Review

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Bluebook (online)
574 B.R. 141, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rose-v-reaves-in-re-rose-azd-2017.