Securities & Exchange Commission v. Danning (In re Carter)

55 B.R. 543, 1985 Bankr. LEXIS 4893
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, C.D. California
DecidedNovember 26, 1985
DocketBankruptcy No. SA 83-05415-RP; Adv. Nos. 84-0476, 84-0480
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 55 B.R. 543 (Securities & Exchange Commission v. Danning (In re Carter)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Securities & Exchange Commission v. Danning (In re Carter), 55 B.R. 543, 1985 Bankr. LEXIS 4893 (Cal. 1985).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW RE SEC’S SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTION AND CO-TRUSTEES’ MOTION THAT FUNDS HELD BY CO-TRUSTEES ARE PROPERTY OF THE DEBTORS’ ESTATE

Hearing

RALPH G. PAGTER, Bankruptcy Judge.

On September 9, 1985 the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“Commission”) “Motion for Summary Judgment” (“Summary Judgment Motion”) in the above-captioned adversary proceedings and the “Co-Trustees’ Motion for Order Determining That Funds Held By The Co-Trustees Are Property Of The Debtors’ Estate” (“Co-Trustees’ Motion”) came on for hearing before the undersigned United States Bankruptcy Judge in the above-captioned Court. Theodore B. Stolman and Michael H. Goldstein appeared on behalf of the Co-Trustees; James A. Shalvoy appeared on behalf of the Commission; and Bruce Emard appeared on behalf of the Creditors’ Committee.

Having considered the pleadings and accompanying declarations filed, the arguments and representations of counsel, all pleadings and documents in this bankruptcy case and these adversary proceedings, and this Court’s “Memorandum Opinion Granting Co-Trustees’ Motion for Order Determining Nature of Funds, Denying The Motion Of The SEC For Summary Judgment and Granting Summary Judgment To The Co-Defendant Trustees,” the Court herein sets forth its “Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law Re SEC’s Summary Judgment Motion and Co-Trustees’ Motion That Funds Held by Co-Trustees are Property of Debtors’ Estate.” The Court’s Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law herein apply to the Commission’s Summary Judgment Motion and the Co-Trustees’ Motion.

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. This Court has jurisdiction over these adversary proceedings pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1471; Section 404 of Public Law 95-598; Local Rules governing Bankruptcy proceedings of the United States District Court, Central District of California, dated December 27, 1982; 11 U.S.C. § 541(d); 11 U.S.C. § 105; 11 U.S.C. § 103(a); and Bankruptcy Rule 7001.

2. Plaintiff Commission is a governmental agency of the United States expressly charged, inter alia, with enforcement of the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is vested with the power to bring civil actions in any district court of the United States to enjoin violations thereof and make requests for and prosecute ancillary relief for the benefit .of public investors in such actions.

3. On November 25, 1983, the Commission filed a Complaint for Injunction and Other Equitable Relief in the United States District Court for the Central District of California against Thomas D. Carter (“Carter”), individually and doing business as “The Carter Company” (“Carter Company”), and Tom Carter Enterprises, Inc. (“Tom Carter Enterprises”), among others (collectively “Carter entities”).

4. The Commission’s Complaint alleged violations by the Carter entities of the anti-fraud and registration provisions of the federal securities laws.

5. Based on evidence submitted by the Commission, the district court granted a temporary restraining order and froze all of the assets of the defendants, including $4,664,413.65 contained in various Carter controlled bank accounts.

6. Shortly thereafter, the Carter entities filed in this Court .voluntary petitions [545]*545for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code (“Code”).

7. Each of the debtors consented to the appointment of defendants Curtis B. Canning (“Danning”) and James J. Joseph (“Joseph”) as Co-Trustees.

8. The trustees demanded that the Commission turn over to them the $4,664,-413.65, asserting that it constituted property of the debtors’ estates.

9. The Commission took the position that the funds belonged to defrauded public investors in the fictitious Carter medical factoring business and should be the subject of a constructive trust in their favor.

10. The Commission entered into a stipulation with the trustees which conditionally released to the trustees the $4,664,-413.65.

11. The stipulation was ordered implemented by the district court on March 12, 1984.

12. Pursuant to the terms of the stipulation, the trustees took possession of the funds without prejudice to the rights of any person to impose a constructive trust on all or some of the $4,664,413.65.

13. The trustees agreed to segregate the money, to direct their accountants to prepare an analysis tracing the source of the funds within 90 days of the district court’s order, and to petition this Court for instructions regarding distribution of the funds.

14. At the request of the trustees, the time in which to complete the analysis was extended to August 15, 1984.

15. The trustees request for an additional two-month extension in which to complete the analysis was not agreed to by the Commission.

16. By letter dated October 23, 1984, Joseph forwarded to the Commission the accountant’s analysis of the bank accounts.

17. The accountants’ analysis has been filed with this Court and is attached as Exhibit 3 to the Commission’s Summary Judgment Motion.

18. The trustees filed their Motion for Order Determining That Funds Held by Co-Trustees Are Property of the Debtors’ Estate” on or about August 9, 1985.

19. Notice of the Co-Trustees’ Motion was given to all creditors of the debtors herein.

20. Tom Carter Enterprises was incorporated in the State of California in 1981 and was located at the same address as the Carter Company.

21. Carter was president and a shareholder of Tom Carter Enterprises.

22. Concept 80 is an entity with offices located in Anaheim, California.

23. Funds in five separate accounts, to-talling $4,664,413.65, were transferred to defendants pursuant to the stipulation entered into between defendants and plaintiff.

24. All monies taken in by the Carter entities were deposited into account 117, the “master account.”

25. Payments from account 117 were made exclusively to account 118, the “disbursing account.”

26. Payments from account 118 were made variously to investors, Carter controlled entities, account 115 (Tom Carter Enterprises general purpose account), and account 116 (Tom Carter Enterprises payroll account).

27. Although the $4,664,413.65 represents money received from investors, no individual investor’s money can be specifically traced to the $4,664,413.65 except for the approximate $64,000 which was on hand in account 117 at the time Carter’s bank accounts were frozen.

28. The Carter Company books and records contained no payments, receipts, or billings whatsoever from or to any doctor, medical group, or insurance company which indicated the existence of any medical factoring business.

29. There were no corporate ledgers contained in the Carter entities’ business records.

[546]*54630.

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55 B.R. 543, 1985 Bankr. LEXIS 4893, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/securities-exchange-commission-v-danning-in-re-carter-cacb-1985.