Shearer v. Tepsic (In Re Emergency Monitoring Technologies, Inc.)

366 B.R. 476, 2007 Bankr. LEXIS 1625, 48 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 63, 2007 WL 1433465
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 16, 2007
Docket19-70046
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 366 B.R. 476 (Shearer v. Tepsic (In Re Emergency Monitoring Technologies, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shearer v. Tepsic (In Re Emergency Monitoring Technologies, Inc.), 366 B.R. 476, 2007 Bankr. LEXIS 1625, 48 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 63, 2007 WL 1433465 (Pa. 2007).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

m. bruce McCullough, Bankruptcy Judge.

Robert Shearer, the Chapter 7 Trustee for the bankruptcy estate of Emergency Monitoring Technologies, Inc., the instant debtor (hereafter respectively “the Trustee” and “the Debtor”), commenced the instant adversary proceeding so as to avoid as preferential and/or fraudulent several transfers (or alleged transfers) that occurred between the Debtor and Steve Tepsic, the instant defendant (hereafter “Tepsic”). The genesis for such transfers is a stock redemption transaction that occurred between the Debtor and Tepsic in August 1999, and the Trustee seeks as well to avoid as fraudulent such stock redemption transaction. Tepsic moves for summary judgment in his favor with respect to the entirety of the Trustee’s complaint (Doc. # 17), 1 and the Trus *479 tee essentially moves for summary judgment in his favor with respect to the avoidance of all of the transfers that he seeks to avoid other than the aforesaid August 1999 stock redemption transaction (Doc. #29). For the reasons set forth below, the Court grants to the Trustee much, but not all, of the relief that he seeks in his summary judgment motion.

SUMMARY JUDGMENT STANDARD

The law regarding summary judgment adjudication is succinctly set forth as follows:

On a summary judgment motion, the movant must show that “there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(c). Once the movant satisfies this initial burden, then the non-movant must respond with information to the contrary or it will lose. Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(e).

National State Bank v. Federal Reserve Bank, 979 F.2d 1579, 1581-1582 (3rd Cir. 1992) (citing Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323-25, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552-54, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986)). “If the nonmoving party has the burden of persuasion at trial, [then] ‘the party moving for summary judgment may meet its burden [of showing that it is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law] by showing that the eviden-tiary materials of record, if reduced to admissible evidence, would be insufficient to carry the nonmovant’s burden of proof at trial.’ ” Jalil v. Avdel Corp., 873 F.2d 701, 706 (3rd Cir.1989) (citing Chipollini v. Spencer Gifts, Inc., 814 F.2d 893, 896 (3rd Cir.1987), which case, in turn, cites Celotex, 477 U.S. 317, 106 S.Ct. at 2555, 91 L.Ed.2d 265); see also Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323, 106 S.Ct. at 2552 (same).

Where the party moving for summary judgment is the plaintiff, or the party who bears the burden of proof at trial, the standard is more stringent. The Third Circuit has stated that “where the movant bears the burden of proof at trial and the motion does not establish the absence of a genuine factual issue, the district court should deny summary judgment even if no opposing evidentia-ry matter is presented.”

National State Bank, 979 F.2d at 1582 (citing Resolution Trust Corp. v. Gill, 960 F.2d 336, 340 (3rd Cir.1992)).

Given the foregoing statement of the law, it is not surprising that a factual dispute itself, as a matter of law, can be viewed as

“genuine” only if the evidence is such [regarding the fact subject to dispute] that a reasonable jury[, with respect to such factual dispute,] could return a verdict for the nonmoving party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247-49, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2510, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 ([U.S.] 1986); Equimark Comm. Finance Co. v. C.I.T. Financial Serv. Corp., 812 F.2d 141, 144 (3d Cir.1987). If evidence is “merely colorable” or “not significantly probative,” summary judgment may be granted. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249-51, 106 S.Ct. at 2511; Equimark, 812 F.2d at 144. Where the record, taken as a whole, could not “lead a rational trier of fact to find for the non-moving party, summary judgment is proper.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio, 475 U.S. 574, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 1356, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 ([U.S.] 1986).

Hankins v. Temple University, 829 F.2d 437, 440 (3rd Cir.1987).

Also important to note is that, even if a genuine factual dispute is shown to exist, such showing may not necessarily suffice to preclude the entry of a summary judgment. Indeed,

the mere existence of some alleged factual dispute between the parties will not defeat an otherwise properly supported motion for summary judgment; the re *480 quirement is that there be no genuine issue of material fact.
As to materiality, the substantive law will identify which facts are material. 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 that are irrelevant or unnecessary will not be counted.

Anderson, 477 U.S. at 247-48, 106 S.Ct. at 2510 (emphasis theirs).

All of the foregoing notwithstanding, “at the summary judgment stage the judge’s function is not himself to weigh the evidence and determine the truth of the matter but to determine whether there is a genuine issue for trial.” Id., 477 U.S. at 249, 106 S.Ct. at 2511. Therefore, any evidence that the movant presents in an attempt to carry its initial summary judgment burden “must be viewed in the light most favorable to the non-moving party.” National State Bank, 979 F.2d at 1581 (citing O’Donnell v. United States, 891 F.2d 1079, 1081-82 (3rd Cir.1989)). As well, “ ‘the court must accept as true all reasonable inferences that favor the non-moving party. However, ... [a court] may only consider reasonable inferences; ... [it] may not improperly consider those inferences that are unreasonable.’ ” Elwell v. PP & L, Inc., 47 Fed.Appx.

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366 B.R. 476, 2007 Bankr. LEXIS 1625, 48 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 63, 2007 WL 1433465, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shearer-v-tepsic-in-re-emergency-monitoring-technologies-inc-pawb-2007.