Taburaza v. Zarate (In re Zarate)

567 B.R. 176
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. California
DecidedFebruary 2, 2017
DocketCase No. 14-42250 RLE; Adversary Proceeding No. 14-4119
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 567 B.R. 176 (Taburaza v. Zarate (In re Zarate)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Taburaza v. Zarate (In re Zarate), 567 B.R. 176 (Cal. 2017).

Opinion

Memorandum Decision on Plaintiffs’ Motion for Attorney’s Fees and Costs and Order Thereon

Roger L. Efremsky, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge

I. Introduction

On September 15, 2016, the court entered a stipulated judgment in favor of plaintiffs Joseph and Juliana Taburaza. The judgment states that defendants owe a non-dischargeable debt of $831,018.31 to plaintiffs. October 13, 2016, plaintiffs filed this motion for an award of attorney’s fees and costs as the prevailing party in the adversary proceeding. Defendants opposed this motion. The matter has been fully briefed and argued. This is the court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law as required by Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7052.1

II. Background

a. The 2005 Asset Purchase Agreement

In June 2005, the parties entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “APA”) by which defendants agreed to sell two skilled nursing facilities (the “Facilities”) to plaintiffs. Defendants operated the Facilities through Tru-Care, Inc., a California corporation. Defendants owned a 60% interest, and plaintiffs owned a 40% interest, in the Tru-Care shares and in the two pieces of real property (known as “Milpitas” and “Wisteria”) on which the Facilities operated. APA, Recital A.

The transaction contemplated by the APA was a transfer to plaintiffs of defendants’ Tru-Care shares or the Tru-Care assets, and of defendants’ 60% interest in Milpitas and Wisteria. At closing, plaintiffs were to pay the secured debt on Milpitas and Wisteria and assume certain obligations of the business including certain tax debts. APA, § 2.1-2.4.

Relevant to this dispute, Recital C of the APA described what plaintiffs agreed to pay as the “major obligations” and “estimated balances” related to Milpitas, Wisteria, and Tru-Care: two secured loans on Milpitas totaling $1,275,791; two secured loans on Wisteria totaling $812,188; $28,000 owed under a settlement agreement; $100,000 owed to an individual named Vicki Gaceta Smith; and estimated employment tax obligations of $400,000. APA, Recital C.

The closing was to take place 90 days after execution of the APA. APA, § 6.1. The defendants were to manage the Facilities until plaintiffs obtained the required regulatory approvals to operate the Facilities. APA, § 3.1. Section 3.1 stated that defendants would not incur any new liabilities except in the ordinary course of business during this interim period. Article 4 described defendants’ representations and warranties. Defendants represented that [180]*180there were no unpaid tax debts other than the $400,000 disclosed in Recital C, and that their representations were true and did not omit anything material. APA, § 4.1(d) and § 4.1(t).

If plaintiffs were unable to obtain the regulatory approvals by the contemplated 90-day closing date, plaintiffs could extend the closing date by 6 months. APA, § 8.1(a)(i). In addition, if the regulatory approvals were not obtained in the extended 6 month period, plaintiffs could either proceed or elect not to proceed with the purchase. APA, § 8.1(a)(ii).

Article 11, entitled Post Closing Covenants, contained the following provision:

11.6(a) Sellers agree to defend, indemnify and hold Buyers ... harmless from and against any and all loss, damage, liability, action or proceeding, including without limitation, attorney’s fees, (“Loss”) resulting from or arising out of (i) any inaccuracy in or breach of any representation, warranty, covenant, or obligation made or incurred by Sellers herein or in any other agreement.

Section 11.6(b) provided the same protection to Sellers. Section 11.6(c) described the procedures to be followed “[i]f any legal proceedings shall be instituted or any claim is asserted by any third party in respect of which any Party may be entitled to indemnity hereunder.” APA, § 11.6(c).

Article 12, entitled Miscellaneous, contained the following provision:

§ 12.9 Attorneys Fees. In event suit is brought or an attorney is retained by any party to this Agreement to enforce the terms of this Agreement or to collect any moneys due hereunder, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover reimbursement for reasonable attorneys’ fees, court costs, costs of investigation and other related expenses incurred in connection therewith.

b. The 2009 Amendment to the Asset Purchase Agreement.

For reasons that are not entirely clear, the closing did not take place as described in the APA and it may never have taken place. However, in 2009, the parties executed the First Amendment to Purchase Agreement and Assignment and Assumption Agreement (the “2009 Agreement”). The 2009 Agreement incorporated the provisions quoted above. It also stated that the parties had entered into a management agreement and a lease of the Milpitas and Wisteria real properties effective as of April 1, 2009 or the date plaintiffs received regulatory approval.

According to Recital C of the 2009 Agreement, the APA was amended to allow plaintiffs to waive their due diligence closing conditions, amend the closing date, amend certain representations and warranties in connection with the management agreement, and update the outstanding financial obligations relating to Milpitas and Wisteria and the business. 2009 Agreement, Recital C.

Section 6 of the 2009 Agreement, entitled Amended Financial Obligations, provided that Recital C of the APA was replaced with a new listing of the “major obligations” and their “estimated balances” as of April 1, 2009. The new list included the two secured loans on Milpitas with slightly lower balances totaling $1,193,437, and the two secured loans on Wisteria with slightly lower balances totaling $753,080; the same $100,000 owed to the individual named Vicki Gaceta Smith, and the same $400,000 estimated employment tax obligation. 2009 Agreement, § 6.

Plaintiffs later discovered defendants had failed to disclose significant liabilities. This prompted plaintiffs to sue defendants in state court for breach of contract and obtain a $1.34 million default judgment.

[181]*181c. The Complaint and Answer

Soon after defendants filed their bankruptcy ease, plaintiffs initiated this adversary proceeding. AP Docket no, 1. The first claim for relief was based on a theory of fraud in the inducement under § 523(a)(2)(A). The essential allegations were that defendants had, with intent to deceive, “misrepresented facts, concealed and failed to disclose” material facts in order to induce plaintiffs to enter into the 2009 Agreement, resulting in damage of $1.34 million. In the prayer, plaintiffs sought judgment for the amount of this debt plus pre-judgment interest, contractual attorneys fees, costs, and disbursements.2

Defendants answered the complaint, generally denying its essential allegations. AP docket no. 8.

d. The Summary Judgment Rulings

In July 2015, plaintiffs filed a motion for summary judgment. AP docket nos. 20-24, 26. In response, defendants admitted they had failed to disclose multiple material obligations and admitted that a debt of some amount was non-dischargeable but that plaintiffs had not established the amount of the damages resulting from the defendants’ non-disclosures. AP docket nos. 27-28.

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Bluebook (online)
567 B.R. 176, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/taburaza-v-zarate-in-re-zarate-canb-2017.