T.D. Farrell Construction, Inc. v. Schreiber (In re Schreiber)

466 B.R. 903
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedJanuary 26, 2012
DocketBankruptcy No. 06-30361-H5-7; Adversary No. 06-3681
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 466 B.R. 903 (T.D. Farrell Construction, Inc. v. Schreiber (In re Schreiber)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
T.D. Farrell Construction, Inc. v. Schreiber (In re Schreiber), 466 B.R. 903 (Tex. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

KAREN K. BROWN, Bankruptcy Judge.

Before the Court is the complaint of T.D. Farrell Construction, Inc. (Plaintiff Farrell), a Georgia company authorized to do business in Texas, seeking a judgment against debtor, Wendy Schreiber.

This case arose in connection with Farrell’s construction of Home Depot store # 6584 in Corpus Christi, Texas in 2002-2003. Farrell contracted with Monitor Trust to perform site preparation and utilities work for the building. Monitor Trust (Monitor) subcontracted with Town & Country Excavation, Inc. (Town & Country) to excavate and improve the real property selected for the project.

Specifically, Farrell seeks a judgment against debtor contending that she violated the Tex. Prop.Code § 162.001 et seq. (violation of the Texas Construction Trust Fund Act) and a determination that the judgment is not dischargeable under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(4) (defalcation in a fiduciary capacity) or § 523(a)(6) (willful and malicious injury to property of another). In addition, Farrell objects to debtor’s discharge under 11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(2)(B) (concealment of property of the estate after the filing of the petition with intent to hinder, delay or defraud); (a)(3) (failure to keep or preserve recorded information from which debtor’s financial condition could be ascertained), (a)(4)(A) (knowingly and fraudulently making a false oath or account), (a)(5) (failure to explain satisfactorily any loss of assets), and (a)(7)(committing acts in violation of § 727(a)(2), (3), (4), (5), or (6) on or within one year before the date of the petition, or during the case, in connection with another case, under the Bankruptcy Code or the Bankruptcy Act, concerning an insider.) In addition, Farrell objects to debtor’s exemptions.

In response, debtor agrees that she was a minority shareholder of Town & Country Excavation, Inc. Debtor denies any actions in violation of 11 U.S.C. §§ 523 or 727.

This Court has jurisdiction over this adversary proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1334 and § 157. This is a core proceeding.

I. Procedural History

On February 2, 2006, Wendy Schreiber filed a voluntary Chapter 7 petition. Farrell filed the instant complaint and both sides moved for summary judgment. Farrell moved for summary judgment on the basis that its state court judgment against others precluded debtor from litigating liability. The bankruptcy court ruled that debtor is not in privity with Town & Country for purposes of application of claim or issue preclusion. This ruling was affirmed on appeal. The district court further suggested that Farrell might use the judgment and other evidence to demonstrate that debtor is liable for Town & Country’s debt. Upon remand, this court tried the issues stated in the parties’ pleadings and joint pretrial statement. Unlike its allega[908]*908tions in its motion for summary judgment, Farrell’s complaint and the parties’ joint pretrial statement do not contend that debtor is liable to Farrell on the basis of the debt represented by that judgment. Rather, Farrell alleges that debtor, in her capacity as an officer of Town & Country, individually owed a duty under the Texas Construction Trust Fund Act to pay Town & Country’s suppliers and failed to do so, thereby establishing a debt for damages owed by debtor in favor of Farrell.

II. Facts

A. Wendy Schreiber’s Background and Work History

Wendy Schreiber was born December 14, 1979. At the time of the Home Depot construction she was 23. After graduating high school, Wendy Schreiber worked at Site Preparation, a construction site preparation company. Site Preparation worked on a number of Home Depot construction projects. There Schreiber trained to do preliminary estimates for site work. In 2000 the owner of Site Preparation died and the company closed.

1. Express Site Preparation

After Site Preparation closed, three of its employees, Bill Williams, Shawn Pidde-man, and Wendy Schreiber started a company, Express Site Preparation, to perform construction site work. Express Site Preparation was in business for only a year and closed when Piddeman moved out-of-state. Express Site Preparation was financially successful and performed site work on five jobs including three Home Depots. Wendy Schreiber saved approximately $150,000 from her earnings at Express Site Preparation.

2. Town & Country Excavation, Inc.

When Express Site Preparation ceased doing business, Williams and Kurt Codding, a former employee of Home Depot, invited Schreiber to join them to establish Town & Country Excavation, Inc. Kevin Robinson, another employee of Express Site Preparation agreed to act as consultant to Town & Country.1

When Town & Country was formed, Bill Williams was in his 60s and nearing retirement, Kurt Codding was 47, Kevin Robinson was 42, and Wendy Schreiber was 23. Initially, Williams was president, Codding was vice-president, and Wendy Schreiber was secretary.

Subsequently, in July or August 2002, Williams retired. At that point, Kurt Codding became president and took a 60% share of the corporate stock. Schreiber remained secretary of the company and a minority shareholder in the company with her interest at 40%.

From its inception date of January 4, 2002, until it ceased doing business in 2004, Town & Country grossed $7,526,905.46. Town & Country’s gross receipts for 2003 were $4.7 million. In addition to the shareholders, Town & Country employed Lester Shimonski, Chase Pasley, and Connie Aikens. Connie Aikens controlled the company’s computer server, input all invoices, printed all company cheeks, and compiled the company’s payment requests for the Home Depot Corpus Christi job.

B. Home Depot Corpus Christi

T.D. Farrell Construction, Inc., plaintiff and general contractor, was owned 100% by Timothy Farrell. T.D. Farrell Construction, Inc. contracted with Home Depot to build a retail store at 4014 S. Port [909]*909Avenue, Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas 78415, in 2002 to 2003, for $4,698,764.00. Home Depot paid T.D. Farrell Construction, Inc. in full under its contract.

Inasmuch as Kurt Codding had left Home Depot to start Town & Country Excavation, Inc., there was some concern that if Home Depot was aware that Farrell proposed to use Codding’s company as a subcontractor on the Home Depot Corpus Christi job, that Home Depot would not award T.D. Farrell the general construction contract. Monitor Trust had previously acted as sub-contractor to Town & Country, so it was proposed that Monitor Trust act as subcontractor with Farrell and Town & Country sub-sub-contract with Monitor Trust.

T.D. Farrell subcontracted the sitework and utilities for the Home Depot Corpus Christi project to Cyril B.

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466 B.R. 903, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/td-farrell-construction-inc-v-schreiber-in-re-schreiber-txsb-2012.