Tradex Global Master Fund SPC Ltd. v. Chui

559 B.R. 520, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136194, 2016 WL 5719436
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. California
DecidedSeptember 30, 2016
DocketNo. C 15-04744 WHA; Br. No. 12-30953 HLB; Adv. Proc. No. 12-3102 HLB
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 559 B.R. 520 (Tradex Global Master Fund SPC Ltd. v. Chui) 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
Tradex Global Master Fund SPC Ltd. v. Chui, 559 B.R. 520, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136194, 2016 WL 5719436 (Cal. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER AFFIRMING DECISION OF BANKRUPTCY COURT

WILLIAM ALSUP, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

INTRODUCTION

In this appeal of an adversary proceed-ing relating to appellee’s bankruptcy pro-ceedings, appellants contend that the bankruptcy court should have given pre-clusive effect to a cease and desist order from the Securities and Exchange Com-mission. For the reasons stated below, the decision of the bankruptcy court is Af-FIRMED.

STATEMENT

Appellee Benjamin Pui-Yun Chui was an investment advisor registered with the Se-curities and Exchange Commission who managed (via an investment management company) several segregated portfolio funds. Among the funds that Chui man-aged was the American Pegasus Auto Loan Fund.

Appellant Tradex Global Master Fund SPC, Ltd., operated as a segregated port-folio company, and appellant Tradex Global Advisors LLC was the investor for the segregated portfolio company (collectively, [522]*522“Tradex”). In 2006, Tradex began evaluat-ing whether to invest in APALF. Throughout 2006 and 2007, Chui and his colleagues made several presentations to Tradex encouraging it to invest in APALF and issued an offering memorandum. The presentations and offering memorandum promoted APALF as a niche hedge fund comprising sub-prime auto loans that sourced its assets from multiple auto-loan suppliers.

Tradex invested nearly two million dol-lars in APALF with four separate invest-ments between March 2007 and August 2008. Although Tradex redeemed some of its investment in the regular course of business without problem, when it sought to redeem all that remained of its investment in late 2008, the investment had been lost.

In 2009, the Securities and Exchange Commission conducted an audit of Chui’s business dealings and opened a formal in-vestigation in 2010, Before the SEC filed formal charges, Chui offered to settle with the SEC. In December 2010, the SEC issued an “Order Instituting Administra-tive and Cease and Desist Proceedings.” The order set forth the following findings, noting that Chui, his colleagues, and his investment funds consented to the order “without admitting or denying the findings [tjherein” (Appx. Exh. 11 at 220).

The SEC order found as follows. In June 2007, Chui, via a holding company, bought Synergy Acceptance Corp., which supplied portfolios of auto loans to APALF. Chui financed the purchase with more than eighteen million dollars from APALF, including a loan of more than thirteen million dollars to finance the ac-quisition of Synergy Acceptance. Synergy Acceptance became the sole supplier of auto loans and servicing for APALF, and Synergy Acceptance derived virtually all of its income from APALF. This created a pervasive conflict of interest. Chui and his colleagues did not disclose the purchase of Synergy Acceptance to the independent directors of Chui’s investment management company until March 2009, and in-vestors did not learn of it until the SEC’s audit in April 2009.

The SEC order further' found that be-tween 2007 and 2009, Chui directed APALF to loan approximately twelve mil-lion dollars (unsecured) to several other funds operated by his investment management company. This generated a further conflict of interest, and Chui did not ap-prise the independent directors of his in-vestment fund of these loans.

Accordingly, the SEC found that al-though the offering memorandum for APALF indicated that its objective was to purchase only sub-prime auto loans, Unit-ed States Treasury securities, and inter-est-rate derivatives, forty percent of APALF’s assets consisted of loans to Chui’s investment company, its parent, and another fund—not auto loans.

Meanwhile, the SEC order found, Chui continued to represent that APALF sourced its auto loans from multiple inde-pendent funds (not solely Synergy Accep-tance) and never disclosed his conflict of interest due to his stake in Synergy Accep-tance or APALF’s assets that did not meet its stated objectives. Thus, the SEC con-cluded that Chui had engaged in fraudu-lent conduct in violation of various securities laws and ordered Chui to cease and desist from engaging in further similar conduct and from working as an investment advisor.

As stated, Chui consented to entry of the SEC order but did not admit or deny the facts represented therein, as follows (Appx. Exh. 11 at 2):

In anticipation of the institution of these proceedings, Respondents have submit-[523]*523ted Offers of Settlement (the “Offers”) which the Commission has determined to accept. Solely for the purpose of these proceedings and any other proceedings brought by or on behalf of the Commission, or to which the Commission is a party, and without admitting or denying the findings herein, except as to the commission’s jurisdiction over them and the subject matter of these proceedings, which are admitted, Respondents con-sent to the entry of this Order Institut-ing Administrative and Cease-and-De-sist Proceedings....

Chui petitioned for Chapter 7 bankrupt-cy in 2012. Chui’s bankruptcy case pro-ceeded before Judge Thomas E. Carlson (Bk. Case No. 12-30953). During the pen-dency of Chui’s bankruptcy proceeding, Tradex commenced the instant adversary proceeding against Chui seeking an exception to discharge in his bankruptcy. Judge Hannah L. Blumenstiel heard the adver-sary proceeding in the bankruptcy court (Adv. Proc. Case No. 12-3102).

In its complaint, Tradex alleged that had it known the true facts of Chui’s conduct as reflected in the SEC order, it would not have invested in APALF or would have withdrawn its investment earlier. Tradex sought a determination that its claim for damages resulting from Chui’s alleged misrepresentations could not be dis-charged in his bankruptcy proceedings.

Tradex moved for summary judgment that its damages from Chui’s conduct were not dischargeable in bankruptcy. Tradex argued, inter alia, that the SEC’s order preclusively established a debt resulting from a violation of securities law and thus could not be discharged in bankruptcy. Following full briefing, the bankruptcy court issued a tentative ruling denying Tradex’s motion because the SEC order did not meet the requirements for collateral estoppel against Chui (Appx. Exh. 14). Oral argument was held in January 2015. At oral argument, Tradex asked the bank-ruptcy court to consider an academic arti-cle and a decision from the Seventh Cir-cuit, raised for the first time in its reply and not addressed in the tentative ruling -(Appx. Exh. 15 at 279).

In its final order on Tradex’s motion for summary judgment, the bankruptcy court thoroughly examined the authority cited for the first time in Tradex’s reply and found it unpersuasive. Thus, the bankrupt-cy court’s order held that the SEC order did not preclusively establish a non-dis-chargeable securities violation and factual disputes existed requiring a trial.

After a two-day trial on the merits and post-trial briefing, the bankruptcy court issued a memorandum opinion finding that the evidence insufficient to establish that Chui had committed the alleged securities violations (Appx., Exh. 22). Judgment in favor of Chui was entered accordingly (Appx., Exh. 23).

Tradex now appeals the denial of its motion for summary judgment, contending that the bankruptcy court should have given the SEC order preclusive effect. Tra-dex’s appeal does not concern the findings and conclusions following the trial or any other basis for the denial of its motion for summary judgment.

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559 B.R. 520, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136194, 2016 WL 5719436, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tradex-global-master-fund-spc-ltd-v-chui-canb-2016.