The court denied summary judgment on the Trustee's complaint for breach of contract, finding that an issue of fact remained as to whether the defendant waived or is estopped from asserting defenses provided for in the contract. The court granted summary judgment on the Trustee's complaint for contractual indemnification because the liabilities for which the Trustee sought indemnification were consequential damages subject to the contract's limitation of liability provision.
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Patrick M. Flatley
Date: 09/17/2009
Creditor stated a claim for defalcation against the debtor, an officer and director of an alleged insolvent corporation, for his alleged inappropriate use of corporate funds, based on rights transferred from the corporation to the creditor, and based on the fiduciary duties owed by the debtor to the creditor in his capacity as an officer and director of an alleged insolvent corporation.
Date: 08/11/2009
The court denied the Parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment on a complaint alleging that certain Family Court proceedings in state court violated the automatic stay pursuant to section 362(a)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code.
Date: 08/11/2009
The court sustained the unsecured creditor's objection to the Debtor's Disclosure Statement and Chapter 11 Plan, because of unreasonable and/or unnecessary expenses claimed by the Debtor on Schedule J. Also, the court denied the unsecured creditor's request for dismissal, finding no bad faith in the Debtor's filing of her petition.
Date: 07/29/2009
The court dismissed the Plaintiff's complaint, finding no grounds upon which to except from discharge the debt owed to the Plaintiff under sections 523(a)(2)(A), (4), and/or (6), and no grounds upon which to deny the Debtor a discharge under section 727(a)(4).
Date: 07/29/2009
Debtors' horse boarding and training operation did not qualify them as family farmers eligible for Chapter 12 relief.
Date: 07/24/2009
The creditor's motion for summary judgment on its section 727(a)(4)(A) cause of action to deny discharge is granted. The debtor made false oaths on his schedules and statements regarding his receipt of income and business ownership interests.
Date: 07/14/2009
Debtor's motion to turnover collateral repossessed by the secured creditor pre-petition is granted. The secured creditor's motion for relief from the automatic stay is continued, and the debtor is ordered to make adequate protection payments to the secured creditor pending a confirmation hearing on the debtor's proposed Chapter 13 plan.
Date: 07/02/2009
The court denied the trustee's proposed order, which set forth a procedure for the court to authorize payments from the corpus of the Debtor's 401(k) Plan to cover the costs of terminating the Plan. The court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to enter the order, because the Plan is not an asset of the bankruptcy estate and the proceedings to be conducted under the order would have no effect on the administration of the bankruptcy case.
Date: 05/29/2009
The filing of the LLC's bankruptcy case is an authorized act under its operating agreement. The Chapter 11 case is converted to Chapter 7 under section 1112(b) for gross mismanagement and failure to timely file operating reports.
Date: 05/19/2009
Automatic stay extended to non-debtor third parties when the third parties share an identity with the debtor such that the debtor may be said to be the real party defendant
Date: 04/17/2009
Creditor's complaint to except a debt from discharge under sections 523(a)(2) and 523(a)(4) of the Bankruptcy Code is denied.
Date: 03/31/2009
Cross motions for summary judgment asserted the issue preclusive effects of a default judgment taken from state court in the context of a section 523 adversary proceeding. Court applied California's issue preclusion doctrine and found that a default judgment did not expressly or necessarily decide the issue of fraud under section 523(a)(2)(A) or willful and malicious injury under section 523(a)(6).
Date: 03/25/2009
Creditor's motion to convert under section 1112(b) of the Bankruptcy Code is conditionally granted because the Debtors have not proposed a plan that is capable of meeting the confirmation requirement of section 1129(a)(10).
Date: 03/16/2009
Creditor is entitled to an allowed claim against the debtor’s estate on an unjust enrichment theory of recovery.
Date: 03/13/2009
The court granted creditor's motion to exercise its setoff rights against the debtor's general deposit accounts pursuant to section 553.
Date: 02/09/2009
Debtor's adversary proceeding seeking damages against a former employee for breach of an employment agreement with the debtor's company is denied. Pro se employee's claim against the Debtor for unpaid wages is denied.
Date: 02/04/2009
Motion for relief from the automatic stay to pursue litigation against the debtor in state court is granted.
Date: 01/28/2009
The debtor did not wholly exempt her real property by declaration when she listed the property's value at $21,000, and claimed an exemption in the property in the amount of $21,000. The claimed exemption was proper considering that the West Virginia Code's statutory bankruptcy homestead exemption is $25,000, and there were an absence of "red flags" to communicate to the debtor's Chapter 7 trustee that the debtor intended to exempt her real property regardless of its actual value.
Date: 01/12/2009
The court denied the Plaintiff's motion for summary judgment on causes of action arising under sections 523(a)(2)(A), (4), (6), and 727(a)(4) of the Bankruptcy Code.