Thomas Capital Investment v. Pacific Thomas Corporation
Filing
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ORDER AFFIRMING JUDGMENT OF BANKRUPTCY COURT. Signed by Judge Maxine M. Chesney on December 8, 2016. (mmclc1, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 12/8/2016)
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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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In re
PACIFIC THOMAS CORPORATION,
dba PACIFIC THOMAS CAPITAL, dba
SAFE STORAGE,
Debtor.
_________________________________
United States District Court
Northern District of California
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Case No. 15-cv-06321-MMC
Bankruptcy Case No. 14-54232 MEH,
Adv. Proc. No. 14-05177
DECISION AFFIRMING JUDGMENT OF
BANKRUPTCY COURT
KYLE EVERETT, Chapter 11 Trustee
Plaintiff,
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v.
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THOMAS CAPITAL INVESTMENTS, a
Hawaiian domestic limited partnership,
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Defendant.
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Before the Court is defendant/appellant Thomas Capital Investments' ("TCI")
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appeal from the judgment entered December 8, 2015, in the United States Bankruptcy
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Court, in favor of Kyle Everett, the Chapter 11 trustee ("Trustee") for the estate of Pacific
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Thomas Corporation ("Debtor"). Having read and considered appellant's brief1 and the
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record on appeal, the Court rules as follows.
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On August 5, 2014, the Trustee commenced an adversary proceeding against
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TCI, in which the Trustee sought to avoid and recover from TCI transfers in the amount of
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$341,059.51, which transfers allegedly were made to TCI by or on behalf of the Debtor in
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violation of Title 11 of the United States Code. (See Compl., filed August 5, 2014, Ex.
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The Trustee, appellee herein, did not file a brief.
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1.)2 Of the amount sought, $107,794.88 had not been transferred to TCI by the Debtor,
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but, rather, by another entity, Pacific Trading Ventures ("PTV"). (See Supp. Brief, filed
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October 19, 2015, at 3:10-25.) With respect to the transfers by PTV, the parties
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appeared to agree that the funds transferred were rental payments collected by PTV from
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customers of a self-storage facility owned by the Debtor. The parties disagreed,
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however, as to whether the rental payments were the property of the Debtor or PTV, said
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dispute being centered on the nature of the contractual relationship between the Debtor
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and PTV. The Trustee took the position that the relationship was governed by a 2003
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management services agreement under which PTV collected rent on behalf of the
Debtor, i.e., that the rental payments were the property of the Debtor, whereas TCI took
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the position that the relationship was governed by a 2005 lease agreement whereby PTV
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leased the self-storage facility from the Debtor, i.e., that the rental payments were the
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property of PTV.
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After conducting a court trial, the bankruptcy court found the Trustee was entitled
to the total amount sought, specifically, $341,059.51.
In the instant appeal, TCI argues the bankruptcy court erred in finding the sums
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transferred to TCI by PTV were the property of the Debtor.3 In that regard, TCI first
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observes that, in a prior adversary proceeding brought by the Trustee against PTV and
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others, but not TCI, the bankruptcy court had found the lease agreement between the
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Debtor and PTV was invalid and that the contractual relationship between said entities
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was governed by the management services agreement.4 Based thereon, TCI contends
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Although the Trustee initially sought to avoid and recover the sum of $341,809.51
(see id.), the Trustee later withdrew its claim as to one transfer in the amount of $750
(see Trial Hearing Transcript at 47:10 - 48:3, 53:15-17, Everett v. Thomas Capital
Investments, Adv. No. 14-5117, Doc. No. 57 (N.D. Cal. Bankr.)).
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In its brief, TCI does not contend the bankruptcy court erred to the extent the
bankruptcy court found the Trustee was entitled to sums transferred to TCI by the Debtor.
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The judgment entered in the prior proceeding was affirmed by this Court. See
Everett v. Whitney (In Re Pacific Thomas Corp.), 2016 WL 2643679, at *5 (N.D Cal. May
10, 2016) (affirming judgment; finding bankruptcy court "did not err in finding the 2005
[l]ease was invalid and unenforceable").
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the bankruptcy court, in the instant adversary proceeding, erroneously determined that
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TCI was "bound" by the judgment entered against PTV in the prior adversary proceeding
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(see Opening Brief at 6:19-21), despite the fact that TCI was not a party to that action.
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As set forth below, the Court finds the bankruptcy court did not base its
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determination on a finding that TCI was bound by the bankruptcy court's decision in the
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prior adversary proceeding.
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First, the bankruptcy court found the Trustee had met its burden to show that the
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transfers to TCI by PTV were the property of the Debtor. As the bankruptcy court
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explained, the Trustee had served on TCI requests for admission in which TCI was asked
to admit (1) the Debtor and PTV were parties to a management services agreement in
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which PTV agreed to "provide property management services to [the] Debtor at [the]
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Debtor's self-storage facilities" and (2) each transfer made to TCI by PTV that the Trustee
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sought to avoid and recover was "a transfer of an interest of the Debtor in property" (see
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Memorandum Decision, filed December 8, 2015, at 2:5-6, 2:26, 3:2-12), after which TCI
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failed to respond to either such request (see id. at 2:6-7). As the bankruptcy court further
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explained, where a party fails to respond to a request for admission, the request is
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deemed "admitted," see Fed. R. Civ. P 36(a)(3), and such admitted matter is
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"conclusively established unless the court, on motion, permits the admission to be
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withdrawn or amended," see Fed. R. Civ. P. 36(b). Noting TCI "did not file a motion to
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withdraw its admissions" (see Memorandum Decision at 2:10), the bankruptcy court
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found the Trustee "had established by [TCI's] admissions that each Transfer was a
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transfer of an interest of the Debtor in property" (see id. at 2:11-12; 11:16-17).5
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Next, the bankruptcy court, although finding the Trustee, given TCI's admissions,
had established the subject transfers were the property of the Debtor, nonetheless
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TCI has not challenged the bankruptcy court's rulings with respect to the effect of
TCI's failure to respond to the Trustee's requests for admission.
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afforded TCI the "opportunity to introduce evidence in support of its defenses," including
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its defense that the transfers TCI received from PTV were the property of PTV (see id. at
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2:26, 3:8-12, 6:16-17; 11:16-17). 6 In that regard, to support its position that the
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contractual relationship between the Debtor and PTV was governed by the lease
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agreement and not the management services agreement, TCI offered testimony by one
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of its officers, documentary evidence and the "transcript from the trial in the prior
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adversary proceeding." (See id. at 11:17-20.) The bankruptcy court, while noting its prior
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ruling on the issue as presented in the earlier adversary proceeding, expressly
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acknowledged TCI's argument that TCI was not bound by such prior determination (see
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id. at 11:8-15), after which the bankruptcy court identified the evidence TCI had offered
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"[i]n this case" (see id. at 11:16), and made the following findings:
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On the basis of the evidence presented, the court does not find [TCI's]
argument persuasive in this adversary proceeding — particularly when taking
into consideration the testimony introduced through the prior trial transcript.
The evidence presented is insufficient to overcome [TCI's] admission that
each transfer was a transfer of an interest in Debtor's property.
(See id. at 11:16-24.)
The Memorandum Decision thus makes clear that the bankruptcy court's
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determination was based on the evidence presented at the trial conducted on the claims
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in the Trustee's complaint against TCI, i.e., "in this adversary proceeding" (see id.), and
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not based on a finding that TCI was bound by the bankruptcy court's decision in the prior
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adversary proceeding. Indeed, if the bankruptcy court was of the view that its prior
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determination was binding on TCI, there would have been no need to allow TCI to offer
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evidence and then determine whether or not such evidence was persuasive.
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In sum, as the bankruptcy court did not base its decision on a finding that TCI was
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bound by the determination in the prior proceeding, and TCI makes no other argument on
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appeal, TCI has failed to show it is entitled to any relief on appeal.
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The bankruptcy court made the ruling over objection by the Trustee. As the
Trustee has not filed a brief in response to TCI's appellate brief, the merits of such
objection are not before this Court.
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CONCLUSION
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For the reasons stated above, the judgment of the bankruptcy court is hereby
AFFIRMED.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
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Dated: December 8, 2016
MAXINE M. CHESNEY
United States District Judge
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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