T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by N i nth C i r c ui tR ul e 36- 3.

Th e H o n o r ab l e Ed w a r d R. K o rma n , Se n i o rD i s tr i c tJ u d g e f o rth e U . S. ** D i s tr i c tC our tf

orE a s t e rn N e w Y ork, B r ookl y n, s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on.

NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T A . C. SPI CER, T ru s te e - A p p e lla n t, v. S A R A H C E C C O N I ; e t a l., A p p el l ees. N o. 09- 17111 D . C . N o . 5 : 0 7 -cv -0 3 6 3 6 -JW ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e N o r th e rn D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia J a m e s W a r e , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d N ove m be r4, 2010 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B ef ore: G O U L D and C A L L A H A N , C i rc ui tJudg es , and K O R M A N , S eni or D i stri ct Judg e. ** T he T rus t e e f

orE nz o G i us e ppe C e c c oni ’ s ba nkrupt c y e s t a t e appe a l s f r om th e B a n k ru p tc yC o u r t’s d e te rm in a tio n th a t, b e c a u s e S a r a h C o le m a n C e c c o n i, 

# FI LED FEB 15 2 011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALST he part i es ar e f am i l i arw i th the fa ct s a nd w e r epea tthem here on l y a s 1 ne c e s s a ry t o e xpl a i n ourde c i s i on. 2 E n z o ’s w if

e , n e v e rin te n d e dto g iv e E n z o a n y in te r e s t in h e rp r o p e r tie s in P e b b le Be a c h , Ca l i f

o rn i a , En z o h a s n o i n t e r e s ti n th e p r o p e r ty . W e a f f i rm. 1 W e i nde pe nde nt l y r e vi e w the ba nkrupt c y c our t ’ s de c i s i on, gi vi ng no d e f e r e n c e to th e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s d e te rm in a tio n s . Fr ie dm a n E n te rs . v . B .U .M. I n t’ l, I n c . ( I n r e B .U .M. I n t’ l, I n c .) , 22 9 F . 3d 82 4, 82 7 (9th C i r. 20 00 ). “ T he bank rupt cy c our t ’ s i nt e rpr e t a t i on of the appl i c abl e l a w i s r e vi e w e d de novo, a nd i t s f i ndi ngs of fa ctar e r evi ew ed for c l ea r e rr or. ” Id a t828. U nde rthi s s t a nda r d, w e m a y not

“ r e ve r s e al ow e rc our t ’ s f i ndi ng of f a c ts i m pl y be c aus e w e w oul d ha ve de c i de d the ca se di ff er ent l y; ” r ather w e “ m ustas k w hether, on the ent i re evi dence, [w e a re ] l ef t w i th the defi ni t e a nd fi rm conv i ct i on thata m i st ake has been com m i tt ed. ” E asley v . Cr o m a r tie , 532 U . S . 234, 242 ( 2001) ( i nt e rna l quot a t i on m a rks a nd c i t a t i ons om i tt e d) . W e ha ve not e d tha t“ [ w ] he r e the r e a r e tw o pe rm i s s i bl e vi e w s of the evi dence, the fa ct fi nd er ’ s c ho i ce betw ee n them ca nn otbe cl ea rl y e rr on eous. ” R uf i no v . U ni te d State s (

I n r e R i f i no) , 245 F . 3d 1083, 1086 ( 9th C i r . 2001) ( quot i ng An de rs o n v . Ci t y o f Be s s e m e rCi t

y, N. C. , 470 U . S . 564, 574 ( 1985) (i nt ernal qu ot at i on m arks om i tt ed).3

A ppl y i ng thi s s t a nda r d of r e vi e w , w e c onc l ude tha tthe r e i s c l e a ra nd conv i nci ng evi dence t o sup po rtthe B ankrup t cyC ou rt ’ s f i nd i ng s that(1) S ar ah n e v e rin te n d e d to g iv e E n z o a b e n e f ic ia l in te r e s t in th e p r o p e r ty , e v e n w h e n h is n a m e w a s p la c e d o n a title , ( 2 ) S a r a h f in a n c e d th e p u r c h a s e o f th e p r o p e r ty s o le ly throu gh her s epar at e property, and (3) S ar ah and E nzo b oth t es t i fi ed cr edi bl y that n e ith e rin te n d e d f

o rE n z o to h o ld a n y b e n e f ic ia l title in th e p r o p e r ty . A l though the pl a c e m e ntof E nz o’ s na m e on the 1984 gr a ntde e d m a y ha ve g iv e n r is e to a g if

t p r e s u m p tio n , s e e Soc ol v . Ki ng , 36 C al . 2d 34 2, 34 8 (19 50 ), s u c h ap r e s u m p tio n c a n b e r e b u tte d b y p a r o l e v id e n c e . O w i n gs v. L a u g h a rn , 53 C a l . A pp. 2d 789, 792 ( 1942) . H e r e , S a r a h a nd E nz o’ s c r e di bl e t e s t i m ony a nd e vi de nc e r e butt e d a ny gi f tpr e s um pt i on tha ta r os e f r om the 1984 gr a ntde e d. S i m i l a r l y , the T rus t e e ’ s c ha l l e nge t o the B a nkrupt c y C our t ’ s de t e rm i na t i on tha tS a r a h e s t abl i s he d ar e s ul t i ng trus ti n 1985 f a i l s be c a us e the r e i s s uf f i c i e nt e vi de nc e tha tS a r a h f

i na nc e d the pur c ha s e w i th he rs e pa r a t e a s s e t s a nd tha tboth S arah an d E n zo u n d erst o o d th atth e p ro p erty w as S arah ’ s sep arat e p ro p erty. T he c r e a t i on of

the C e c c oni R e s i de nt i a l T rus ti n 1995 m i ghtw e l l ha ve al t er ed the nature of the part i es ’ i nt er es ti n the prop erty. H ow ever , un der C al i fo rn i a l aw , th e tran sm u t at i o n o f real p ro p erty m u stb e i n w ri t i n g b y “ an ex p ress d ecl arat i o n th ati s m ad e, j o i n ed i n , co n sen t ed t o , o r accep t ed b y th e sp o u se w h o se4

in te r e s t in th e p r o p e r ty is a d v e r s e ly a f f e c te d .” C a lif

o rn iaF a m ily C o d e § 8 5 2 ( a ) . T he B a nkrupt c y C our tde t e rm i ne d tha tthe r e w a s no s uc h e xpr e s s de c l a r a t i on i n the C e c c oni R e s i de nt i a l T rus t , c i t i ng Es ta te o f M a cD o n a ld , 5 1 C a l. 3 d 2 6 2 ( 1 9 9 0 ) . A l though a c l os e que s t i on, w e a gr e e tha tunde rC a l i f orni al a w , the C e c c oni R e s i de nt i a l T rus tdi d notc ont a i n the r e qui s i t e e xpr e s s de c l a r a t i on f orthe tr a n s m u ta tio n o f

p r o p e r ty . Se e I

n r e M ar r i age of

Starkm an , 129 C a l . A pp. 4th 659, 66 4-65 (200 5). T h e T ru s te e ’s a s s e r tio n th a t th e B a n k ru p tc y C o u r t f a ile d to c o rr e c tly ap p ly th e b en efi ci al i n t erestp resu m p t i o n i n C al i fo rn i a E v i d en ce C o d e § 6 6 2 i s al so u n a v a ilin g a s th e B a n k ru p tc y C o u r t’s f a c tu a l f in d in g s th a t S a r a h n e v e rin te n d e d to gi ve E nz o a ny i nt e r e s ti n the pr ope r ty a nd di d notgi ve hi m a ny i nt e r e s ti n the p ro p erty w ere n o tcl earl y erro n eo u s. T h e B an k ru p t cy C o u rt ’ s d et erm i n at i o n th atE n zo h o l d s n o b en efi ci al i n t erest i n th e P e b b l e B e a c h p r o p e r ty i s AF F I R ME D.