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FILED

FEB 21 2017

SUSAN M. SPRAUL, CLERK

U.S. BKCY. APP. PANEL

OF THE NINTH CIRCUIT

NOT FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY APPELLATE PANEL

OF THE NINTH CIRCUIT

In re: ) BAP No. CC-16-1111-TaLN

)

MARIA VISTA ESTATES, ) Bk. No. 07-10362-PC

)

Debtor. ) Adv. No. 15-01096-PC

______________________________)

)

MARIA VISTA ESTATES, )

)

Appellant, )

)

v. ) MEMORANDUM*

)

MI NIPOMO, LLC; COSTA PACIFICA)

ESTATES HOMEOWNERS )

ASSOCIATION, )

)

Appellees. )

______________________________)

Argued and Submitted on January 19, 2017

at Pasadena, California

Filed – February 21, 2017

Appeal from the United States Bankruptcy Court

for the Central District of California

Honorable Peter H. Carroll, Bankruptcy Judge, Presiding

 

Appearances: Roy E. Ogden of Ogden & Fricks LLP argued for

appellant; Penelope Parmes of Troutman Sanders

LLP argued for appellee Mi Nipomo, LLC; Patricia

H. Lyon of French Lyon Tang argued for appellee

Costa Pacifica Estates Homeowners Association.

 

* This disposition is not appropriate for publication. 

Although it may be cited for whatever persuasive value it may

have (see Fed. R. App. P. 32.1), it has no precedential value. 

See 9th Cir. BAP Rule 8024-1(c)(2).
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Before: TAYLOR, LAFFERTY, and NOVACK,** Bankruptcy Judges.

INTRODUCTION

This appeal centers around the efforts of chapter 71 debtor

Maria Vista Estates (“MVE”) and Erik Benham, one of MVE’s

principals, to salvage some return from a real estate

development. MVE and Benham have asserted throughout two

bankruptcy cases that a lender fraudulently altered the legal

description in a deed of trust securing a development loan. 

Both filed chapter 11 bankruptcy petitions; both cases were

converted to chapter 7; and both chapter 7 trustees administered

the alleged fraud claim. MVE contends, notwithstanding

determinations and events in both bankruptcies, that it acquired

the right to pursue the fraud claim when its chapter 7 trustee

abandoned real property. It also argues that the fraud claim

survived a bankruptcy-court–approved settlement and related

releases. The MVE bankruptcy court concluded otherwise; we

agree with its determinations. We AFFIRM.

** The Hon. Charles Novack, United States Bankruptcy Judge

for the Northern District of California, sitting by designation.

1 Unless otherwise indicated, all chapter and section

references are to the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. §§ 101-1532. 

All “Rule” references are to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy

Procedure. All “Civil Rule” references are to the Federal Rules

of Civil Procedure. 

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FACTS2

The underlying dispute has meandered through the state and

federal court system over the past decade. Some facts, however,

are not in dispute:

Prepetion, MVE owned a multi-lot residential subdivision in

Nipomo, California (the “Property”). It intended to develop the

Property in three phases.

In 2004, MVE acquired financing for phase one of the

development from Security Pacific Bank (“Bank”). It secured

repayment of this loan through a deed of trust (the “First Trust

Deed”) which attached a legal description corresponding to the

portion of the Property being developed in phase one.

A few months later, however, Bank re-recorded the First

Trust Deed (the “Amended First Trust Deed”) and changed the

attached legal description. The legal description now

identified the entirety of the Property as the collateral. The

Amended First Trust Deed bore a notarized second acknowledgment

of the signatures of Benham, as Managing Member of general

partner, BenIng Company, L.L.C., and Mark Pender, as President

of general partner, Pender Properties Incorporated. An employee

of Fidelity National Title Company (“Fidelity”) notarized these

signatures.

Thereafter, MVE obtained a second loan from Bank in

connection with phase two of the development. It again secured

2 We exercise our discretion to take judicial notice of

documents electronically filed in the adversary proceeding, the

underlying bankruptcy case, and related adversary proceedings. 

See Atwood v. Chase Manhattan Mortg. Co. (In re Atwood),

293 B.R. 227, 233 n.9 (9th Cir. BAP 2003).

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repayment through a trust deed (the “Second Trust Deed”). The

Second Trust Deed attached a legal description which described

only the portion of the Property being developed in phase two.

The present appeal. What MVE and Benham have doggedly

disputed for years is the genuineness of the signatures on the

Amended First Trust Deed. They assert that neither Benham nor

Pender signed the amended document and that the Bank and

Fidelity conspired to file a forgery which fraudulently

augmented the collateral securing the phase one loan. They

point out that, but for this fraud, the portion of the Property

scheduled for development in phase three would be unencumbered

and not subject to foreclosure as a result of the phase one and

phase two loan defaults. We refer to these allegations as the

“fraud claim.”

While Benham and MVE raised the fraud claim in a variety of

defenses, claims, motions, and actions, this appeal relates to

MVE’s assertion of the fraud claim through a 2015 quiet title

action filed in the California Superior Court against Mi Nipomo,

LLC (“Mi Nipomo”) and Costa Pacifica Estates Homeowners

Association (“Costa Pacifica”), parties with post-foreclosure

interests in the Property.

Mi Nipomo and Costa Pacifica removed this quiet title

action to the MVE bankruptcy court, and the bankruptcy court

dismissed the adversary proceeding. Bankruptcy Court’s Order on

Motion to Dismiss, Apr. 13, 2016 (“Mem. Dec.”). In short, it

concluded that MVE lacked standing to bring a quiet title action

as a result of previous orders and actions in the MVE and Benham

cases. We now turn to those earlier proceedings.

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Early proceedings in the MVE bankruptcy case. In March

2007, MVE filed a voluntary chapter 11 petition. The Property

was the only significant scheduled asset. 

The Bank, eventually and over MVE’s opposition, obtained

stay relief allowing it to proceed with a pre-petition judicial

foreclosure action. It subsequently brought an emergency motion

seeking to correct the legal description in the stay relief

order so that it referred to the legal description from the

Amended First Trust Deed and, thus, described the entirety of

the Property. Benham opposed based on the fraud claim. The

bankruptcy court overruled the objection and entered the amended

stay relief order.

Thereafter, the bankruptcy court converted MVE’s chapter 11

case to chapter 7; Jerry Namba was appointed as the chapter 7

trustee. And later that year, the California Department of

Financial Institutions closed Bank, and the Federal Deposit

Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) became its receiver and succeeded

to its assets.3

Early proceedings in the Benham bankruptcy case. One day

after Bank obtained stay relief in the MVE case, Benham filed a

voluntary chapter 11 petition. The Bank then sought stay relief

in Benham’s case. Benham opposed and raised the fraud claim. 

The bankruptcy court, nonetheless, terminated the stay but

declined to determine the validity, extent, priority, or

3 The FDIC filed a $22,535,906.49 proof of claim in the

MVE bankruptcy case and subsequently transferred the proof of

claim to Multibank 2009-1 RES-ADC Venture, LLC (“Multibank”). 

Thereafter, Multibank sold rights in relation to the phase one

loan to Sequoia Financial Solutions IV, LLC (“Sequoia”).

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enforceability of the Amended First Trust Deed.

The bankruptcy court eventually converted Benham’s

chapter 11 case to chapter 7.

Benham’s interests in the Property and his related claims

are administered. Benham’s chapter 7 trustee filed a motion

seeking approval of a settlement and authority to sell Benham

estate assets, free and clear, for $450,000 to Nipomo

Acquisition, LLC. As relevant here, these assets included:

(1) any of Benham’s, the Estate’s, and the Trustee’s claims

against the Bank, the FDIC, Multibank, Fidelity, and their

respective successors; (2) any and all claims against MVE; and

(3) any claim, including under § 544, related to the development

loans or the First Trust Deed, the Amended First Trust Deed, or

the Second Trust Deed. These assets, thus, included Benham’s

interest in the fraud claim. 

Benham objected to this motion. He also commenced an

adversary proceeding based on the fraud claim against the FDIC,

Fidelity, and others (the “Benham–FDIC AP”). The bankruptcy

court eventually overruled Benham’s objection and approved the

sale to Nipomo Acquisition, LLC. The order approving the sale

is now final.4

Once Nipomo Acquisition, LLC acquired the assets and, in

particular, the fraud claim, it filed a notice of dismissal of

the Benham-FDIC AP under Rule 7041. Further action in the

adversary proceeding occurred, but the bankruptcy court

eventually dismissed it over Benham’s opposition. Benham did

4 Benham appealed; but his appeal was not successful.

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not appeal.

Finally, Sequoia, then owner of the phase one loan rights, 

foreclosed on the First Trust Deed and the Amended First Trust

Deed. Nipomo Real Estate Group, LLC and Banconsulting Services,

LLC purchased the Property at the foreclosure sale. Appellee

Mi Nipomo is the successor in interest to the foreclosing

parties.

In this appeal, no one questions that the sale to Nipomo

Acquisition, LLC, the dismissal of the Benham-FDIC AP, and the

Sequoia foreclosure extinguished any interest that Benham

personally possessed in the Property and the fraud claim. 

Benham, however, persisted in asserting this claim in and

through the MVE case.

MVE’s chapter 7 trustee abandons the estate’s interest in

the Property. After the Sequoia foreclosure, the MVE Trustee

filed a notice of his intent to abandon the estate’s interest,

if any, in the Property. The Trustee wrote:

The Trustee has concluded that all of the Property is

burdensome to the estate and is of inconsequential

value or benefit to the estate. Specifically, the

Property does not have any equity that can be

liquidated for the benefit of the estate. Secured

claims against the Property exceed $23,000,000 and

proposed purchase offers for the Property have not

exceeded $13,000,000. In addition, the estate lacks

sufficient funds to continue to insure the Property

and maintain 24-hour security. Therefore, based on

the foregoing, the Trustee contends pursuant to his

business judgment, that the abandonment of the

estate’s interest in the Property, if any, is in the

best interests of the estate and its creditors.

Notice of Chapter 7 Trustee’s Intention to Abandon Assets,

Mar. 15, 2011, 2. The Trustee served both MVE and Benham with

the notice and motion; neither opposed. 

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The bankruptcy court then entered its order authorizing

abandonment of “the estate’s interest, if any, in the

[Property]” and stating “that such abandonment shall be deemed

effective without further order of the Court” (the “Abandonment

Order”). The Abandonment Order was not appealed.

MVE’s chapter 7 trustee settles MVE’s claims related to the

Property. In June 2011, the MVE Trustee moved for Rule 9019

approval of a settlement with Sequoia, Fidelity, RES-CA MV

Estates, LLC, and their predecessors and successors in interest

(the “FDIC Parties”). In short, the terms were: (1) the MVE

bankruptcy estate would receive $200,000 to settle its claim

against the FDIC Parties for recovery of the reasonable,

necessary costs and expenses incurred in preserving the Property

for the FDIC Parties’ benefit; and (2) the FDIC Parties would

receive a general release of the MVE bankruptcy estate’s claims. 

The proposed settlement agreement (“Settlement Agreement”)

defines the term “FDIC Parties” as: 

The FDIC as Receiver for the Bank sold interests in

the loans, and the holders of such interests include

RES-CA MV Estates, LLC,....and [Sequoia]. [The Bank,

the FDIC, RES-CA, Sequoia and all predecessors in

interest thereof and successors in interest thereto

with respect to the Loan and the Property as herein

referred to as the “FDIC Parties.”]

Chapter 7 Trustee’s Motion for Order Authorizing Compromise,

June 6, 2011, Ex. 1, p. 2 (second bracket in original). The

Settlement Agreement’s terms also included a release:

3. Release. Trustee hereby releases, waives, and

relinquishes all claims, rights, causes of actions or

contentions (collectively, “Claims”) of any kind or

nature, whether transferable or assignable, that he

may possess or own that he may assert against any of

the FDIC Parties arising in any way out of the

Property, and/or security interests asserted or taken

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in the Property. Said releases extend to any and all

claims that would otherwise be preserved under Section

1542 of the California Civil Code, and hereby waives

his rights under said section, which reads as follows: 

. . .

Trustee hereby warrants and represents that he has not

transferred, sold, alienated, pledged or otherwise

encumbered, and will not, transfer, sell alienate or

otherwise encumber, the Claims prior to the tender of

the sums called for in this Agreement.

Id. at 4–5.

The MVE Trustee provided MVE and Benham with a notice of

the motion that specifically stated that “the Trustee will

provide the FDIC Parties with a full general release (more

specifically described in the Agreement).” Benham opposed the

motion, arguing that the MVE Trustee “proposes a Compromise

. . . subject to a potentially invalid Deed of Trust” and “has

never analyzed or has just completely ignored the full extent of

the fraudulent nature of” Bank and Fidelity’s actions. In

short, he again raised the fraud claims; the bankruptcy court

overruled his objection. The bankruptcy court then entered an

order authorizing the settlement “on the terms set forth in the

Settlement Agreement attached as Exhibit ‘1’ to the Motion

. . . .” The settlement order (“Settlement Order”) was not

appealed.

About six months later, Benham brought a state court action

against a panoply of parties, including Sequoia and Nipomo

Acquisitions, LLC. Benham principally and yet again asserted

the fraud claim. After removal, the bankruptcy court granted

summary judgment in favor of Nipomo Acquisitions, LLC and

another defendant and dismissed the claims with prejudice as to

all remaining defendants. Benham pursued multiple appeals; all

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are currently resolved against him.

The present action. As discussed above, after removal,

Mi Nipomo and Costa Pacifica both moved for dismissal of the MVE

quiet title action with prejudice. MVE opposed and also filed a

motion seeking remand. Its opposition included an untimely

post-hearing supplemental brief; the bankruptcy court sustained

Mi Nipomo’s objection to this late filing.

After this hearing, the bankruptcy court entered its

decision denying the remand motion. The bankruptcy court

concluded that the complaint turned on interpreting and

enforcing “orders entered in the proper administration of the

MVE and Benham bankruptcy estates which remain pending before

this court . . . .” Accordingly, it concluded that it had

jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. §§ 157(b), 1334(b), 1441(a), and

1452(a) and that the matter was a core proceeding under

28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(A). It identified 28 U.S.C. § 1452(b) and

the Enron factors as the applicable law and carefully weighed

them. See Citigroup, Inc. v. Pac. Inv. Mgmt. Co. (In re Enron

Corp.), 296 B.R. 505, 508 n.2 (C.D. Cal. 2003). 

On April 13, 2016 at 12:21 p.m., the bankruptcy court

entered its order granting both motions seeking dismissal with

prejudice based on MVE’s lack of standing. On April 13, 2016 at

3:35 p.m., MVE filed a motion for leave to file a surreply or,

in the alternative, to strike an argument raised in Mi Nipomo

and Costa Pacifica’s reply papers. MVE argued that the replies

raised a new argument: that MVE’s failure to schedule the fraud

claim means it was not abandoned. The bankruptcy court denied

this motion as moot; it reasoned that it granted the motions to

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dismiss before MVE filed its motion.

MVE timely appealed the order denying remand, both

dismissal orders, and the order denying leave to file a

surreply.

JURISDICTION

The bankruptcy court had jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C.

§§ 1334, 1441, 1452, and 157(b)(2)(A) and (O). We have

jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 158.

ISSUES

1. Whether the bankruptcy court abused its discretion in

denying the motion to remand.

2. Whether the bankruptcy court relied on an argument raised

in reply.

3. Whether the bankruptcy court erred in dismissing the

adversary complaint pursuant to Civil Rule 12(b)(6).

4. Whether the bankruptcy court abused its discretion in

dismissing the adversary complaint without leave to amend.

STANDARDS OF REVIEW

We review for an abuse of discretion the bankruptcy court’s

decision not to remand on an equitable basis. Nilsen v. Neilsen

(In re Cedar Funding, Inc.), 419 B.R. 807, 816 (9th Cir. BAP

2009). We review de novo the dismissal of an adversary

proceeding under Civil Rule 12(b)(6). Telesaurus VPC, LLC v.

Power, 623 F.3d 998, 1003 (9th Cir. 2010). We review dismissal

without leave to amend for abuse of discretion. Id. A

bankruptcy court abuses its discretion if it applies the wrong

legal standard, misapplies the correct legal standard, or if it

makes factual findings that are illogical, implausible, or

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without support in inferences that may be drawn from the facts

in the record. See TrafficSchool.com, Inc. v. Edriver Inc.,

653 F.3d 820, 832 (9th Cir. 2011) (citing United States v.

Hinkson, 585 F.3d 1247, 1262 (9th Cir. 2009) (en banc)). And we

may affirm on any basis in the record. Bill v. Brewer, 799 F.3d

1295, 1299 (9th Cir. 2015).

DISCUSSION

A. The bankruptcy court did not abuse its discretion in

denying MVE’s motion to remand.

The bankruptcy court, in a 26-page decision, stated the

basis for its denial of MVE’s remand motion. MVE appealed from

the order denying remand, but, in its opening brief on appeal,

MVE never specifically discusses remand or the bankruptcy

court’s analysis of the Enron factors and 28 U.S.C. § 1452(b). 

At most in relation to remand, MVE broadly requests that we

“grant the appeal” and that we “reverse the dismissal of the

State Court Action and send the matter back for trial.” MVE

Opening Br. at 30.

As a result, MVE waived any arguments related to the denial

of his motion seeking remand on appeal. See Padgett v. Wright,

587 F.3d 983, 986 n.2 (9th Cir. 2009) (per curiam) (appellate

courts “will not ordinarily consider matters on appeal that are

not specifically and distinctly raised and argued in appellant’s

opening brief”). Further, even if MVE had not waived the issue,

we conclude that the bankruptcy court did not abuse its

discretion in retaining the matter. See In re Cedar Funding,

Inc., 419 B.R. at 820–21.

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B. The bankruptcy court did not rely on an argument raised in

reply.

The bankruptcy court struck MVE’s request for judicial

notice because it was untimely; it later denied as moot MVE’s

motion for leave to submit the supplemental brief and evidence. 

On appeal, MVE argues that the bankruptcy court erred in both

respects because, in granting the dismissal motions, it relied

on an argument raised only in reply, thereby depriving MVE of an

opportunity to respond. More specifically, MVE contends that

the bankruptcy court “relied heavily on the improperly raised

issue that [MVE’s] legal claims were not scheduled, or not

properly scheduled.” MVE Opening Br. 30; cf. MVE Reply Br. 12.

Not so. The record is clear that the bankruptcy court made

no finding that the fraud claim was unscheduled. This comports

with the bankruptcy court’s assessment at the hearing that an

argument about whether or not the asset was scheduled helped no

one. Finally, MVE raised this issue only after the bankruptcy

court issued its decision. Accordingly, we conclude that the

bankruptcy court did not rely on newly raised arguments in

making its decision; MVE was thus not prejudiced, and we need

not further consider this issue.

C. The bankruptcy court did not err in dismissing the

adversary proceeding.

The bankruptcy court concluded that dismissal was warranted

“by the clear and unambiguous language of the Abandonment Order

and Settlement Agreement.” Mem. Dec. at 23. Referring to Civil

Rule 17(a)(1), it reasoned: “Because [MVE] does not own the

fraud claim made the basis of MVE’s Complaint, MVE is not the

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real party in interest with standing to prosecute the fraud

claim alleged in the Complaint. Having determined that the

allegations and supporting documents in the Complaint do not

support a claim for fraud, the quiet title claim is fatally

defective.” Id. at 23–24.

1. Legal standards for a motion to dismiss under Civil 

Rule 12(b)(6).

A motion to dismiss under Civil Rule 12(b)(6) (applied in

adversary proceedings by Rule 7012(b)) challenges the

sufficiency of the allegations set forth in the complaint and

may be based on either absence of a recognizable legal theory or

the lack of sufficient facts “alleged under a cognizable legal

theory.” Johnson v. Riverside Healthcare Sys., 534 F.3d 1116,

1121 (9th Cir. 2008) (citation omitted). The factual

allegations in the complaint must state a claim for relief that

is facially plausible. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678

(2009); see also Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544

(2007).

Thus, based on the Iqbal/Twombly rubric, the bankruptcy

court must first identify bare assertions that “do nothing more

than state a legal conclusion—even if that conclusion is cast in

the form of a factual allegation,” and discount them from an

assumption of truth. Moss v. U.S. Secret Serv., 572 F.3d 962,

969 (9th Cir. 2009). Then, if there remain well-pleaded factual

allegations, the bankruptcy court should assume their truth and

determine whether the allegations “and reasonable inferences

from that content” give rise to a plausible claim for relief. 

Id. “[D]etermining whether a complaint states a plausible claim

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is context-specific, requiring the reviewing court to draw on

its experience and common sense.” Ashcroft, 556 U.S. at 679. 

In limited circumstances, the bankruptcy court may look beyond

the complaint: “In ruling on a [Civil Rule] 12(b)(6) motion, a

court may generally consider only allegations contained in the

pleadings, exhibits attached to the complaint, and matters

properly subject to judicial notice.” Swartz v. KPMG LLP,

476 F.3d 756, 763 (9th Cir. 2007).5

2. Because MVE’s chapter 7 trustee settled the fraud

claim, MVE may not assert it against Mi Nipomo and

Costa Pacifica in the guise of a quiet title action.

The bankruptcy court concluded that MVE was not the real

party in interest under Civil Rule 17(a).6 Civil Rule 17(a)

provides that “[a]n action must be prosecuted in the name of the

real party in interest.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 17(a)(1); Fed. R.

Bankr. P. 7017 (applying Civil Rule 17 to adversary

proceedings). Under Civil Rule 17, the real party in interest

is the “party to whom the relevant substantive law grants a

cause of action.” U-Haul Int’l, Inc. v. Jartran, Inc., 793 F.2d

1034, 1038 (9th Cir. 1986). Accordingly, “most real party in

5 On appeal, MVE does not dispute that the bankruptcy

court properly took judicial notice of and considered the

bankruptcy proceedings and the various documents filed in them.

6 “Although the Ninth Circuit has not reached the issue,

district courts have permitted parties to raise Rule 17

objections in the context of a motion to dismiss under

Rule 12(b)(6).” Runaj v. Wells Fargo Bank, 667 F. Supp. 2d

1199, 1205 n.6 (S.D. Cal. 2009); Langer Juice Co. v. Stonhard,

No. CV 13-6323-RSWL-AJWX, 2014 WL 346643, at *4 (C.D. Cal.

Jan. 30, 2014). See also Whelan v. Abell, 953 F.2d 663, 672

(D.C. Cir. 1992) (“A real-party-in-interest defense can be

raised as a Rule 12(b)(6) motion . . . .”).

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interest inquiries focus on whether the plaintiff or movant

holds the rights he or she seeks to redress.” Veal v. Am. Home

Morg. Servicing, Inc. (In re Veal), 450 B.R. 897, 908 (B.A.P.

9th Cir. 2011).

The bankruptcy court’s logic was straightforward: the fraud

claim entered the bankruptcy estate; when the MVE chapter 7

trustee abandoned the bankruptcy estate’s interest in the MVE

Project, he did not also abandon the fraud claim; later, the

chapter 7 trustee administered and settled the fraud claim;

accordingly, MVE could not bring the fraud claim because it was

not the real party in interest.

We agree with the bankruptcy court; thus, we conclude that

the bankruptcy court did not err in concluding that MVE failed

to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. The fraud

claim was extinguished through settlement; MVE could not pursue

it.

The fraud claim entered the bankruptcy estate. Under

§ 541(a), filing a bankruptcy petition creates an estate

comprised of “all legal or equitable interests of the debtor in

property as of the commencement of the case.” 11 U.S.C.

§ 541(a)(1). This includes real property, such as the Property. 

It also includes legal claims and causes of action. United

States v. Whiting Pools, Inc., 462 U.S. 198, 205 n.9 (1983);

Sierra Switchboard Co. v. Westinghouse Elec. Corp., 789 F.2d

705, 707 (9th Cir. 1986) (“The scope of section 541 is broad,

and includes causes of action.”). 

 The “bankruptcy code endows the bankruptcy trustee with

the exclusive right to sue on behalf of the estate.” Estate of

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Spirtos v. One San Bernardino Cty. Superior Court Case Numbered

SPR 02211, 443 F.3d 1172, 1176 (9th Cir. 2006).7 Thus, once

MVE’s chapter 11 proceeding was converted to chapter 7, MVE’s

chapter 7 trustee was the only party who could assert or

administer the fraud claim.

Neither party disputes that the fraud claim was estate

property. Indeed, MVE goes to great lengths to contend that it

properly scheduled all of its legal claims, including the fraud

claim. Nor do the parties dispute that MVE’s chapter 7 trustee

could administer it. Instead, they disagree on how he

administered it: MVE says its trustee abandoned the fraud claim;

Mi Nipomo and Costa Pacifica assert that the MVE Trustee settled

it.

The Abandonment Order did not include the fraud claim. The

bankruptcy court concluded that the Abandonment Order did not

include the fraud claim alleged in the complaint. It explained:

The court agrees with [Mi] Nipomo that “[t]he estate's

interest in the real property, which is disclosed in

Schedule A, is distinct from its interest in causes of

action,” which MVE was required to disclose in

Schedule B, including the fraud claim forming the

basis of MVE’s Complaint. Namba’s Abandonment Notice

does not refer to MVE’s fraud claim nor give creditors

and parties in interest notice of an intention to

abandon any cause of action in addition to the

84 acres of land comprising the MVE Project. The

Abandonment Order clearly and unambiguously authorized

Namba to abandon only “the estate’s interest, if any,

in the entire 84 acre Maria Vista Estates project,

located at 555 Vista Del Rio, Nipomo, California.” 

“[T]here is no informal abandonment of property of the

estate.” Curren v. Great Am. Ins. Co., (In re Hat),

7 Section 323(a) provides that the “trustee in a case is

the representative of the estate.” 11 U.S.C. § 323(a). And

§ 323(b) provides that the trustee “has capacity to sue and be

sued.” 11 U.S.C. § 323(b).

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363 B.R. 123, 138 (Bankr. E.D. Cal. 2007). Because

MVE’s alleged fraud claim was neither identified

specifically in either the Abandonment Notice or the

Abandonment Order, MVE’s fraud claim was outside the

scope of the Abandonment Order and remained property

of the estate after April 28, 2011.

Mem. Dec. at 22–23 (footnotes omitted).

On appeal, MVE argues that this was error because its

Trustee abandoned to MVE “all of the estate’s remaining

interests in the [Property], which included legal claims against

parties other than the ‘FDIC Parties’[.]” MVE Opening Br. at 12

(capitals removed). MVE also contends that trustee intended to

abandon to MVE the quiet title claim against the successful

bidders at the foreclosure sale (and their successors in

interest). Id. at 25. 

MVE’s theory runs like so: (1) when the MVE Trustee filed

the motion to abandon the estate’s interest in the Property,

Sequoia had already foreclosed; (2) accordingly, the estate had

no legal or possessory interest in the Property; (3) the MVE

Trustee was also negotiating the § 506(c) settlement which

included a release of all claims against the FDIC Parties, but

not against the successful foreclosure sale bidders or their

successors-in-interest; (4) “[i]t would have been reasonably

apparent to the [MVE Trustee] that, once the Property was

foreclosed upon, MVE would also have a quiet title claim against

the successful bidders and their successors-in-interest, et.al

[sic] based upon the forged deed”; (5) the MVE Trustee did not

pursue these legal claims; and (6) thus the MVE Trustee’s intent

was “to abandon all of the Bankruptcy estate’s rights, title and

interest in the [Property] in April 2011, including any Quiet

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Title claims which arise out of the ownership of that real

property (except as to the ‘FDIC Parties’), to position the

bankruptcy estate to be closed.” Id. at 25–28.8

We agree with the bankruptcy court. “‘Abandonment’ is a

term of art with special meaning in the bankruptcy context.” 

Catalano v. C.I.R., 279 F.3d 682, 685 (9th Cir. 2002). “It is

the formal relinquishment of the property at issue from the

bankruptcy estate.” Id. The bankruptcy code provides that,

after notice and a hearing, a trustee “may abandon any property

of the estate that is burdensome to the estate or that is of

inconsequential value and benefit to the estate.” 11 U.S.C.

§ 554(a). Rule 6007(a) states that the “trustee . . . shall

give notice of a proposed abandonment or disposition of

property . . . .” Fed. R. Bankr. P. 6007(a). Accordingly,

“there is no abandonment without notice to creditors.” Sierra

Switchboard Co., 789 F.2d at 709. Further, “[a]bandonment

requires affirmative action by the trustee or some other

evidence of the intent to abandon the asset.” Pace v. Battley

(In re Pace), 146 B.R. 562, 566 (9th Cir. BAP 1992).

As the bankruptcy court correctly noted, the Abandonment

8 At oral argument, MVE advanced a slightly different

argument: When the MVE Trustee abandoned the Property, he also

abandoned the quiet title claims because quiet title actions

essentially run with the land. This argument fails. Although

MVE raised this argument below, it failed to argue the point in

its opening brief and thus waived it. Second, this argument

fails to adequately address the need for specificity when

abandoning an asset and the fact that the quiet title action

required a successful determination on the personal property

fraud claim which was not abandoned.

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Notice did not inform creditors that the MVE Trustee was

abandoning the estate’s interest in claims for relief or causes

of action. Instead, the notice told creditors that he was

abandoning real property. More particularly, the notice stated

that the MVE Trustee concluded that the estate could not realize

any value from sale of the Property as liens exceeded purchase

offers. It further suggested the Property was burdensome

because the “estate lacks sufficient funds to continue to insure

the Property and maintain 24-hour security.” Neither of these

statements makes sense if they refer to the fraud claim: A legal

claim does not require insurance or 24-hour security. In any

event, even if MVE is correct that its trustee intended to

abandon the fraud claim, the bankruptcy court correctly found

that he failed to do so because he did not provide proper notice

to all creditors.

The fraud claim was included in the Settlement Agreement.

The bankruptcy court concluded that the MVE Trustee

“investigated MVE’s fraud claim, and took action to administer

the claim as an asset of the estate.” Mem. Dec. at 23. It

continued:

MVE’s fraud claim was settled by Namba pursuant to the

Settlement Agreement approved by Settlement Order

under the terms of which the FDIC Parties received a

full release of all claims arising in any way out of

the MVE Project, and/or security interests asserted or

taken in the property comprising the MVE Project,

including the fraud claim asserted in MVE’s Complaint,

in consideration for payment of the sum of $200,000 to

the estate.

Id. MVE suggests that the Settlement Agreement released claims

against only the “FDIC Parties” and not Mi Nipomo and Costa

Pacifica. MVE Opening Br. at 19–25. MVE claims that the “term

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‘FDIC Parties’ is not defined within the body of the Settlement

Agreement.” Id. at 20. Nor, it urges, is there language

extending the releases to successors in interest. Id. MVE

points out that this contrasts with the MVE Trustee’s earlier,

unsuccessful attempt to sell the fraud claim. Thus, it

contends, the identity of the “FDIC Parties” must be the parties

who signed the agreement: the FDIC; Sequoia Financial Solutions

IV LLC; Fidelity; and RES-CA VMV Estates, LLC. Id. at 20. 

MVE’s argument is deeply troubling. MVE never raised this

identity argument before the trial court; it thus waived the

argument. See, e.g., MVE’s Motion to Remand, Jan. 21, 2016,

1–8; MVE’s Opposition to Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss, Feb. 25,

2016, 1–9; MVE’s Reply on Remand, Mar. 3, 2016 1–10. Further,

the argument is flatly wrong.

The Settlement Agreement broadly defined “FDIC Parties” in

recital paragraph F, found on page 2, as the Bank (i.e., SPB),

the FDIC, RES-CA, Sequoia, and “all predecessors in interest

thereof and successors in interest thereto with respect to the

Loan and the Property . . . .” (emphasis added). 

MVE concedes that Mi Nipomo and Costa Pacifica are “the

successors in interest to Nipomo Real Estate Group, LLC and

Banconsulting Services, LLC, the successful bidders in Sequoia’s

April 2011 trustee’s sale of the Phase I Loan . . . .” MVE

Opening Br. at 20. The Settlement Order and the related

releases thus extend to Mi Nipomo and Costa Pacifica. 

In sum, the bankruptcy court did not err when it dismissed

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the adversary complaint.9 MVE’s chapter 7 trustee administered

the fraud claim that MVE seeks to bring to judgment. In

exchange for $200,000, the settlement agreement included a

general release to the signing parties and their predecessors

and successors in interest, including Mi Nipomo and Costa

Pacifica, that covered the fraud claim. MVE thus did not and

does not have a claim to assert. 

D. The bankruptcy court did not abuse its discretion by

dismissing the adversary complaint without leave to amend.

A bankruptcy court may dismiss an adversary complaint with

prejudice if it determines that amendment would be futile. 

Mirmehdi v. United States, 689 F.3d 975, 985 (9th Cir. 2012);

Rutman Wine Co. v. E. & J. Gallo Winery, 829 F.2d 729, 738 (9th

Cir. 1987) (“Denial of leave to amend is not an abuse of

discretion where the pleadings before the court demonstrate that

further amendment would be futile.”).

Here, the bankruptcy court concluded that the “deficiencies

in MVE’s Complaint cannot be cured by amendment.” MVE does not

dispute this conclusion nor does it suggest any additional facts

that could save the complaint. In addition, we agree with the

bankruptcy court. For the reasons already discussed, the

bankruptcy court properly dismissed the complaint. Because MVE

did not own the claim, no additional facts could save the

complaint.

9 The bankruptcy court dismissed the second claim for

relief — for declaratory relief — as duplicative. MVE does not

argue that this was error.

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CONCLUSION

Based on the foregoing, we AFFIRM.

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