Pursuant to 5 T H C IR . R. 47.5, the court has determined that thi s opinion should not * be publishe d an d is not precedent except under the limited circu mstance s set forth in 5 T H C IR . R. 47.5 .4. 

### INTHE UNI TED S TATESCOU RT OFAPPEALS

FORTHE FIFTH CIRCU IT

N o. 08- 50558
I n T h e M a t t e rOf: GARYL BRA DLEY D e b t o r R O N A L D I N G A L L S , C h ap t er 7 Tru st ee A p p ell a n t v. J AM ES D GR ESSETT A pp el l ee

A pp ealf

rom t h e U n i t ed S t ates D i st ri ctC ou rt f or t h e W est ern D i st ri ctof T exas U SD C N o. 1: 05- C V

- 461
B e fo r e R E AV L E Y , W IE N E R , a n dS O U T H W IC K , C ir c u it J u d g e s . P E R C U R IA M: * P l ai n t i f f

- A pp el l an tR on al d Inga l l s, as C h ap t er 7 T ru ste e of t h e est ate of d e b to rG a r yB r a d le y , a p p e a ls th e d is tr ic t co u r t’s g r a n t of s u m m a r y ju d g m e n t in favorof D ef endant

- A ppel l ee Jam es G r es se t t , di sm i ss i ng t he Trus t ee ’ s Texas l aw cl ai m againstG ress et tf or c on spirin gw i t h B radl ey t o f rau du l en t l y t ran sfer United States Court of App eals

Fifth Circuit 

### F I L E D June 16, 2 009 Cha rl es R. F ulb ru g e II I ClerkN o. 08- 50558

2 asset s out of

B radl ey’ s es t ate. Th e di st ri ctc o u rt h e l d that t h e T rustee l acked st an di n g t o bri n g t h e civi lconspi racy c la im . R evi ew i n g both the gran tof sum m ar y j udgm entand t he under l yi ng l egali ss ue o f s t andi ng de novo , T

exasv. Un i t ed S t ate s , 4 9 7 F .3 d4 9 1 , 4 9 5 ( 5 t h C ir
. 2 0 0 7 ), w e A F F I R M th e d is t r ic tc o u r t ’s ju d g m e n t fo rth e fo llo w in gre a s o n s : 1
. I ti s w e l le s t a b l i s h e dt h a tat r u s t e e h a s n o s t a n d i n gt o b r i n gt o r tc l a i ms th a t b e lo n ge x c lu s iv e lyto cr e d ito r s o f th e b a n k r u p tc ye s ta te . SeeCapl i n v. Mari n e Mi d lan d G race Tru st Co. , 406 U
. S. 416, 433–34 , 92 S. C t . 1678, 1688 ( 197 2) (h ol di n g t h at a t rustee l acked stand i n g t o sue a thi rd pa rt y f or dam ages i n cu rred byde b en tu re h olde rs of t h e cor p ora te d eb to r ); In r eSe v e n Se as Pet roleum , I

n c. , 5 2 2 F. 3 d5 7 5 , 5 8 4 ( 5 t h Ci r . 2 0 0 8 ) (c i t i ng C a p lin f o rt he p rop ositi on tha t “th e tr u s te e h a s n o righ t t o b ri n g claim s th a t belon g so l ely to th e e s ta te ’ s cr e d ito r s ”); In re E d u cat ors G roup Heal t h Trust , 25 F
. 3d 1281, 1284 (5 th C ir. 1 9 9 4 ) ( sa m e ). W e a gr ee w i t h ours i st erc i r c ui tt hatC ongr es s’ s adopt i on o f t he “ st r ongarm cl au se, ” 11 U
. S
. C
. § 544(a) , di d n otsup ersede Ca p lin ’ s hol di n g t h at a t rustee l acks au t h ori t y t o assert a cl ai m aga i n st a t h i rd pa rt y t h at does n o t co m p ri se p a r t of th e b a n k r u p tc ye s ta te . S ee In reOzark R est . E qu i p. Co. , 816 F. 2d 1222, 12 26 –3 0 ( 8t h Ci r . 1 98 7)
. Al t ho ugh Ca p lin p re d a te dth e e n a ctm e n t o f § 5 4 4 (a ), w e, t oo , f

i nd i t“ ext r em ely not ew or t hy” t hatC ongr es s c ons i der ed i ncl udi ng a pr o vi s i o n t hatw o ul d ha ve e xp r e s s l y o ve r r ul e d Ca p lin b u t d e c lin e dt o d o s o . S ee i d. a t 1 2 2 7

– 2 8 & n n . 9 & 1 0 ; seea lso Wi l l i am s v . Cal
. 1 s tBank , 859 F. 2d 664, 66 7 ( 9t h Ci r . 1 98 8) ( ag r e e i ng w i t h t he Ei ght h Ci r c ui t ’ s i n t erpret at i o n o f t he l e gi s l at ive hi s t o r y be hi nd § 5 44 ( a) )
. The Ba n k r u pt c y Code do e s no ta ut ho r i z e t he T r u s te e to co lle c t p r o p e r tyo rm o n e ye x c e p t t h a t w h ic h is o w e dto th e e s ta te . 2
. T h e T ru stee a lte r n a tive l y co n ten d s th a t t h e con sp i ra cycl a i m be l on gs to t he bank r upt c y e s t at e be c aus e , unl i ke i n Ca p lin , t he c l ai m he r e s e e ks t o r e m e dy an i nj u ry t o al lof B radl ey’ s c redi t ors an d n otm erel y a sub sett h ereof
. E venN o. 08- 50558

3 a s s u m in gth a t a n yo ra ll o f B r a d le y ’ s cr e d ito r s co u ldp r o p e r lya s s e r t t h e cla im , w e di sagree t h at t h i s factal on e confers st an di n g on t h e T ru stee. Th i s c ou rt r e c e nt l y c l ar i f

i e d t hat , w he n de t e r m i ni ng w he t he rac l ai m i s pr o pe r t y o f t he ban kru ptcy est ate such t h at t h e t rustee h as st an di n g t o asser t it u n der 1 1 U
. S
. C
. § 5 4 1 ( a ) , t h e d i s t i n c t i o n b e t w e e n c l a i ms t h a ta r e “ p e r s o n a l” t o s o me c r edi t or s or“ gener al” as t o a l li s r el evantonly “ aft er a cl ai m ha s been an al yzed t o de t e r m i ne w he t he ri ti s pr o pe r l y as s e r t ab l e by t he de bt o r o rc r e di t o r , a nd n ot as a sub st i t u t e for t h e a n a l ys i s i tself
. ” I n r eSe v e n Se asPe t r o le um , 522 F
. 3d at 588 (c ons t r ui ng In reS chim m el pen n i n ck , 1 8 3 F .3 d3 4 7 (5 th C ir . 1 9 9 9 ) (e m p h a s is ad ded ) )
. For i n st an ce, a cl ai m t h at w ou l d ordi n ari l y be brou gh tby credi t ors no ne t he l e s s be l o ngs t o t he de bt o r ’ s e s t at e i f i t pur s ue s pr o pe r t y i n w h i ch the d e b to rre ta in s a n e q u ita b le in te r e s t, s e e , e . g. , I n r eMo r tgageAm e r i c a Co r p. , 714 F. 2d1 26 6, 1 27 5 ( 5t h Ci r . 1 98 3) (c o ns t r ui ng a f r aud ul e nt t r ans fe r c l ai m t o b e l o ng t o t h e debtor’ s es t ate) , or i f t h e debtor i t sel f

coul d h ave brou gh tthe cl ai m un der a p p l i ca b l e st a te la w , s e e , e . g. , i d. at 127 6–7 7 (h ol di n g T exas l aw perm i t s a c o r p o r a te d e b to rto b r in gatr u s t fu n d(d e n u d in g) a c tio n ); I n reS
. I
. Ac qui s i t i o n, Inc. , 8 1 7 F .2 d 1 1 4 2 , 1 1 5 2

– 5 3 (5 th C ir . 1 9 8 7 ) (h o ld in ga n a lte re g o a c tio n co u ld be brou gh tby the debtor c orporati on un der T exas l aw )
. B u tT exas l aw does not s ugg e s tt hat B radl e y has a ny c o gni z ab l e l e ga lo re quit ab l e i nt e r e s ti n t he da m ages soug h th ere to repl ace a sset s that h e con spi red t o f rau du l en t l y t ran sfer or th a t B ra d l eycou l dsee k da m a ge s f rom h i s co-co n s p ir a to r f or a ssisti n g w i th t ho s e t r ans fe r s . I nde e d, t he Tr us t e e do e s no t c o nt e nd o t he r w i s e . Thus , i n s ui ng G r e s s e t tf

o rhi s r o l e i n t he c o ns pi r ac y, t he T rustee do e s no tr e pr e s e ntt he c r e di t o r s ’i nt e r e s t s i n B r a d ley ’s con sp i ra cy cl a i m s ag a i n st G ress ett bu t attem p ts t o a s s e r tth e c r e d it o r s ’ o wn di r ec tcl ai m agai nstG r es se t ti n w hi c h B r adl ey has
n o in te r e s t. T h is h e ca n n o t d o . Se e I n r e Se v e n Se asPe t r o le um , 522 F. 3d at588 ( di st i n gu i shi n g betw een a t rustee’ s perm i ssibl e enfor cem en t o f th e cr edi t ors’ in t e r e s t s in th e d e b t o r ’s c la im s a g a in s tath ir dp a r t y , a n datr u s t e e ’sN o. 08- 50558

4 i m perm i ssibl e att em pt t o asser tt h e cr edi t ors’di rectcl ai m s agai n stt h i rd pa rt i es ( quot i ng St e i nber

g v . B ucz

yns ki , 4 0 F. 3d8 90 , 8 93 ( 7t h Ci r . 1 99 4) )
. Fi ndi ng no s t a n d i n go n t h e p a r to f t h e T r u s t e e t o br i ngt h e a c t i o n f o rc iv i lc o n s p i r a c y , we concl u de that t h e di st ri ctcourt properl y gran t ed s u m m ary j u dg m en ti n favor of G r e s s e tt . A F F IR M E D
.