Source: https://www.scribd.com/document/42063151/Elder-v-Greer-BK
Timestamp: 2016-10-22 20:00:51
Document Index: 16095632

Matched Legal Cases: ['art. 7', '§ 544', '§ 3439', '§ 544', '§ 3439', '§ 3439', '§ 3439', '§ 548', '§ 101', '§ 819', '§ 821']

BrowseBrowseInterestsBiography & MemoirBusiness & LeadershipFiction & LiteraturePolitics & EconomyHealth & WellnessSociety & CultureHappiness & Self-HelpMystery, Thriller & CrimeHistoryYoung AdultBrowse byBooksAudiobooksComicsSheet MusicBrowse allUploadSign inJoinBooksAudiobooksComicsSheet MusicEntered on Docket October 25, 2010GLORIA L. FRANKLIN, CLERK U.S BANKRUPTCY COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT 8 FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 9 10 In re 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 ) ) SAND HILL CAPITAL PARTNERS III, LLC, ) a California limited liability ) company, ) ) Debtor. ) ) ) JANINA M. ELDER, Trustee in ) Bankruptcy, Sand Hill Capital ) Partners III, LLC, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) vs. ) ) WILLIAM GREER, aka Bill Greer; and ) POWER PLAY GREER - LIVE OAK, LLC, ) ) Defendants. ) JANINA M. ELDER, Trustee in ) Bankruptcy, Sand Hill Capital ) Partners III, LLC, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) vs. ) ) POWER PLAY REAL ESTATE FUND, L.P.; ) POWER PLAY ESTATE MANAGEMENT, LLC; ) STEWART CAPITAL GROUP, LLC; SAND ) HILL VENTURE DEBT III, LLC; SAND ) HILL VENTURE DEBT, LLC; and CORE ) HOMES, LLC, ) ) Defendants. ) ____________________________________ ) Case No. 08-30989 TEC Chapter 7
________________________________________ THOMAS E. CARLSON U.S. Bankruptcy Judge
MEMORANDUM DECISION RE DEFENDANTS’ RULE 12(b)(6) MOTIONS TO DISMISS
-1Case: 10-03091 Doc# 30 Filed: 10/22/10 Entered: 10/25/10 13:09:00 Page 1 of 6
On October 8, 2010, the court held a hearing on Defendants’ G. Larry Engel appeared for Upon due
2 Rule 12(b)(6) Motions to Dismiss. 3 Defendants.
W. George Wailes appeared for Plaintiff.
4 consideration, and for the reasons stated below, the court 5 determines that the Motions should be granted in part and denied in 6 part. 7 I. 8 9 California UFTA Claims (intentional fraudulent transfers § 544; § 3439.04(a)(1); constructively fraudulent transfers, § 544; § 3439.04(a)(2); § 3439.05). The complaints allege the transfer dates, the amounts
10 transferred, the method of transfer (e.g, wire), the name of the 11 transferee, that Debtor was insolvent at the time of the transfers, 12 and that Debtor received no value in exchange for the transfers. 13 The complaints further allege that Debtor operated a Ponzi scheme 14 from 2003 until the June 5, 2008 petition date; that the Ponzi 15 scheme attracted large sums of money that was not used to invest in 16 other entities on behalf of Debtor; and that the investors’ money 17 was used for Del Biaggio’s personal benefit, to pay prior 18 investors, and in furtherance of the Ponzi scheme. 19 Ponzi scheme allegations establish under the California
20 Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act: (1) an actual intent to defraud 21 (3439.04(a)(1)), and (2) that the Ponzi scheme operator was engaged 22 or about to engage in a transaction for which the remaining assets 23 of Debtor were unreasonably small in relation to the transaction. 24 (3439.04(a)(2)). 25 Cir. 2009). See Donnell v. Kowell, 533 F.3d 762, 770-71 (9th
The complaints state a claim under § 3439.05 upon
26 which relief can be granted, because they allege Debtor was 27 insolvent when transfers were made, and that no value received in 28 exchange for transfers.
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Intentional and Constructively Fraudulent Transfers, §§ 548(a)(1)(A), (B) Pursuant to section 548(a)(1)(A), the complaints state an a
3 claim for intentional fraudulent transfer upon which relief can be 4 granted. 5 of Ponzi scheme is sufficient to establish Ponzi scheme operator’s 6 actual intent to hinder, delay, or defraud creditors for purposes 7 of actually fraudulent transfers under section 548(a)(1)). 8 Assuming, arguendo, that In re Image Masters, Inc., 421 B.R. 164 9 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. 2009) is binding precedent, it does not support 10 dismissal of the federal intentional fraudulent transfer claims, 11 because the complaint at issue in Image Masters established on its 12 face that Defendants received reasonably equivalent value in 13 exchange for the transfers and that Defendants acted in good faith. 14 The complaints state a claim for relief for constructively 15 fraudulent transfer for the reasons set forth in Donnell v. Kowell. 16 With respect to the November 12, 2005 transfer, the 17 Greer/Power Play complaint fails to state a claim for intentional 18 or constructively fraudulent transfer under section 548, because 19 the transfer occurred more than two years before the June 5, 2008 20 petition date. 21 dismissed without leave to amend, because the claim is time barred 22 under section 548(a)(1). 23 III. Insider Preference Claims 24 The Greer/Power Play complaint contains only bald allegations 25 that Defendants were “insiders”. 26 insufficient to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, 27 because they are too conclusory. 28 (2009); Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007). Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. 1937 These allegations are The section 548 claims to recover this transfer are See In re Cohen, 199 B.R. 709 (9th Cir. BAP 1996) (proof
-3Case: 10-03091 Doc# 30 Filed: 10/22/10 Entered: 10/25/10 13:09:00 Page 3 of 6
1 The complaint would need to allege that Defendants had a formal 2 legal relationship with Debtor (such as an affiliate) or a 3 sufficiently close relationship with Debtor that its conduct should 4 be subject to closer scrutiny than someone dealing with Debtor at 5 arms length. 6 (King, J). 7 The Power Play/Stewart Capital Group complaint alleges In re Lull, 2008 WL 3895561 (Bankr. D. Hawai’i)
8 insider preference claims only against two of the defendants: PPREM 9 and PPREF. That complaint states an adequate insider preference
10 claim as to these two defendants, because it alleges that Del 11 Biaggio at all relevant times was the managing member of Debtor and 12 controlled Debtor, and that Debtor was the managing member of 13 PPREM, which in turn was the managing member of PPREF. These
14 allegations state a claim that PPREM and PPREF were statutory 15 insiders of Debtor or had a sufficiently close relationship with 16 Debtor that their conduct should be subject to closer scrutiny than 17 someone dealing with Debtor at arms length. 18 (31)(B)(iii), (vi). 19 IV. 20 The complaints contain wholly conclusory allegations regarding 21 Defendants’ alleged breach of contract, breach of the covenant of 22 good faith and fair dealing, and turnover. 23 that merely recite the elements of a claim are insufficient to 24 state a claim upon which relief may be granted. 25 at 1965. 26 V. 27 The complaints allege in conclusory fashion that, during the 28 four years prepetition, an account was stated in writing between Account Stated Twombly, 127 S.Ct. Conclusory allegations Claims for Breach of Contract; Breach of the Implied of Good Faith and Fair Dealing; and for Turnover. 11 U.S.C. § 101
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1 Debtor and Defendants and that no amount has been repaid despite 2 demand for payment. The complaints fail to state a claim for
3 account stated upon which relief can be granted, because they do 4 not allege an agreement, based on prior transactions between 5 Plaintiff and Defendant, that the items of an account were true and 6 that “the balance struck [was] due and owing.” Maggio, Inc. v.
7 Neal, 196 Cal. App. 3d 745, 752-53 (Ct. App. 1987). ‘To be an 8 account stated, it must appear that at the time of the statement an 9 indebtedness from one party to the other existed, that a balance 10 was then struck and agreed to be the correct sum owing from the 11 debtor to the creditor, and that the debtor expressly or impliedly 12 promised to pay the creditor the amount thus determined to be 13 owing.” 14 VI. 15 Id. (citation omitted).
Accounting The complaints fail to state a claim for accounting, because
16 they do not allege the existence of a fiduciary relationship 17 between Debtor and Defendants,1 or that the transactions were so 18 complicated as to required an accounting to determine the financial 19 status of the parties with respect to each other. 5 Witkin Cal. 20 Proc. Pleading § 819, p. 236; Civic Western Corp. v. Zila 21 Industries, Inc., 66 Cal. App. 3d 1 (1977); St. James Church v. 22 Sup. Ct., 135 Cal. App. 2d 352, 359 (1955) (accounting normally 23 24 25 26 27 28 The Power Play/Stewart Capital complaint alleges that Plaintiff was the managing member of PPREM, which was the managing member of PPREF. The parties did not argue, and the court does not at this time decide, the effect this legal relationship may have on an action against these defendants for an accounting. See Witkin, 5 Cal. Proc., Pleading § 821(c)(3), p. 238 (5th Ed) (“Because a partner has access to the partnership books, he or she cannot require an accounting from copartners except under unusual circumstances.”) -5Case: 10-03091 Doc# 30 Filed: 10/22/10 Entered: 10/25/10 13:09:00 Page 5 of 6
1 appropriate when plaintiff seeks to recover an amount that is 2 unliquidated and unascertained, and that cannot be determined 3 without an accounting). 4 VII. Defenses to “Non Core” Causes of Action (Unclean Hands; In Pari Delicto; Laches) 5 If the complaints are amended to allege legally sufficient 6 Non-Core Claims (as defined in the Motions to Dismiss)2, such claims 7 are not barred by the defenses of unclean hands or laches, because 8 prejudice or injury to Defendants is a fact issue that cannot be 9 decided in the 12(b)(6) context. Nor would the defense of in pari 10 delicto necessarily bar the trustee’s Non Core Claims. It is 11 conceivable that the amended complaints would allege facts that 12 establish the “adverse interest exception” to in pari delicto, i.e. 13 that Del Biaggio was acting for his own interest and not that of 14 the LLC, in which case Del Biaggio’s fraud would not be imputed to 15 Debtor (or the trustee, standing in the shoes of Debtor). In re 16 Crown Vantage, Inc., 2003 WL 25257821 (N.D. Cal). 17 VIII. Leave to Amend 18 Leave to amend is granted regarding all dismissed claims, 19 except the section 548 claims seeking to avoid the November 12, 20 2005 transfer. In light of the parties’ settlement efforts, the 21 time for Plaintiff to file and serve the amended complaints and for 22 Defendants to file and serve responses to the amended complaints is 23 extended until entry of a separate order by this court. 24 **END OF MEMORANDUM** 25 26 27 28
Defendants define the Non Core causes of action as the claims for accounting, breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, account stated, and turnover. -6-
Case: 10-03091
Filed: 10/22/10
Entered: 10/25/10 13:09:00
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