Source: https://www.scribd.com/document/274728/00255-P2P-bktcy-memo
Timestamp: 2018-06-23 11:12:40
Document Index: 100973528

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 504', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523', '§ 523']

00255-P2P bktcy memo | Collateral Estoppel | Civil Law (Common Law)
Date: To: From: Re: August 25, 2006 Defendant’s counsel in RIAA and MPAA individual file-sharing suits Fred von Lohmann, Senior Staff Attorney Dischargeability of copyright judgments in personal bankruptcy
The following is intended as background research that may be of interest to attorneys who are representing defendants in copyright infringement actions brought by music or movie industry plaintiffs based on allegations of peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing.1 A. Executive Summary. Debts arising from copyright infringement judgments are generally dischargeable in personal bankruptcy proceedings unless the creditor (i.e., the copyright owner) can prove that the judgment constitutes a debt for a “willful and malicious injury” within the meaning of 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(6). Moreover, because the legal standards for “willful and malicious injury” differ from those governing “willful infringement” under the Copyright Act, even a willful infringement judgment may be dischargeable in bankruptcy. These conclusions suggest that copyright owners may have difficulty preventing the discharge in bankruptcy of judgment debts against P2P file-sharers, at least where the copyright owner cannot demonstrate that the defendant had a subjective intent to harm the copyright owner by file-sharing. B. Nondischargeability under Section 523(a)(6). Debts arising from copyright judgments are generally treated like any other judgment debts in personal bankruptcy proceedings and may thus be discharged. However, where the judgment arises from a course of infringing conduct that is “willful and malicious” within the meaning of 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(6), it will not be dischargeable. Section 523(a)(6) provides that: (a) A discharge under section 727, 1141, 1228(a), 1228(b), or 1328(b) of this title does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt … for the willful and malicious injury by the debtor to another entity or to the property of another entity. The party seeking to establish an exception to the discharge (here, the copyright owner) bears the burden of proof and must establish nondischargeability by a preponderance of
This memorandum summarizes general legal principles and is not intended as legal advice. Defendants are encouraged to engage their own counsel before relying on anything contained herein.
the evidence. See Grogan v. Garner, 498 U.S. 279, 289 (1991); Albarran v. New Form, Inc. (In re Albarran), ___ B.R. ___, 2006 WL 2285782 at *5 (9th Cir. BAP filed July 24, 2006).2 To further the policy of providing a debtor with a fresh start in bankruptcy, exceptions to discharge are to be construed strictly against a creditor and liberally in favor of a debtor. See In re Scarlata, 979 F.2d 521, 524 (7th Cir. 1992). “Willfulness” and “malice” are generally treated as independent necessary elements under § 523(a)(6). See In re Albarran, 2006 WL 2285782 at *5; In re Novotny, 226 B.R. 211, 217-19 (Bankr. D.N.D. 1998); but see Miller v. J.D. Abrams Inc. (In re Miller), 156 F.3d 598, 606 (5th Cir. 1998) (collapsing the “willful” and “malicious” prongs into a single inquiry). An award of statutory damages under copyright law qualifies as an “injury” within the meaning of § 523(a)(6). See In re Albarran, 2006 WL 2285782 at *7. By itself, however, “[p]roof of a copyright infringement under Title 17, U.S.C., does not necessarily provide sufficient proof of wrongdoing under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(6).” See In re Elms, 112 B.R. 148, 151 (Bankr. E.D. La. 1990). Nor will res judicata principles automatically transform a copyright judgment into a nondischargeable debt—bankruptcy courts are entitled to make an independent inquiry into the merits of the underlying copyright judgment in determining whether the requirements of § 523(a)(6) have been met. See In re Albarran, 2006 WL 2285782 at *9-10, In re Watson, 117 B.R. 291, 293 (W.D. Mo. 1990). Collateral estoppel (also known as “issue preclusion”) principles can be applied, however, to establish the nondischargeability of a debt, if the bankruptcy court is satisfied that “the identical issue was raised and actually litigated in the prior case and that resolution of the issue was necessary to the judgment.” In re Chan, 325 B.R. 432, 437 (N.D. Cal. 2005). The rejection of res judicata, coupled with the requirements of collateral estoppel, suggests that default judgments, standing alone, will not be entitled to any weight in a § 523(a)(6) analysis, insofar as the issues relevant to willfulness and malice will not have been litigated in the prior case. Cf. In re Watson, 117 B.R. at 295 (finding that default judgment, even when bolstered by subsequent affidavits, did not satisfy § 523(a)(6)). C. Willfulness. According to the Supreme Court, “debts arising from recklessly or negligently inflicted injuries do not fall within the compass of § 523(a)(6).” See Kawaauhau v. Geiger, 523 U.S. 57, 64 (1998).3 A deliberate or intentional act that leads to injury is not
The Ninth Circuit B.A.P. opinion in In re Albarran was certified for publication by the court and is also available from the court’s website at: <http://www.ce9.uscourts.gov/Web/bap.nsf/C65C45A13403087A882571C50072A95E/$ file/Albarran-05-1398.pdf> 3 The Court’s holding in Geiger addressed several long-running disputes among the circuits regarding the scope of “willful and malicious” under § 523(a)(6). Accordingly, pre-Geiger precedents addressing § 523(a)(6) should be viewed with caution. See generally In re Hibbs, 161 B.R. 259, 261 n.1 (Bankr. C.D. Cal. 1993) (collecting ten preGeiger cases applying § 523(a)(6) to copyright judgments).
sufficient to meet the requirement; the debtor must have subjectively intended the consequences of the act, not merely the act itself. See id. at 61. In other words, the “willfulness” element limits nondischargeability under § 523(a)(6) to the category of injuries generally understood as “intentional torts.” See id. In Geiger, the Supreme Court did not clearly specify the scope of the term “intent,” as applied to willful conduct. There appears to be general consensus, however, that the intent requirement is met “when it is shown either that the debtor had a subjective motive to inflict the injury or that the debtor believed that injury was substantially certain to occur as a result of his conduct.” See, e.g., Carrillo v. Su (In re Su), 290 F.3d 1140, 1142 (9th Cir. 2002) (emphasis in original); accord In re Albarran, 2006 WL 2285782 at *9. Whether the “substantial certainty” prong states an objective or subjective standard has caused a split among various courts. The Sixth Circuit, for example, has stated that “the mere fact that [the debtor] should have known his decisions and actions put [the creditor] at risk is … insufficient to establish a ‘willful and malicious injury’…. He must will or desire harm, or believe injury is substantially certain to occur as a result of his behavior.” Markowitz v. Campbell (In re Markowitz), 190 F.3d 455, 465 n. 10 (6th Cir.1999). The Ninth Circuit also requires a showing of subjective intent. See In re Su, 290 F.3d at 1144 (requiring “either a subjective intent to harm, or a subjective belief that harm is substantially certain”). The Fifth Circuit, in contrast, has used an objective notion of substantial certainty, holding that “either objective substantial certainty or subjective motive" will suffice. See In re Miller, 156 F.3d at 603-04. D. Malice. In order to be “malicious” within the meaning of § 523(a)(6), the debtor must have acted in a manner that is “wrongful and without just cause or excuse, even in the absence of personal hatred, spite, or ill-will.” In re Krautheimer, 241 B.R. 330, 341 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 1999) (citing In re Stelluti, 94 F.3d 84, 87 (2d Cir.1996)). “A ‘malicious’ injury involves (1) a wrongful act, (2) done intentionally, (3) which necessarily causes injury, and (4) is done without just cause or excuse.” In re Su, 290 F.3d at 1146-47 (quoting Petralia v. Jercich (In re Jercich), 238 F.3d 1202, 1209 (9th Cir. 2001)). “Malice may be constructive, that is, implied by the acts and conduct of the debtor in the context of [the] surrounding circumstances.” In re Krautheimer, 241 B.R. at 341 (internal quotes omitted). Because the Supreme Court in Geiger did not address the “malice” element of § 523(a)(6), most courts have continued to rely on pre-Geiger caselaw addressing “malice,” at least insofar as it does not conflict with Geiger’s requirement of subjective intent. See id.; In re Jercich, 238 F.3d at 1209; In re Wong, 291 B.R. 266, 281 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2003); In re Salem, 290 B.R. 479, 485 (S.D.N.Y. 2003). In the wake of Geiger, there appears to be some redundancy in the “malice” analysis—it is difficult to imagine an intentional act aimed at causing harm that would not also qualify as “malicious” under the relevant standards. See In re Miller, 156 F.3d at 606 (“Where injury is intentional, as it now must be under [Geiger], it cannot be justified or excused.”); In re Novotny, 226 B.R. at 217-19 (while bound by contrary 8th Cir. 3
precedent, noting redundancy). Some courts have papered over this redundancy by stating that malice maybe “implied” from a finding of willfulness, even as they emphasize that the two elements are distinct and “analyzed separately.” In re Albarran, 2006 WL 2285782 at *5. Perhaps at the outer margin of the willfulness envelope (e.g., where “substantial certainty of injury” stands in for actual intent to cause harm), some “just cause or excuse” might intervene to dispel a finding of “malice.” E. Interaction between willful infringement and “willful and malicious”. Because the legal standards for “willful and malicious injury” under § 523(a)(6) are different from those governing “willful infringement” under the Copyright Act, a willful infringement judgment does not automatically satisfy the requirements for nondischargeability. Accordingly, “the bankruptcy court has an independent obligation to look behind the district court judgment and jury verdict…in determining Debtors’ intent.” In re Albarran, 2006 WL 2285782 at *10. The Supreme Court decision in Geiger makes it clear that “debts arising from recklessly or negligently inflicted injuries do not fall within the compass of § 523(a)(6).” Geiger, 523 U.S. at 64. Willful infringement under 17 U.S.C. § 504(c)(2), in contrast, can be based on a finding of reckless disregard, rather than a subjective intent to harm. See In re Albarran, 2006 WL 2285782 at *9-10 (noting that willful infringement may be proven by showing “reckless disregard,” while § 523(a)(6) requires “subjective intent”); National Football League v. Primetime 24 Joint Venture, 131 F.Supp.2d 458, 475 (S.D.N.Y. 2001) (reckless disregard is enough to support willful infringement finding). Moreover, in applying collateral estoppel principles, the bankruptcy court must consider who bore the burden of proof with respect to willfulness in the copyright case. In the bankruptcy court, it will be the creditor (i.e., copyright owner) that bears the burden of proof as to willfulness and malice. See In re Chan, 325 B.R. at 440 & n.5 (holding that a finding of willful infringement did not support collateral estoppel on a § 523(a)(6) claim due to the differing burdens of proof). In short, a finding of willful infringement will not, by itself, support collateral estoppel with respect to willfulness and malice under § 523(a)(6). See In re Albarran, 2006 WL 2285782 at *10 (“[T]he bankruptcy court looked behind the district court judgment and jury verdict and did not merely apply collateral estoppel to the ‘willful’ infringement finding in determining Debtors’ intent.”).4 Nevertheless, a finding of
At least one pre-Geiger ruling held that a willful infringement verdict under the Copyright Act collaterally estops a debtor from contesting the “malice” element under 523(a)(6). See In re Hibbs, 161 B.R. at 268; cf. In re Messier, 51 B.R. 229, 231 (D. Colo. 1985) (concluding after trial that debtor had acted willfully and maliciously). This precedent is of dubious value in the wake of Geiger. Nevertheless, at least one postGeiger court has found a defendant collaterally estopped from disputing nondischargeability on the basis of a simple statutory damages award. See In re Braun, 327 B.R. 447, 450 (Bankr. N.D. Cal. 2005) (likening statutory damages to sanctions, and holding that “[s]tatutory damages for copyright infringement are … indicative of injury and, therefore, are nondischargeable in bankruptcy” even where there were no actual damages proven.). 4
willfulness under the Copyright Act, if backed by specific factual findings regarding the subjective state of mind of the defendant, may well be enough to settle the question under § 523(a)(6) in a particular case. “Subjective intent or substantial certainty may be inferred from all of the facts and circumstances established” in the prior proceeding. In re Albarran, 2006 WL 2285782 at *9 (holding that undisputed evidence presented in district court proceedings established willfulness for nondischargeability purposes). Conversely, the absence of a willfulness finding in a copyright judgment does not guarantee that the resulting debt is dischargeable. Whether any debt stemming from a copyright judgment qualifies for nondischargeability under § 523(a)(6) will turn on the defendant/debtor’s subjective state of mind, a topic on which the bankruptcy court may hold independent proceedings.
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