Opinion ID: 180432
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: CIT's Debt Restructuring Decision

Text: As to the first link, no reasonable jury could have concluded that CIT would have restructured the debt but for Blowers' purported failures. To begin with, Rush never suggested that Dunkin' Donuts could have done anything to persuade her to approve the restructuring. To be sure, Rush testified that she received evasive answers to her questions, informed Blowers that she wanted more concise financial information, and never received the information she sought. Rush's refusal to move forward with the restructuring request without better information does not, however, prove that she would have agreed to restructure if she had received that information. In fact, implicit in her quest for a financial summary of Barkan's operations was that Rush would have only agreed to the restructuring if she was comfortable with what she learned from that summary. Barkan, however, presented no evidence that his operations could have withstood such scrutiny. [10] Not only did Barkan fail to present direct evidence of Rush's willingness to restructure these loans, the trial record was replete with evidence suggesting that Rush would be reluctant to do so. Specifically, Barkan's operations were rife with financial problems, Barkan had failed to meet his existing obligations to CIT for months, and Barkan had shuttered two stores (a development which raised a red flag with Rush). Although its guarantee of the debt could lead to speculation that a well-orchestrated lobbying effort by Dunkin' Donuts would have resulted in CIT restructuring the loans, nothing in the record actually speaks to how CIT would have reacted to aggressive pressure, or at least better assistance, from Blowers or Dunkin' Donuts. If anything, the fact that CIT demanded detailed financial information from Barkan, even though the debt was guaranteed, suggests that CIT would not have been particularly susceptible to arm-twisting from Dunkin' Donuts.