Opinion ID: 3170817
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Automobile Expenses

Text: Third, the Wettachs argue that the bankruptcy court erred when it found that the Trustee could recover $76,975 for non-necessary automobile expenses paid by the Wettachs during the lookback period. The court reached this figure by strictly apportioning the total automobile expenditures3 of $134,706.02 among the Wettachs’ seven vehicles after finding that only three vehicles qualified as necessities. See In re Wettach, 489 B.R. at 515-16. Because we hold that the bankruptcy court did not clearly err in its findings, we affirm. 3 The bankruptcy court stated that the Trustee sought “a recovery of $134,706.02 for automobile expenses . . . during the lookback period.” In re Wettach, 489 B.R. at 515. But the Trustee’s Exhibit 36 reports that automobile expenditures were actually $134,716.02. App. 735. Assuming this discrepancy is due to a typographical error, the error is harmless since it is de minimis and favors the Wettachs. Cf. SBRMCOA, LLC v. Bayside Resort, Inc., 707 F.3d 267, 272-73 (3d Cir. 2013). 21 Thomas Wettach listed seven vehicles on his bankruptcy petition as personal property and valued them at $12,000 each. App. 699. At trial, he also testified that this $12,000 figure was a “good average” for the vehicles. App. 300:4-:19. Yet for the first time on appeal, and without any citation to the record, the Wettachs argue that the majority of their automobile expenditures were on two vehicles that the bankruptcy court allegedly found were necessities. Appellants’ Br. 21-23. The fact that the Wettachs provide no evidence to substantiate this claim should be the end of the matter. Cf. Mellon Bank, N.A. v. Official Comm. of Unsecured Creditors of R.M.L., Inc. (In re R.M.L., Inc.), 92 F.3d 139, 156 (3d Cir. 1996). However, they also mischaracterize the bankruptcy court’s actual finding. In particular, the court noted that it could find “no basis for deciding which of the vehicles should be considered necessities . . .” for the purpose of allocating expenditures. In re Wettach, 489 B.R. at 516 (emphasis added). This conclusion was not clearly erroneous in light of the bankruptcy petition and Thomas Wettach’s own testimony. Therefore, even assuming reasonable disagreement about the appropriateness of strict apportionment of the automobile expenses, the bankruptcy court’s finding that $76,975 were recoverable was also not clearly erroneous. Cf. Publicker Indus., Inc. v. Roman Ceramics Corp., 652 F.2d 340, 344 (3d Cir. 1981) (“mere disagreement with the district court’s factual determinations” does not warrant reversal). We thus affirm the order of the district court on this issue.