Opinion ID: 762247
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Bankruptcy Court's Findings

Text: 23 Jess contends the bankruptcy court's findings are insufficient, and we should remand for additional findings. 24 Bankruptcy Rule 7052, which incorporates Rule 52 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, requires the bankruptcy court to make findings of fact and conclusions of law in all actions tried upon facts without a jury. See, e.g., Swanson v. Levy, 509 F.2d 859, 861 (9th Cir.1975). This is such a case. 25 The bankruptcy court's findings, to the extent they exist at all, are sparse. The BAP held that the bankruptcy court fulfilled its obligation under Bankruptcy Rule 7052 by adopting the findings proposed by the Trustee. Although that might be a permissible way for a trial court to make findings, see Russian River Watershed Protection Comm. v. City of Santa Rosa, 142 F.3d 1136, 1140 (9th Cir.1998), we have frequently criticized a trial court's wholesale adoption of a party's proposed findings. See, e.g., United States v. Washington, 641 F.2d 1368, 1371 (9th Cir.1981). In any event, we need not remand this case for further findings. 26 At several points during the proceeding, the bankruptcy judge explicitly stated that no factual disputes existed in the case. Jess conceded that there were no contested facts, and that on a time basis, 78% of his work on the Klouds-Pacey litigation was performed pre-petition. The Trustee stipulated to this. Thus, the conceded, stipulated and uncontested facts enable us, without any additional factual information, to understand the issues completely and to render judgment. See Swanson, 509 F.2d at 861 (failure by a lower court to make required findings does not compel remand if a complete understanding of the issues may be had without the aid of supplemental findings). Supplemental findings are unnecessary to resolve this appeal.