JACOBVITZ, Bankruptcy Judge.
The appellant, Scott Dustin Sturgeon (the "Debtor"), appeals the bankruptcy court's judgment in favor of the appellee, Bank of Cordell (the "Bank"), on the Bank's non-dischargeability complaint under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A) and (a)(2)(B). After a trial on the merits, the bankruptcy court concluded that, among other things, the Debtor engaged in a course and pattern of fraudulent activity to obtain loans and loan advances from the Bank rendering the debt in question non-dischargeable under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A). On appeal, the Debtor assigns error to various of the bankruptcy court's findings of fact. As the Debtor has not shown the bankruptcy court's decision under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A) to be the result of clear error, we AFFIRM the judgment.
The Debtor is a practicing veterinarian who is also engaged in the cattle business. The Debtor conducted cattle operations in his individual name and through S & D Cattle, LLC ("S & D"), a business he owned along with his father, Dr. David Sturgeon, referred to herein as David. The Debtor, David, and the Debtor's brother, Shane Sturgeon, all maintained commodity accounts with R.J. O'Brien, a commodities brokerage firm. The Debtor held commodity accounts in his individual name and in the name of 20/20 Cattle & Consulting, LLC ("20/20"), in which he owns a one-third interest along with David and Shane.
For several years prior to 2009, the Debtor and S & D financed their cattle operations through loans from the Bank. The Bank made loans to the Debtor and S & D to purchase cattle. The obligations to repay loan advances were secured by the cattle. To obtain funds, either the Debtor or David would identify the number of cattle to be purchased with the loan proceeds or, if the cattle had already been
The non-dischargeable debt owed to the Bank by the Debtor, either as co-signer on S & D's indebtedness or borrower, arose from the following seven loans:
Note Note Borrower & Principal No. Date Cosigners Collateral Amount Purpose 05820 06-25-08 Debtor & All livestock 150,000 Purchase 80 steers and David among other 128 other cattle collateral 65913 10-10-08 S & D, Debtor Same as above 86,020 Purchase 130 steers & David 65914 10-10-08 S & D, Debtor Same as above 86,000 Purchase 124 heifers & David 65915 10-10-08 S & D, Debtor Same as above 70,000 Purchase 75 steers and & David 25 bulls 65933 11-06-08 S & D, Debtor Same as above 84,000 Purchase 46 heifers & David and 108 other cattle 65948 12-04-08 S & D, Debtor Same as above 102,000 Purcha se 239 heifers & David 66957 12-29-08 S & D, Debtor Same as above 150,000 Purchas e 22 steers & David and 224 heifers
In granting these loans, the Bank required the Debtor to submit an annual personal financial statement. At the Bank's request, the Debtor submitted a personal financial statement on or before February 18, 2008.
The Bank also required S & D to provide a periodic cattle inventory report (sometimes "CIR") for the Bank to rely upon in making loans and approving loan advances. S & D provided CIRs to the Bank on or about July 16, 2008 and October 9, 2008. The Bank relied on S & D's cattle inventories to determine whether there was sufficient equity in the cattle to grant loans to S & D, to approve loan advances, and to approve S & D's retention of a portion of the cattle sale proceeds pledged to the Bank.
At some point prior to June, 2008, the Debtor, David, and Shane created a sham entity called the Sturgeon Partnership to market and sell cattle owned by S & D,
The Debtor also sold a portion of S & D's cattle that was pledged to the Bank to Thigpen in the name of Washita Veterinary Clinic (the "Vet Clinic"), an entity owned by David and his spouse, the Debtor's mother.
During the same year that the Sturgeon Partnership was formed, the Debtor and 20/20 suffered losses in their commodity accounts. The Debtor lost $43,777.08 and 20/20 lost $105,743.58. Because the Debtor's and 20/20's commodity accounts declined in value, he was required to deposit additional funds into them or be subjected to the involuntary sale of holdings in these accounts as necessary to restore them to the required "margin" position. The Debtor had not made sufficient financial arrangements to adequately respond to the margin calls. As a result, the Debtor and S & D diverted considerable funds to these commodity accounts. The funds came from loan advances from the Bank and from sales of S & D cattle pledged to the Bank. On more than one occasion when loan advances were used to cover margin calls, David represented to the Bank that the loan advances would be used to purchase cattle.
In January, 2009, the bank hired Jason Ferguson to count S & D's cattle pledged to the Bank and to prepare a CIR. Mr. Ferguson counted S & D's cattle with the Debtor on January 5, 2009, and with David on January 14, 2009. Mr. Ferguson submitted the cattle inventory report to the Bank on January 22, 2009. After receiving the cattle inventory report, the Bank prepared an equity report and discovered it was "about $300,000 deficient on cattle value to loan amounts."
The Bank then made demand on the Debtor and S & D to move their loans. Instead, the Debtor and S & D chose to liquidate the Bank's collateral and apply the proceeds to their indebtedness. After analyzing the cattle inventories and various bank statements and other records, the Bank determined that after all the cattle had been sold, there were 896 head of cattle the Bank could not account for. The value of the 896 missing cattle was approximately $450,000.00. In May, 2010, the Bank filed an action against the Debtor and S & D in state court seeking to recover the balance due on the notes. The state court entered a money judgment against the Debtor and S & D (the "State Court Judgment"). The Bank filed a proof of claim in the bankruptcy case in the amount of $843,031.72.
The Debtor filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. § 101, et seq., on September 24, 2010. The Bank filed an adversary proceeding against the Debtor seeking a determination that the debt arising from the State Court Judgment is non-dischargeable under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A), (a)(2)(B), (a)(4), and (a)(6). The Bank alleged that the Debtor, either individually or on behalf of S & D: (1) obtained loans and loan advances from the Bank by use of a false financial statement; (2) misrepresented the purpose for which loan advances were used or to be used; (3) misrepresented the number of cattle owned by the Debtor or S & D; (4) sold cattle subject to the Bank's security interest and failed to remit the proceeds to the Bank; and (5) diverted proceeds from loans and sales of cattle to commodity accounts owned by the debtor or his family.
After discovery and briefing, the bankruptcy court conducted a two-day trial beginning on October 4, 2011. The Debtor argued that he did not obtain loans from the Bank using false pretenses, false representations, or actual fraud. He contended that his father made the offending representations and that he was unaware of the way in which his father managed the cattle operation. The Debtor also argued that the financial statement he submitted to the Bank was not false because he submitted it before he opened any commodity accounts. The bankruptcy court took the matter under advisement and required each party to submit proposed findings and conclusions of law. On May 22, 2012, the bankruptcy court issued findings of fact and conclusions of law and entered judgment against the Debtor on the Bank's non-dischargeability claim under Sections 523(a)(2)(A) and 523(a)(2)(B). This appeal followed.
A bankruptcy court's factual findings are reviewed on appeal for clear error; legal conclusions are reviewed de novo. In re Paige, 685 F.3d 1160, 1178 (10th Cir.2012). "A finding of fact is `clearly erroneous' if it is without factual support in the record, or if the appellate court, after reviewing all the evidence, is left with a definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been made." Cowles v. Dow Keith Oil & Gas, Inc., 752 F.2d 508, 511 (10th Cir.1985) (citation omitted). "`If the [trial] court's account of the evidence is plausible in light of the record viewed in its entirety, the court of appeals may not reverse it even though convinced that had it been sitting as the trier of fact, it would have weighed the evidence differently.'" La Resolana Architects, PA v. Reno, Inc., 555 F.3d 1171, 1177 (10th Cir.2009) (quoting
This Court has jurisdiction over this appeal. The bankruptcy court's judgment, which fully resolved the adversary proceeding, was entered on May 22, 2012. The Debtor filed a timely notice of appeal on June 4, 2012, and neither side elected to have this appeal heard by the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.
On appeal, we are asked to reverse the bankruptcy court's determination that the debt arising from the State Court Judgment is non-dischargeable under Section 523(a)(2)(A)
As discussed below, we are not persuaded by the Debtor's arguments on appeal. The bankruptcy court's findings that the Bank proved all necessary elements to sustain a claim under Section 523(a)(2)(A) are supported by the record, and we do not have a definite and firm conviction that the bankruptcy court erred with respect to those findings. Because we affirm the bankruptcy court's conclusion that the debt arising from the State Court Judgment is non-dischargeable under Section (a)(2)(A), we need not address the issue of whether that debt is also non-dischargeable under Section 523(a)(2)(B).
Section 523(a)(2)(A) provides that a debtor is not discharged from any debt "for money, property, services, or an extension, renewal, or refinancing of credit, to the extent obtained by ... false pretenses, a false representation, or actual fraud, other than a statement respecting the debtor's or an insider's financial condition." To sustain a claim for false representation under Section 523(a)(2)(A), the claimant must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that: 1) the debtor made a false representation; 2) with the intent to deceive the creditor; 3) the creditor relied on the false representation; 4) the creditor's reliance was [justifiable];
False pretenses under Section 523(a)(2)(A) are implied misrepresentations intended to create and foster a false impression. Unlike false representations, which are express misrepresentations, false pretenses include conduct and material omissions. See Marks v. Hentges (In re Hentges), 373 B.R. 709, 725 (Bankr. N.D.Okla.2007) (false pretenses are "implied misrepresentations or conduct intended to create and foster a false impression.") (internal quotations omitted).
A claimant may also sustain a claim under Section 523(a)(2)(A) by proving that the debtor engaged in actual fraud. Although the phrases "false pretenses," "false representation," and "actual fraud" are often used interchangeably, the Tenth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel recently determined that actual fraud is a separately recognized provision within Section 523(a)(2)(A). See Diamond v. Vickery (In re Vickery), 488 B.R. 680, 691 (10th Cir. BAP 2013) (noting that "actual fraud under [Section] 523(a)(2)(A) is not limited to representations and misleading omissions[.]") (internal quotation marks omitted).
False representations and implied misrepresentations that are intended to create and foster a false impression by co-conspirators in furtherance of a fraudulent scheme may be attributed to a debtor who is an active, willing and knowing participant in the fraudulent scheme for purposes of Section 523(a)(2)(A). See, e.g., Blackmon v. Evans (In re Evans), 410 B.R. 317, 321 (Bankr.M.D.Fla.2009) (fraudulent acts and representations made by co-conspirators are attributed to an active participant in the fraudulent scheme).
In ruling in favor of the Bank on its nondischargeability claim under Section 523(a)(2)(A), the bankruptcy court found that the principals of S & D orchestrated a fraudulent scheme and that the Debtor was an active participant. The fraudulent scheme had the following characteristics, which form the basis for the alleged errors on appeal:
Based on our review of the record, we have determined that evidence exists to show that the Debtor and his father, David, perpetrated a fraudulent scheme aimed at deceiving the Bank. There is support in the record for the bankruptcy court's finding that the Debtor was an active, knowing participant in a fraudulent scheme to deceive the Bank through a series of false representations and false pretenses that created a contrived and misleading understanding by the Bank, and that the Debtor thereby intended to deceive the Bank. The false representations and false pretenses wrongfully induced the Bank to grant loans to S & D and the Debtor, approve loan advances, and permit use of cattle sale proceeds pledged to the Bank in S & D's operations.
In his first assignment of error, the Debtor argues that the bankruptcy court erroneously found that the Debtor helped create the Sturgeon Partnership as a sham entity to sell cattle pledged to the Bank and divert sales proceeds from the Bank. The Debtor contends that along with his father and brother he created the Sturgeon Partnership as a marketing device to obtain a better sales price for their cattle. He maintains that he and S & D remitted the down payment monies to the Bank as required by the security agreements, and the Bank permitted S & D and himself to keep excess proceeds from the cattle sales. The Debtor also contends that a portion of
Substantial evidence shows that the Debtor and his father used the Sturgeon Partnership and the Vet Clinic to circumvent the Bank's rights as a lienholder. Regardless of his reason for forming the Sturgeon Partnership, the Debtor used the entity in an attempt to sell cattle to Thigpen free and clear of the Bank's lien and deprive the Bank of supervisory control over a portion the sales proceeds.
Thigpen, the buyer of the cattle, made down payments to the Sturgeon Partnership by check and did not name the Bank as a joint payee.
The Debtor was actively involved in the sales scheme. He personally executed the forward delivery contracts on behalf of the Sturgeon Partnership to sell cattle to Thigpen.
As the Debtor points out, there is conflicting evidence regarding the extent to
Next, the Debtor argues that the bankruptcy court erroneously found that he requested loan proceeds from the Bank to purchase cattle but instead used the funds to cover margin calls in his commodity account. The Debtor asserts that his father David was the one who requested the loan advances from the Bank and traded in the Debtor's commodity account. It is undisputed that the Bank made the loans to S & D and the Debtor to fund their cattle operations and that each loan request was typically tied to a specific number of cattle to be purchased or that had been purchased.
It is clear that David participated extensively in S & D's fraudulent scheme. David likely placed the majority of the calls to the Bank requesting the loan advances. The Debtor placed at least one such call, but it is unclear whether the Debtor made any specific representations regarding the use of the funds or whether S & D actually used the funds to purchase cattle.
However, in light of the evidence in the record, the bankruptcy court's inference that the Debtor participated in the scheme to mislead the Bank regarding S & D's use of the loan advances is plausible. The Debtor personally signed each promissory note and Agricultural Security Agreement and was aware that the Bank expected S & D to use the loan proceeds to fund S & D's cattle purchases.
To the extent that any loan advances were diverted to his commodity account, the Debtor contends that the Bank authorized such use of the funds. The record does not support this assertion. The Debtor admitted that part of the reason he set up the commodity account in his name rather than in S & D's name was to hide the account from the Bank.
The Debtor also contends that the bankruptcy court erred when it found that the Debtor misrepresented the number of cattle the Debtor or S & D owned. David provided cattle inventory reports to the Bank on or about July 16, 2008 and October 9, 2008. The Bank's consultant, Jason Ferguson, prepared a cattle inventory report dated January 22, 2009. The Bank's chairman, Mr. Baker, performed a detailed accounting to trace S & D's cattle purchases and sales, which the bankruptcy
We agree that there is no significant evidence in the record suggesting that the Debtor was involved in preparing the July 16, 2008 or October 9, 2008 cattle inventory reports. The Debtor did not sign them.
The accuracy of the actual inventory reports when prepared and the fact that David submitted them to the Bank is not dispositive of whether the Debtor and David created a false impression to mislead the Bank regarding its collateral position.
The record also supports the bankruptcy court's finding that the Debtor actively participated in the scheme to conceal the missing cattle from the Bank. The record
Thus, even if each cattle inventory that David or Mr. Ferguson submitted was initially accurate, the totality of the circumstances supports the conclusion that the Debtor and S & D misled the Bank regarding its collateral position. The Debtor's and David's failure to inform the Bank about the missing cattle during the time S & D was obtaining new loans and procuring the Bank's consent to its use of sale proceeds constitutes false pretenses in the form of material omissions. Further, David's misrepresentations and material omissions can be attributed to the Debtor because he was an active, willing, and knowing participant in the fraudulent scheme.
After thoroughly reviewing the extensive record and considering the evidence as a whole, we are not persuaded by the Debtor's arguments on appeal. The bankruptcy court's finding that the Debtor engaged in a pattern and course of fraudulent conduct was supported by the evidence presented at trial and is not clearly erroneous. We therefore affirm the bankruptcy court's determination that the debt arising from the State Court Judgment is non-dischargeable under Section 523(a)(2)(A).