TERRY L. MYERS, Chief Judge.
On March 7, 2012, Rulon Lee Tolman ("Debtor") filed a chapter 13
Mary Huskey was born in 1921 and, at the time of trial, she was 91 years old. Notwithstanding her age, Plaintiff appeared cogent, aware and percipient. She had a sharp recall of many events. Understandably, her recall of some matters was on occasion a little vague, however those occasions were few. She was a competent and credible witness.
Plaintiff had a year of business school education, and worked for some 18 years as a claims examiner, and then another 10 years as an office worker and receptionist in a medical practice. She had similar sorts of occupations over the balance of her working career. She finished that career with almost 13 years as an administrative secretary for the Idaho Board of Engineers, retiring in 1988.
Given the matters at issue in this litigation, she was questioned about her investment experience. She had little, relying primarily on very traditional and conservative financial products such as certificates of deposit. After her retirement and up to the time her sister passed away in 2006 when she inherited the sizeable sums underlying the present litigation, Plaintiff relied on Social Security payments of $1,279.00 per month and a State of Idaho pension of $559.00 per month for her retirement needs. She also had some CD's and a little stock.
Plaintiff did not have any appreciable investing experience or acumen. She therefore had to rely on the advice and recommendations of others. Plaintiff did not evidence any meaningful understanding of the details of the documents at issue in this litigation, or the complexities of the financial products and investments those documents represented.
She signed and initialed documents, but she admitted she did not read them in detail and, at times, not at all. She relied instead on the explanations and information Debtor provided her about these documents and the investments she made thereunder.
Rulon Tolman is an independent life insurance agent, with 34 years of experience in that industry. He attended two colleges over the course of three years but did not obtain a degree. He has taken life insurance training and similar continuing education courses throughout his career.
Debtor initially was a captive agent for Mutual of New York ("MONY"), but then
Debtor characterized himself as a "financial professional" for Plaintiff from 2006 through 2010. He conceded that all Plaintiff's investments during that time were made on his advice and information. To his knowledge, Plaintiff had no other financial or investment advisor during that time. On certain of the documents involving Plaintiff's investments, Debtor signed as "investment advisor" or as "financial consultant."
Factual aspects about how Debtor came to know of certain investments and products, and the extent or degree of his investigation or evaluation of the same, will be addressed later in this Decision.
Plaintiff first met Debtor in 1997. Debtor was a financial consultant for, and had sold annuities to, Plaintiff's sister Erma Travis and Erma's husband. Erma's husband passed away in 1997, and Plaintiff met Debtor while he was assisting Erma with her affairs. Erma was later diagnosed with a terminal illness. Erma met with Debtor and asked him to help Plaintiff as he had Erma and her husband, because Plaintiff would be Erma's heir.
Erma passed away in June 2006. Plaintiff was the sole beneficiary of certain annuities Erma owned that were purchased through Debtor. Those annuities had a value in excess of $900,000.
At the time of her sister's passing, Plaintiff was almost 85 years old. She had been retired for eighteen years, and had lived off her Social Security income and state pension payment. She had accumulated some savings, but she was not prepared to deal with her sizeable inheritance without assistance.
In August 2006, shortly after Erma's death, Plaintiff met with Debtor. She liked and trusted him, and she knew she needed professional assistance to deal with her inheritance. She then and later, without exception, followed his recommendations and advice. At trial, Debtor confirmed that he understood at the time he assisted Plaintiff she had little prior experience with investments, and that her income was limited to Social Security and pension payments.
Plaintiff had options for the $900,000+ in inherited annuities. She could have surrendered them for a lump sum payment, elected to take an income stream, or transferred them to another annuity. The decision had to be accomplished within five years or the annuity company would disburse a lump sum payment. Debtor advised her to purchase new annuities in her name, purportedly in order to improve the rate of return on her investments.
First, Debtor recommended, and Plaintiff purchased, a $70,000 Sun Life Financial annuity. Exs. 114, 117, 203.
Second, Plaintiff also followed Debtor's advice, and purchased a $425,000 Allianz Annuity. Ex. 109. Plaintiff wrote two checks totaling $500,000 made payable to Allianz for this annuity, and the application indicates that $500,000 was submitted. Ex. 110. Yet Allianz issued the annuity with a stated initial premium of $425,000. Exs. 109. There is no explanation in the documentary evidence, nor in testimony, as to what happened to the other $75,000.
Third, Debtor advised Plaintiff to purchase an annuity from Americom Life and Annuity Company, which advice she followed, purchasing such an annuity in the amount of $470,321. See Exs. 206, 115, 116. Again Debtor handled all the paperwork.
Debtor received commissions for selling these annuities to Debtor. Plaintiff indicated she understood Debtor would get a commission, but she did not inquire about it because "it wasn't her business." Debtor testified that the commissions were paid by the insurance company providing the annuity. There is no affirmative evidence as to the amount of commissions Debtor received on these three transactions.
Almost two years later, Debtor was contacted by a field marketing organization, Alternative Investment Services ("AIS").
Viatical or life settlement agreements generally involve an insured who wishes to sell his life insurance policy, needing present cash more than the security of a death benefit. The insured contacts a viatical settlement brokerage firm, and provides relevant information about the policy and his or her medical situation. The insured will generally be paid an amount steeply discounted from the face value of the policy. The brokerage then offers the life insurance benefit of the policy, or a fractional interest therein, to potential investors. The decision of an investor to acquire the policy (or an interest in it) depends on the amount required for the purchase, and the amount of that investor's prospective recovery of policy benefits on the insured's death. Obviously, this return is highly dependent on the expected or projected time of the insured's death. While potential returns might be high, depending on the cost of acquisition and the ultimate payment of benefit, there is significant risk due to maturity uncertainty. The investments are also generally illiquid. Some may
Plaintiff called and examined Joel Server, a registered securities administrator and financial consultant with KMS Financial in Seattle, Washington, about the investment products involved in this litigation.
Server also testified that such contracts are "securities" in Idaho and an individual selling the same is required to hold a securities license as well as an insurance license. In fact, the Idaho statute expressly defines "securities" as including viatical settlements, life settlements, and similar agreements. Idaho Code § 30-14-102(28)(e).
Debtor received most of his information about viaticals and life settlement contracts and about the companies involved from AIS, though he did get some information directly from CWH.
At trial, Debtor could not cogently explain the appropriateness of a life settlement contract for Plaintiff. However, Debtor emphasized the CWH life insurance-related products were "reinsured." That meant, he said, that another company, here Provident Capital Indemnity ("PCI"), would pay on the insurance policy underlying the CWH contract on a date certain if the insured had not passed away by such date. By having another company "reinsure" the life settlement contract, Debtor believed there was no risk involved in the CWH investment he promoted to Plaintiff.
But to determine the effectiveness of this hedge against risk, Debtor did not talk with anyone at PCI, nor did he investigate beyond "some research" on PCI in which he determined that PCI had a reported "B+" rating.
With only this background, Debtor "presented" the life settlement contract application to Plaintiff, in order to "show her the advantages of the product." He did so despite the fact that less than two years earlier Plaintiff's funds had been committed
Plaintiff testified Debtor asked her whether she would be uncomfortable investing "on someone's life" through such a vehicle. He also asked her if she would need her money for 6 years, because it could not be guaranteed to be available until 2014. Debtor further advised her that, at maturity, the return would be two times the amount she invested.
Trusting Debtor's judgment and advice, Plaintiff agreed to purchase the CWH product. Debtor presented Plaintiff with the CWH initial application materials and disclosures. See Exs. 207, 208. The application sought a fractional interest in a policy to be obtained by CWH as Plaintiff's agent, subject to PCI reinsurance, that had an insured with a life expectancy of less than four and a half years and that would return an annual compound yield of not less than 15%, in return for which Plaintiff would deposit $400,000 with an escrow agent for the purposes of acquiring the same.
The disclosures were numerous. As Plaintiff met with Debtor, he asked her to, and she did, initial several areas in these disclosures. Plaintiff signed the disclosures and the application, indicating she would invest $400,000 in a qualified life settlement contract. The disclosures included mention of the illiquid nature of the investment, and the lack of predictability of an insured's life expectancy. They also noted a potential risk if the reinsurer were to go out of business, and in connection with this, they mentioned that PCI "is involved in litigation and/or administrative proceedings in Texas."
Plaintiff also initialed an acknowledgment that she had sufficient experience in financial, investment and business matters so as to be capable of assessing the merits and risks of the investment "including any risk associated with PCI or any reinsurance company." This was not accurate. Another problem is that the disclosures included verification that the investor had the opportunity to read and review the contract documents. But Debtor did not receive the contract documents and present them to Plaintiff until two months after Plaintiff signed the initial disclosures. Ex. 209.
This was the first life settlement contract Debtor sold, and he had not seen the documents before selling the product to Plaintiff. While it is clear Debtor had more knowledge than Plaintiff regarding life settlement contracts generally, the extent of his knowledge concerning the CWH contract and the application appears to have come solely from conversations with CWH and AIS. The exact extent of his knowledge was not established at trial but was clearly minimal.
Debtor testified he was entitled to receive a 5% commission on the sale of CWH products. He did not specify the amount received on the sale of the CWH product to Plaintiff, though it would presumably be $20,000 (5% of $400,000). Debtor did admit that he received $40,599 in "total" commissions from the sale of CWH products. But no other specific sales of CWH products were discussed. Thus, it is not clear exactly how much Debtor received on the sale of the life settlement contract to Plaintiff.
Plaintiff had to cash in $430,000 worth of her recently-purchased annuities in order to purchase this CWH product. In doing so, she incurred surrender penalties, and she also realized a taxable gain for the year.
In May 2010, Debtor approached Plaintiff with yet another product, this one with Legacy Tree Foundation, a nonprofit group that offers what are known as "charitable bargain installment sales agreements." This product provides a vehicle for philanthropic individuals to transfer an asset (here, an annuity) to a charitable organization (Legacy Tree) in return for a future income stream. The seller gets a charitable tax deduction for the difference between the value of the asset transferred and the present value of the future payments. While the future payments might constitute taxable income, a portion of the deduction might be used to offset that liability.
Now almost 89, and at Debtor's recommendation, Plaintiff agreed to transfer the remaining balance of her annuities valued at $400,409.40 to Legacy Tree.
Debtor received a 7% commission (approximately $28,000) on the sale of the Legacy Tree product.
In April 2011, Plaintiff received a letter from CWH. Ex. 102. This letter informed her that PCI, the "reinsurer" on the life settlement contract she purchased in 2008, and its principals had been indicted for mail fraud and wire fraud, and that such indictments created doubts as to whether PCI would be able to meet its obligations under the contract.
She also obtained the assistance of Ed McNellis, a friend of her late brother, who helped her reach an agreement with Legacy Tree under which it returned an Allianz annuity to her (at discounted value). Plaintiff then surrendered the same to Allianz, receiving $326,307.35. Ex. 225.
Plaintiff sued Debtor in state court in December 2011. That suit was stayed by Debtor's bankruptcy in March 2012.
A party seeking to except a debt from discharge under § 523 must prove its case by a preponderance of the evidence. See Grogan v. Garner, 498 U.S. 279, 291, 111 S.Ct. 654, 112 L.Ed.2d 755 (1991). Generally, "exceptions to discharge are strictly construed against the objecting creditor and in favor of the debtor in order to effectuate the fundamental policy of providing debtors a fresh start." Spokane Railway Credit Union v. Endicott (In re Endicott), 254 B.R. 471, 475 n. 5, 00.4 I.B.C.R. 199, 200 (Bankr.D.Idaho 2000) (citing Snoke v. Riso (In re Riso), 978 F.2d 1151, 1154 (9th Cir.1992)). While a central purpose of bankruptcy is to allow an honest but unfortunate debtor a fresh start, "a dishonest debtor, on the other hand, will not benefit from his wrongdoing." Apte v. Japra (In re Apte), 96 F.3d 1319, 1322 (9th Cir.1996) (citing Grogan v. Garner, 498 U.S. at 286-87, 111 S.Ct. 654).
Section 523(a)(4) excepts from discharge a debt "for fraud or defalcation while acting in a fiduciary capacity." Plaintiff correctly asserts, and Debtor does not effectively dispute, that Debtor was acting in a fiduciary capacity under Idaho law. See Beaudoin v. Davidson Trust Co., 151 Idaho 701, 263 P.3d 755, 759 (2011) ("A fiduciary relationship exists when one party is `under a duty to act or to give advice for the benefit of the other upon a matter within the scope of the relation.'").
However, the general definition of "fiduciary" under nonbankruptcy law is inapplicable in the context of § 523(a)(4). Cal-Micro, Inc. v. Cantrell (In re Cantrell), 329 F.3d 1119, 1125 (9th Cir.2003); Zandt v. Mbunda (In re Mbunda), 484 B.R. 344, 356 (9th Cir. BAP 2012); Honkanen v. Hopper (In re Honkanen), 446 B.R. 373, 378 (9th Cir. BAP 2011). To fall within the narrower definition of "fiduciary" applicable under § 523(a)(4), "the fiduciary relationship must be one arising from an express or technical trust that was imposed
The definition of fiduciary is thus governed by federal law, but the Ninth Circuit makes it clear that state law is to be consulted to ascertain whether the requisite express or technical trust relationship exists. Murray v. Woodman (In re Woodman), 451 B.R. 31, 39 (Bankr.D.Idaho 2011) (citing Cantrell, 329 F.3d at 1125; Lewis v. Scott (In re Lewis), 97 F.3d 1182, 1185 (9th Cir.1996)). To establish the trust relationship required by § 523(a)(4), the applicable state law must clearly define fiduciary duties and clearly identify trust property. Honkanen, 446 B.R. at 379 (citing Runnion v. Pedrazzini (In re Pedrazzini), 644 F.2d 756, 759 (9th Cir.1981)). "The mere fact that state law puts two parties in a fiduciary-like relationship does not necessarily mean it is a fiduciary relationship within 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(4)." Id.
Here, Debtor acted as a financial and investment advisor to Erma, and it is easy to understand why, after Erma died, Plaintiff sought Debtor's assistance in regard to her inheritance. It is absolutely clear from the evidence that Plaintiff trusted Debtor and relied on his advice as to every one of the several transactions addressed above. Thus, Debtor's relationship with Plaintiff falls within the Idaho definition of fiduciary. Beaudoin, supra. But that does not mean that a trust was created.
Under Idaho law, an express trust is created only if the settlor manifests an intention to create a trust.
Here, there was no documentation reflecting or suggesting an express trust. Nor was there a clearly defined trust res given by Plaintiff to Debtor to hold and administer under trust for her benefit. Debtor did not control Plaintiff's funds, nor did he, as a trustee, make decisions for her benefit. Though Debtor directed Plaintiff's investments through his advice, the evidence does not establish that Debtor is a "fiduciary" in the sense required by Ninth Circuit authority construing and applying § 523(a)(4).
Plaintiff also alleges fraud under § 523(a)(2). To establish a debt is
Depue v. Cox (In re Cox), 462 B.R. 746, 756 (Bankr.D.Idaho 2011) (quoting Turtle Rock Meadows Homeowners Ass'n v. Slyman (In re Slyman), 234 F.3d 1081, 1085 (9th Cir.2000)).
While often an affirmative misrepresentation is involved, it is clear that an action under § 523(a)(2)(A) can also be prosecuted on the basis of a concealment or fraudulent omission of a material fact. The BAP in Stennis v. Davis (In re Davis), 486 B.R. 182 (Bankr.N.D.Cal. 2013), noted that it is "well recognized that silence, or the concealment of a material fact, can be the basis of a false impression which creates a misrepresentation actionable under § 523(a)(2)(A)." Id. at 191 (citing In re Evans, 181 B.R. 508, 514-15 (Bankr.S.D.Cal.1995)). "A debtor's failure to disclose material facts constitutes a fraudulent omission under § 523(a)(2)(A) if the debtor was under a duty to disclose and possessed an intent to deceive." Id. (quoting Haglund v. Daquila (In re Daquila), 2011 WL 3300197 (9th Cir. BAP Feb. 28, 2011)). See also Barns v. Belice (In re Belice), 461 B.R. 564, 580 (9th Cir. BAP 2011); Mandalay Resort Grp. v. Miller (In re Miller), 310 B.R. 185, 196 (Bankr.C.D.Cal.2004) ("The concealment or omission of material facts that a party has a duty to disclose can support the nondischargeability of a debt on the grounds of actual fraud.").
Here, Plaintiff appears to concede there were no affirmative misrepresentations. Thus, under these authorities, she must establish (a) a duty to disclose and (b) an intent to deceive. The omissions, Plaintiff argues, include Debtor's failure to inform her of material facts regarding the investments, such as the details of the products he promoted to her, the risks involved in such products, and the lack of suitability of these investments for her situation.
In Field v. Mans, 516 U.S. 59, 116 S.Ct. 437, 133 L.Ed.2d 351 (1995), the Supreme Court looked to the Restatement (Second) of Torts (hereafter "Restatement") to provide the applicable standard in analyzing § 523(a)(2)(A)'s exception from discharge for common law fraud. The common law of torts recognizes a duty to disclose in the following circumstances:
Restatement § 551.
The applicability of Restatement § 551 in § 523(a)(2)(A) actions is clear in this Circuit. See Apte, 96 F.3d at 1323-1324 (relying on Restatement § 551(2)(e) for the debtor's duty to disclose a material fact, and stating "This [fact] was basic to the transaction, and any reasonable person would expect its disclosure.").
Debtor counters that he provided Plaintiff with the information he did have, in the form of the applications and related disclosures.
The Restatement notes, "the person under a duty of disclosure is not subject to liability merely because he has failed to bring the required information home to the person entitled to it. His duty is to exercise reasonable care to do so. If reasonable care is exercised, the fact that the information does not reach the person entitled to it does not subject him to liability." Restatement § 551 cmt. d. Here, Debtor provided Plaintiff with the disclosures associated with the CWH and Legacy Tree products, and gave Plaintiff the opportunity to read the same. But, the evidence establishes that Debtor knew Plaintiff was neither reading and reviewing these materials, nor exercising any independent financial and investment judgment. She was relying solely on him. This impacts whether Debtor exercised "reasonable care" to provide Plaintiff with the information he knew, limited though it may have been.
NWAS Oklahoma, Inc. v. Kraemer (In re Kraemer), 2011 WL 3300360 (9th Cir. BAP Apr. 21, 2011), held:
Id. at *5 (footnote omitted). But:
Id. at *6. The Court must determine whether the evidence supports more than a conclusion that Debtor was negligent; the Court must determine whether the evidence establishes the presence of fraudulent or deceitful intent.
As the bankruptcy court in Wolf v. McGuire (In re McGuire), 284 B.R. 481, 492 (Bankr.D.Colo.2002), concluded:
Id. at 493. Looking at the totality of the circumstances, the Court must determine upon which side of the line Debtor falls.
The Court may consider "the knowledge and relationship of the parties themselves." Tallant, 218 B.R. at 67.
However, considering the totality of the circumstances, and even recognizing Debtor's failures, the case is a close one. The Court has wrestled with the thorny issue of evaluating the presence of an intent to deceive from all the evidence and with all inferences that fairly can be drawn therefrom. In doing so, it has reflected carefully on the testimony, and the circumstances in which Debtor recommended and promoted, and Plaintiff purchased, these investments. At bottom, it concludes that the evidence clearly establishes professional negligence. Plaintiff's lack of diligence and investigation was manifestly unprofessional. But the Court ultimately concludes the evidence does not tip over the line and show a fraudulent intent to deceive.
To find the deceitful conduct required by the case law, the Court must conclude, from this evidence, that Debtor knew or was aware of and intentionally failed to disclose the inaptness of the investments and the risk to which Plaintiff was exposed. And since there was no other motive suggested, the Court must conclude Debtor's intentional deceit was designed simply to generate serial investments and, thus, commissions.
On the totality of the evidence, the Court cannot reach these conclusions as to the transfer from Erma's annuities in 2006 to Plaintiff's new annuities. There were reasons for the change in annuities upon Erma's death. While Debtor did earn commissions, there is little else to suggest he failed to disclose known material facts about those replacement annuities in order to gain Plaintiff's consent to the investments. It may have been a poor decision, but the evidence as a whole does not suggest it was a knowingly deceitful one.
The CWH investment in 2008 and the Legacy Tree transaction in 2010 present far tougher questions. Debtor's commissions of approximately $20,000 (5% on the $400,000 CWH investment) and $28,000 (7% on the Legacy Tree investment), were significant. And significant too are Debtor's errors and omissions — his professional negligence — in connection with the CWH/PCI and Legacy Tree investments.
As discussed, Debtor was, and he knew he was, Plaintiff's sole financial advisor and investment expert. He knew her age and her financial circumstances. These 2008 and 2010 investments were not appropriate and reasonable for Plaintiff given those circumstances. The rationale for shifting investments from the annuities acquired after Erma's death to these products was never logically or credibly explained. And Debtor did not adequately convey the information he knew regarding
But violation of a duty must be coupled with an intent to deceive. See Davis, 486 B.R. at 191 ("A debtor's failure to disclose material facts constitutes a fraudulent omission under § 523(a)(2)(A) if the debtor was under a duty to disclose and possessed an intent to deceive."). There must be preponderating evidence of intent in order to obtain a judgment under § 523(a)(2)(A). To preponderate, the evidence cannot be in equipoise.
As discussed above, under the Restatement, Debtor had a duty to disclose known information, but the Restatement does not address Debtor's professional duty to acquire information. And the information Debtor actually held, but failed to adequately convey, suggests professional negligence as much as it suggests intentional fraud. To be sure, the lure of high commissions was present. But that Debtor was intentionally omitting known information in order to get Plaintiff's agreement to invest (and, thus, the commissions), was only one possibility and not one proven by a preponderance of the evidence.
To be clear, Debtor's behavior merits reproach. He was thoughtless and uncaring. He remained oblivious to facts and issues that a financial professional should have explored. He acted as a salesman first and foremost, not as a financial consultant or advisor. But, while worthy of criticism, his lack of knowledge and lack of care are not equivalent to a failure to convey known facts with deceitful intent. To be sure, a reckless indifference or disregard of the truth may be probative of intent, but it does not alone equate to fraudulent intent. And the Court concludes that the totality of the facts and circumstances proven at trial do not preponderate in favor of finding Debtor intended to deceive Plaintiff.
Therefore, the Court finds the § 523(a)(2)(A) cause was not proven, and no relief can be entered on it.
Plaintiff has not established by a preponderance of the evidence each of the requisite elements of § 523(a)(2)(A), and that cause must be dismissed. Her action under § 523(a)(4) must also be dismissed, based on a lack of proof of fiduciary status or capacity to the degree and extent required under controlling Ninth Circuit authority. Judgment will therefore be entered for Debtor.
Counsel for Debtor shall submit a proposed form of judgment consistent with this Decision.
Id. at 760 (quoting Idaho First Nat'l Bank v. Bliss Valley Foods, Inc., 121 Idaho 266, 824 P.2d 841, 853 (1991)).
However, it may be noted that there are several issues in this regard. Plaintiff seeks an award not just in the amount of the surrender or early redemption charges suffered on disposing of annuities, which amounts can be determined from the evidence. Plaintiff also seeks recovery of the commissions received by Debtor, an amount not adequately established at trial. In addition, Plaintiff seeks recovery of the $400,000 invested in the CWH product, though it appears she still owns a 6.3186% interest in the MetLife policy. Ex. 210. That she has (at least yet) been damaged in that amount is unclear. She also seeks the "missing" $75,000, though the evidence does not establish the details of this aspect of the transaction. She seeks recovery of the "tax impact" she suffered from the reported taxable gain in surrendering annuities. Though the reported taxable income is identified in the exhibits, the evidence is unclear on what the precise damage from realizing receipt of that income actually was. (Even Plaintiff's briefing, see, e.g., Doc. No. 25 at 25, Doc. No. 27 at 6, does not assert a firm figure but merely an estimate, and the portions of the trial transcript cited as support do not establish the amount of a tax loss.) Damages must, of course, be proven with specificity and cannot be speculative or conjectural. See Carlson, 426 B.R. at 858 (discussing nature and calculation of damages); Jensen v. White (In re White), 363 B.R. 157, 164 (Bankr.D.Idaho 2007) (court cannot engage in conjecture as to amount of damages).