SCHELLHAS, Judge.
In this fraudulent-conveyance dispute, appellants argue that the district court erred by granting summary judgment to respondent on its claim that appellants engaged in fraudulent transfers of assets to prevent respondent from levying on those assets to enforce its money judgment. We affirm.
The facts are derived from the parties' submissions to the district court in connection with the summary-judgment motion of respondent Citizens State Bank Norwood Young America (bank) and are undisputed. In support of its summary-judgment motion, the bank submitted a memorandum of law and its counsel's affidavit with attached exhibits. In opposition to summary judgment, appellants Gordon Brown and Judy Brown submitted two memoranda of law and their counsel's affidavit with attached exhibits. Those exhibits included a copy of the Browns' marriage-dissolution judgment and decree.
The Browns were married on January 10, 1987. During the marriage, Gordon Brown guaranteed debt in excess of $8,800,000, including principal indebtedness to the bank in the amount of $227,040. The borrower defaulted on this debt, and the bank sued Gordon Brown and others and obtained a judgment for more than $290,000 against Gordon Brown on June 29, 2010. The bank attempted unsuccessfully
In March 2010, with the assistance of counsel who is the Browns' co-counsel in this appeal, Gordon Brown petitioned for marital dissolution from Judy Brown. Judy Brown was unrepresented and interposed no answer to the petition. The Browns executed a marital-termination agreement (MTA), and the district court incorporated its terms in a marriage-dissolution judgment and decree, entering judgment on October 8, 2010. At the time of the dissolution, Gordon Brown was age 94, Judy Brown was age 55, and their respective monthly incomes were approximately $4,000 from social security and $500 from part-time employment. Neither party was awarded spousal maintenance. The judgment and decree distributed the Browns' marital property as follows, the amounts approximated according to the judgment and decree:
In the judgment and decree, the district court assigned to Gordon Brown indebtedness in excess of $271,850 and ordered that he hold harmless and indemnify Judy Brown against liability on the debts. The court also ordered Gordon Brown to hold harmless and indemnify Judy Brown against liability for Gordon Brown's personal guarantees in the amount of $8,807,040.
The bank commenced a fraudulent-conveyance action against the Browns soon after their marriage dissolution, alleging that Gordon Brown fraudulently transferred "substantially all" of his assets to Judy Brown and "retain[ed] possession and control" of the assets "shortly after the substantial debt owed to [the bank] became a judgment."
Based on the distribution of assets in the marital dissolution, and in recognition of the fact that Gordon Brown had pledged some of the assets awarded to Judy Brown to secure his personal guarantees, the district court noted that "Judy Brown was awarded approximately $2,000,000.00 in assets and ... Gordon Brown was left with a
This appeal follows.
Did the district court err by granting summary judgment in favor of the bank because the Browns did not rebut by clear and convincing evidence the statutory presumption that the transfers of assets from Gordon Brown to Judy Brown were fraudulent?
A district court must grant summary judgment "if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, ... show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that either party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law." Minn. R. Civ. P. 56.03. An appellate court reviews a "district court's legal decisions on summary judgment under a de novo standard, and view[s] the evidence in the light most favorable to the party against whom judgment was granted." RAM Mut. Ins. Co. v. Rohde, 820 N.W.2d 1, 6 (Minn.2012) (quotations omitted).
"Statutes invalidating fraudulent conveyances are designed to prevent debtors from putting property which is available for the payment of their debts beyond the reach of their creditors. If the property transferred is not subject to the claims of creditors, the rules as to fraudulent conveyances do not apply." Kummet v. Thielen, 210 Minn. 302, 306 298 N.W. 245, 247 (1941). "The Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (UFTA) prohibits a debtor from transferring property with the intent to hinder, delay, or defraud any creditors." New Horizon Enters., Inc. v. Contemporary Closet Design, Inc., 570 N.W.2d 12, 14 (Minn.App.1997) (citing Minn.Stat. §§ 513.41-513.51 (1996)); see Minn.Stat. § 513.51 ("Sections 513.41 to 513.51 may be cited as the `Uniform Fraudulent Transfers Act.'"). "Under the UFTA, liability can be imposed for transfers of property with actual or constructive intent to defraud a creditor." New Horizon, 570 N.W.2d at 15.
A creditor may bring an action for relief from a fraudulent transfer to "avoid[] ... the transfer or obligation to the extent necessary to satisfy the creditor's claim," Minn.Stat. § 513.47(a)(1)(2012),
Minn.Stat. § 513.44 (2012).
Here, for the purpose of determining actual fraud under section 513.44(b), we conclude that the Browns are "insider[s]" within the meaning of section 513.44(b)(11).
A creditor may also bring an action on the basis of constructive fraud under the following circumstances:
Minn.Stat. § 513.45(a) (2012).
The Browns complain that certain assets did not have the values ascribed to them by the bank. But the alleged differences in value are minor in proportion to the overall value of the marital estate and do not affect the conclusive evidence of constructive fraud. See Citizens State Bank of Hayfield v. Leth, 450 N.W.2d 923, 926-27 (Minn.App.1990) (upholding judgment finding constructive fraud when landowner attempted to convey for $100,000 land with an actual value of $200,000, upholding district court's finding that the transferor did not receive reasonably equivalent value in exchange for the land).
The question of whether fraudulent intent exists is normally a question of fact. See New Horizon, 570 N.W.2d at 15-16 (discussing statutory factors that may be considered by fact-finder in determining actual intent under the UFTA). And the factual nature of a determination of intent makes the issue one that is not typically appropriate for summary judgment. See, e.g., Bogatzki v. Hoffman, 430 N.W.2d 841, 846 (Minn.App. 1988) (stating that summary judgment was inappropriate when issue of material fact surrounded attorney's intent regarding release), review denied (Minn. Dec. 21, 1988); see also Wagner v. Schwegmann's S. Town Liquor, Inc., 485 N.W.2d 730, 733 (Minn.App.1992) (stating that "factual inferences must be resolved in favor of the nonmoving party" on a motion for summary judgment), review denied (Minn. July 16, 1992). But for summary-judgment purposes, "[n]o genuine issue of material fact exists when the record taken as a whole could not lead a rational trier of fact to find for the nonmoving party." Frieler v. Carlson Mktg. Grp., Inc., 751 N.W.2d 558, 564 (Minn. 2008) (quotations omitted); see Lubbers v. Anderson, 539 N.W.2d 398, 402 (Minn. 1995) (stating as to question of fact that, "where reasonable minds can arrive at only one conclusion," question can be decided as a matter of law). And, on summary judgment, district courts are "required to draw only reasonable inferences" in favor of the nonmoving party. Superior Constr. Servs., Inc. v. Belton, 749 N.W.2d 388, 393 (Minn.App.2008).
"The aggrieved creditor ordinarily bears the burden of proving a conveyance is fraudulent, but the relationship between the parties to a transaction may shift this burden to varying degrees." Snyder Electric Co. v. Fleming, 305 N.W.2d 863, 867 (Minn.1981). "[T]ransfers between husband and wife are presumptively fraudulent." Id. (quotation omitted); see Kummet, 210 Minn. at 305-06, 298 N.W. at 246-47 (stating that "a transfer between husband and wife is presumed to be fraudulent as to existing creditors" but noting that "a transfer by a husband to his wife of property which belongs to her legally or equitably is not fraudulent as to his creditors").
Minnesota courts closely scrutinize a transfer of assets between a debtor spouse and a non-debtor spouse when the transfer
Minneapolis Stock-Yards & Packing Co. v. Halonen, 56 Minn. 469, 471, 57 N.W. 1135, 1135-36 (1894) (emphasis added); see State Bank of New London v. Swenson, 197 Minn. 425, 428, 267 N.W. 366, 367 (1936) (relying on Halonen, stating that, when a creditor attempts to satisfy an existing debt, repayment of which has been circumvented by a transfer of assets from a debtor spouse to a non-debtor spouse, a presumption that the transfer is fraudulent arises and must be met by affirmative proof showing that the transfer was not fraudulent). The burden of proving that the transfer is not fraudulent is on the transferee. See State Bank of New London, 197 Minn. at 428, 267 N.W. at 367-68 (stating that, "where a judgment is upon a claim which accrued prior to a conveyance to his wife of property belonging to the debtor husband, which property the creditors are trying to reach, the burden of proof is upon the wife to show the purchase by clear and satisfactory evidence, and that it was for a valuable consideration, paid by her, or by some one in her behalf" (quotation omitted)).
By law, Gordon Brown's transfers to Judy Brown are presumed to be fraudulent, and Judy Brown has not rebutted the presumption by clear and convincing evidence;
Despite the disproportionate distribution of assets, the Browns rely almost exclusively on the terms of their marriage dissolution to support their argument that the asset transfers arising out of their marriage dissolution were not fraudulent conveyances. Without citation to legal authority, the Browns essentially maintain that, because a district court approved the terms of their MTA and incorporated the terms in a marriage-dissolution judgment and decree, the asset transfers cannot be deemed to be fraudulent conveyances. We disagree. See Estes v. Titus, 481 Mich. 573, 751 N.W.2d 493, 503 & n. 44 (2008) (holding that "the [Michigan Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act] applies to the transfer of property in a divorce judgment that incorporates a property settlement agreement," and concluding that "a creditor's claim under the UFTA is not an impermissible collateral attack on a divorce judgment because (1) the divorce court has no jurisdiction to determine the rights of a creditor and (2) a creditor cannot appeal a divorce judgment").
We conclude that the dissolution court's approval of the Browns' MTA does not insulate them from the bank's fraudulent-transfer claim. We reject any notion that the dissolution court's incorporation of the terms of the Browns' MTA in the marriage-dissolution judgment and decree alters the rights of creditors under the UFTA.
The Browns make several arguments in support of their claim that the "badges of fraud" were not shown in this case. They assert that they were not husband and wife when the transfers were made, that the transfers were not concealed, and that Gordon Brown did not transfer substantially all of his assets to Judy Brown. Although appellants are correct that the transfers were not concealed because they were accomplished through a marital dissolution that was based on the parties' agreement, Gordon Brown did transfer substantially all of his assets to Judy Brown. And he accepted sole responsibility for contingent and non-contingent marital debts of over $8,500,000.
We conclude that the Browns did not present sufficient evidence to permit reasonable persons to draw different conclusions about their fraudulent intent. See Schroeder v. St. Louis Cnty., 708 N.W.2d 497, 507 (Minn.2006) (stating that party with burden of proof who opposes summary judgment must present "sufficient evidence to permit reasonable persons to draw different conclusions" (emphasis omitted)). The district court therefore did not err by granting summary judgment to the bank.
Under the UFTA, the Browns are insiders and the UFTA applies to the transfers of assets arising out of the Browns' marriage dissolution. Gordon Brown's transfers of assets to Judy Brown are presumed to be fraudulent as to Gordon Brown's creditors, and Judy Brown has not rebutted by clear and convincing evidence the presumption that the transfers of assets were fraudulent.