KGB International, Inc. v. Watford (In Re Watford)KGB International, Inc. v. Watford (In Re Watford)
MEMORANDUM OPINION
THESE MATTERS came before the Court for hearing on April 25, 2007 upon the Plaintiffs’ Motions for Summary Judgment. Steven M. Defalco appeared on behalf of Plaintiffs KGB International, Inc. (“KGB International”) and Channel Imports, Inc. (“Channel”); Kate Ellis appeared on behalf of Plaintiffs Armstrong Marketing (“Armstrong”), G. Cefalu & Bros., Inc. (“Cefalu”), and Cornucopia Produce (“Cornucopia”) (all five plаintiffs shall hereinafter be referred to as the “Plaintiffs”); and Dirk W. Siegmund appeared on behalf of the defendant, Tanikka Michele Watford (“Watford”). These separate adversary proceedings were consolidated for hearing and this Memorandum Opinion shall constitute the Court’s ruling on both matters.
The Complaints filed in these cases request that the Court deсlare the indebtedness owed to the Plaintiffs under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (“PACA”), 7 U.S.C. § 499a et seq., to be nondischargeable pursuant to Section 523(a)(4) of the Bankruptcy Code. The Plaintiffs allege that they delivered produce to Southern Solutions Produce, LLC (“Southern Solutions”), and that, as a result of those deliveries, the Plaintiffs became the respectivе beneficiaries of a statutory trust created by PACA. Plaintiffs allege that Southern Solutions, as the trustee under those statutory trusts, breached a fiduciary duty to the Plaintiffs by not maintaining the PACA Trust Assets 1 in such a way as to make them available to satisfy the Plaintiffs’ outstanding claims. Finally, the Plaintiffs allege that Watford, as owner and operator of Southern Solutions, is subject to personаl liability for the failures of Southern Solutions under PACA to properly maintain the PACA Trust Assets. As such, the Plaintiffs allege that Watford’s personal liability under PACA stems from a “defalcation while acting in a fiduciary capacity” and is nondis-chargeable under Section 523(a)(4) of the Bankruptcy Code.
I. FACTS
There are no material facts in dispute and the Motions for Summary Judgment were properly brought before the Court.
A. Southern Solutions
Southern Solutions was formed in October of 2004, and Watford has been the owner and operator of the company since its inception. Sworn Affidavit of Tanikka Watford, filed March 20, 2007, in the business bankruptcy of Southern Solutions (“Watford Business Affidavit”), p. 1. The company was formed to take advantage of government contracts for the procurement of produce. Id. Between October 2004 and January 2006, Southern Solutions struggled to establish itself as a regular supplier of produce to different government agencies. Id. In the process of establishing itself, Southern Solutions borrowed a significant amount of money from Bryant F. Cunningham, Watford’s husband. 2 Id. The company eventually won lucrative contracts with the Department of Defense. Id. at 2. The company did not perform well under those contracts and by the end of January 2006, the company was no longer permitted to bid on future contracts. Id. at 4. In mid-February, Southern Solutions received a substantial amount of funds due on one of Southern Solutions’ receivables. Id. With those funds, Southern Solutions paid the debt owed tо Mr. Cunningham. Id. At all times pertinent to these adversary proceedings, Southern Solutions was a “dealer” as defined in PACA, and thus, subject to the provisions of PACA. 3 On February 24, 2006, Southern Solutions filed its voluntary Chapter 7 petition (case no. 06-10185).
B. KGB International and Channel
At all times relevant to this adversary proceeding, KGB International and Channel were subject to and licensed under PACA. On December 29, 2005 and January 16, 2006, Chаnnel sold two shipments of produce to Southern Solutions for the total invoice amount of $7,872.00. KGB/Channel Complaint, ¶ 10. From December 30, 2005 to January 13, 2006, KGB International sold three shipments of produce to Southern Solutions for the total invoice amount of $33,345.86. KGB/Channel Complaint, ¶ 10.
4
Southern Solutions accepted delivery of all five shipments from KGB International and Chаnnel. Watford’s KGB/Channel Answer, ¶ 11. At the end of January 2006, and after accepting delivery of the shipments from KGB International and Channel, Watford learned that Southern Solutions had lost
C. Armstrong, Cefalu, and Cornucopia
At all times relevant to this adversary proceeding, Armstrong, Cеfalu, and Cornucopia were all licensed under and subject to the provisions of PACA.
Armstrong/Cefalu/Comucopia Complaint,
¶¶ 4, 5, 6. Between December 11, 2005 and January 18, 2006, Cefalu sold produce to Southern Solutions for the total invoice amount of $55,866.50.
Armstrong/Cefa-lu/Cornucopia Complaint,
¶ 9. Between January 19, 2006 and February 13, 2006, Armstrong sold produce to Southern Solutions for the total invoice amount of $104,746.35.
Id.
Between January 19, 2006 and February 7, 2006, Cornucoрia sold produce to Southern Solutions for the total invoice amount of $73,149.18.
Id.
Southern Solutions accepted delivery of the produce.
Watford’s Armstrong/Cefa-lu/Cornucopia Answer,
¶ 10. As noted above, by the end of January 2006, Southern Solutions had encountered significant problems and, as she did with KGB International and Channel, Watford contacted Armstrong, Cefalu, and Cornucopia to advise them of Southern Solutions’ problems and to request that they retrieve the prоduce they had delivered in order to “maximize its value.” Affidavit of Tinakka Wat-ford, dated March 19, 2007, and filed in the Amstrong/Cefalu/Cornucopia adversary proceeding (“Watford Armstrong/Cefa-lu/Cornucopia Affidavit”), p. 2. Neither Armstrong nor Cefalu nor Cornucopia retrieved the produce. At the time that Southern Solutions filed its Chapter 7 petition, Southern Solutions had outstanding invoices owing to Armstrong, Cefalu, and Cornucopia.
Watford’s Armstrong/Cefa-lu/Cornucopia Answer,
¶ 13. All seven of the invoices evidencing the indebtedness of Southern Solutions to Armstrong have printed on them the statutory trust language that is necessary to preserve Armstrong’s rights to the PACA Trust Assets. Affidavit of William Armstrong in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment, dated February 26, 2007, p. 3 (William Armstrong is the Proprietor of Armstrong and the invoices were submittеd with his affidavit). All six of the invoices evidencing the indebtedness of Southern Solutions to Cefalu have printed on them the statutory trust language that is necessary to preserve Cefalu’s rights to the PACA Trust Assets. Affidavit of Barry Coughlin in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment, dated February 26, 2007, p. 2-3 (Barry Coughlin is the Controller at Cefa-lu and the invoices were submitted with his affidavit). All three of the invoices evidenсing the indebtedness of Southern Solutions to Cornucopia have printed on them the statutory trust language that is necessary to preserve Cornucopia’s rights to the PACA Trust Assets. Affidavit of
II. STANDARD FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
The standard fоr summary judgment is set forth in Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which is made applicable to this proceeding by Bankruptcy Rule 7056, and provides that the movant will prevail on a motion for summary judgment if “the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material faсts and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56;
Celotex Corp. v. Catrett,
III. ANALYSIS
There is no dispute as to whether the Plaintiffs delivеred the produce to Southern Solutions or as to whether Southern Solutions accepted delivery of the produce. Further, the Plaintiffs properly preserved their rights under PACA pursuant to their invoices as permitted by 7 U.S.C. § 499e(c)(4). PACA provides that Southern Solutions held the produce and all proceeds of their sale in trust until the Plaintiffs were paid in full. 7 U.S.C. § 499e(c)(2). As such, the Plaintiffs have valid PACA Trust claims for the amount of their respective invoices.
A. Nondischargeability under Section 523(a)(1)
I. Fiduciary Capacity
The Plaintiffs allege that the debts owed by Southern Solutions are nondischargeable debts of the Debtor pursuant to Section 523(a)(4), which provides that a Chapter 7 discharge does not discharge debts that are the result of “fraud or defalcation while acting in a fiduciary capaсity, embezzlement, or larceny.” 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(4). The Plaintiffs allege that the failure of Southern Solutions to pay for the produce is a “defalcation” as understood under Section 523(a)(4). To prevail under Section 523(a)(4), it must be shown “that: (1) debtor was acting in a fiduciary capacity; and (2) debtor committed a defalcation while acting in such capacity.”
Consumers Produce Co. v. Masdea (In re Masdea),
“The cоncept of a fiduciary is narrower in a bankruptcy context than it is under the common law.”
In re Masdea,
A technical trust has three elements: (1) an identifiable trust res, (2) specific fiduciary duties, and (3) an existence prior to and without reference to the act creating the debt.
In re Tucker,
In general, a statutory fiduciary is considered a fiduciary for the purposes of § 523(a)(4) if the statute: (1) defines the trust res; (2) identifies the fiduciary’s fund management duties; and (3) imposes obligations on the fiduciary prior to the alleged wrongdoing.
Id.
at 1190 (citing
Windsor v. Librandi,
Under PACA, “the res is specifically identified as all perishable agricultural commodities and products and proceeds of such commodities.”
In re Tucker,
ii. Defalcation
Having concluded that PACA satisfies the fiduciary capacity requirement under Section 523(a)(4), the court must now dеtermine whether the actions of Southern Solutions constitute a defalcation within the meaning of Section 523(a)(4). In this context, courts have turned to Judge Learned Hand’s analysis of defalcation in
Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co. v. Herbst,
Here, Southern Solutions accepted various deliveries of Produce from the Plaintiffs between December 11, 2005 and February 13, 2006. By the end of January 2006, the business operations of Southern Solutions had ground to a halt. Pursuant to the statutory trust imposed by PACA, Southern Solutions had a fiduciary duty to preserve the PACA Trust Assets for the benefit of its unpaid produce suppliers until they were paid in full. Pursuant to the provisions of PACA and its accompanying regulations, the PACA Trust applied to all of Southern Solutions’ produce inventory, produce-related inventory, and proceeds thereof, “notwithstanding that another supplier may have been the source of the inventory.”
Gullo Produce Co., Inc. v. A.C. Jordan Produce Co., Inc.,
B. Personal Liability Under Section 523(a) (4)
The Plaintiffs seek a finding that Watford is personally liable under PACA for the debts owed to them by Southern Solutions and that this personal liability is nondischargeable pursuant to Section 523(a)(4). “The law is well settled that a corporate officer or controlling person can, in certain circumstances, be held
In this case there is no dispute that Watford was the controlling person with respect to Southern Solutions. Watford states: “I, Tanikka Michele Watford, was the owner and operator of Southern Solutions .... I handled all the day to day operations, paid all invoices, acquired all contracts, and acquired all loans to the company.” Watford Business Affidavit, p. 1. This degree of ownership and control over the company is more than sufficient for the Court to find that she is personally hable for the PACA Trust indebtedness of Southern Solutions and that the debts owed to the Plaintiffs are nondischargeable in Watford’s personal bankruptcy.
IV. CONCLUSION
Section 523(a)(4) provides that a Chapter 7 discharge does not discharge debts that are the result of “fraud or defalcation while acting in a fiduciary capacity, embezzlement, or larceny.” 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(4). The trust imposed by PACA on PACA Trust Assets satisfies the fiduciаry capacity prong of Section 523(a)(4). Southern Solutions’ use of PACA Trust Assets to pay Cunningham was clearly a defalcation within the meaning of Section 523(a)(4). Thus, the debts owed by Southern Solutions to the Plaintiffs, who are PACA trust beneficiaries, are nondis-chargeable under Section 523(a)(4). Because Watford owned, controlled, and managed the day-to-day affairs оf Southern Solutions, the debts owed to the Plaintiffs are nondisehargeable in Watford’s personal bankruptcy.
This opinion constitutes the Court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law. A separate order shall be entered pursuant to Fed. R. Bankr.P. 9021.
ORDER
Consistent with the memorandum opinion filed contemporaneously herewith, it is ORDERED that:
(1) KGB International, Inc. has a valid PACA Trust claim in the аmount of $33,345.86, and such claim shall be a non-dischargeable debt of the Debtor pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(4).
(2) Channel Imports, Inc. has a valid PACA Trust claim in the amount of $7,872.00, and such claim shall be a nondis-chargeable debt of the Debtor pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(4).
(3) Armstrong Marketing has a valid PACA Trust claim in the amount of $104,746.35, and such claim shall be a non-dischargeable debt of the Debtor pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(4).
(4) G. Cefalu & Bros., Inс. has a valid PACA Trust claim in the amount of $55,866.50, and such claim shall be a non-dischargeable debt of the Debtor pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(4).
(5) Cornucopia Produce has a valid PACA Trust claim in the amount of
Notes
. 7 U.S.C. § 499e(c)(2) provides that certain produce industry professionals hold in trust, for the benefit of unpаid sellers and suppliers and their agents, "[p]erishable agricultural commodities ... and all inventories of food or other products derived from perishable agricultural commodities, and any receivables or proceeds from the sale of such commodities or products....” These items will hereafter be referred to as PACA Trust Assets.
. Watford states that the “total amount loaned by Mr. Cunningham was $94,138.40 not including any interest of 10% that was applied to the loan which made the loan total $103,552.25.” Watford Business Affidavit, p. 4. She further states that Mr. Cunningham had been paid in full as of February 21, 2006. Id.
. PACA defines a "dealer” as "any person engaged in the business of buying or selling in wholesale or jobbing quantities ... any perishable agricultural commodity in interstate or fоreign commerce....” 7 U.S.C. § 499a(b)(6).
. In the Affidavit of Tanikka Michele Wat-ford, dated March 19, 2007, and filed in the KGB International/Channel adversary proceeding ("Watford KGB/Channel Affidavit”), p. 2, Watford avers that the produce sold by Channel and KGB International was delivered after the dates stated in the KGB International/Channel Complaint. As exhibits to the Affidavit of Kenneth C. Galloway in Suppоrt of Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment Against Tanikka Watford ("Galloway Affidavit”), invoices were submitted evidencing the sales from both KGB International and Channel to Southern Solutions. The shipment dates on those invoices are the dates alleged in the KGB International/Channel Complaint. The fact that the produce was delivered after the shipment dates is consistent with the Complaint and the Court interprets Watford’s statement in Watford's KGB/Channel Affidavit as an elaboration on the facts surrounding the sales.