Summary: The Supreme Court ruled that “defalcation” as used in 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(4) requires a culpable state of mind, involving knowledge of, or gross recklessness in respect to, the improper nature of the fiduciary behavior. For a copy of the opinion, please see: Bullock v. Bank Champagne- Defalcation.pdf

Summary: Clean Burn Fuels (CBF) operated a pant that converted corn supplied by Purdue Bionery (Purdue) into ethanol. The agreement between the parties provided that Purdue would retain ownership of the corn until it was delivered to CBF, defined as the when it passed over a weigh belt, the final stage before the conversion of the corn into ethanol began.

Summary: The McFaddens obtained a mortgage from Flagstar in July 2007 for $116,500.00, secured by their real property located in Virginia. The note provided that it could be freely transfered by Flagstar and that the agreements in the Deed of Trust would bind and benefit successors and assignees of the note. Before August 2009, the note was transferred to Fannie Mae and around the same time the McFaddens fell delinquent on their payments.

Summary: After falling delinquent on their mortgage payments to Wells Fargo in early 2010, the Hayletts sought a HAMP modification. After being supplied with initial documentation, Wells Fargo requested further information from the Hayletts on March 1, 2010, allowing ten days to respond. The Hayletts provided the requested documents on March 22, 2010, but Wells Fargo denied the request and proceeded to foreclosure.

Summary: Applying principles enunciated by the United States Supreme Court in Assocs. Commercial Corp. v. Rash, 520 U.S. 953, 117 S.Ct. 1879 (1997), the Bankruptcy Court also found that it was appropriate to apply a minority discount when gauging the fair market value of the Corporate Holdings. To hold otherwise would give the best interest of the creditors a “punitive effect” on the Debtor by requiring payment of more than the fair market value of the assets in order to retain them.

Summary: The SEC filed a complaint against the Debtor and two other individuals in 2005 alleging they had engaged in a $60 million Ponzi scheme, specifically alleging that the Debtor unlawfully sold unregistered securities, was not registered as a broker-dealer when selling certain billboards, and failed to disclose material information to investors. In 2006, the Debtor and the SEC filed a consent judgment wherein the Debtor agreed to, among other terms, disgorge nearly $2 million.

Summary: The McClendons sought to purchase a home built by Jim Walters Homes (JWH) and financed by Walter Mortgage Company (WMC). Both the construction and the financing went through several permutations, with the size of the house, the amount of the loan, and the loan interest rate, increasing several times.