Kim v. Ji Sung Yoo
Kim v. Ji Sung Yoo
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiffs Tae H. Kim, Young M. Choi, Dong M. Ju, Hong S. Kim, Yoon C. Kim, Chul G. Park, Jin H. Park, Eutemio Morales, Zhe Y. Shen, Jong H. Song, and R. Julian Ventura (collectively, the "Plaintiffs") are judgment creditors from a previously adjudicated Fair Labor Standards Act litigation, Kim v. Kum Gang, Inc., No. 12 Civ. 6344 (MHD) (S.D.N.Y.) (the "FLSA Action"). Plaintiffs have alleged that one of the FLSA Action judgment debtors, Defendant Ji Sung Yoo ("Ji Sung"), violated fraudulent conveyance sections of the New York Debtor and Creditor Laws ("DCL") when he transferred real property interests to members of his family, Defendants Sandra Yoo ("Sandra"), Samuel Yoo ("Samuel") and Carolyn Yoo ("Carolyn") (collectively, the "Yoos" or the "Defendants") in an attempt to avoid paying debts.
A bench trial in this action was held before the Court between January 22 and January 30, 2018. Based upon the prior proceedings, the findings of fact, and conclusions of law set forth below, Plaintiffs *603have proven that each property interest Ji Sung transferred was fraudulent conveyed and entitled to be set aside. Plaintiffs are further entitled to a money judgment to satisfy mortgages taken out on two of the properties from the transferees of those property, in addition to certain attorneys' fees as against Ji Sung and Sandra.
I. Prior Proceedings
On April 21, 2015, Plaintiffs filed their complaint. Dkt. No. 1. Plaintiffs' complaint alleged that Ji Sung fraudulently conveyed three pieces of property-a home in Little Neck, New York (the "Home"), a condominium on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York (the "Condo"), and a commercial property in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York (the "Brooklyn Property")-to Sandra, Samuel, and Carolyn. See Compl. ¶¶ 35-45. Invoking the Court's ancillary enforcement jurisdiction to secure payment on a judgment award of $2,672,657.30 entered against Ji Sung and for Plaintiffs in the FLSA Action, Plaintiffs sought to return the alleged fraudulently conveyed property interests to Ji Sung's estate and require payment for mortgages taken out on the Home and Brooklyn Properties to return those properties to their pre-conveyance value. Compl. ¶¶ 2, 7, 38, 42, 45. Plaintiffs also sought attorneys' fees and costs. Compl. ¶¶ 38, 42, 45.
On September 15, 2015, Defendants moved to dismiss Plaintiffs' Complaint, Dkt. Nos. 28, 35, which was denied on January 19, 2016, Dkt. No. 57. On June 20, 2017, Defendants moved for summary judgment, Dkt. No. 85, which was denied on September 29, 2017, Kim v. Ji Sung Yoo, No. 15 Civ. 3110 (RWS),
Evidence was presented between January 22 and January 30, 2018. Final arguments were held on March 28, 2018, at which point the matter was marked fully submitted.
II. Findings of Fact
Three witnesses testified at trial: Ji Sung, Sandra, and Kang Youl Lee ("Lee"), the Yoos' financial accountant. Tr. 24:25-7.
Sandra's testimony seismically shifted over the course of the litigation and appeared crafted after her deposition to support Defendants' trial posture. This was evident during her testimony regarding the many checks written by and to the Yoos that she claimed supported fair consideration for the disputed property conveyances. E.g., compare Tr. 228:22-23 (stating at trial that she wrote a check to pay the Kum Gang rent), and Tr. 312:1-19 (stating at trial that she had made a copy of a check before giving it to Kum Gang), and Tr. 229:8-230:17 (stating at trial that she wrote a check to Kum Kang), and Tr. 245:24-246:10 (stating at trial that many of the checks given to Ji Sung's restaurants were her friends who wrote out checks at her request), with Tr. 283:8-284:8 (stating at her deposition that the check described at Tr. 228:22-23 was given to her by an acquaintance and not at her request), and *604Tr. 314:21-22 (stating at her deposition that the check described at Tr. 312:1-19 was obtained from Kum Gang), and Tr. 288:22-289:15 (stating at her deposition that the check described at Tr. 229:8-230:17 was given to her by her brother-in-law), and Tr. 319:10-16, 324:19-21, 327:4-6, 328:3-9, 329:9-13, 330:12-16 (stating at trial that the checks described at Tr. 245:24-246:10 in general were not friends, but rather employees, and that her brother-in-law had done the soliciting). Of particular note, Sandra had no believable explanation for how checks she stated had come only from her account had been altered to cover-up that the checks had actually come from her joint account with Ji Sung. See Tr. 230:18-232:14, 292:10-11, 293:19-25; Defs.' Ex. B, at 7, 8; Pls.' Exs. 70-71. Sandra's responses to straight-forward questions about whether money went from Kum Gang to her restaurant, Gum Gang, when other uncontroverted evidence demonstrated that fact, evinced an intention to avoid contrary facts for the sake of Ji Sung's narrative. See Tr. 306:13-16, 357:8-11; Pls.' Exs. 50-55.
Lee's testimony was similarly wavering and unreliable. Like Sandra, Lee's testimony as to where money from Ji Sung's restaurants came from, went to, and for what purposes shifted over the course of trial. Lee sometimes stated that certain monies went to Sandra, only to later refuse to state with the same confidence that he knew anything about the same checks. Compare Tr. 33:5-11, 34:2-10 (stating that certain ledger entries for Ji Sung's restaurants demonstrated checks that went to Sandra), with Tr. 34:23-24, 35:11-14 (stating there was no way to know if certain check payments went to Sandra). Lee's testimony was equivocal as to why certain ledger entries for Ji Sung's restaurants reflected payment to Sandra as payroll or as repayment for loans Sandra made. Compare Tr. 71:2-25 (stating that the checks were for payroll), with Tr. 82:19-83:3 (stating that the checks were for loan repayment, not payroll). The manner in which Lee described the accounting of Ji Sung's restaurants to which he testified at trial indicated that the records were made one way and then, later, changed based on ex post direction from Ji Sung and Sandra. Tr. 50:15-53:5, 55:8-63:16.
In addition to the aforementioned witness testimony, the parties submitted documentary evidence at trial, including New York State Department of Labor (the "DOL") records, checks written by and given to the Yoos, the facts subject to preclusive effect based on prior findings in the FLSA Action
Ji Sung and Sandra, husband and wife, have four children: Carolyn, Samuel, Sue, and June. Tr. 111:9-11, 181:19-182:23. Sandra is principally at home and cares for June, who is disabled and requires twenty-four hour care. Tr. 111:20-25; 182:12-19. The Yoos, in differing ownership arrangements, own three properties: the Home, located at 52-32 Leaf Place, Little Neck, New York, Tr. 126:6-7; the Condo, located at 325 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York, Tr. 119:22-25; and the Brooklyn Property, located on Avenue U, Brooklyn, New York, Tr. 127:10-12.
For the past twenty-six years, Ji Sung has owned two Korean restaurants in New York City: Kum Gang, Inc. ("Kum Gang"), in Flushing, Queens, and Kum Kang, Inc. ("Kum Kang"), in Midtown Manhattan, and during the time period at issue, he was the sole owner.
The nature of the inheritance was contested at trial. Both Ji Sung and Sandra testified that Sandra exclusively inherited the $1 million, who in turn loaned it to Ji Sung to open his businesses. Tr. 125:3-5; 181:3-10, 187:18-20; 359:14-360:15. The contention that Ji Sung and Sandra's marriage had a transactional component to it is belied by other evidence in the record, however. Most importantly, Sandra sworn previously that the $1 million was given by her family specifically to Ji Sung for his business endeavors. See Affidavit of Sandra Yoo dated June 17, 2017 ("Sandra Aff.") ¶ 2, Dkt. No. 85, Ex. E. Other evidence showed that Ji Sung and Sandra only split their finances following Ji Sung's business problems, Tr. 362:16-21, and other shared joint bank accounts, Tr. 296:5-8, 364:12-365:10, 369:5-370:10. This evidence establishes that the two shared undifferentiated finances. Sandra described her relationship with her husband as "not a business relationship between husband and wife." Tr. 361:2. The wedding inheritance money literally could have been given to Sandra, see Tr. 359:24-360:1, but the evidence established that the money was given to the Yoos as a couple, and that it was spent in large part on the restaurants.
In January 2010, the DOL began investigating Kum Kang (the "2010 KK Investigation"). Pls.' Ex. 6A. The investigation reviewed Kum Kang's payroll records *606from July 1, 2005, through February 11, 2010. Id., at 18. Ji Sung averred at trial that he was unaware of this investigation, Tr. 176:8-9, but that claim is countervailed by other evidence. Ji Sung was aware at the time that he was in violation of applicable labor laws. See FLSA Op. 83-85 & n.54 (describing the actions taken by Ji Sung and other FLSA Action defendants to conceal their unlawful employment practices and concluding that the "defendants' violation of the applicable [labor] laws was certainly willful"). Ji Sung was also aware of the DOL's investigation, as evidenced by his involvement in early 2010 with manufacturing false time cards. See FLSA Op. 50, 52-53, 60, 74, 83 & n.36 (describing the defendants' creation of false time cards during the 2010 KK Investigation in the home of a relative of Ji Sung's while Ji Sung hid the real time cards in his home garage).
This was not Ji Sung's first encounter with DOL investigations. In 2007, following an investigation begun in January 2005, the DOL had fined Ji Sung for failing to pay his employees properly or to maintain proper payroll records. FLSA Op. at 83 n.54; Tr. 115:11-14. The DOL initially fined Ji Sung around $168,000 in actual damages, which with penalties could have amounted to over $1 million, but ultimately settled with him for $137,000 in damages. Tr. 115:15-116:18, 172:16-173:7; FLSA Op. at 83 n.54.
On March 10, 2010, Ji Sung, who had a half interest in the Condo shared with Carolyn, conveyed one-third of that interest to Sandra. Pls.' Ex. 8; Tr. 195:10-13. The conveyance deed for the Condo stated there was consideration of ten dollars but also that the full sale price was for zero dollars. Pls.' Ex. 8, at 3, 9. The Condo had been appraised at $1.275 million on February 2, 2010. Ex. 9, at 4. At this time, the Condo's mortgage was refinanced, amounting to $729,750, for which Ji Sung maintained joint and several liability. Pls.' Ex. 10, at 3-5 (stating that if multiple individuals signed the agreement as "Borrower" that each is "fully and personally obligated to keep all of Borrower's promises"); see also Tr. 120:1-121:7.
In November 2010, the DOL commenced a second investigation into Ji Sung's restaurants, this time Kum Gang (the "2010 KG Investigation"). Pls.' Ex. 6B. The investigation reviewed Kum Gang's payroll records from February 19, 2009, through November 21, 2010. Id., at 2. Ji Sung was aware of this investigation and similarly aware that the restaurant was engaged in labor law violations. See Tr. 139:2-6 176:2-19; Pls.' Ex. 6B, at 2; FLSA Op., at 85.
Records demonstrated that Ji Sung's restaurants were not financially lucrative in 2010. That year, Kum Kang had a total income of $1,147,975, but the restaurant's operating expenses and other deductions reduced its taxable income to a loss of $208,098.
*607On February 10, 2011, the DOL wrote Ji Sung to inform him that, as a result of the 2010 KK Investigation, he owed underpayments and damages amounting to $1,176,208.30. Defs.' Ex. J, at 659. Over the course of the month, Kum Kang employees and the DOL adjusted the underpayment computations following additional provided documentation, ultimately reducing the owed total to $694,966.41 on March 11, 2011; at that time, the DOL stated that revised restitution amount would be final, with no further negotiations, subject to the maximum penalties permitted, and that three additional cited violations would be added. See Defs.' Ex. J, at 66-68 (detailing the DOL investigator's final report); Tr. 118:5-12 (explaining that the DOL originally tried to fine Ji Sung "over $2 million," but that the negotiation ended "around $600,000"). On March 16, 2011, Ji Sung, through his and Kum Kang's counsel, informed the DOL that he could not pay the assessed restitution amount, was uninterested in discussing a payment plan, and continued to believe the assessed amount was incorrect. Defs.' Ex. J, at 64, 68; see Tr. 119:1-9, 128:23-129:3.
On April 22, 2011, as a result of failing to pay the 2010 KK Investigation's assessed restitution, the DOL issued Ji Sung an Order to Comply to pay damages totaling $1,950,992.84 (the "2010 Order"). Pls.' Ex. 6A, at 2. Specifically, the DOL determined that Ji Sung owned: $555,973.03 in owned underpayments; $144,080.37 in interest (assessed at 16%)
On June 10, 2011, Ji Sung appealed the 2010 Order to the New York State Industrial Board of Appeals (the "IBA"). Defs.' Ex. J, at 98-99. In his Petition for Review, Ji Sung stated that the Order was unreasonable because it was "based on erroneous figures provided by an accountant who has since recanted his submissions ... [s]ince the figures upon which the Order was based are erroneous[,] that makes the findings ... erroneous as well." Id. at 98. Ji Sung calculated that he owed "probably about 10% of what was assessed." Id.
On November 16, 2011, Ji Sung made two conveyances, both to Sandra and Samuel. First, Ji Sung, who jointly owned the Home with Sandra, conveyed his half interest *608in the Home to Sandra and Samuel. Pls.' Ex. 11; Tr. 126:21-25. The conveyance deed for the Home stated there was consideration of ten dollars but also that the full sale price was for zero dollars. Pls.' Ex. 11, at 4, 8. The Home was appraised at $770,000 on December 21, 2011. Ex. 9, at 2. Second, Ji Sung conveyed his full interest in the Brooklyn Property, also to Sandra and Samuel. Pls.' Ex. 15; Tr. 127:13-17. The conveyance deed for the Brooklyn Property stated there was consideration of ten dollars but also that the full sale price was for zero dollars. Pls.' Ex. 15, at 4, 8. The Brooklyn Property was appraised at $1.1 million on July 27, 2012. Pls.' Ex. 16, at 6. As part of his 2011 federal gift tax report, Ji Sung listed the conveyances of the Home and Brooklyn Property. Pls.' Ex. 36. At the time of Home and Brooklyn Property conveyances, Sandra was aware that Ji Sung had a "desperate need of money ... because of the restaurant." Tr. 207:11-19. Ji Sung continued to reside in the Home following the transfer of his interest. See Tr. 199:21-201:10.
Ji Sung's restaurants were again not lucrative in 2011. That year, Kum Kang had a total income of $1,519,696, but the operating expenses and other deductions reduced the restaurant's taxable income to $0. Pls.' Ex. 32. Similarly, Kum Gang had a total income of $2,159,818, but the restaurant's taxable income was $22,616. Pls.' Ex. 29. The restaurants' tax returns also show that Kum Gang had book value assets amounting to $1,053,782 and liabilities of $526,023, while Kum Kang had book value assets amounting to $742,990 and liabilities of $165,111. See Pls.' Exs. 29, at Sch. L, 32, at Sch. L.
A part of Defendants' position has been that Ji Sung conveyed each of the properties for the purpose of mortgaging or refinancing the mortgages of the properties under Sandra's name; their alleged theory is that Sandra possessed better credit, and that the money received from those mortgages were given to Ji Sung, used by his restaurants, and counted as consideration for the property conveyances. See, e.g., Tr. 120:11-121:4, 127:18-128:2, 143:22-24, 148:23-148:17. Ji Sung and Sandra both claimed that Sandra controlled the mortgage money, which was given to Ji Sung upon need and request. See, e.g., Tr. 144:16-20, 150:6-152:5. The parties put into evidence many checks going between Ji Sung, Sandra, others, and their respective restaurants, mostly from the 2013-2015 time range. See Defs.' Exs. B, F; Pls.' Exs. 22-26, 50-55.
The totality of the checks adduced do not establish payments made by Sandra to Ji Sung for any of the contested conveyances; moreover, by themselves, the checks barely establish anything at all. The mortgage proceeds from the Home and Brooklyn Property went into accounts at Nara Bank and Flushing Savings Bank, respectively, and totaled $950,000. Pls.' Exs. 14, 17, 37; Tr. 306:24-307:11. However, no checks were written from Nara Bank to Ji Sung or his restaurants, see Pls.' Ex. 37; Defs.' Exs. B, F; Tr. 379:4-380:24, and only one check from Flushing Savings Bank for $210,000 went to the same, Defs.' Ex. B, at 5; Tr. 307:15-19.
Testimony varied widely as to the purpose of different checks, and the given or possible reasons were often having nothing to do with the contested properties. See, e.g., Tr. 345:8-21 (stating that a check written to Bank of America was to repay a loan made to Kum Gang that could have been used "in purchasing things at the supermarket"); Tr. 356:11-13, 357:8-12 (explaining how repayment was needed because Ji Sung had "opened the line of credit, however that loan was for me [Sandra], so I had to pay the money back"); Tr. 232:9-12, 323:21-324:12 (collecting money lent to Kum Gang from friends and family *609to keep the restaurant open with the expectation of being "paid back by the restaurant"). In addition to cash flow into Ji Sung's restaurants, checks also demonstrate that a substantial amount of money flowed from Kum Gang and Kum Kang to Sandra and Gum Gang, amounting to over a $1 million and more than the amount given by Sandra to Ji Sung and his restaurants during the same time period. See Pls.' Exs. 22-26, 50-55.
Evidence was adduced that undermines the legitimacy of some of the check evidence. On multiple occasions, Sandra testified that checks came from her personal account and were cut to support Ji Sung's restaurants. See Tr. 228:22-23, 230:18-232:14. However, as noted above, it was later shown that the checks initially proffered by Sandra were in fact altered to mask that the checks had either come from Ji Sung or their joint bank account. Compare Defs.' Ex. B, at 6-8, and Defs.' Ex. F, at 7, and Tr. 351:5-13, with Pls.' Exs. 69-72. No credible explanation for these alterations was provided. Moreover, as also described above, Sandra's testimony as to how she acquired many of the checks, whether personally or from family members, varied between her trial and deposition testimony. See, e.g., Tr. 229:8-230:17, 283:4-7, 288:22-289:15, 328:6-329:13, 330:1-16, 331:4-332:7, 333:10-22, 334:17-21.
Taken all together, these checks demonstrate only that a large amount of money was regularly shuttled between different individuals, the Yoos, and their restaurants. What they and the adduced testimony do not establish by a preponderance is any other fact about them, including the purposes of any given check or who ultimately received it.
It was not established that Sandra was aware of the details of her husband's restaurant operations or financial situation, but clear and convincing evidence established that she was aware that Ji Sung and his restaurants had concerning financial problems and that he was regularly borrowing money to keep his restaurants in business. Tr. 207:11-19, 212:23-214:21. Sandra knew enough about Ji Sung's fiscal straits to decide she wanted to take his name off of family property to protect those assets and to split apart their joint bank accounts into individual accounts. Tr. 362:16-21, 374:2-375:25.
The events of principal significance in this action took place in and around the 2010 and 2011 conveyances, but additional events are material to the conclusions reached.
On February 2, 2012, Sandra and Samuel conveyed one-third of their combined interest in the Home to Carolyn. Pls.' Ex. 13.
In May 2012, a mortgage was taken out on the Home with Sandra, Carolyn, and Samuel's names on it, in the amount of $500,000, and for which each is joint and severally liable. Pls.' Ex. 14.
On August 20, 2012, Plaintiffs commenced their FLSA Action against Ji Sung, Kum Gang, and others in the Southern District of New York. FLSA Action Dkt. No. 1; Tr. 132:6-133:5.
On January 2013, a mortgage was taken out on the Brooklyn Property with Sandra and Samuel's names on it, in the amount of $450,000, and for which each is joint and severally liable. Pls.' Ex. 17.
On February 27, 2014, the IBA upheld the DOL's 2010 Order in its entirety. See Matter of Ji Sung Yoo & Kum Kang Inc. (T/A KumGangSan) v. The Comm'r of Lab., IBA Docket No. PR 11-174, available at http://industrialappeals.ny.gov/decisions/pdf/pr11-174.pdf. Ji Sung testified at the IBA's hearing, but instructed his attorney not to attend. See id. at 2.
*610On March 20, 2014, the DOL wrote Ji Sung to inform him that, as a result of the 2010 KG Investigation, he owed underpayments and damages amounting to $282,885.38, and an additional $3,000 in civil penalties for additional labor law notice violations. Pls.' Ex. 6B, at 2-3. On June 20, 2014, as a result of failing to make the 2010 KG Investigation's required restitution payment, the DOL issued an Order to Comply to Ji Sung pay damages amounting to $646,080.49. Pls.' Ex. 6B, at 5. Specifically, the DOL determined that Ji Sung owned: $226,128.23 in owned underpayments; $137,291.88 in interest (assessed at 16%); $56,532.15 in liquidated damages (25% of wage damages); and $226,128.23 in civil penalties (200% of wage damages). Id. That same day, the DOL also issued Ji Sung two additional Orders to Comply: one for $511.92 for underpaid wages, interest, damages, and civil penalties for a single additional employee, and $3,000 for failure to maintain proper payroll records. Id. at 14, 16.
In August 2014, the DOL visited Kum Gang as part of an investigation into the payroll records from June 2011 to August 2014. Pls.' Ex. 6C, at 8. The investigation ultimately resulted in the DOL assessing unpaid wages, unlawful deductions, interest, liquidated damages, and penalties amounting to $2,101,295.19. See Pls.' Ex. 6C, at 18, 22, 24.
By the time of the instant trial, the FLSA Action was concluded, resulting in a final judgment of $3,449,516.90 plus post-judgment interest against Ji Sung and in favor of Plaintiffs. See FLSA Action, Dkt. Nos. 143, 160, 172. Only $312,763 of the judgment has been paid as part of Kum Gang's Chapter 11 plan of reorganization. Tr. 139:17-140:5; see In re Kum Gang Inc., No. 15-42018 (CEC) (Bankr. E.D.N.Y.).
III. Conclusions of Law
Plaintiffs have argued that three different sections of the New York Debtor and Creditor Laws were violated by each of Ji Sung's three real property conveyances. First, the three DCL sections will be discussed. Then, each property conveyance will be considered, chronologically, under each DCL section. Subsidiary considerations like the repayment of incurred property depreciation and awarding of attorneys' fees and costs will follow.
a. Applicable Laws
DCL §§ 273, 275, and 276 define different types of conveyances by a debtor that become recoverable by creditors because the conveyances' fraudulent nature. These conveyances fall into two distinct categories: constructively fraudulence conveyances, such as DCL §§ 273 and 275, and actually fraudulent conveyances, as defined by DCL § 276. See, e.g., Drenis v. Haligiannis,
DCL Section 273 provides that: "Every conveyance made and every obligation incurred by a person who is or will be thereby rendered insolvent is fraudulent as to creditors without regard to his actual intent if the conveyance is made or the obligation is incurred without a fair consideration."
DCL Section 275 similarly provides that: "Every conveyance made and every obligation incurred without fair consideration when the person making the conveyance or entering into the obligation intends or believes that he will incur debts beyond his ability to pay as they mature, is fraudulent as to both present and future creditors."
As relevant to DCL Sections 273 and 275, "fair consideration" is defined by DCL Section 272, which provides:
Fair consideration is given for property, or obligation: (a) When in exchange for such property, or obligation, as a fair equivalent therefor, and in good faith, property is conveyed or an antecedent debt is satisfied, or (b) When such property, or obligation is received in good faith to secure a present advance or antecedent debt in amount not disproportionately small as compared with the value of the property, or obligation obtained.
Under DCL Sections 273 and 275, a debtor is considered insolvent when the "present fair salable value of his assets is less than the amount that will be required to pay his probable liability on his existing debts as they become absolute and matured."
DCL Section 276 provides that: "Every conveyance made and every obligation incurred with actual intent, as distinguished from intent presumed in law, to hinder, delay, or defraud either present or future creditors, is fraudulent as to both present and future creditors."
However, because proving "[a]ctual intent [under DCL Section 276 ] is difficult to establish through direct evidence ..., the relevant intent may be inferred from the facts and circumstances surrounding the transfer." S.E.C. v. Smith,
(1) the lack or inadequacy of consideration; (2) the family, friendship, or close associate relationship between the parties; (3) the retention of possession, benefit, or use of the property in question; (4) the financial condition of the party sought to be charged both before and after the transaction in question; (5) the existence or cumulative effect of a pattern or series of transactions or course of conduct after the incurring of debt, onset of financial difficulties, or pendency or threat of suits by creditors; and (6) the general chronology of the events and transactions under inquiry.
Ford Motor Credit Co. LLC v. Orton-Bruce, No. 14 Civ. 5382 (KMK),
"Under New York law, a creditor may recover money damages against parties who participate in the fraudulent transfer and are either transferees of the assets or beneficiaries of the conveyance." Cadle Co. v. Newhouse,
b. The Condo
The first property conveyance contested by the Plaintiffs is Ji Sung's transfer of one-third of his interest in the Condo to Sandra on March 10, 2010. Plaintiffs contend that this conveyance was fraudulently made under DCL Sections 273, 275, and 276. There is no dispute that there was a conveyance. Each DCL section will be addressed in turn.
Under both Sections 273 and 275, the inquiry starts at whether there was fair consideration for the conveyance. Here, there was not. From the conveyance documentation, it is of no moment whether the amount listed as consideration is zero dollars or ten dollars, as both are "disproportionately small" when compared to an interest share that was worth approximately $90,875, based on the proximately issued appraisal. Lippe,
A back-of-the-envelope "balance sheet" calculation indicates that, by conveying the Condo, Ji Sung was insolvent. In re Chin,
Calculating Ji Sung's liabilities requires separate analysis. Plaintiffs contend that totaling the damages ultimately found to be owned in wages, liquidated damages, and civil penalties by Ji Sung in the FLSA Action and various DOL Investigations, prorated to the time of the Condo conveyance, is greater than the assets assessed above. See Pls.' Mem. 13-14, Dkt. No. 125. In support, Plaintiffs' principally rely on New York Labor Law Section 191(1)(a), which provides that: "A manual worker shall be paid weekly and not later than seven calendar days after the end of the week in which the wages are earned...."
In response, Defendants argue that Section 271's "probable" language needs to be read to mean that liabilities are assessed by what Ji Sung himself reasonably believed he would have to pay at that the time of conveyance. See Defs.' Mem. 20-21. Defendants contend that reading a transferor's subjectivity into Section 271 is "firmly established." Defs.' Post-Trial Reply Mem. ("Defs.' Reply") 3, Dkt. No. 130. However, this argument is unavailing.
Defendants rely in their briefings and at oral argument on only one legal authority that is, at best, ambiguous in its support: the Honorable Denny Chin's district court opinion in Lippe. See Defs.' Mem. 6; Defs.' Reply 3. In Lippe, the court considered whether a debtor's conveyance of corporate assets in the face of asbestos personal injury lawsuits violated DCL Sections 273 and 276. Lippe,
When Lippe was appealed to the Second Circuit, the court there presented plaintiffs' position differently: that plaintiffs' expert testimony was adduced below to show that the debtor defendant "should have estimated future [asbestos injury] case filings far in excess of the number it actually estimated" and, therefore, was insolvent at the time of the conveyance. Lippe,
*616Reading Section 271 as having an objectively probable standard is consistent with the presence of DCL Section 275, which expressly grafts a subjectivity requirement onto the concept of insolvency. See DCL § 275. Were subjectivity already incorporated into the definition of insolvency under Section 271, it would be unnecessary to include it again in conjunctive provision. See Shelly v. Doe,
The question, therefore, is what Ji Sung's objectively probable liability on his existing debt at the time of the Condo conveyance. As found above, Plaintiffs have established that Ji Sung willfully violated wage laws under applicable labor codes at the time of the conveyance. Ji Sung's involvement in manufacturing false time cards establishes that he was aware of a DOL investigation into Kum Kang. It is therefore far from "entirely speculative," and, rather, probable, that Ji Sung would be required to pay liability for the wages he knew he was improperly paying that restaurant's employees based on these investigations. Shelly,
However, although the DOL later made additional investigations-into Kum Gang, twice, see Pls.' Exs. 6B & 6C-and assessed penalties over the same period, and though those debts had also accrued, there is no indication of an investigation had begun in March 2010. As such, it cannot be said that Ji Sung had probable liability in the context of the DOL on those debts at the time of the Condo's conveyance. It took the DOL investigating and assessing penalties and the FLSA Action entering a judgment to get Ji Sung to pay lawful wages; the evidence has not established that there was probability he would have been "required to pay" that liability absent those actions occurring. DCL § 271.
In addition to the owed waged, there is also the question of additional assessments levied by the DOL, such as interest, liquidated damages, and the civil penalty. See Pls.' Ex. 6A. These additions were probable liabilities because they were required under the DOL's assessment. Given the nature of Ji Sung's wage violations, it was probable under the statutory regime that Ji Sung would have to pay interest and liquidated damages. See
There is also the probable liabilities arising from claims in the FLSA Action. Simply because the "conveyance in the instant case occurred before any legal action was filed which would render ... [Plaintiffs] a judgment creditor of Defendants does not necessarily preclude the constructive fraud claim." Pfohl Bros. Landfill Site Steering Comm. v. Allied Waste Sys., Inc.,
Defendants contend that, even if Ji Sung did have unpaid wage liabilities, his history negotiating down any such assessments makes it probable that any payment would be substantially lower than what was assessed. See Defs.' Mem 12. Evidence did establish that Ji Sung had once previously negotiated with the DOL and lowered penalty assessed against him, but only in the tens of thousands of dollars. No evidence showed that the earlier DOL investigation was likely to assess civil penalties or that Ji Sung was able to negotiate those away. By contrast, the 2010 KK Investigation was the second DOL investigation into Ji Sung's restaurants and, therefore, had statutory penalties that were likely to be assessed. Moreover, aside from Ji Sung's unsupported view, Defendants have put forward no evidence to show why Ji Sung was likely to win in any appellate action brought against the DOL for any assessed liability. In sum, Defendants' contention does not establish that Ji Sung had an objective probability of bridging a financial liabilities deficit of over $1.8 million.
Taking Ji Sung's assets against his probable and accrued liabilities stemming from unpaid wages and penalties, the evidence has established by a preponderance that, at the time of the Condo conveyance, the conveyance resulted in Ji Sung's insolvency and, therefore, was a violation of DCL Section 273. See Deflora Lake Dev. Assocs., Inc.,
*618Analyzing the Condo conveyance under DCL Section 275 is similar to the Section 273 analysis, but different in a critical and dispositive manner: Ji Sung's subjective intent as to whether he "believe[d] that he ... will incur debts behind his ... ability to pay them as they mature." Shelly,
For similar reasons, Plaintiffs have not established that the Condo conveyance was intentionally fraudulent and in violation of DCL Section 276.
Accordingly, the conveyance of the Condo must be set aside as a violation of DCL Section 273. See Grace v. Bank Leumi Tr. Co. of NY,
*619c. The Home and the Brooklyn Property
In comparison to the analysis performed with regard to the Condo's alleged fraudulent conveyance, the analysis necessary to determine whether the November 16, 2011, conveyances of the Home and Brooklyn Property were fraudulent is straightforward. Like as to the Condo, there is no dispute that there were conveyances of these two properties. Similarly, Plaintiffs have alleged that each conveyance was fraudulent under the same DCL sections as the Condo. Each DCL section will be considered in turn.
Under DCL Section 273, both conveyances were fraudulent. For the same reasons described above for the Condo, no evidence established that either of these conveyances was made for fair consideration. The conveyance documentation does not list anything more than "disproportionately small" consideration for the properties, and the many checks passed amongst the Yoos does not establish that money obtained from subsequent mortgages was given as payment to Ji Sung or his restaurants. Deflora Lake Dev. Assocs., Inc.,
In the absence of fair consideration, Defendants have failed to show solvency following the conveyances. Aside from approximately $22,000 in profits from his restaurants, Defendants did not establish that Ji Sung had acquired any new salable assets between the Condo and the Home and Brooklyn Property transfers. Rather, following the conveyances, his assets decreased substantially, as without the Home or the Brooklyn Property, Ji Sung only still had one-third of the value of the Condo, amounting to $181,750. By contrast, his liabilities had increased, and now included the fully assessed amount from the 2010 KK Investigation, approximately $1,956,992, the amount assessed from the 2010 KG Investigation, which Ji Sung was aware had started a year ago and which in total assessed approximately $649,591, and the still-present and accrued liability from the FLSA Action, amounting to $1,674,977. For the same reasons described above, these were existing debts for which Ji Sung had probable liability amounting to approximately $4.28 million. As Ji Sung's liabilities exceeded his established salable assets following these conveyances, each satisfies the requirements of DCL Section 273. Grace,
Plaintiffs' DCL Section 275 claims as to the Home and Brooklyn Property have also been met. Unlike the Condo conveyance, the evidence established that by the time Ji Sung transferred interest in the Home and Brooklyn Properties, he knew of the over $1.95 million in assessed penalties by the DOL from the 2010 KK Investigation, which he had no reason to believe would be reduced on appeal. He also knew about the 2010 KG Investigation, from which new liability was likely to be assessed. It cannot be said that in November 2011 Ji Sung believed he would have debt incurred from the FLSA Action. But even just accounting for the two DOL investigations, they alone establish that Ji Sung recognized that he would incur debts amounting to somewhere around or above $2 million. Ji Sung also knew that, following the conveyances, his depleted real estate assets amounted to approximately $181,750 and the value of the restaurants, even viewed most charitably and somewhat unrealistically based on the shareholders equity reflected in 2011 tax returns, amounted to approximately $1.1 million-in total, below what his likely debts would be. Indeed, it is a telling glimpse into Ji Sung's perception of his finances that he transferred, in their entirety, his interests *620in both properties at the same time, shortly after appealing the hefty penalties assessed by the DOL from the 2010 KK Investigation.
All told, it has been shown by a preponderance that Ji Sung was aware he would not be able to pay his future debts as a result of the conveyances. Accordingly the elements of DCL Section 275 have been met. See Perceptron, Inc. v. Silicon Video, Inc., No. 06 Civ. 412 (GTS) (DEP),
Lastly, Plaintiffs' DCL Section 276 claim as to the Home and Brooklyn Property has been proven. Turning to the badges of fraud, see McCombs,
Accordingly, the conveyances of the Home and the Brooklyn Property must be set aside as violations of DCL Sections 273, 275, and 276. See DCL § 278 ("Where a conveyance or obligation is fraudulent as to a creditor, such creditor, when his claim has matured, may, as against any person except for a purchaser for fair consideration without knowledge of the fraud at the time of the purchase ... [h]ave the conveyance set aside or obligation annulled to the extent necessary to satisfy his claim, or ... [d]isregard the conveyance and attach or levy execution upon the property conveyed.").
d. Satisfaction of the Home and Brooklyn Property Mortgages
Plaintiffs also seek a money judgment against Defendants to satisfy the mortgages taken out on the Home and Brooklyn Properties and return those properties to the value they had prior to the fraudulent conveyances and subsequent mortgages taken out on them by transferees. Plaintiffs rely upon the Court's "equitable power" to provide them "full relief" as part of its fraudulent conveyance action. See Pls.' Reply 17, Dkt.
*621No. 129. Defendants contend that the transferee Defendants' individual assets may not be reached to restore any diminution of value from the mortgage because there was no participation or knowledge of Ji Sung's fraudulent intent. See Defs.' Mem. 25.
"As a general rule, the creditor's remedy in a fraudulent conveyance action is limited to reaching the property which would have been available to satisfy the judgment had there been no conveyance." Cadle Co. v. Newhouse,
Equity merits a money judgment here. No evidence has been submitted to indicate that the banks from which the mortgages were received taken out on the Home and Brooklyn Property were aware of Ji Sung and Sandra's fraudulent intentions. As such, the ability to set aside interest given to the banks as to those properties fraudulent conveyances stops at the Yoos. See
The total assessed value of the unencumbered properties exceeds the amount of the unpaid portion of the FLSA Action judgment owed to Plaintiffs as judgment creditors in the FLSA Action. As described above, Sandra was complicit in Ji Sung's fraudulent conveyance of the properties and jointly and severally liable for the mortgages taken out. Accordingly, Sandra is liable for whatever amounts are necessary to satisfy the mortgages on the Home and Brooklyn Property. See Bushlow,
e. Attorneys' Fees
Plaintiffs seek attorneys' fees and costs in bringing this action. Such an award is not recoverable for claims brought under constructive fraud statutes like DCL Sections 273 or 275. See, e.g., In re Stephen Douglas, Ltd.,
The evidence described above established by clear and convincing evidence that the Home and Brooklyn Property were conveyed between Ji Sung and Sandra with the intent to defraud "present or future creditors." DCL § 273. Accordingly, upon a properly supported application, Plaintiffs shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorneys' fees for their DCL Section 276 claims against those two properties as to Defendants Ji Sung and Sandra. See First Keystone Consultants, Inc.,
IV. Conclusion
Based on the findings of fact and conclusions of law set forth above, Ji Sung's interests in the Condo, Home, and Brooklyn Property were fraudulently conveyed and must be set aside. Plaintiffs are also entitled to a money judgment as against Sandra as necessary to satisfy the mortgages taken out on the Home and Brooklyn Property. Plaintiffs are also awarded attorneys' fees as against Ji Sung and Sandra in connection with the intentionally fraudulent conveyances of the Home and Brooklyn Property.
The parties are instructed to confer and submit judgment on notice. In conjunction with the proposed judgment, Plaintiffs are to submit their fee application along with *623supporting documentation. Defendants may submit any objections to the fee application within fourteen days of Plaintiffs' application.
Upon determination of the amount of attorneys' fees, this Court will enter judgment consistent with this Opinion and Order.
It is so ordered.
Citations to "Tr." refer to the transcript of the trial held in this matter from January 22 and January 30, 2018, and any exhibits referenced therein.
The Honorable Michael H. Dolinger's detailed Memorandum and Order, resolving FLSA claims brought in 2012 against Ji Sung and other managers of Kum Kang and Kum Gang, was entered into evidence as Plaintiffs' Exhibit 1. Kim v. Kum Gang, Inc., No. 12 Civ. 6344 (MHD),
"Collateral estoppel 'will bar the relitigation of an issue of law or fact that was raised, litigated, and actually decided by a judgment in a prior proceeding between the parties, if the determination of that issue was essential to the judgment, regardless of whether or not the two proceedings are based on the same claim.' " McGuiggan v. CPC Int'l, Inc.,
Issue preclusion is appropriate here. The issues presented both in the FLSA Action and here are substantially similar, those issues were as necessary to that resolution as to this one, the issues in the FLSA Action were actually litigated to judgment by these Plaintiffs and Ji Sung, and the FLSA Action was fully and fairly litigated. Further support for preclusion is found by the fact that Defendants themselves rely upon the FLSA Action in their motion papers. See Defs.' Post-Trial Mem. ("Defs.' Mem.") at 1, 14, 18, 24.
Sandra has a restaurant, Gum Gang, as well, which was founded in August 2012. See, e.g., Tr. 154:18-25, 157:10-12, 165:24-166:7, 380:18-20. How Sandra was able to operate a restaurant while also caring full-time for June was never explained or delved into at trial.
At a different point in his testimony, Ji Sung stated he first learned that Kum Gang was being investigated by the DOL in 2015. Tr. 131:24-132:12. This account is not believed.
Kum Kang also had net operating losses in 2009 that totaled $149,237. Pls.' Ex. 31, at 10.
At trial, Ji Sung represented that in 2010 and 2011, his restaurants were, combined, valued at around $2 million. Tr. 114:12-14. There was no additional support for this assessment, and the claim is given no weight.
Interest was included, and the applicable rate proscribed, pursuant to
Liquidated damages were assessed pursuant to
On April 1, 2011, civil penalties were assessed at 200% of the wage damages because, in part, Ji Sung was a previous DOL labor law offender. See Defs.' Ex. J, at 92; see also
When parties own a property in the tenancy by the entirety, the "separate interest of one spouse is subject to rights of the co-owner ... [therefore] we must value the debtor's interest at something less that the interest of a single owner in fee simple absolute." In re Bradigan,
Plaintiffs contend that the later appraisals of the Home and Brooklyn Property should not be considered as the properties' fair salable value in March 2010, the time of the Condo's conveyance. While a valuation closer to the date of the conveyance would be preferable, these are "sufficiently contemporaneous" to establish salable value and calculate solvency. In re Ford,
The parties' arguments as to the restaurants' tax returns both seem to miss aspects of the returns. Defendants argue that in 2010 and 2011 the restaurants had combined listed assets of $1.5 and $1.8 million. See Pls.' Exs. 28-29, 31-32. As noted above, however, a tax return book valuation of assets is not a useful reflection of actual market value. Furthermore, it is improper to look at a figure like assets in isolation without accounting for any liabilities held by the restaurants at that time. However, Plaintiffs' argument that the returns have an equal amount of liabilities as assets on the tax return balance sheets is unconvincing. To the extent there are comparable values on the returns' Schedule L, it is a reflection of the axiomatic accounting principle that, on a balance sheet, assets must equal liabilities plus shareholders' equity. Plaintiffs do not address the equity portion of the tax returns, which at times is not an insignificant figure and which, as a sum reflecting net income usually distributed as dividends, would be Ji Sung's as the sole shareholder. See, e.g., Pls.' Ex. 28, at 2;
Defendants argue that Lee's testimony as to Ji Sung's 2017 sale of certain ownership interest in Kum Gang demonstrates the market value of the restaurant. Defs.' Mem. 22-23; see Tr. 79:9 80:15. Even if such uncorroborated testimony was true, it is merely a useful indicator of the market value of Ji Sung's post-bankruptcy restaurant in 2017 and offers no probative evidence as to the pre-bankruptcy value of Kum Gang back in 2010.
The Second Circuit ultimately rejected the plaintiffs' argument by resolving the issue in a different fashion. The court found that much of the asbestos lawsuit liability that plaintiffs argued the defendant should have calculated actually had not accrued under New York law because the majority of the claims were beyond the statute of limitations, therefore rendering it inapplicable to a DCL Section 271 calculation. See Lippe,
In its Summary Judgment Opinion, the Court indicated that it did not believe that the civil penalty assessed as part of the 2010 KK Investigation was probable. See Summ. J. Op. at *6 n.6. This revision has been required in part because, at that time, the Court did not have access to the fuller DOL files presented at trial that established that the civil penalty was assessed because Ji Sung was a repeat offender, rather than because Ji Sung failed to pay within a certain number of days. See Defs.' Ex. J, at 92. The obligatory nature of the civil penalty, as written and implemented by the DOL investigator, places this liability into the realm of the probable.
Plaintiffs' summation papers make no arguments as to their Section 276 claim with regard to the Condo. See Pls.' Mem. 17-20 (including a subject header entitled "Plaintiffs Have Proven Their DCL § 276 Claims As To The Conveyances Of The Home And The Brooklyn Property"). However, Plaintiffs' Pretrial Memorandum indicates that this remains one of the claims. See Dkt. No. 107. It is addressed for the sake of completeness.
To the extent that this is another attempt to argue this Court's jurisdiction over Defendants other Ji Sung, that argument has already been addressed in previous opinions of the Court and need not be discussed again. See Summ. J. Op.,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Tae H. KIM, Young M. Choi, Dong M. Ju, Hong S. Kim, Yoon C. Kim, Chul G. Park, Jin H. Park, Eutemio Morales, Zhe Y. Shen, Jong H. Song, and R. Julian Ventura v. JI SUNG YOO a/k/a Jisung Yoo a/k/a Ji S. Yoo a/k/a Jay Yoo, Sandra Yoo a/k/a Sandra Year Kum Yoo a/k/a Year Kum Yoo, Samuel D. Yoo, and Carolyn Yoo
- Cited By
- 18 cases
- Status
- Published