Dold v. Rainbows United, Inc. (In re Rainbows United, Inc.)
Dold v. Rainbows United, Inc. (In re Rainbows United, Inc.)
Opinion of the Court
ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS
When Rainbows United’s chapter 11 plan was confirmed, its confirmation order discharged “any debt” that Rainbows had incurred up to that time, no matter whether the holders of those debts had filed proofs of claim, the claims had been allowed, or the claimants had accepted the plan.
Before Rainbows filed its chapter 11 case in 2009, Lorraine Dold was its president. And, while she was president, Rain
Rainbows’ articles of incorporation include a provision that indemnifies its officers against threatened legal action that arises out of an officer’s conduct if that officer’s “acts are not in question” or if, in the opinion of independent legal counsel, that officer “acted in good faith and in the reasonable belief’ that the actions were in the best interests of Rainbows.
Assuming that Ms. Dold’s “acts are not in question” or that she “acted in good faith” such that the corporation’s indemnification provisions have been triggered, her claim against Rainbows for that indemnity arose when the corporation failed to remit the taxes beginning in 2007. Federal law made it likely she would be liable for the TFRP beginning at that time even though the IRS did not assess that liability against her until much later. Accordingly, Ms. Dold’s indemnification claim, like all of Rainbows’ other pre-confirmation debts, has been discharged. Because she has failed to state a claim against the debtor, her complaint must be dismissed.
Rule 12(b)(6) Standards
A plaintiffs complaint states a claim upon which relief may be granted when the facts as pled could plausibly support a cause of action against the defendant without regard for whether plaintiff could ultimately prevail on the claim.
For purposes of this motion, I must take the allegations Ms. Dold pled in the petition to be true.
Facts
Rainbows United, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation in Wichita, Kansas. It filed a chapter 11 bankruptcy petition here on July 30, 2009. Lorraine Dold was the president and chief executive officer of Rainbows from July 5, 1988 until she was terminated on August 20, 2009. Ms. Dold was listed as a creditor on Schedule E (for unreimbursed business expenses) and received notice of Rainbows’ bankruptcy and the claims bar date. She did not file a proof of claim.
The IRS did.
After the bar date expired, Rainbows filed its chapter 11 plan of reorganization.
Sometime in 2015, the IRS assessed the “responsible person” TFRP against Ms. Dold as Internal Revenue Code § 6672 provides.
In September of 2015, Ms. Dold sued Rainbows in state court to enforce the indemnification provision under the Articles and state law, and requested damages in excess of $70,000.
Analysis
Conñrmation generally discharges all pre-confirmation debts of a corporation.
The effect of confirmation of a chapter 11 plan is described in Bankruptcy Code § 1141, in relevant part:
(a) Except as provided in subsection (d)(2) and (d)(3) of this section [neither of which is applicable here], the provisions of a confirmed plan bind the debt- or, ... any creditor ..., whether or not the claim ... of such creditor is impaired under the plan and whether or not such creditor has accepted the plan. * * *
(d)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, in the plan, or in the order confirming the plan, the confirmation of a plan — (A) discharges the debtor from any debt that arose before the date of such confirmation, and any debt of a kind specified in section 502(g), 502(h), or 502(i) of this title, whether or not—
(i) a proof of the claim based on such debt is filed or deemed filed under section 501 of this title;
(ii) such claim is allowed under section 502 of this title; or
(iii) the holder of such claim has accepted the plan; ...23
Thus, except in circumstances not present here,
Officers of corporations that fail to pay trust fund taxes are subject to TFRPs.
Plaintiffs personal liability for the TFRP derives from § 6672 of the Internal Revenue Code. Employers are required to withhold federal social security and income taxes from their employees’ wages as those wages are paid, and pay over the taxes quarterly to the government. The accumulated withholdings are deemed to constitute a “special fund in trust for the United States” and are commonly referred to as trust fund taxes.
It provides:
(a) General rule. — Any person required to collect, truthfully account for, and pay over any tax imposed by this title who willfully fails to collect such tax, or truthfully account for and pay over such tax, ... shall, in addition to other penalties provided by law, be liable to a penalty equal to the total amount of the tax evaded, or not collected, or not accounted for and paid over....27
Here, the IRS considered Ms. Dold, Rainbows’ president, a responsible person under § 6672(a) and assessed the TFRP against her.
Rainbows’ articles of incorporation indemnify officers against claims that arise out of their good faith conduct in the line of duty.
Rainbows’ charter contains an indemnification clause that states as follows:
This Corporation shall indemnify any Director, officer, employee, or agent of the Corporation who was or is the [sic] threatened to be made a party in any legal proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative, if successful on the merits or otherwise in defense, or even if unsuccessful in defense, if such person or persons, as determined by the Directors, whose acts*436 are not in question, or by the legal opinion of independent legal counsel, acted in good faith and in the reasonable belief that the actions were in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation.29
In her complaint, Ms. Dold concedes that the IRS can assess the § 6672 penalty against her which, implicitly, is also conceding that she “willfully fail[ed] to collect such tax, or truthfully account for and pay over such tax” as the statute provides. But, even assuming that such an act could be found to be “in good faith” and “not opposed to the best interests” of Rainbows — which is a stretch — the issue here is whether her indemnity claim arose before or after the confirmation date. Rainbows contends that it arose before confirmation and was discharged by operation of § 1141(d)(1). Ms. Dold contends the claim is a post-petition claim because debtor “contrary to its representations did not satisfy in full the unpaid employment taxes” and because the IRS did not assess the penalty against her until the taxes and interest were paid, well after confirmation.
Claims arise when the conduct upon which they are based occurs, not when the related cause of action “accrues.”
Section § 101(5)(A) defines a “claim” as a right to payment, whether or not such right is reduced to judgment, liquidated, unliquidated, fixed, contingent, matured, unmatured, disputed, undisputed, legal, equitable, secured, or unsecured.
When a “claim” “arises” in bankruptcy is determined by the Bankruptcy Code, not by state law rules for determining when a claim or cause of action accrues.
Here, Watson’s Claim involves legal representation that occurred pre-petition. Regardless of when the Kansas statute of limitations began to run, Watson had a contingent claim against the Debtor at the moment the Debtor engaged in the conduct that formed the basis for malpractice liability. As established by the record, the malpractice occurred in May 1996, when the Debtor failed to respond to the Show Cause Order, resulting in the dismissal of the Federal Case. At that time, at a minimum, Watson had a contingent prepetition claim against Debtor.38
The Bankruptcy Appellate Panel also mentioned a variant of the conduct theory — the “narrow conduct” or prepetition relationship test.
Courts have applied the conduct and narrow-conduct theories in a variety of legal settings, including claims for indemnity.
A good example of the conduct theory’s application to a claim for indemnification in a tax setting arose in In re Marshall, decided in this division in 2003.
Applying Parker and the conduct theory to USFG’s indemnification claim in the case at bar yields the conclusion that the USFG debt is a prepetition debt subject to § 727(b). The debtor’s agreement to indemnify USFG for any claims under the retailers’ sales tax bond was entered into prepetition in 1987. At the moment that the principal Marshall Plain Chevrolet, Inc. failed to remit the 199S sales taxes for June, July and August, USFG had an indemnification claim against the debtor, contingent upon whether USFG would have to pay the bond claim to the State of Kansas. The conduct which gives rise to USFG’s indemnification claim and state court judgment, is the debtor’s indemnification agreement and nonpayment of the 1993 sales tax — both of which occurred prior to debtor’s bankruptcy in July 1994. Accordingly, this Court concludes that USFG’s indemnification claim against the debtor is a prepetition claim ...45
Similar reasoning suggests that Dold’s indemnification claim arose, prior to the confirmation of Rainbows’ plan'. Ms. Dold served as an officer of Rainbows throughout the periods when Rainbows failed to deposit the trust fund taxes. As president and chief executive officer, she was in charge when the unpaid payroll tax deposits came to light, leading to Rainbows filing its chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in 2009. From the moment Rainbows failed to remit the payroll taxes, Ms. Dold was in jeopardy of being assessed a TFRP.
Ms. Dold had a prepetition relationship with the debtor that more than satisfies the narrow conduct test. She was the president of Rainbows when three years of withholding taxes were not paid and when Rainbows filed its chapter 11 case. Her right to indemnification was outlined in the organization’s existing articles of incorporation. Thus, she had a prepetition employment relationship with the debtor when the conduct giving rise to her indemnification claim took place. All of this happened before confirmation and gave rise to a contingent debt that Rainbows’ confirmation operated to discharge in 2010.
Conclusion
Because plaintiffs contingent claim for indemnity against her § 6672 “responsible person” tax penalty arose before confirmation, Rainbows’ debt to her was discharged upon confirmation of Rainbows’ plan of reorganization under 11 U.S.C, § 1141(d)(1). The discharge injunction precludes her from pursuing the debt against Rainbows under 11 U.S.C. § 524(a)(2) and prevents' the court from granting the relief she seeks. Therefore, Rainbows United’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim must be GRANTED and the complaint dismissed. A judgment shall issue this same day.
SO ORDERED.
. 11 U.S.C. § 1141(d)(1).
. See 11 U.S.C. § 101(12) and (5)(A), respectively.
. Watson v. Parker (In re Parker), 264 B.R. 685 (10th Cir. BAP 2001), aff'd 313 F.3d 1267 (10th Cir. 2002), cert. denied 540 U.S. 965, 124 S.Ct. 429, 157 L.Ed.2d 309 (2003); Jeld-Wen, Inc. v. Brunt (In re Grossman’s Inc.), 607 F.3d 114, 125 (3d Cir. 2010); Grady v. A.H. Robins Co., Inc., 839 F.2d 198 (4th Cir. 1988); Republic Bank & Trust Co. v. Hutchinson, 444 B.R. 728 (W.D.Ky. 2011); In re Huffy Corp., 424 B.R. 295 (Bankr.S.D.Ohio 2010); In re Pan American Hosp. Corp., 364 B.R. 839 (Bankr.S.D.Fla. 2007).
. 26 U.S.C. § 6672(a). This penalty is sometimes referred to as a Trust Fund Recovery Penalty, hence the acronym TFRP.
. Adv. Dkt. 1, Complaint, p. 7.
. Plaintiff Lorraine Dold is represented by attorney Mark Ayesh. Defendant Rainbows United, Inc. is represented by Patricia A. Reeder in this adversary proceeding.
. Robbins v. Oklahoma, 519 F.3d 1242, 1247 (10th Cir. 2008) (In ruling on a motion to dismiss the judge must accept all allegations as true and may not dismiss on the basis that it appears unlikely the allegations can be proven.).
. Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (enough facts must be alleged to nudge the claim across the line from conceivable to plausible).
. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009).
. Ridge at Red Hawk, L.L.C. v. Schneider, 493 F.3d 1174, 1177 (10th Cir. 2007) (In reviewing the sufficiency of the complaint, the court
. See Navajo Nation v. Urban Outfitters, Inc., 935 F.Supp.2d 1147, 1157 (D.N.M. 2013) (Conversion of motion to dismiss to one for summary judgment is not required under Rule 12(d), where court can properly take judicial notice of the extra-pleading materials); IP Morgan Trust Co. Nat. Ass’n v. Mid-Am. Pipeline Co., 413 F.Supp.2d 1244, 1257-58, 1260-61 (D.Kan. 2006).
. 12 Navajo Nation, supra; Grynberg v. Koch Gateway Pipeline Co., 390 F.3d 1276, 1278 n. 1 (10th Cir. 2004); VanWoudenberg v. Gibson, 211 F.3d 560, 568 (10th Cir. 2000) (A court is permitted to take judicial notice of its own files and records), abrogated on other grounds by McGregor v. Gibson, 248 F.3d 946, 955 (10th Cir. 2001).
. Ms. Dold lakes no issue with Rainbows’ factual statement. Adv. Dkt. 14, pp. 2-3.
. Ms. Dold’s claim for $86 in expense reimbursement was scheduled as an uncontested, unsecured claim and, therefore, deemed allowed. See 11 U.S.C. § 1111(a) and § 502(a).
. Proof of Claim 3-5, as amended July 1, 2010.
. Dkt. 293.
. Dkt. 337.
. 26 U.S.C. § 6672.
. Adv. Dkt. 1, Complaint, p. 7.
. Lorraine A. Dold v. Rainbows United, Inc., Case No.2015-cv-002354 District Court of Sedgwick County, Kansas. Because Ms. Dold originally filed her case in Kansas state court, she titled the opening pleading a “petition.” Now that the case has been removed to the bankruptcy court, to avoid confusion, we will refer to it as the “complaint.” Adv. Dkt. 1, pp. 5-9.
.See 28 U.S.C. § 1452(a); Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9027; D. Kan. LBR 9027.1. The Court notes that Ms. Dold has not filed the statement following removal as provided by Rule 9027(e)(3).
. Adv. Dkt. 3, 4.
. 11 U.S.C. § 1141(d)(1) [Emphasis added].
. 24 See § 1141(d)(3) (Denying discharge if corporation is liquidated, the debtor does not engage in business after plan consummation, and debtor would be denied a discharge under § 727(a) were the case filed in chapter 7).
. 26 U.S.C. § 7501(a).
. Finley v. United States, 82 F.3d 966, 970 (10th Cir. 1996) on reh'g en banc, 123 F.3d 1342 (10th Cir. 1997). See also Smith v. United States, 894 F.2d 1549 (11th Cir. 1990) (IRS not precluded from seeking recovery of trust fund penalty from corporation’s president as responsible person, even though it had approved bankrupt corporation’s plan of reorganization that paid the government less than total withholding tax owed; that is what led to president’s liability under § 6672).
. 26 U.S.C. § 6672(a), emphasis added. Even though § 6672 denominates it as a "penalty,” it is assessed and collected in the same manner as taxes. See 26 U.S.C. § 6671(a).
. Taylor v. Internal Revenue Service, 69 F.3d 411, 416 (10th Cir. 1995) (factors for demonstrating "indicia of responsibility;” the crucial inquiry is whether the person had the "effective power” to pay the payroll taxes); Denbo v. United States, 988 F.2d 1029 (10th Cir. 1993) (addressing the willful standard).
. Adv. Dkt. 1, Complaint ¶ 11 [Emphasis added]. The above indemnification clause derives from the Kansas Corporation Code which empowers corporations to indemnify officers, directors, employees and agents. See Kan. Stat. Ann. § 17-6305 (2014 Supp.) as amended July 1, 2010.
. Adv. Dkt. 14, p. 5.
. 11 U.S.C. § 101(5)(A) [Emphasis added],
. 11 U.S.C. § 101(12).
. 11 U.S.C. § 101(10)(A).
. In re Chance Industries, Inc., 367 B.R. 689, 699 (Bankr.D.Kan. 2006), citing Watson v. Parker (In re Parker), 264 B.R. 685 (10th Cir. BAP 2001), aff'd 313 F.3d 1267 (10th Cir. 2002), cert. denied 540 U.S. 965, 124 S.Ct. 429, 157 L.Ed.2d 309 (2003). See In re Gross-man’s Inc., 607 F.3d 114, 120-21 (3d Cir. 2010) (rejecting state law accrual test and overruling Avellino & Bienes v. M. Frenville Co., Inc. (In re M. Frenville Co., Inc.), 744 F.2d 332 (3d Cir. 1984), noting widespread criticism of Frenville decision; Frenville's accrual test does not account for the fact that a "claim” can exist under the Code before a right to payment exists under state law).
. 313 F.3d 1267, 1269 (10th Cir. 2002) (in adopting the conduct theory the Circuit Court concluded that it is "more in tune with the plain language and the policy underlying the Bankruptcy Code.”), affirming 264 B.R. 685 (10th Cir. BAP 2001).
. Id. at 1270. Unlike the chapter -11 discharge, a chapter 7 discharge only discharges debts that arose prior to the petition date. 11 U.S.C. § 727(b).
. 264 B.R. 685, 697 (10th Cir. BAP 2001).
. Id. at 697 n. 12.
. Id. See also 313 F.3d 1267, 1269 n. 1.
. See In re Hemingway Transport, Inc., 954 F.2d 1 (1st Cir. 1992) (in environmental cleanup cost setting, the court recognized that a “claim” encompasses an unliquidated, contingent right to payment under a prepetition indemnification agreement executed by the debtor, even though the triggering contingency does not occur until after the filing of the petition and valuation of the claim is difficult); In re Mariner Post-Acute Network, Inc., 303 B.R. 42, 45 (Bankr.D.Del. 2003) (chapter 11 debtor’s former officers and directors state court claims based on post-petition breach of prepetition contract of indemnification were prepetition claims and barred by plan confirmation order and discharge injunction); In re Houbigant, Inc., 188 B.R. 347 (Bankr.S.D.N.Y. 1995) (in trademark infringement setting, contractual indemnification under license agreement arose as a contingent claim as of the date the license agreement was executed; because agreement was executed pre-petition any claim arising out of contractual indemnity was prepetition claim and party with right to indemnity “knew or should have known” that it held a contingent indemnification claim on date of filing); In re Amfesco Indus., Inc., 81 B.R. 777 (Bankr.E.D.N.Y. 1988) (directors and former directors of chapter 11 debtors asserting indemnification claim under debtor's articles of incorporation and New York business corporation law for expenses related to post-petition threatened litigation grounded on the directors’ prepetition conduct was a prepetition claim and not entitled to administrative expense priority).
. See Saint Catherine Hospital of Indiana, LLC v. Indiana Family and Social Services Admin., 800 F.3d 312, 317 (7th Cir. 2015).
. Id.
. In re Marshall, 302 B.R. 711 (Bankr.D.Kan. 2003).
. Id. at 716. Emphasis added.
. See Kelley v. United States, 868 F.Supp. 1276 (W.D.Okla. 1994), aff'd 68 F.3d 483 (10th Cir. 1995), cert. denied 516 U.S. 1119, 116 S.Ct. 925, 133 L.Ed.2d 853 (1996) (trust fund was established and the withholding tax liability attached when the wages were paid and the taxes were collected by corporation, not on the date the corporation's quarterly taxes were actually due; thus, the corporation’s bankruptcy filing during the fourth quarter before the taxes were due did not change plaintiffs status as a responsible person).
. Smith v. United States, 894 F.2d 1549, 1555 (11th Cir. 1990).
. The Court today expresses no opinion on whether Rainbows is obligated by the articles of incorporation or state law to indemnify Ms. Dold. For purposes of ruling on this motion to dismiss, it finds that the alleged source of indemnification and Rainbows’ liability thereunder is plausible.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN RE: RAINBOWS UNITED, INC., Debtor. Lorraine A. Dold v. Rainbows United, Inc.
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