13 B 25078, 13 A 01332
In the three counts that remain at issue in the adversary complaint filed by plaintiff John H. Sammarco in the bankruptcy case of debtor-defendant David L. Dini, Sammarco sought a determination that Dini is not entitled to a discharge pursuant to various provisions of 11 U.S.C. § 727(a). In Count I, Sammarco alleged that Dini’s discharge should be denied under § 727(a)(2) because Dini transferred two vehicles less than one year prior to filing his bankruptcy petition with the intent to hinder or delay Sammarco. In Count V, Sammarco objected to Dini’s discharge pursuant to § 727(a)(7), arguing that Dini knowingly made fraudulent statements in the bankruptcy schedules of his former company National Telerep Marketing Systems, Ltd. ("NTMS") while his individual bankruptcy case was pending. Finally, in Count VII, Sammarco alleged that Dini is not entitled to his discharge under § 727(a)(4), because Dini knowingly and with fraudulent intent made false statements in connection with the debt that he owes to his friend Keith Creel (the "Creel debt"). The Court found that Sammarco failed to meet his burden to establish the elements required under the applicable provisions of § 727(a). Specifically, the Court found that the evidence did not establish that Dini intended to hinder or delay Sammarco by transferring his interest in the vehicles. The Court further found that the issue of whether Dini knowingly and with fraudulent intent made false statements in NTMS’s bankruptcy schedules was previously litigated and that Sammarco is, thus, precluded from litigating that issue again. As for the allegation in connection with the Creel debt, the Court concluded that the record did not support a finding that Dini’s statements regarding that debt were false for purposes of § 727(a)(4). Accordingly, the Court held that Dini’s discharge will not be denied.