11 B 40844, 13 A 00927
In this adversary proceeding, the Trustee sought  recovery of $101,787 in preferential transfers made by the Debtor to his mother and brother in repayment of private loans. The Defendants asserted the ordinary course defense to preference liability under section 547(c)(2), arguing that the transfers at issue were not “loans,” but were advances made from a family investment partnership to the Debtor on account of his limited partnership interest.  The Debtor and his mother and brother were general partners of the partnership.
 The Court rejected the ordinary course defense, finding that the Defendants did not meet the statute’s threshold requirement that the debt being repaid was incurred in the ordinary course of business or financial affairs of the Debtor and the Defendants.  The evidence established that the transactions were personal loans made between family members with checks drawn on the Defendants' personal bank accounts, not the partnership's bank account.
The Defendants' Answer admitted that the transfers to the Debtor were loans.  In a later pleading the Defendants said that the transfers to the Debtor were advances from the Debtor's partnership interest.  The Court granted a Motion to Strike the inconsistent assertions.