Court Grants Summary Judgment To Recipient Of Alleged Fraudulent Transfer On "Settlement Payment" Defense Of 11 U.S.C. § 546(e)
Official Comm. of Unsecured Creditors of the IT Group, Inc. v. Acres of Diamonds, L.P. (In re the IT Group, Inc.), 359 B.R. 97 (Bankr. D. Del. 2006) (Judge Mary F. Walrath)
Within a year prior to the petition date of the IT Group, Inc. debtors, defendant Acres of Diamonds L.P. sold to Organic Waste Technologies, Inc. five shares of the common stock of Keystone Recovery, Inc. Organic Waste paid for the shares by making a wire transfer of $575,000 from debtor IT Corporation’s Citibank account. Prior to confirmation of the debtors’ Chapter 11 plan, the debtors commenced a preference action against Acres, seeking to avoid and recover the $575,000 payment. The complaint was thereafter amended to add a fraudulent transfer cause of action, and amended again to drop the preference claim.
The court granted Acres’ motion for summary judgment, finding that the transfer was a payment for securities, made by a financial institution, and therefore excepted from avoidance under section 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code.
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