Case Summary:
The Debtor’s son-in-law, Ronald Vogt, had been managing VATW, a satellite operation of Monroe Ag-Tech (“Monroe”). Monroe advanced operating funds on a monthly basis to VATW, including an amount designated as Mr. Vogt’s salary. Badger State Bank (“Badger”) permitted VATW to pay Mr. Vogt from accounts in which Badger had a security interest. In early 2001, VATW began having financial difficulties. Monroe stopped advancing operating funds and Mr. Vogt stopped receiving his salary. By August 2001, VATW was insolvent and owed Mr. Vogt a substantial amount of unpaid salary. VATW closed its doors to the public and surrendered its assets to Badger. However, the assets were insufficient to satisfy VATW’s debt.

At the time VATW was closing, Mr. Vogt issued three checks in the amount of $29,000 drawn on VATW’s account to the Debtor to repay money lent to him. The parties agreed that the amount owed to Mr. Vogt was more than $29,000.

In January 2002, Badger sued the Debtor in Circuit Court seeking to recover the transfers as fraudulent under state law. The Debtor was unable to bear the costs associated with defending herself and filed for Chapter 13 protection. Her schedules did not include assets under her husband’s exclusive control.

Badger presented an elaborate objection to confirmation of Debtor’s Chapter 13 plan. Badger claimed to be a creditor of the Debtor by virtue of her having received a fraudulent transfer of property from a company at a time when that company was indebted to Badger. Badger had no other claims against Debtor. If Badger were entitled to recover the transferred property from the Debtor, complicated issues would arise as to whether the Debtor’s plan was in the creditors’ best interest.

The Debtor denied that a fraudulent transfer occurred and that Badger had a claim against her estate. She argued that neither she nor her creditors had any rights to property under her husband’s exclusive control pursuant to a marital property agreement that she and her husband signed in 1995. Badger claimed that the marital property agreement was too vague to be enforced.

It was determined that Badger’s standing to object to the plan depended upon the Debtor’s receipt of a fraudulent transfer. Badger’s transfer was not fraudulent and the Debtor was not obligated to Badger and Badger did not have standing to object to her plan. Thus, Badger’s objection based on the marital property agreement was not explored.

Statute/Rule References:
Wis. Stat. § 242 -- Fraudulent Conveyance

Key Terms:
Fraudulent Transfer