IN RE: The Guild and Gallery Plus, Inc. v. Maggio ( 1996 )

Opinions of the United
1996 Decisions States Court of Appeals
for the Third Circuit
1-4-1996
IN RE: The Guild and Gallery Plus, Inc. v. Maggio
Precedential or Non-Precedential:
Docket 95-5295
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"IN RE: The Guild and Gallery Plus, Inc. v. Maggio" (1996). 1996 Decisions. Paper 241.
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UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
No. 95-5295
IN RE:
THE GUILD AND GALLERY PLUS, INC.
Debtor
JOHN B. TORKELSEN
Appellant
v.
CARMEN J. MAGGIO
On Appeal from the United States District Court
for the District of New Jersey
(D.C. No. 94-cv-05619)
Argued November 28, 1995
BEFORE: MANSMANN, COWEN and SEITZ
Circuit Judges
(Filed January 4, 1996)
William J. Brennan, III (argued)
Grayson Barber
Smith, Stratton, Wise, Heher & Brennan
600 College Road East
Suite 4200
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
COUNSEL FOR APPELLANT
JOHN B. TORKELSEN
Allan M. Harris (argued)
Ravin, Greenberg & Marks
101 Eisenhower Parkway
Roseland, New Jersey 07068
COUNSEL FOR APPELLEE
CARMEN J. MAGGIO
1
OPINION
COWEN, Circuit Judge.
The question presented in this case is whether various
state-law claims against a bankruptcy trustee in his individual
capacity can be either a "core" bankruptcy proceeding under 28
U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(A) ("matters concerning the administration of
the estate") or a noncore, related proceeding under 28 U.S.C.
§158(c)(2). The plaintiff alleged that the trustee negligently
lost or intentionally stole property that at one time was in the
estate's possession, but was never "property of the [bankrupt]
estate," as defined in 11 U.S.C. § 541. Both the bankruptcy
court and the district court below held that such a case was a
"core proceeding," which the bankruptcy court had the power to
decide, subject to ordinary appellate review.
As it is uncontroverted that the property alleged to
have been lost or stolen by the trustee (a painting held by the
debtor in its capacity as a bailee) was never "property of the
estate," as defined by § 541(a)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code, and as
it is equally undisputed that the outcome of appellant's suit
against the trustee would have no effect on the bankrupt estate,
we conclude that this case is neither a core proceeding nor a
noncore, related proceeding under controlling precedent. Because
the courts below lacked subject matter jurisdiction to consider
appellant's actions against the trustee, we will reverse the
order of the district court entered March 31, 1995, and remand
2
this matter to the district court with instructions that it
remand the matter back to the bankruptcy court with a direction
that the bankruptcy court dismiss the complaint for lack of
subject matter jurisdiction.
I.
The Guild and Gallery Plus, Inc., ("the Gallery") filed
a petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code while the
Gallery was in possession of seventeen paintings owned by
appellant John B. Torkelsen. Torkelsen had sent these paintings
to the Gallery for storage while renovations were being done on
his home. One of the paintings was entitled "Summertime--
Collecting Wild Flowers--1902" by Peter Mark Monstadt ("the
Summertime painting").
On December 7, 1991, after the Chapter 11 petition had
been filed, Torkelsen sent his fiancee, Pamela Rogers, his
attorney, Penny Bennett, his brother, his son and an unidentified
third man ("the Torkelsen party") to the Gallery in order to
remove all seventeen paintings and bring them back to him. When
the Torkelsen party arrived at the Gallery, Anton Borics, who
supervised the Gallery on behalf of the trustee, Carmen J.
Maggio, opposed the removal of the paintings. Alarmed, Borics
contacted Maggio by phone. Maggio also objected to the removal
of the paintings. Nonetheless, when it became clear that the
Torkelsen party was determined to remove all of the paintings
immediately, Maggio agreed, albeit under duress, that the
3
paintings could be removed.1 Maggio insisted, however, that the
Torkelsen party provide him with a written list of everything
that had been removed from the Gallery.
Pursuant to Maggio's request, attorney Penny Bennett
prepared a receipt for the paintings that had been removed from
the Gallery on December 7. Attorney Bennett, Pamela Rogers and
Julie Lapitino, a Gallery employee, signed the receipt. It
provided that "The undersigned hereby acknowledge that seventeen
(17) pieces of art owned by John Torkelsen were removed from the
Guild Gallery on this day. The undersigned have confirmed that
the attached inventory dated June 12, 1991, entitled Guild
Gallery, accurately lists and identifies the seventeen pieces of
art concerned." App. at 480.
Shortly thereafter, Torkelsen conducted an unsuccessful
search for the Summertime painting. Torkelsen assumed that the
painting had been left behind at the Gallery. In a letter dated
December 9, 1991, Torkelsen's attorney requested that Maggio
return the Summertime painting. Maggio responded by advising
counsel to file the appropriate motion. On December 20, 1991,
Torkelsen filed a motion for reclamation of property seeking to
recover the Summertime painting.
On December 27, 1991, Maggio instructed Gallery
employee Diane Lane to search for the Summertime painting in the
1
Removal of the paintings at this time violated the automatic
stay provisions of the Bankruptcy Code. See 11 U.S.C. § 362(a).
Pursuant to a Consent Order entered April 10, 1992, Torkelsen
agreed to pay $8,000.00 in attorneys' fees to the trustee and
$1,000.00 in punitive damages to the General Estate Fund for
having violated the automatic stay.
4
Gallery's storage areas. On the same day, Lane claimed to have
located the Summertime painting at the Gallery. On January 7,
1992, based upon Lane's representation, Borics wrote Maggio a
letter advising him that the Gallery was still in possession of
one of Torkelsen's paintings. Maggio then agreed, by consent
order dated March 16, 1992 ("Consent Order"), to return the
Summertime painting. The Consent Order provided that the trustee
would "abandon, turn over and arrange for movant to retrieve
`Summertime--Collecting Flowers--1902' by Peter Mark Monstadt,
within 10 days from the date hereof. . . . " App. at 450.
After the bankruptcy court had approved the Consent
Order, the Summertime painting could not be located. Unable to
retrieve his property, Torkelsen filed an adversary complaint
against Maggio in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of New
Jersey "seeking damages for the loss of the `Summertime' painting
based on theories of wrongful possession, negligence, res ipsa
loquitur, bailment, conversion and breach of warranty." In re
Guild & Gallery, No. 94-5619, slip op. at 3 (D.N.J. Mar. 31,
1995). Maggio filed a counterclaim seeking to: (1) vacate the
Consent Order due to mistake of fact; (2) require Torkelsen to
defray any loss by collecting insurance proceeds covering the
Summertime painting; and (3) recover damages against Torkelsen
resulting from the trespass that occurred on December 7, 1991.
On August 16-17, 1994, this case was tried. On the day
before the trial commenced, a conference call was held in which
the court and counsel for both parties participated. During this
conversation, the court informed the parties that since all of
5
Torkelsen's claims against the trustee hinged upon the factual
contention that the Summertime painting remained in the Gallery
after December 7, 1991, the court would hear the parties'
evidence on this specific issue and make a finding of fact before
other matters would be considered. Counsel for both parties
consented to this arrangement.
On August 17, 1994, the bankruptcy court found that
Torkelsen had not proved by a preponderance of the evidence that
the Summertime painting remained at the Gallery after December 7,
1991. In reaching this decision, the court "placed significance,
among other things, . . . on the credibility of the witnesses
that [it] had the opportunity to observe. . . . " App. at 441-
42. The bankruptcy court did not find Diane Lane's testimony to
be convincing. On the issue of whether Lane had identified the
Summertime painting in the Gallery on December 27, the court
noted Lane's "subsequent doubt and contradictory testimony" and
her inability "to confirm that the painting that she saw on
December 27th was, in fact, Summertime." Id. at 437. Thus, the
court concluded that any statements by Maggio, Borics or the
trustee's attorney that the Summertime painting had been located
in the Gallery after December 7 were based solely upon their
erroneous belief about the accuracy of Lane's report.
As for the receipt which certified that seventeen
paintings had been removed, the bankruptcy court noted that the
three women who signed the receipt on December 7, 1991, had
testified to their belief in its accuracy on that date. Moreover,
the court observed that at least two of the women had compared
6
the list, double-checked it, and concluded that all of
Torkelsen's paintings had been accounted for, including the
Summertime painting.
On August 17, 1994, the bankruptcy court granted the
first count of Maggio's counterclaim seeking to vacate the
Consent Order on the ground that it was based upon a mistake of
fact. All of Torkelsen's claims against Maggio were dismissed
with prejudice. Maggio's remaining counterclaims also were
dismissed with prejudice.
On September 6, 1994, Torkelsen filed a motion with the
bankruptcy court seeking to have the bankruptcy judge recuse
himself from the case before a final order was entered. On
September 26, a hearing was held on the recusal motion. The
motion was denied the following day. The bankruptcy court's
final order dismissing all of Torkelsen's claims was entered on
October 11, 1994.2
Torkelsen appealed to the United States District Court
for the District of New Jersey. By order dated March 31, 1995,
the district court affirmed all aspects of the bankruptcy court's
decision. This appeal followed.
II.
Jurisdiction over Title 11 matters "lies with the
district court. However, the district court routinely refers
most bankruptcy cases to the bankruptcy court." In re Marcus
2
Since this case is to be dismissed on jurisdictional grounds, we
express no view on the question whether the bankruptcy court's
factual finding that the Summertime painting was removed from the
Gallery on December 7, 1991, was clearly erroneous.
7
Hook Dev. Park, Inc., 943 F.2d 261, 264 n.3 (3d Cir. 1991)
(citation omitted). See 28 U.S.C. § 157(a). "It is well-settled
that the bankruptcy court potentially has jurisdiction over four
types of title 11 matters, pending referral from the district
court: (1) cases under title 11, (2) proceedings arising under
title 11, (3) proceedings arising in a case under title 11, and
(4) proceedings related to a case under title 11." Marcus Hook,
943 F.2d at 264. See 28 U.S.C. § 1334. We have jurisdiction to
review the final order of the district court pursuant to 28
U.S.C. § 158(d) and 28 U.S.C. § 1291.
Although neither party has challenged the bankruptcy
and district courts' jurisdiction to adjudicate Torkelsen's
claims, "we are obligated to do so on our own motion if a
question thereto exists." Liberty Mut. Ins. Co. v. Wetzel, 424
U.S. 737, 740, 96 S. Ct. 1202, 1204 (1976). "An appellate court
must satisfy itself not only of its own jurisdiction, but also of
the jurisdiction of the courts under review." Pomper v.
Thompson, 836 F.2d 131, 132 (3d Cir. 1987) (per curiam) (citing
Mitchell v. Maurer, 293 U.S. 237, 55 S. Ct. 162 (1934)). "[W]e
cannot ignore matters that bring into question the existence of
federal jurisdiction." Thermice Corp. v. Vistron Corp., 832 F.2d
248, 251 (3d Cir. 1987) (citations omitted).
III.
A.
1.
28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(1) provides that "Bankruptcy judges
may hear and determine all cases under title 11 and all core
8
proceedings arising under title 11, or arising in a case under
title 11. . . . " Section 157(b)(2) sets forth a nonexhaustive
listing of core proceedings. In the instant case, we must decide
whether Torkelsen's claims against the trustee fall within the
scope of § 157(b)(2)(A); that is, "matters concerning the
administration of the estate." In order to develop an
understanding of the genesis and purpose of the distinction
between core and noncore proceedings under the Bankruptcy
Amendments and Federal Judgeship Act of 1984 ("1984 Act"), Pub.
L. No. 98-353, Title I, § 101(a), 98 Stat. 333 (1984), it is
instructive to look to the Acts of Congress that preceded the
promulgation of the 1984 Act as well as current Supreme Court
doctrine on the power of Article I bankruptcy courts to hear and
decide cases.
For eighty years, bankruptcy court jurisdiction was
governed by the Bankruptcy Act of 1898, ch. 541, 30 Stat. 544
(1898). One commentator has described the jurisdictional scheme
of the 1898 Act in the following terms:
The Bankruptcy Act of 1898 vested original
jurisdiction over all bankruptcy matters in the United
States District Courts. In turn, the district judges
referred certain matters to bankruptcy referees. There
were two main types of bankruptcy matters under the Act
of 1898: "proceedings" and "controversies."
"Proceedings" generally involved the administration of
the bankrupt's estate and were solely within the
province of the bankruptcy court. "Controversies" were
collateral disputes arising out of bankruptcy
proceedings. These matters involved the trustee and
third parties and could be heard by either the
bankruptcy court or by a non-bankruptcy court that had
jurisdiction. While proceedings fell within the
"summary jurisdiction" of the bankruptcy court,
controversies sometimes required the court to exercise
9
"plenary jurisdiction." The two types of jurisdiction
differed in the following manner. Matters within the
summary jurisdiction of the bankruptcy court could be
adjudicated through the use of more expeditious modes
of procedure, with the court sitting in equity. The
district court qua bankruptcy court could hear these
matters; however, a bankruptcy referee usually
rendered final judgment on such matters, subject only
to "review" by the district court. In contrast,
plenary jurisdiction was exercised only by the district
court or state courts, following their general rules of
procedure. According to some estimates, as much as
fifty percent of all litigation under the Act of 1898
concerned whether the matter was within the bankruptcy
court's summary jurisdiction.
Thomas S. Marion, Core Proceedings and "New" Bankruptcy
Jurisdiction, 35 DePaul L. Rev. 675, 676-77 (1986) (hereinafter
New Bankruptcy Jurisdiction). Under appropriate circumstances,
we may look to cases decided under the 1898 Act for guidance in
determining whether a matter is a core proceeding. See Beard v.
Braunstein, 914 F.2d 434, 444 (3d Cir. 1990).
In 1978, Congress sought to establish a more efficient
bankruptcy scheme that would avoid the confusion inherent in the
summary/plenary distinction. Through the enactment of the
Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, Pub. L. No. 95-598, 92 Stat. 2549
(1978), Congress made an attempt to
centralize bankruptcy jurisdiction and expedite the
administration of bankruptcy cases . . . . The Reform
Act conferred on district courts original and exclusive
jurisdiction over all "cases" under title 11. It also
gave district courts original and concurrent
jurisdiction of all civil proceedings arising from or
related to cases under title 11. In turn, the Reform
Act gave the bankruptcy courts "all of the jurisdiction
conferred by [the Reform Act] on the district courts."
This comprised jurisdiction over any action involving
the debtor, including many actions that would have
required a plenary suit under the Act of 1898. Eighty
years of litigation over the summary-plenary
10
distinction were abandoned in favor of a simplified
bankruptcy court system.
Marion, New Bankruptcy Jurisdiction, supra, at 678. See Hays &
Co. v. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc., 885 F.2d
1149, 1159 (3d Cir. 1989) ("[T]he dichotomy between plenary and
summary jurisdiction" was "the evil the Reform Act was designed
to address."). The Supreme Court, however, in Northern Pipeline
Construction Co. v. Marathon Pipe Line Co., 458 U.S. 50, 102 S.
Ct. 2858 (1982) (plurality opinion), struck down the more
efficient jurisdictional scheme of the 1978 Act. The Marathon
Court held that the power the 1978 Act purported to delegate to
Article I bankruptcy judges violated Article III, § 1 of the
Constitution.
The facts underlying the Marathon case are as follows.
In January 1980, Northern Pipeline filed a Chapter 11
reorganization petition in the Bankruptcy Court for the District
of Minnesota. Two months later Northern Pipeline filed suit
against Marathon seeking damages for alleged breaches of contract
and warranty, as well as for alleged misrepresentation, coercion,
and duress. The parties involved were not diverse, nor did the
case present a substantial federal question. The only nexus
between Northern Pipeline's claims and the bankruptcy was the
fact that Northern Pipeline was a debtor in a Chapter 11 business
reorganization.
The Marathon Court held that an Article I bankruptcy
court could not exercise "The judicial Power" over Northern
Pipeline's contract and fraud claims. The plurality observed
11
that "the restructuring of debtor-creditor relations, which is at
the core of the federal bankruptcy power, must be distinguished
from the adjudication of state-created private rights, such as
the right to recover damages that is at issue in this case." Id.
at 71, 102 S. Ct. at 2871. The plurality was unimpressed with
the conduit notion of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, pursuant
to which jurisdiction was first granted to the district court and
then transferred to the bankruptcy courts. Justice Brennan
concluded that the 1978 Act was unconstitutional because it
impermissibly vested "all `essential attributes' of the judicial
power of the United States in the `adjunct' bankruptcy court."
Id. at 84-85, 102 S. Ct. 2878.
The Supreme Court's decision in Marathon had
potentially far-reaching implications. In reaction to Marathon,
Congress enacted the 1984 Act, which made important changes in
the structure of the bankruptcy court system. As in
the Reform Act, the district courts are vested with
original and exclusive jurisdiction over all cases
under title 11, and original and concurrent
jurisdiction over all proceedings arising under or
related to title 11. The critical difference between
the Reform Act and the Act of 1984 is that under the
latter, bankruptcy courts do not exercise all
jurisdiction vested in district courts. Instead, the
bankruptcy court is established as a unit of the
district court to which the district court may refer
any or all cases and proceedings. The district court
may revoke this reference on its own motion or on
timely motion of any party, for cause shown. Thus, the
district court, in form, has complete control over what
actions the bankruptcy court hears. Under the Reform
Act, the district court had no such power.
The Act of 1984 contains additional limitations on
the bankruptcy court's jurisdiction. Proceedings are
divided into "core proceedings" and "proceedings that
are not core proceedings" ("non-core proceedings").
12
Bankruptcy judges may hear and finally determine all
cases under title 11 and all core proceedings, subject
to appeal to the district court. The bankruptcy judge
may also hear non-core proceedings. However, if the
parties do not consent to final judgment in a non-core
proceeding in bankruptcy court, the bankruptcy judge
merely submits proposed findings of fact and
conclusions of law to the district judge. If a party
objects to a particular matter, the district judge must
conduct a de novo review of that matter.
Marion, New Bankruptcy Jurisdiction, supra, at 681-82. Although
there was some question after the 1984 Act was passed as to
whether the new bankruptcy legislation ran afoul of Marathon,
subsequent Supreme Court decisions have interpreted the Marathon
decision narrowly. See Thomas v. Union Carbide Agricultural
Prods., Co., 473 U.S. 568, 584, 105 S. Ct. 3325, 3334 (1985)
(interpreting Marathon as holding "only that Congress may not
vest in a non-Article III court the power to adjudicate, render
final judgment, and issue binding orders in a traditional
contract action arising under state law, without consent of the
litigants, and subject only to ordinary appellate review");
Commodity Futures Trading Comm'n v. Schor, 478 U.S. 833, 106 S.
Ct. 3245 (1986) (same).
2.
The bankruptcy court and the district court both
concluded that this case was a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C.
§157(b)(2)(A) ("matters concerning the administration of the
estate"). Both the district court and the bankruptcy court read
this section too broadly.
Our circuit precedents have "held that a proceeding is
core under section 157 if it invokes a substantive right provided
13
by title 11 or if it is a proceeding that, by its nature, could
arise only in the context of a bankruptcy case." In re Marcus
Hook Dev. Park Inc., 943 F.2d 261, 267 (3d Cir. 1991) (citations
and internal quotation marks omitted). In support of its ruling
that this case was a core proceeding, the bankruptcy court
relied, inter alia, on the decision of the Court of Appeals for
the Fifth Circuit in In re Wood, 825 F.2d 90 (5th Cir. 1987),
which observed that
the phrases "arising under" and "arising in" are
helpful indicators of the meaning of core proceedings.
If the proceeding involves a right created by the
federal bankruptcy law, it is a core proceeding; for
example, an action by the trustee to avoid a
preference. If the proceeding is one that would arise
only in bankruptcy, it is also a core proceeding; for
example, the filing of a proof of claim or an objection
to the discharge of a particular debt. If the
proceeding does not invoke a substantive right created
by the federal bankruptcy law and is one that could
exist outside of bankruptcy it is not a core
proceeding; it may be related to the bankruptcy
because of its potential effect, but under section
157(c)(1) it is an "otherwise related" or non-core
proceeding.
Id. at 97.
We conclude, however, that applying this standard to
the present matter warrants a result contrary to that reached by
the bankruptcy court. The claims that Torkelsen raises against
the trustee need not "arise only in bankruptcy." Torkelsen's
state law claims are not comparable to the filing of a proof of
claim or raising an objection to a discharge of a particular
debt, the examples provided by Wood. Moreover, Torkelsen's
claims certainly could exist outside of bankruptcy; they could
14
all be filed in a state court. The same analysis is supported by
our own Circuit precedents. This case is not a core proceeding
because Torkelsen's claims neither "invoke[] a substantive right
provided by title 11," nor could this action "arise only in the
context of a bankruptcy case." Marcus Hook, 943 F.2d at 267. See
In re Gardner, 913 F.2d 1515, 1518 (10th Cir. 1990) (per curiam)
("Actions which do not depend on the bankruptcy laws for their
existence and which could proceed in another court are not core
proceedings.").
B.
The language of § 157(b)(2)(A) would appear to
encompass an extraordinarily broad number of claims. Indeed, the
Editor-in-Chief of Collier's has commented that "[w]hile estate
administration matters are not defined, the clause appears to
contemplate a very broad panoply of proceedings integral to a
case under the Code. Its overbreadth may, in fact, render the
remaining clauses unnecessary." Lawrence P. King, Symposium on
Bankruptcy: Jurisdiction and Procedure Under the Bankruptcy
Amendments of 1984, 38 Vand. L. Rev. 675, 688 (1986).
Even if we were to interpret the language of
§157(b)(2)(A) in the broadest possible manner consistent with the
Constitution, this case still would not qualify as a core
proceeding. Assuming arguendo that Maggio engaged in all of the
conduct that Torkelsen alleges and that such conduct was
administrative in nature, our inquiry under § 157(b)(2)(A) does
not end there. Section 157(b)(2)(A) refers to "matters
concerning the administration of the estate." Since it is
15
uncontroverted that the Summertime painting is not part of the
bankrupt estate, the trustee's alleged misconduct does not fall
within the plain language of this provision.
Section 541 of the Bankruptcy Code, which defines the
parameters of the bankrupt estate, compels this result. Property
of the estate includes "wherever located and by whomever held[,]
. . . all legal or equitable interests of the debtor in property
as of the commencement of the case." 11 U.S.C. § 541(a)(1). The
legislative history of § 541 describes the expansive reach of
this provision:
Under paragraph (1) of subsection (a), the estate is
comprised of all legal and equitable interests of the
debtor in property, wherever located, as of the
commencement of the case. The scope of this paragraph
is broad. It includes all kinds of property, including
tangible or intangible property, causes of action, . .
. as well as property recovered by the trustee under
section 542 . . . if the property recovered is merely
out of the possession of the debtor, yet remained
"property of the debtor." The debtor's interest in
property also includes "title" to property, which is an
interest, just as are a possessory interest, or
leasehold interest, for example.
S.Rep. No. 989, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. 82, reprinted in 1978
U.S.C.C.A.N. 5787, 5868.
The Supreme Court affirmed the broad scope of
§541(a)(1) in United States v. Whiting Pools, Inc., 462 U.S. 198,
103 S. Ct. 2309 (1983). After citing the definition of "estate"
articulated in § 541 and describing the powers of the trustee
with regard to the estate under 11 U.S.C. § 363, the Court
observed that "[a]lthough these statutes could be read to limit
the estate to those `interests of the debtor in property' at the
16
time of the filing of the petition," the Court "view[ed] them as
a definition of what is included in the estate, rather than a
limitation." Id. at 203, 103 S. Ct. at 2312. The Court stated
that "[b]oth the congressional goal of encouraging
reorganizations and Congress' choice of methods to protect
secured creditors suggest that Congress intended a broad range of
property to be included in the estate." Id. at 204, 103 S. Ct.
at 2313.
Justice Blackmun's opinion also provided examples of
property interests that do not fall within the scope of § 541.
The Court observed that the legislative history of § 541
"indicates that Congress intended to exclude from the estate
property of others in which the debtor had some minor interest
such as a lien or bare legal title." Id. at 205 n.8, 103 S. Ct.
at 2314 n.8. The Court further stated that "[w]e do not now
decide the outer boundaries of the bankruptcy estate. We note
only that Congress plainly excluded property of others held by
the debtor in trust at the time of the filing of the petition."
Id. at 205 n.10, 103 S. Ct. at 2314 n. 10.
The Gallery estate held Torkelsen's paintings as a
bailee. Collier's describes the manner in which bailments should
be analyzed under § 541:
[I]t became well settled under the Bankruptcy Act that
absent state statutory enactment to the contrary, if
property was in the debtor's hands as bailee. . ., the
trustee held it as such, and the bailor . . . could
recover the property or its proceeds. Under the Code,
section 362 will automatically stay the bailor . . .
from divesting the debtor of possession, and the estate
will include the debtor's rights under the bailment . .
. contract.
17
4 COLLIER ON BANKRUPTCY, ¶ 541.08[2], at 42-43 (15th ed. 1995)
(emphasis added). See Borman v. Raymark Indus., Inc., 946 F.2d
1031, 1035 (3d Cir. 1991) ("[T]he automatic stay was intended to
apply to actions that do not necessarily involve property of the
estate.").
Pursuant to this analysis, the debtor's rights under
the bailment agreement, i.e., whatever funds Torkelsen owed to
the estate pursuant to the bailment agreement, would fall within
the definition of "property of the estate."3 The Summertime
painting itself, however, was not property of the estate, even
under the expansive definition set forth in § 541 of the
Bankruptcy Code. The estate had no security interest in the
painting. Upon satisfaction of bailment agreement, the painting-
-which the estate never claimed as its own--had to be returned.
This understanding was formalized in the Consent Order. Since
the Summertime painting was not part of the bankrupt estate, then
a fortiori this matter cannot fall within § 157(b)(2)(A), which
can only be applied to matters concerning the administration of
the bankrupt estate.
At oral argument before this court, Maggio argued that
although the Summertime painting was not part of the bankrupt
estate, this proceeding is nonetheless a core matter concerning
estate administration because prior to the bankruptcy court's
approval of the Consent Order on March 16, 1992, no formal
3
The specifics of the bailment agreement between Torkelsen and
the Gallery are not part of the record.
18
adjudication had been made regarding the issue of who owned the
Summertime painting. Thus, the argument goes, any alleged
wrongdoing up until that time would still fall within the scope
of § 157(b)(2)(A).
This argument must be rejected. The plain language of
§ 157(b)(2)(A) applies only to property of the bankrupt estate.
Torkelsen petitioned the bankruptcy court for a determination
that the Summertime painting was his property and obtained the
benefit of a court order confirming that fact on March 16, 1992.
Maggio cannot now, in the face of a conclusive legal
determination that the Summertime painting is not property of the
estate, argue that Torkelsen's claims--which have no bearing upon
the estate whatsoever--nonetheless fall within the provision of
the Bankruptcy Code that by its terms applies only to the
administration of estate property. See Howell Hydrocarbons, Inc.
v. Adams, 897 F.2d 183, 190 (5th Cir. 1990) ("Whatever else a
core proceeding must be, it must involve a decision that
ultimately affects the distribution of the debtor's assets.").
Torkelsen seeks nothing from the Gallery estate itself.
Torkelsen's action in no way implicates "the restructuring of
debtor-creditor relations, which is at the core of the federal
bankruptcy power. . . . " Marathon, 458 U.S. at 71, 102 S. Ct.
at 2871. Moreover, as Marathon illustrates, even if the estate
has a direct financial interest in a claim that a party proposes
to litigate in bankruptcy court, this fact, by itself, does not
provide an adequate jurisdictional foundation. That the estate
has no interest, financial or otherwise, in the outcome of the
19
dispute between Torkelsen and the trustee renders Maggio's
argument that this is a core proceeding untenable. We therefore
conclude that the actions that Torkelsen brought against the
trustee were not core proceedings under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(A).
IV.
It remains to be determined, therefore, whether this
case is nevertheless a noncore, related proceeding. The
applicable test to determine whether an action brought in
bankruptcy court qualifies as a noncore, related proceeding was
set forth in the landmark decision of Pacor, Inc. v. Higgins, 743
F.2d 984 (3d Cir. 1984). The Pacor court held that "the test for
determining whether a civil proceeding is related to bankruptcy
is whether the outcome of that proceeding could conceivably have
any effect on the estate being administered in bankruptcy." Id.
at 994. The court further observed that "the proceeding need not
necessarily be against the debtor or against the debtor's
property. An action is related to bankruptcy if the outcome
could alter the debtor's rights, liabilities, options, or freedom
of action (either positively or negatively) and which in any way
impacts upon the handling and administration of the bankrupt
estate." Id. Furthermore, "the mere fact that there may be
common issues of fact between a civil proceeding and a
controversy involving the bankruptcy estate does not bring the
matter within the scope of section 1471(b).4 Judicial economy
itself does not justify federal jurisdiction." Id. See In re
4
28 U.S.C. § 1471 is the precursor of 28 U.S.C. § 1334. The same
analysis applies. See Marcus Hook, 943 F.2d at 264 n.4.
20
Bobroff, 766 F.2d 797, 802 (3d Cir. 1985) (rejecting argument
that "related to" jurisdiction "is intended to mirror the
principle of pendent jurisdiction"); see generally Susan Block-
Lieb, The Case Against Supplemental Bankruptcy Jurisdiction: A
Constitutional, Statutory, And Policy Analysis, 62 Fordham L.
Rev. 721 (1994).
The test that Judge Garth articulated in Pacor has been
enormously influential. Pacor not only governs our analysis
here, but its cogent analytical framework has been relied upon by
our sister circuits more than any other case in this area of the
law. The Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Ninth and Eleventh Circuits have
adopted Pacor without modification. See In re Lemco Gypsum,
Inc., 910 F.2d 784, 788 (11th Cir. 1990) ("We join the majority
of the circuits that have adopted the Pacor formulation."); In
re Fietz, 852 F.2d 455, 457 (9th Cir. 1988) ("We . . . adopt the
Pacor definition. . . . We reject any limitation on this
definition; to the extent that other circuits may limit
jurisdiction where the Pacor decision would not, we stand by
Pacor."); Wood, 825 F.2d at 93 ("Courts have articulated various
definitions of `related,' but the definition of the Court of
Appeals for the Third Circuit appears to have the most support. .
. We adopt it as our own."); In re Dogpatch U.S.A., Inc., 810
F.2d 782, 786 (8th Cir. 1987) (adopting the Pacor test); A.H.
Robins Co. v. Piccinin, 788 F.2d 994, 1002 n.11 (4th Cir.) ("The
accepted definition of the `related to' in these statutes is that
21
declared in Pacor. . . ."), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 876, 107 S.
Ct. 251 (1986).5
We elaborated upon Pacor in In re Marcus Hook. There,
we stated that "[a] key word in [the Pacor test] is conceivable.
Certainty, or even likelihood, is not a requirement. Bankruptcy
jurisdiction will exist so long as it is possible that a
proceeding may impact on the debtor's rights, liabilities,
options, or freedom of action or the handling and administration
of the bankrupt estate." Marcus Hook, 943 F.2d at 264 (emphasis
added) (citations and internal quotation marks omitted).
Torkelsen's cause of action against the trustee does
not satisfy the requirements for relatedness set forth in Pacor.
As previously mentioned, the Summertime painting was not the
property of the bankrupt estate. "If the action does not involve
property of the estate, then not only is it a noncore proceeding,
it is an unrelated matter completely beyond the bankruptcy
court's subject-matter jurisdiction." In re Gallucci, 931 F.2d
738, 742 (11th Cir. 1991). See Bobroff, 766 F.2d at 804
(debtor's tort claims that did not accrue until after the filing
of the bankruptcy petition were not "property of the estate;"
therefore, "the district court did not have jurisdiction to
5
Even for those circuits that have not formally adopted Pacor,
Judge Garth's opinion has provided an indispensable and
frequently cited frame of reference, a veritable beacon on the
uncharted and perilous waters of bankruptcy subject matter
jurisdiction. The references to Pacor in Shepard's Citations are
legion. When federal courts must consider whether an issue is a
related proceeding, the starting point has universally been
Pacor.
22
adjudicate them as being `related to' the debtor's bankruptcy
proceeding").
Neither party has satisfactorily demonstrated how the
claims that Torkelsen has asserted involving the trustee's
handling of Torkelsen's property could possibly have any bearing
upon the estate being administered in bankruptcy. Nor would any
judgment obtained have any "effect on the arrangement, standing,
or priorities of [the estate's] creditors." Pacor, 743 F.2d at
995-96. All of Torkelsen's claims are asserted only against the
trustee in his "individual capacit[y], and there is no claim of
vicarious liability on the part of the debtors or the estate."
Howell Hydrocarbons, 897 F.2d at 190. The ultimate disposition
of Torkelsen's claims would not impact upon the Gallery's
"rights, liabilities, options, or freedom of action or the
handling and administration of the bankrupt estate." Marcus
Hook, 943 F.2d at 264 (citations and internal quotation marks
omitted).
Torkelsen argues, however, that this case is a related,
noncore matter because the Consent Order directing Maggio to
return the painting to Torkelsen and the trustee's failure to do
so affected the handling and administration of the bankrupt
estate. Torkelsen also maintains that "Maggio's status as a
trustee was sufficient to create bankruptcy court jurisdiction. .
. ." Appellant's Reply Br. at 6. Both of these contentions must
be rejected. Torkelsen's argument that the Consent Order can be
utilized to support a finding of subject matter jurisdiction over
claims that otherwise could not be heard in bankruptcy court is
23
without merit. Pacor cannot be read to countenance this sort of
bootstrapping. At a minimum, Marathon requires that all claims
filed in bankruptcy court must be able to stand on their own as
either core or related proceedings.
Torkelsen's alternate assertion that Maggio's status as
trustee was sufficient to create bankruptcy court jurisdiction
must also be rejected. Surely not every suit against a trustee,
regardless of how tenuous its connection to a bankrupt estate,
automatically confers jurisdiction simply because the trustee is
named as a party. See In re McKinney, 45 B.R. 790, 792 (Bankr.
W.D. Ky. 1985) (Subject matter jurisdiction is not "created by
the fact that the trustee holds his office by court
appointment.").
Discussing the current boundaries of bankruptcy court
jurisdiction, one commentator has observed that
despite the expansion of bankruptcy jurisdiction, that
jurisdiction is still sharply limited. . . [T]he limits
of the system's jurisdiction are defined by reference
to a res. . . The res in question is not a particular
piece of property; it is the debtor's financial
affairs. . . Proceedings affecting the res are within
the court's jurisdiction; proceedings not affecting
the res are not.
Richard H. Gibson, Home Court, Outpost Court: Reconciling
Bankruptcy Case Control With Venue Flexibility in Proceedings, 62
Am. Bankr. L.J. 37, 64 (1988). Torkelsen's actions against the
trustee, wherever they may proceed, would have no impact upon the
financial affairs of the bankrupt estate. See Gallucci, 931 F.2d
at 742 (noting the "general principle of bankruptcy law" that "if
the resolution of litigation cannot affect the administration of
24
the estate, the bankruptcy court does not have jurisdiction to
decide it").
Since the claims asserted here fail to satisfy the
Pacor standard, the district court lacked subject matter
jurisdiction to hear Torkelsen's state-law claims against the
bankruptcy trustee. We therefore will reverse the district
court's March 31, 1995, order and remand this matter to the
district court. The district court will be instructed to further
remand the matter to the bankruptcy court with a direction that
the case be dismissed for want of jurisdiction.
25