CORRECTED OPINION
PUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
In Re: ALLISON MARIE JORDAN,
Debtor.
TOM C. SMITH, JR.,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
v. No. 06-2154
ALLISON MARIE JORDAN,
Defendant-Appellant,
and
U.S. TRUSTEE,
Trustee.
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Norfolk.
Rebecca Beach Smith, District Judge.
(2:06-cv-00380-RBS; BK-05-70093-DHA; AP-06-07035-DHA)
Argued: December 5, 2007
Decided: April 3, 2008
Before MICHAEL and GREGORY, Circuit Judges, and
John Preston BAILEY, Chief United States District Judge
for the Northern District of West Virginia, sitting by designation.
Affirmed in part; reversed in part by published opinion. Chief District
Judge Bailey wrote the opinion, in which Judge Gregory joined.
2 IN RE: JORDAN
Judge Michael wrote a separate opinion concurring in part and dis-
senting in part.
COUNSEL
Leonard David Levine, CHILDRESS, FLAX, LEVINE, P.C., Vir-
ginia Beach, Virginia, for Appellant. Tom Cain Smith, Jr., Virginia
Beach, Virginia, for Appellee.
OPINION
BAILEY, Chief District Judge:
In this case, we are asked to determine the level of intransigence
necessary to support the revocation of a discharge in bankruptcy
under 11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(6). Finding that the district court applied the
proper legal standard, but erred in the application of that standard to
the appellant, we affirm in part and reverse in part.
I
Allison Marie Jordan (Jordan) filed her Chapter 7 bankruptcy peti-
tion on January 7, 2005. Tom C. Smith, Jr. (Trustee) was duly
appointed as Trustee. On January 10, 2005, the bankruptcy court
issued a standard administrative order to Jordan. Among the provi-
sions of the administrative order were the following:
• You shall not sell, transfer, remove, destroy, mutilate or
conceal any of your property, and you shall make all or
any part thereof available to the Trustee, when requested
to do so.
• You shall not turn over any of your property to any cred-
itor or party in interest without the bankruptcy Trustee’s
knowledge and consent, unless so ordered by the United
States Bankruptcy Court.
IN RE: JORDAN 3
• You shall cooperate with the Trustee as is necessary to
enable the Trustee to perform the Trustee’s duties as
required by law.
• You shall obey all orders of the United States Bank-
ruptcy Court and your responsibility for doing so does
not cease even after a discharge is granted. The discharge
does not conclude your bankruptcy case. A discharge
may be revoked, for cause.
The first meeting of creditors was held on February 17, 2005. At
the meeting, as is customary in the District, the debtor submitted to
the Trustee a comparative market analysis showing the fair market
value of Jordan’s home in Virginia Beach, Virginia (the Property) to
be $225,000. Jordan also submitted to the Trustee a liquidation analy-
sis showing that after deductions for the balances owed on the first
and second mortgages and a 10% allowance for the costs of sale, the
Property had an equity of $4,960, which Jordan claimed as exempt.
The Trustee accepted this documentation without comment or request
for additional information.
The Trustee also obtained a market analysis for the Property, which
indicated a property value of $250,000. The Trustee performed his
own liquidation analysis, which showed that after paying off liens,
cost of sale, Trustee’s commission, and the $5,000 exemption, the
Property would net $1,264 at sale. Based upon that analysis, the
Trustee determined not to market the property because the potential
net recovery was too little to risk a sale.
On motion of the United States Trustee, the bankruptcy court
entered an order on May 25, 2005, which extended the grant of Jor-
dan’s discharge until June 17, 2005. According to the motion, the
extension was required to allow the Trustee additional time to investi-
gate Jordan’s financial condition and the accuracy of her reported
income. That motion did not involve the Property. On June 24, 2005,
Jordan was granted a discharge.
On July 1, 2005, Jordan, who had lost her business and was unem-
ployed, refinanced her home, paying off the first and second mort-
gages and receiving approximately $15,000, which she used for living
4 IN RE: JORDAN
expenses. A new deed of trust in the amount of $231,000 was
recorded in connection with the refinance. Jordan refinanced without
the knowledge or consent of the Trustee or the bankruptcy court.
On July 6, 2005, Maxwell Edwards (Edwards), who was listed in
Jordan’s schedules as an unsecured creditor, filed a proof of claim as
a secured creditor in the amount of $5,696. On November 2, 2005, the
Trustee filed an objection to the Edwards claim, but withdrew his
objection on November 8, 2005. Jordan was not advised of the reason
for the objection or the withdrawal thereof.
In November of 2005, the Trustee received an offer to purchase the
Property from Edwards’ attorney, without the involvement of a real
estate agent, for the sum of $227,000. The Trustee filed an application
to sell the Property and, in the application, estimated a net recovery
for unsecured creditors. Upon learning that the Property had been
refinanced for an amount in excess of the Edwards offer, the Trustee
withdrew the sale application and filed a complaint for the revocation
of the discharge for failure to comply with the bankruptcy court’s
order directing her to cooperate with the Trustee in the administration
of the estate.
Jordan filed a timely response to the complaint, and, at the pretrial
conference, the parties agreed that there were no facts in dispute. On
June 12, 2006, the bankruptcy court issued its Memorandum Opinion
and Order revoking Jordan’s discharge. Smith v. Jordan, 356 B.R.
651 (Bankr. E.D. Va. 2006). In the opinion, the bankruptcy court
found that Jordan was not wilfully uncooperative with the Trustee,
but found that under 11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(6)(A) intent was a "non-
issue."
Jordan then filed a timely appeal to the district court, which, in an
opinion entered September 26, 2006, affirmed the bankruptcy court.
Jordan v. Smith, 356 B.R. 656 (E.D. Va. 2006).
II
"Because the district court ‘act[ed] in its capacity as a bankruptcy
appellate court, we review the bankruptcy court’s decision indepen-
IN RE: JORDAN 5
dently.’ Banks v. Sallie Mae Servicing Corp. (In re Banks), 299 F.3d
296, 300 (4th Cir. 2002). We review the bankruptcy court’s factual
findings for clear error and its legal conclusions de novo. See Kielisch
v. Educational Credit Mgmt. Corp. (In re Kielisch), 258 F.3d 315,
319 (4th Cir. 2001)." In re Ekenasi, 325 F.3d 541, 544 (4th Cir.
2003).
III
The district court correctly found that a Trustee seeking a revoca-
tion of a discharge under 11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(6)(A) must establish that
the debtor wilfully and intentionally refused to obey the court’s order.
Under 11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(6)(A), a bankruptcy court "shall grant the
debtor a discharge, unless the debtor has refused to obey any lawful
order of the court, other than an order to respond to a material ques-
tion or to testify."
Revocation of a debtor’s discharge is an extraordinary remedy.
Miller v. Kasden (In re Kasden), 209 B.R. 239, 241 (8th Cir. BAP
1997). "Revocation of a discharge is a harsh measure and runs con-
trary to the general policy of the Bankruptcy Code of giving Chapter
7 debtors a ‘fresh start.’" Grochocinski v. Eckert (In re Eckert), 375
B.R. 474, 478 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2007), quoting State Bank of India v.
Kaliana (In re Kaliana), 202 B.R. 600, 603 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 1996).
"The statute is construed strictly against the party seeking revocation
and liberally in the debtor’s favor." Pierce v. Fuller (In re Fuller),
356 B.R. 493, 495 (Bankr. D.S.D. 2006), citing Kaler v. Olmstead (In
re Olmstead), 220 B.R. 986, 993 (Bankr. D.N.D. 1998).
"The term used in § 727(a)(6)(A) is ‘refused’ not ‘failed.’ Accord-
ingly, the Court must find that the Debtors’ lack of compliance with
the relevant court order was willful and intentional. LaBarge v. Ire-
land (In re Ireland), 325 B.R. 836, 838 (Bankr. E.D.Mo. 2005); Cum-
mins v. Hays (In re Cummins), 166 B.R. 338, 358 (Bankr. W.D.
Ark.1994); 3 Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice 2D, § 74:16, p.
74-35 (1994). The party objecting to discharge satisfies this burden
by demonstrating the debtor received the order in question and failed
to comply with its terms. Ireland, 325 B.R. at 838; Katz v. Araujo (In
re Araujo), 292 B.R. 19, 24 (Bankr. D.Conn. 2003). Such a showing
then imposes upon the debtor an obligation to explain his non-
6 IN RE: JORDAN
compliance. Associates Commercial Corp. v. Reavis (In re Reavis),
92 B.R. 380, 383 (Bankr. W.D.Mo. 1988); United States of America
v. Richardson (In re Richardson), 85 B.R. 1008, 1011 (Bankr.
W.D.Mo.1988); 6 Collier on Bankruptcy, ¶ 727.09[1], p. 727-50 (15th
ed. Rev. 2003)." Pierce v. Fuller (In re Fuller), 356 B.R. 493, 495
(Bankr. D.S.D. 2006), quoting State of Missouri v. Foster, 335 B.R.
709, 716 (Bankr. W.D. Mo. 2006).
In Marcus v. Jeffries (In re Jeffries), 356 B.R. 661 (Bankr. E.D.
Va. 2006), the bankruptcy court discussed the status of law on this
issue and, particularly, the district court decision under review in this
case:
Section 727(a)(6)(A) thus provides for the revocation of
a debtor’s discharge if that debtor "refuses" to obey a lawful
Court order. The term "refuse" is not defined in the Bank-
ruptcy Code. Gillman v. Green (In re Green), 335 B.R. 181,
183 (Bankr.D.Utah 2005). A recent opinion in this District
discusses the split among the various courts with regard to
whether an action to revoke discharge pursuant to Sections
727(d)(3) and 727(a)(6) requires a showing of willfulness or
intent in refusing to obey a Court order. See Jordan [v.
Smith], 356 B.R. 656, at 659-60 (citing In re Araujo, 292
B.R. at 23; In re Gentry, 275 B.R. 747, 754 (Bankr.
W.D.Va. 2001)). As the (sic) Judge Smith stated, the major-
ity of courts have found that the word "refused" does in fact
require the showing of a willful or intentional act, not
merely the showing of a mistake or the inability to comply.
Id. (citing numerous cases). A minority of courts, however,
have found that an action to revoke discharge brought under
Sections 727(d)(3) and 727(a)(6) should be treated as a civil
contempt proceeding, thus negating the requirement for a
showing of willfulness or intent. Id. (citing Hunter v.
Magack (In re Magack), 247 B.R. 406, 409-10 (Bankr.
N.D.Ohio 1999); United States v. Richardson (In re Rich-
ardson), 85 B.R. 1008, 1011 (Bankr. W.D.Mo. 1988)). The
United States District Court concluded that the majority
approach was correct, and held that
[A] trustee seeking a revocation of discharge must
establish that the debtor willfully and intentionally
IN RE: JORDAN 7
refused to obey the court’s order. Thus, the trustee
must show more than a mere failure to obey the
court’s order that results from inadvertence, mis-
take, or inability to comply; he must demonstrate
some degree of volition or willfulness on the part
of the debtor.
Id. (citing Gillman v. Green (In re Green), 335 B.R. 181,
184 (Bankr. D.Utah 2005)). The Court further stated that
"the trustee may meet his burden by showing that the debtor
received the order in question and failed to comply with its
terms." Id. (citing Missouri ex rel. Nixon v. Foster (In re
Foster), 335 B.R. 709, 716 (Bankr.W.D.Mo. 2006);
LaBarge v. Ireland (In re Ireland), 325 B.R. 836, 838
(Bankr. E.D.Mo. 2005); Katz v. Araujo (In re Araujo), 292
B.R. 19, 24 (Bankr. D.Conn. 2003); Solomon v. Barman (In
re Barman), 237 B.R. 342, 349-50 (Bankr. E.D.Mich.
1999)). "‘Such a showing then imposes upon the debtor an
obligation to explain [her] non-compliance.’" Id. (quoting In
re Foster, 335 B.R. at 716).
IV
Having determined that the district court correctly held that the
revocation of Jordan’s discharge on the basis of a refusal to comply
with the court’s order requires that the refusal be wilful and inten-
tional, we must now determine whether the revocation itself was sup-
ported by the evidence. In so doing, we note that the bankruptcy court
found that intent was not an issue and that Jordan’s actions were not
wilful.
We also note that the administrative order with which Jordan was
found to have refused to comply does not specifically prohibit the "re-
financing" of property. Rather, the order prohibits "selling, transfer-
ring, removing, destroying, mutilating or concealing" property. While
the refinancing of property may technically involve a transfer in con-
nection with the execution of the deed of trust, such would not be
apparent to the typical debtor. The burden to clarify such a restriction,
however, should not rest upon the more business-savvy drafters of the
administrative order rather than expect a layperson such as Ms. Jor-
8 IN RE: JORDAN
dan to read between the lines and draw her own logical conclusions.
Simply put, the administrative order drafters should have anticipated
— and specifically prohibited — such action because refinancing is
one of the most common methods by which a homeowner may affect
the equity in his or her home.
Accordingly, based upon the record in this case, Jordan’s failure to
comply with the order cannot be said to be wilful, especially in light
of the bankruptcy court’s finding that such wilfulness did not exist.
AFFIRMED IN PART;
REVERSED IN PART
MICHAEL, Circuit Judge, concurring in part and dissenting in part:
I concur in parts I-III of the majority opinion. However, I respect-
fully dissent from part IV because, under the principles of law the
majority sets forth in part III, the undisputed facts establish that Ali-
son Jordan willfully violated the bankruptcy court’s order when she
refinanced her home. Therefore, I would affirm the bankruptcy
court’s decision to revoke Jordan’s discharge.
I.
Jordan filed her Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition on January 7, 2005.
Less than a week later, the court sent Jordan an administrative order
setting forth her duties and responsibilities as a debtor. The order
informed Jordan that she was not permitted to "sell, transfer, remove,
destroy, mutilate or conceal any of [her] property" and that she was
required to "make all or any part [of her property] available to the
trustee, when requested to do so." J.A. 14. The order also informed
her that she was required to "cooperate with the Trustee as is neces-
sary to enable the Trustee to perform the Trustee’s duties as required
by law." J.A. 14. Finally, the order made clear that the duties and
responsibilities imposed upon Jordan did not end automatically with
a discharge: "You shall obey all orders of the [bankruptcy court] and
your responsibility for doing so does not cease even after a discharge
is granted. The discharge does not conclude your bankruptcy case. A
discharge may be revoked, for cause." J.A. 14.
IN RE: JORDAN 9
Seven days after receiving her discharge, Jordan refinanced her
home. In doing so, she increased the outstanding mortgages on the
property by more than $30,000, eliminated all of her equity in the
property, and received $15,000 in cash. Before acting to refinance her
home, Jordan did not consult with the bankruptcy trustee or seek court
approval. The refinancing was, as the majority notes, a transfer of
property that violated the court’s administrative order. Ante at 7. Ulti-
mately, the bankruptcy court granted the trustee’s motion to revoke
Jordan’s discharge based on her noncompliance with the order, and
the district court affirmed.
II.
The only question presented by this appeal is whether Jordan’s vio-
lation of the bankruptcy court’s administrative order constituted a
refusal to obey that order within the meaning of 11 U.S.C.
§ 727(a)(6)(A). If Jordan violated § 727(a)(6)(A), the court did not err
by revoking her discharge pursuant to § 727(d)(3). As the majority
states, proving that a debtor refused to obey a court order requires the
showing of a willful or intentional violation of the order, as opposed
to mere noncompliance. Ante at 5. A party seeking to prove willful-
ness may meet its initial burden by demonstrating that "the debtor
received the order in question and failed to comply with its terms."
Ante at 5. The burden then shifts, requiring the debtor to prove that
the noncompliance resulted from inadvertence, mistake, or impossi-
bility, rather than from an intentional and willful act. See ante at 5-6.
The facts establish that Jordan refused to obey the court order by
refinancing her property. Because Jordan does not contest that she
had knowledge of the order or that her refinancing violated its terms,
the burden is on her to explain her noncompliance. She has not car-
ried this burden. Her only contention appears to be that she did not
realize that refinancing her property would violate the order. This
contention is irrelevant because a finding of willfulness in this context
does not require a showing that Jordan acted with malice or knew in
advance that the refinancing would violate the court order.
The majority’s conclusion in part IV — that Jordan’s violation was
not willful and intentional — relies on two factors, but neither pro-
vides adequate support. First, the majority relies on the absence of the
10 IN RE: JORDAN
word "refinance" in the administrative order’s list of prohibited
actions. The absence of this particular word, however, does not
excuse Jordan’s violation. As the majority recognizes, the act of refi-
nancing violated the order’s requirement that Jordan not "transfer . . .
any of [her] property." J.A. 14; ante at 7. Even if we assumed that
Jordan did not realize that her action was wrongful, this fact is not rel-
evant to a finding of willfulness for purposes of § 727(a)(6)(A), as
explained below. Notably, though, Jordan’s claim that she was
unaware that refinancing would violate the court’s order is undercut
to a significant extent because she refinanced only a few days after
her discharge became final. The timing suggests she was aware that
refinancing was prohibited but assumed (erroneously) that her obliga-
tions ended upon discharge.
Second, the majority relies on the bankruptcy court’s findings that
"intent was a non-issue" and that Jordan was not "willfully uncooper-
ative with the trustee." J.A. 49-50; see ante at 7-8. These findings
cannot refute the common sense conclusion that Jordan acted will-
fully when she refinanced her property. To begin with, the bankruptcy
court did not address whether the refinancing was a willful act; rather,
it found only that Jordan was not "willfully uncooperative with the
trustee." J.A. 49. Moreover, a finding that the refinancing was not
willful would have been clear error in this case. According to Black’s
Law Dictionary, "willful" means "[v]oluntary and intentional, but not
necessarily malicious." Black’s Law Dictionary 1630 (8th ed. 2004).
But Black’s recognizes that the term has been applied differently in
different contexts: some courts hold that the term means "intention-
ally or purposely as distinguished from accidentally or negligently
and does not require any actual impropriety," while others have
required "a bad purpose or evil intent." Id. (quoting Rollin M. Perkins
& Ronald N. Boyce, Criminal Law 875-76 (3d ed. 1982)). In the con-
text of § 727(a)(6)(A), however, courts have consistently applied a
definition of willfulness that does not require a showing that the
debtor acted with malice or with the specific intent to violate a court
order. Indeed, the majority acknowledges that the law requires only
that the debtor’s failure to comply arise from an intentional act rather
than from negligence or the inability to comply. Ante at 7 (willfulness
not established if the failure to comply with a court order "results
from inadvertence, mistake, or inability to comply"); see also 6 Col-
lier on Bankruptcy, ¶ 727.09 (Alan N. Resnick & Henry J. Sommer
IN RE: JORDAN 11
eds., 15th ed. rev. 2007) (contrasting "wilful, intentional disobedience
or dereliction" with a "failure to comply . . . due to inability to com-
ply, inadvertence or mistake").
Although the majority accurately sets forth the law, it then errone-
ously concludes that Jordan did not act willfully. Jordan does not dis-
pute that she had notice of the order, nor does she contend that she
was unable to comply with the order. And, as explained above, the
trustee was not required to show that Jordan acted with the specific
intent to violate the order or even that she knew her action was
wrongful at the time she refinanced her property. Instead, the trustee
was required to show simply that Jordan intentionally and willfully
refinanced her home and that the refinancing violated the terms of the
order. If Jordan was uncertain about whether refinancing would vio-
late the order, she had an obligation to resolve the uncertainty by con-
sulting with the trustee or, if necessary, by seeking court approval
before taking action. Because the record establishes that Jordan will-
fully violated the bankruptcy court’s order, I would affirm the revoca-
tion of her discharge.