By: Megan Kuzniewski
St. John’s Law Student
American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review Staff
11 U.S.C. Section 523 lists certain debts that may not be discharged by a debtor’s bankruptcy.[1] In particular, 11 U.S.C. Section 523(a)(2)(A) (“Section 523(a)(2)(A)”) provides that a debtor who files a bankruptcy will not be discharged of debts that were obtained by “false pretenses, a false representation, or actual fraud, other than a statement respecting the debtor’s or an insider’s financial condition.”[2] False representations, such as those described in Section 523(a)(2)(A), carry a scienter requirement which requires that it be shown that an individual knowingly made false statements or representations.[3] In In re Bocchino , the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit found that gross recklessness satisfies the scienter requirement of Section 523(a)(2)(A).[4] In S.E.C. v. Bocchino , the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) filed a lawsuit against Bocchino, a stockbroker, in the District Court of the Southern District of New York.[5] The district court found Bocchino civilly liable for “inducing investors via high pressure sales tactics and material misrepresentations” and entered a judgment against him totaling $178,967.55, including disgorgement of fees, interest, and civil penalties.[6] Thereafter, Bocchino filed for chapter 13 bankruptcy protection.[7] The SEC petitioned the bankruptcy court for a judgment declaring the judgments against Bocchino nondischargeable under Section 523(a)(2)(A).[8] The SEC argued that Bocchino had obtained the funds “by… false pretenses, a false representation, or actual fraud.”[9] Bocchino had sought investors for two ventures that turned out to be fraudulent.[10] He began seeking out investments without doing any independent research into the ventures, despite there being cause for suspicion.[11] The bankruptcy court found that, although “Bocchino did not knowingly make any false statements,” the scienter requirement of Section 523(a)(2)(A) “may be satisfied by grossly reckless behavior.”[12] The bankruptcy court discharged the civil penalty portion of the judgment but concluded that the remaining portions of the judgment were nondischargeable under Section 523(a)(2)(A).[13] Bocchino appealed this finding.[13] On appeal, the district court affirmed the bankruptcy court’s decision,[15] and thereafter, the Third Circuit also affirmed the lower court.[16]