American General Finance of Utah v. Stauffer (In re Stauffer)
UNPUBLISHED
Creditor filed an adversary proceeding seeking exception to debtor's discharge under § 523(a)(6) - willful and malicious conduct. Although the complaint sounded in other grounds, no other subsections of § 523 were pled by creditor. The debtor filed a motion to dismiss the adversary proceeding and a motion an award of fees and costs under § 523(d). The Court granted debtor's motion to dismiss with prejudice, but denied debtor's motion for fees and costs. Noting that § 523(d) refers only to determinations of dischargeability brought under § 523(a)(2), and does not mention determinations of dischargeability brought under § 523(a)(6), the Court applied the maxim expression unius est exclusio alterius, a canon of statutory construction which holds that to include one thing in a statute implies the exclusion of the other. In so doing, the Court found that the award of fees and costs incurred by a debtor defending an adversary proceeding brought under § 523(a)(6) is beyond the scope of §523(d).