Hutchens et al.

Hutchens et al., a group of individuals who allegedly orchestrated a fraudulent loan scheme, was placed in interim receivership on February 28 on application by Gary Stevens, Linda Stevens and 1174365 Alberta ("117 Alberta") (collectively, the "Applicants"). Gary and Linda, residents of Alberta, are the sole shareholders of 117 Alberta. The Applicants sought a receivership order to protect their ability to enforce two final judgments against Tanya Hutchens and Sandy Hutchens from a US federal court in Pennsylvania. The Applicants were defrauded by the Respondents in a fraudulent scheme disguised as a financing enterprise for real estate transactions. In October 2014, the Applicants sought refinancing for mortgage loans on property they were developing in Saskatchewan. They were referred to Westmoreland Equity Fund, which required the Applicants to pay large advance fees for the financing they sought. Over the following months, Westmoreland reneged on its promises to provide financing, changing the amount it said it would loan from $13.9MM (CAD) to $7.5MM (CAD), on conditions Westmoreland knew the Applicants could not meet. The Applicants realized that Westmoreland was the front for a fraudulent scheme orchestrated by the Hutchenses. Westmoreland would first issue loan commitments that it could neither fund nor intended to. Then, it would create a pretext to find fault with the borrowers' loan applications, which it used to justify imposing further monetary conditions. Finally, Westmoreland would assert its victims had not satisfied these new conditions in order to terminate the loan application process, after which Westmoreland would keep all the monies advanced. The Applicants brought a claim against Westmoreland and the Hutchenses in the Pennsylvania State Court because the company was registered as operating in Pennsylvania. Farber was appointed interim receiver. Counsel is Necpal Litigation for the Applicants and Naymark Law for the interim receiver.