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Try CasePortal for FreeJ. Higginson finds the district court properly affirmed the bankruptcy court’s granting of summary judgment to the prevailing party granted a multi-million-dollar arbitration award against his former lawyer and son-in-law. The lawyer filed for bankruptcy, seeking to dismiss the award. The father-in-law objected under code governing “exceptions to discharge” with the bankruptcy court granting him summary judgment based on the award’s being entitled to preclusive effect based on collateral estoppel. A disclaimer, as argued by the lawyer, specifies the award as “reasoned” and not “formal findings of fact and law.” But the disclaimer is not dispositive and the arbitrator’s substantial document of award, emerging from an 11-day hearing involving more than 300 exhibits and testimony from 16 witnesses, satisfies the requirements for collateral estoppel. Affirmed.