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).
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Title: American General Finance of Utah v. Stauffer (In re Stauffer) | Date: Mar-19-2007 | Status: UNPUBLISHED (Judge Clark) | Case(s): 04-02573
Title: In re Birch | Date: Feb-23-2007 | Status: UNPUBLISHED (Judge Thurman) | Case(s): 06-23273
The Court determined that under Utah law, the Debtor who was the purchaser under a real estate purchase contract obtained equitable ownership of the real property under the doctrine of equitable conversion, while the seller retained bare legal title. The Court further determined that forfeiture provisions in real property contracts should be enforced so long as the seller strictly complies with its terms. Where a forfeiture provision is not automatic and gives the seller the right to declare a forfeiture, the buyer retains rights in the property until the seller specifically declares a forfeiture. In this case, the Court determined that the Debtor still held an interest in the property because, although the seller had declared a default, the seller failed to declare a pre-petition forfeiture of the buyer's (Debtor's) interest.Debtor executed a real estate purchase contract pre-petition to purchase real property in installment payments. The contract contained a forfeiture provision which could be exercised at the election of the seller upon the Debtor's breach. The Debtor breached the contract and the seller sent the Debtor a letter demanding cure. The seller did not declare a forfeiture of the Debtor's interest in the property pre-petition. The Debtor's chapter 13 plan proposed to fund the plan in principle part by selling the real property. The seller objected to confirmation, arguing that he owns the property because of the forfeiture provision and the notice he had sent. The Court overruled the objection and at a later date, confirmed the plan.
Title: In re Blakeley | Date: Feb-22-2007 | Status: PUBLISHED (Judge Clark) | Case(s): 06C-23646
Upon filing bankruptcy, the debtor, pro se, indicated an intention to reaffirm debt with Credit Union secured by debtor's vehicle. Within 30 days of the 341 meeting, Debtor entered into the reaffirmation agreement. Because debtor is pro se, § 524(c)(6)(A) requires that the Court find that the reaffirmation agreement not impose an undue hardship and is in the best interest of creditors. Debtor was under the impression that if the Court did not approve the reaffirmation agreement, Credit Union would be free to repossess the vehicle notwithstanding the fact that Debtor was current on all payments required under the contract and the vehicle was insured. The Court found that because debtor had timely complied with all requirement found under §521(a)(2), 521(a)(6), 362(h)(1) and 521(d), that it was not necessary for the Court to approve the reaffirmation agreement in order for the debtor to “ride through” the bankruptcy and retain possession of the vehicle. Because Debtor complied with the requirements found under § 521(d), the Bankruptcy Code's limitation on contract ipso facto clauses remain in effect and Credit Union is prevented from declaring the contract in default by virtue of the Debtor's insolvency or bankruptcy.
Title: In re Tonioli | Date: Feb-6-2007 | Status: PUBLISHED (Judge Thurman) | Case(s): 06-21049
The Court was called upon to determine whether chapter 13 debtors could modify their plan to abate delinquent payments where the effect of the modification would be unequal monthly payments made to a secured creditor. Section 1329(b)(1) provides that the Court may allow a proposed modification so long as the modified plan would comply with section 1325(a). Section 1325(a)(5) provides that if a debtor pays a secured creditor in periodic payments, those payments must be in equal monthly amounts. The Court held that the proposed modification did not comply with this provision, but was still permissible because the creditor's silence to the proposed modification constitutes implied consent.
Title: In re Lawson, In re Boynton | Date: Jan-25-2007 | Status: PUBLISHED (Judge Boulden) | Case(s): 06-22766, 06-22812
In each of two chapter 13 cases, the Debtors' income was above the median for Utah households of the Debtors' size, but the Debtors each had negative monthly disposable income as calculated on their Statements of Current Monthly Income and Calculation of Commitment Period and Disposable Income (Form B22C). The Debtors each proposed a plan providing for regular monthly payments to the trustee but a return of only $500 pro rata to general unsecured creditors. Although both plans would apparently run for more than 36 months, neither plan was expected to run for a full 60 months. The chapter 13 trustee objected to confirmation on two grounds: (1) that the plans for these above-median Debtors must continue for a full five years; and (2) that their plans must provide for the submission to the trustee of postpetition tax refunds received by the Debtors in addition to their monthly plan payments in accordance with pre-BAPCPA practice in the District of Utah. On the second point, the trustee argued in the alternative that if the turnover of postpetition tax refunds was no longer required, then the Debtors must only be allowed to deduct their actual anticipated future tax expense on line 30 of Form B22C rather than whatever amount they had withheld from their paychecks. The Debtors argued both that they do not have to contribute their tax refunds to the plan and that they are entitled to deduct the full amount withheld from their income as the tax expense on line 30 of Form B22C. The Court held that the “applicable commitment period” concept in § 1325(b)(4) is “fundamentally irrelevant” for above-median debtors with negative monthly disposable income. The Court also held that although the submission of postpetition tax refunds was no longer required under § 1325(b)(1)(B), above-median debtors are only permitted to deduct their actually incurred future tax expense on line 30 of Form B22C rather than the full amount of their withholdings.
Title: In re Giles | Date: Jan-19-2007 | Status: UNPUBLISHED (Judge Thurman) | Case(s): 06-23988
The debtors in this chapter 13 case obtained credit counseling 182 days before filing for bankruptcy relief. Section 109(h), by its terms, requires debtors to obtain credit counseling 180 days before filing. The Court held that it lacks discretion to waive a debtor's failure to obtain the required credit counseling required by section 109(h). To that end, the Court also held that it lacked discretion to find that the debtors had complied section 109(h) by satisfying the "spirit" of the bankruptcy provision. . The Court granted the Trustee's Motion to Dismiss, finding that it lacked jurisdiction over the case.
Title: In re Hanks | Date: Jan-9-2007 | Status: PUBLISHED (Judge Boulden) | Case(s): 06-22777
As calculated using historical income figures in their Statement of Current Monthly Income and Calculation of Commitment Period and Disposable Income (Form B22C), the chapter 13 Debtors' income was above the median for Utah households of the Debtors' size. But the Debtors' actual income had decreased prepetition and continued to be lower postpetition than the historical Form B22C numbers suggested. The Debtors proposed a chapter 13 plan that provided for monthly payments to the trustee based on their actual current disposable income rather than the larger payments required by strict adherence to Form B22C, and the chapter 13 trustee filed an objection to confirmation. The Debtors presented evidence and argued that the monthly disposable income amount generated by Form B22C's income and expense calculations is not dispositive of the return to general unsecured creditors if the Debtors could show a “substantial and material change” in their actual financial circumstances. The Court denied confirmation of the Debtors' plan without prejudice, holding that the calculations set forth in Form B22C are determinative with respect to the amount that above-median debtors must return to their general unsecured creditors unless “special circumstances” can be shown as set forth in § 707(b)(2)(B) of the Bankruptcy Code
Title: In re Hollingsworth | Date: Dec-21-2006 | Status: PUBLISHED (Judge Clark) | Case(s): 06-24498
Debtor brought a motion under § 362(c)(3)(B) to extend the automatic stay. The debtor had been a debtor in one previous bankruptcy proceeding within one year of the debtor's present case. The reason for the present bankruptcy proceeding, as stated in the debtor's motion to extend the automatic stay, was to protect the debtor's home from foreclosure. Pursuant to § 1306, the debtor's home is property of the estate. The Court adopts the reasoning set forth in In re Johnson, 335 B.R. 805 (Bankr. W.D. Tenn. 2006) which finds that the plain language of § 362(c)(3)(A) dictates that the 30-day time limit applies only to "debts" or "property of the debtor" and not to "property of the estate". Because the automatic stay continues to protect "property of the estate" after expiration of the 30-day time limit found in § 362(c)(3)(A), relief under § 362(c)(3)(B) is unnecessary. The Court found that debtor's motion did not contain a present controversy and the motion was denied.
Title: In re Potter | Date: Dec-12-2006 | Status: UNPUBLISHED (Judge Thurman) | Case(s): 06-23025
The Court was called upon to determine whether the Debtors' motor vehicle was subject to a purchase money security interest where they inherited the vehicle and assumed the decedent's debt on the vehicle. The court held that the debt created a security interest, but not a purchase money security interest. Because the security interest at issue was not purchase money, the Court held that the Debtors could cram down the creditor's claim under section 1325(a) even though the debt was incurred within 910 days of filing.
Title: In re Landers | Date: Sep-12-2006 | Status: UNPUBLISHED (Judge Boulden) | Case(s): 06-22265
As the Court has previously discussed in In re Fawson, 338 B.R. 505 (Bankr. D. Utah 2006) and In re Wilkinson, 346 B.R. 539 (Bankr. D. Utah 2006), § 521(a)(1)(B)(iv) and (i)(1) operate to automatically dismiss individual debtors' cases 46 days after the petition date if “copies of all payment advices or other evidence of payment received within 60 days before the date of the filing of the petition, by the debtor from any employer of the debtor” are not filed by the 45th day. In this case, it appeared that the Chapter 13 Debtor failed to timely file one payment advice for the pay period ending April 30, 2006 and that the case had potentially been dismissed effective August 9, 2006. At the confirmation hearing, the Debtor testified only that he could not recall whether he received a payment advice for the April 30th pay period although he had no breaks in employment and always received such payment advices from his employer for his bi-weekly paychecks. The Debtor then argued that his belief as to whether all required payment advices were filed was controlling under § 521(a)(1)(B)(iv). The Court ruled that the weight of the evidence contradicted any alleged belief by the Debtor that he had timely filed all required payment advices. The Court also ruled that there is no statutory basis for concluding that a debtor's subjective belief is controlling rather than the objective facts of whether qualifying payment advices were received and filed.