Caldwell v. Loeb

742 F. Supp. 650, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1169, 1990 WL 114468
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedJanuary 10, 1990
DocketCiv. A. No. 1:88-cv-598-HTW
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 742 F. Supp. 650 (Caldwell v. Loeb) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Caldwell v. Loeb, 742 F. Supp. 650, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1169, 1990 WL 114468 (N.D. Ga. 1990).

Opinion

ORDER OF COURT

HORACE T. WARD, District Judge.

This interpleader matter is pending before the court on cross-motions for summary judgment. The court’s findings of fact [651]*651and conclusions of law follow pursuant to F.R.Civ.P. 56.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff, Melvin Caldwell, Jr., holds excess proceeds in the amount of $9,935.38 from the foreclosure sale of improved real property belonging to New Builders, Inc. The United States claims a lien on the proceeds by virtue of certain federal tax liens in the amount of $39,102.60, plus interest. Other claimants to the funds are DeKalb County, the trustee in bankruptcy for New Builders, Inc., and Johnnie R. Childs.

Several parties have filed motions for summary judgment requesting the court to enter summary judgment in its favor.1 Plaintiff seeks attorneys’ fees in the amount of $1,184.50 from the interplead funds for bringing the action.

The parties do not dispute the following facts:

1) On or about July 15,1978, William O. Miller and Leon Wallace Miller executed and delivered a certain Deed to Secure Debt to plaintiff, Melvin Caldwell, Jr. securing certain real property known as 4235 Eastside Drive, Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia.
2) The real property was conveyed by William O. Miller and Leon Wallace Miller to New Builders, Inc.
3) In addition to the Caldwell Deed to Secure Debt, the Property was subject to a second priority Deed to Secure Debt held by C & S Family Credit Services, Inc.
4) New Builders, Inc., became indebted to the United States of America for unpaid federal taxes, interest and penalties in the amount of at least $39,102.60.
5) On March 9, 1987, a Notice of Federal Tax Lien was filed on said property with respect to the aforementioned federal tax liabilities.
6) New Builders, Inc., filed a petition in bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code on June 2, 1987.
7) On July 21, 1987, the Bankruptcy Court entered an Order authorizing plaintiff to advertise and conduct a non-judicial sale of the real property if no sales contract was secured by November 1, 1987.
8) The plaintiff, Trustee could not sell the property by November 1, 1987.
9) C & S gave a timely and proper notice of the proposed sale to the IRS on November 3, 1987 as required by 26 U.S.C.A. § 7425.
10) The property was sold at public auction to Defendant Childs on December 1, 1987 subject to the senior Caldwell Security Interest.
11) Thereafter, Caldwell gave a timely and proper notice of the proposed sale of the property to the IRS on December 28, 1987 as required by 26 U.S.C.A. § 7425.
12) After advertisement, a foreclosure sale was conducted by plaintiff on the steps of the DeKalb County Courthouse on February 2, 1988.
13) The property was purchased by defendant Johnnie R. Childs for the sum of $48,000.00.
14) As a result of the sale, plaintiff holds excess proceeds in the amount of $9,935.28.
15) The United States did not opt to redeem the property as permitted by law.

Childs owned the subject property by virtue of having purchased the property at the first foreclosure sale. He also became the owner after the second foreclosure sale through his high bid to pay off the first mortgage held by plaintiff in this matter. He argues that he, as owner of the property at the time of the second foreclosure, has rights to the excess proceeds pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 44-14-190.

[652]*652Childs is correct insofar as O.C.G.A. § 44-14-190 grants surplus proceeds arising from the foreclosure sale of mortgaged property to the mortgagor or his agent. However, O.C.G.A. § 44-14-190 grants such rights only “after paying off the mortgage and other liens ...”

The United States contends that defendant Childs is not entitled to distribution of the interplead funds because he has neither shown an ownership interest in the funds nor that the funds were discharged from the lien.

When a taxpayer, who is liable to pay any tax, neglects or refuses to pay the tax after demand, the amount becomes a “lien in favor of the United States upon all property and rights to property, whether real or personal, belonging to such person.” 26 U.S.C.A. § 6321 (1989). Thus, the United States retained a lien upon any proceeds arising from the value of the property which would have rightly gone to New Builders, Inc.

State law controls in determining what interest the taxpayer has in the property. Federal law determines whether a lien attaches to the property and the priority of competing liens. Aquilino v. United States, 363 U.S. 509, 80 S.Ct. 1277, 4 L.Ed.2d 1365 (1960); United States v. Brosnan, 363 U.S. 237, 80 S.Ct. 1108, 4 L.Ed.2d 1192 (1960); Southern Bank of Lauderdale County v. I.R.S., 770 F.2d 1001 (11th Cir.1985).

In this case, the rights of the junior lienors to the property, including the tax liens claimed by the IRS, were extinguished due to the foreclosure of the Junior Security deed held by C & S. The Internal Revenue Code § 7425(b)(2) provides that a non-judicial foreclosure sale shall have the same effect with respect to the discharge of a tax lien as provided under local law. Under Georgia law, the foreclosure of the C & S junior security deed extinguished all junior encumbrances upon the property, including the IRS tax lien. See, O.C.G.A. § 44-14-530; Murray v. Chulak, 250 Ga. 765, 300 S.E.2d 493 (1983).

However, the extinguishment of the lien on the property did not extinguish the rights of the United States to the proceeds of the second foreclosure sale. As mentioned above, Georgia law gives rights to surplus proceeds only after the rights of mortgagee and lienors are satisfied. In addition, Title 26 § 7425(a) (1989) states in pertinent part:

If a judicial sale of property pursuant to a judgment in any civil action or suit to which the United States is not a party discharges a lien of the United States arising under the provisions of this title, the United States may claim, with the same priority as its lien had against the property sold, the proceeds (exclusive of costs) of such sale at any time before the distribution of such proceeds is ordered.

(emphasis added).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
742 F. Supp. 650, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1169, 1990 WL 114468, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/caldwell-v-loeb-gand-1990.