Callaway v. Cimarron Homeowners Ass'n (In re Roszkowski)

494 B.R. 671
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. North Carolina
DecidedJuly 9, 2013
DocketCASE NO. 12-06256-8-JRL; ADVERSARY PROCEEDING NO. 13-00010-8-JRL
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 494 B.R. 671 (Callaway v. Cimarron Homeowners Ass'n (In re Roszkowski)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Callaway v. Cimarron Homeowners Ass'n (In re Roszkowski), 494 B.R. 671 (N.C. 2013).

Opinion

CHAPTER 7

ORDER

J. Rich Leonard, United States Bankruptcy Judge

This matter came before the court on Cimarron Homeowners Association, Inc.’s (“defendant”) motion to dismiss the complaint filed by Joseph N. Callaway (“chapter 7 trustee”) in the above-captioned adversary proceeding on the grounds that it fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). A hearing was held in Raleigh, North Carolina on June 10, 2013. At the conclusion of the hearing, the court took the matter under advisement.

BACKGROUND1

In August 2006, Christine Josephine Roszkowski (“debtor”) acquired a condominium located at 1446 Cimarron Park[674]*674way, Unit No. 62, Wake Forest, North Carolina, by general warranty deed recorded in Book 12124, Page 2580 of the Wake County Register of Deeds (“condominium”). The debtor acquired the condominium for approximately $86,000.00, which was located in Part C of Cimarron Forest Point Townhomes in Wake Forest, North Carolina subject to a Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions separately recorded in Book 3636 at Page 522 of the Wake County Register of Deeds (“declaration”) that included certain conditions regarding the payment of assessments, late fees and interest contained therein. The defendant, a homeowners association organized and existing under the laws of the State of North Carolina, was created pursuant to the declaration.

The debtor defaulted in her obligations under the declaration and, as of October 2011, the debtor owed the defendant approximately $3,465.96 in delinquent homeowners association assessments, late fees, interest and related charges. On October 11, 2011, the defendant filed a claim of lien against the condominium with the Wake County Superior Court, File No. 11-M-7104. Thereafter and by specific vote of its board of directors, the defendant commenced a foreclosure proceeding with the Clerk of Superior Court in Wake County. On November 14, 2011, the defendant initiated a foreclosure proceeding and sent a notice of foreclosure hearing to the debtor informing her of the hearing date on December 15, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. The notice also stated that the debtor could terminate the foreclosure proceedings and cancel the defendant’s claim of lien “by payment of the indebtedness in full, plus foreclosure expenses incurred to the date of payment at any time prior to confirmation of the sale.” Following a hearing, at which the debtor appeared, the assistant clerk entered an order (subsequently amended on January 24, 2012) authorizing the defendant to proceed with the foreclosure of the condominium to satisfy its claim of lien. On appeal pursuant to N.C. Gen.Stat. § 45-21.16(dl), the Wake County Superior Court affirmed and entered an order on April 9, 2012, authorizing the defendant to proceed with the foreclosure.

The foreclosure sale was conducted on May 24, 2012, and the defendant, who was the sole bidder at the sale, purchased the condominium with a bid of $9,500.00. At the time of the foreclosure sale, the condominium had a fair market value, less necessary repairs, expenses and costs of sale, of approximately $50,000.00. The trustee authorized to conduct the foreclosure sale was Nelson G. Harris (“defendant’s counsel”), who filed the claim of lien on behalf of the defendant and continually appeared on its behalf throughout the foreclosure proceedings in state court. Defendant’s counsel also appeared on the defendant’s behalf in connection with the debtor’s case and in this adversary proceeding. After the expiration of the upset bid period, defendant’s counsel, acting pursuant to his authority as trustee of the foreclosure sale, executed and recorded a trustee’s deed conveying the condominium to the defendant on June 5, 2012.

The debtor filed a voluntary petition for relief under chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code on August 31, 2012 and the chapter 7 trustee was duly appointed to administer the case. The debtor’s amended schedules,2 which were filed on November 7, 2012, list total assets of approximately $10,870.00, which is composed of household goods, appliances and furnishings (collec[675]*675tively “household goods”) valued at $3,500.00 and a 2006 Hyundai Tiburón (“vehicle”) valued at $7,370.00. The debt- or listed total liabilities of $4,069.89, which did include the $9,958.69 that was owed to the defendant and satisfied by the prepetition foreclosure sale of the condominium. Thus, at the time of the foreclosure sale and execution of the trustee’s deed, the debtor had total liabilities of approximately $14,028.58. In Schedule C, as amended, the debtor claimed the full $3,500.00 exemption allowed under N.C. GemStat. § lC-1601(a)(4) in the household goods and exempted the full value of the vehicle pursuant to N.C. GemStat. § 1C-1601(a)(3) and (a)(2).

The chapter 7 trustee filed a complaint initiating this adversary proceeding on January 8, 2013, asserting two separate claims for relief for the avoidance of the trustee’s deed conveying the condominium to the defendant as a preferential and fraudulent transfer pursuant to §§ 547 and 548, 550 and 551 of the Bankruptcy Code.3 On April 11, 2013, the defendant filed the motion to dismiss and supporting memorandum currently before the court asserting that both claims for relief must be dismissed for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. The chapter 7 trustee filed a response and memorandum in opposition to the defendant’s motion to dismiss on April 23, 2013. The defendant, on April 30, 2013, filed a reply to the chapter 7 trustee’s response.

DISCUSSION

A. Standard of Review

Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a), made applicable to bankruptcy proceedings by Fed. R. Bankr.P. 7008, requires every pleading contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief....” Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2); Fed. R. Bankr.P. 7008. To demonstrate entitlement to relief and survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must include “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 667-78, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (“The plausibility standard is not akin to a ‘probability requirement,’ but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully. Where a complaint pleads facts that are ‘merely consistent with’ a defendant’s liability, it ‘stops short of the line between possibility and plausibility of entitlement to relief.’ ” (internal citations, quotation marks and alterations omitted)).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
494 B.R. 671, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/callaway-v-cimarron-homeowners-assn-in-re-roszkowski-nceb-2013.