Clippard v. Russell (In Re Russell)

392 B.R. 315, 2008 Bankr. LEXIS 1629, 2008 WL 2697281
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Tennessee
DecidedJune 2, 2008
DocketBankruptcy No. 07-11374. Adversary No. 07-1098
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 392 B.R. 315 (Clippard v. Russell (In Re Russell)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Clippard v. Russell (In Re Russell), 392 B.R. 315, 2008 Bankr. LEXIS 1629, 2008 WL 2697281 (Tenn. 2008).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

R. THOMAS STINNETT, Bankruptcy Judge.

In this adversary proceeding the United States Trustee contends that the debtor should not receive a discharge of her debts. The U.S. Trustee’s objection to discharge relies on several of the grounds set out in § 727 of the bankruptcy code. 11 U.S.C. § 727(a). The complaint is based primarily on the debtor’s failure to provide information that the bankruptcy code and rules require her to provide so that the bankruptcy case can be administered. On January 16, 2008, the court held a pre-trial conference in this adversary proceeding. The debtor has now filed a motion for recusal based primarily on events during the pre-trial conference. The motion has not been referred to a different bankruptcy judge because the law does not require it. 28 U.S.C. § 455; United States v. Hatchett, 978 F.2d 1259, 1992 WL 296865 (6th Cir.1992) (Table).

The debtor’s arguments can be understood only in light of events before the pre-trial conference. The court will also recount some pleadings from after the pretrial conference because they reflect on the debtor’s previous arguments and attitude. The court can take judicial notice of pleadings and events in the bankruptcy case and adversary proceeding. Fed. R. Bankr.P. 9017; Fed.R.Evid. 201; see, e.g., Rickel & Assoc., Inc. v. Smith (In re Rickel & Assoc., Inc.), 272 B.R. 74 (Bankr.S.D.N.Y.2002); Northwestern Institute of Psychiatry, Inc. v. Travelers Indemn. Co. (In re Northwestern Institute of Psychiatry, Inc.), 268 B.R. 79 (Bankr.E.D.Pa.2001); In re Blum, 255 B.R. 9 (Bankr.S.D.Ohio 2000); Smith v. Weissfisch (In re Muzquiz), 122 B.R. 56 (Bankr.S.D.Tex.1990).

The Bankruptcy Case

April 11, 2007

The debtor began her pending bankruptcy case in this court by filing a chapter 13 petition. She filed the petition pro se— not represented by an attorney. The petition asked for the debtor’s street address, but she listed a post office box in Rossville, Georgia. The debtor’s petition revealed the filing of two prior bankruptcy cases, one in Tennessee in 2007 and the other in Maryland in 2000.

Along with the petition, the debtor filed a verification of creditor matrix with 16 addresses. Those included two addresses for the Georgia Department of Revenue and two addresses for the United States Department of Education.

The debtor did not file a number of documents required by the bankruptcy code and rules: (1) a proposed chapter 13 plan, (2) the statement of compliance with the credit counseling requirement, (3) the *322 statement of payment advices, (4) schedules A through J, (5) the summary of the schedules, (6) the statement of financial affairs, (7) the statistical summary of certain liabilities and related data, and (8) the statement of current monthly income and disposable income calculation. 11 U.S.C. § 521(a), (b); Fed. R. Bankr.P. 1007 [Interim] & 3015. The court entered an order requiring the debtor to file these documents by April 26, 2007.

April 12, 2007

The meeting of creditors was set for May 9, 2007. The order and notice also set July 9, 2007 as the last date for filing a complaint to determine the dischargeability of certain debts. 11 U.S.C. § 523(c) & § 1328(a); Fed. R. Bankr.P. 4007(c) [Interim]. As usual in a chapter 13 case, no deadline was set for filing a complaint to deny the debtor’s discharge. 11 U.S.C. 1328; Fed. R. Bankr.P. 4004 [Interim], The certificate of service indicates that notice of the meeting of creditors and the complaint deadline was sent to the 16 creditors listed in the creditor matrix and to the U.S. Trustee.

April 23, 2007

The debtor filed a motion to convert the case from chapter 13 to chapter 7. The motion was not accompanied by a certificate of service but did include a list of creditors. This list included two local attorneys who were not included in the original creditor matrix: Jay Ku and B. Stewart Jenkins, c/o Daniel Habenicht.

April 26, 2007

The deadline for the debtor to file the required schedules and other documents passed without the debtor having filed them.

April 27, 2007

The court entered an order converting the case to chapter 7. The certificate of service for the conversion order does not include the two local attorneys.

April 30, 2007

When the case was converted to chapter 7, Douglas R. Johnson became the chapter 7 trustee. A new order and notice set the meeting of creditors in the chapter 7 case on May 25, 2007. It also set July 24, 2007 as the last date for filing complaints to deny discharge or to determine the dis-chargeability of a particular debt. 11 U.S.C. § 523(c) & 727; Fed. R. Bankr.P. 4004 [Interim] & 4007 [Interim], This notice was sent to the two local attorneys who were listed with the debtor’s motion to convert. In particular, the notice was sent to Daniel Habenicht in the office of attorney B. Stewart Jenkins.

May 9, 2007

The court entered an order directing the debtor to file the documents required in a chapter 7 case: Schedules A through J, the summary of schedules, the statement of financial affairs, the statistical summary of certain liabilities and related data, the statement of compliance with the credit counseling requirement, and the statement of current monthly income and means test calculation. The debtor was required to file the documents by May 23, 2007, two days before the meeting of creditors.

May 17, 2007

The court entered an order for the debt- or to show cause why her bankruptcy case should not be dismissed for failure to pay the fee for converting to chapter 7. The order set the hearing on June 14, 2007. May 23, 2007

The deadline for the debtor to file the required documents passed without filing by the debtor.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
392 B.R. 315, 2008 Bankr. LEXIS 1629, 2008 WL 2697281, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clippard-v-russell-in-re-russell-tneb-2008.