Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley, Inc. v. Musser (In re Musser)

21 B.R. 446, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 4707
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedMarch 1, 1982
DocketBankruptcy No. 7-81-01090; Adv. Nos. 7-81-0422, 7-81-0446
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 21 B.R. 446 (Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley, Inc. v. Musser (In re Musser)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley, Inc. v. Musser (In re Musser), 21 B.R. 446, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 4707 (E.D. Va. 1982).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

H. CLYDE PEARSON, Bankruptcy Judge.

The question presented is whether a debt owed by the joint debtors in this case to the Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley, Inc. (Hospital) may be discharged. In trial of these proceedings, the parties raised the issues of whether a claim for personal injury may be assigned by the injured party, and whether the proceeds of that claim may be claimed as exempt property under § 522(b)(2)(A) of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 (the Code), 11 U.S.C. § 522(b)(2)(A).

These proceedings were brought on by the Hospital on its complaint to determine dischargeability. The debtors, Mr. and Ms. Musser, were involved in a serious automobile accident on December 21, 1980. They were both admitted to the Hospital for treatment following the accident. Mr. Musser was discharged from the Hospital on January 10, 1981, and Ms. Musser on February 21, 1981. The Mussers owed the hospital in excess of $16,000.00 for this admission. Ms. Musser was subsequently readmitted for further treatment and stayed in the Hospital from May 4, to May 23, 1981. The charges for Ms. Musser’s second admission exceeded $5,000.00.

Some time after their initial admission, the Hospital brought Ms. Musser two “Assignment of Insurance Benefits and Release of Information” forms dated December 21, 1981. Ms. Musser signed one form for herself and one on behalf of her husband. Each assignment form contained a provision waiving “homestead and all other exemptions.” The Hospital employee who obtained the signatures testified that she had checked with the nurse’s station to assure that Ms. Musser was capable of transacting business before she proceeded to explain the assignment and get Ms. Musser’s authorizing signature. At trial, Ms. Musser testified that she did not recall anything that happened during the week following the accident.

[448]*448In any event, the Hospital was aware that the Mussers’ accident had been the fault of a named third party, and that the Mussers were represented by legal counsel. The Hospital informed the tortfeasor’s insurance company that it had an assignment of benefits from the Mussers. The Hospital also entered negotiations with the Mussers’ attorney to settle the outstanding hospital bill.

At the time of Ms. Musser’s second admission, the status of the Mussers’ claim against the third party tortfeasor was uncertain. As both of the debtors were unable to work after the accident, Mr. Musser applied for financial assistance under the provisions of the Hill Burton Act to cover the cost of Ms. Musser’s second admission. See 42 U.S.C. §§ 291-291o. The Hill Burton application contained a pledge by the applicant, Mr. Musser, that he would seek assistance from other sources for payment of the hospital bill, and that he would “assign, or pay, to the hospital” any amounts received from such other source.

At some point during Ms. Musser’s second admission to the Hospital, in May, 1981, the Mussers reached a settlement with the third party tortfeasor. The Mussers accepted a check for approximately $22,000.00 representing full settlement of their claim less agreed attorneys’ fees. On advice of counsel, the Mussers did not pay the Hospital for its services.

On September 4,1981, the Mussers filed a joint petition for relief in this Court pursuant to Chapter 7 of the Code. The debtors each claimed $4,000.00 equity in their mobile home as a homestead exemption. In addition, the debtors claimed two automobiles and some personal property as exempt.1 The total value of both debtors’ homestead exemptions is $9,500.00.

On October 30,1981, the Hospital filed its complaint in this Court seeking to have the debtors’ debts to the Hospital declared non-dischargeable pursuant to § 523(a)(2) of the Code. The Hospital further prays that the debtors’ homestead exemptions be declared ineffectual as against the Hospital because of the waiver of exemptions found in the Hospital's assignment forms.

The trustee filed his complaint for recovery of property on November 11, 1981. The debtors’ petition showed $3,940.00 cash on hand at the time of filing. The trustee seeks turnover of those scheduled assets of the estate which have been withheld by the debtors.

It is established in Virginia that a personal injury claim is not assignable. City of Richmond v. Hanes, 203 Va. 102, 105, 122 S.E.2d 895 (1961); see In re Musgrove, 7 B.R. 892, 3 C.B.C.2d 556 (Bkrtcy.W.D.Va.1981). The Hospital obtained “assignments” from the Mussers under questionable circumstances, at best. Nonetheless, the alleged assignments were void ab initio because the subject of those alleged assignments is a non-assignable interest.

In Virginia, a debtor’s exemptions from a bankruptcy estate are determined in accordance with state law. Virginia is one of the states that has “opted out” of the “federal exemptions” established in § 522 of the Code. See Va.Code § 34-3.1 (Supp.1981). Accordingly, the debtors in this case are entitled to exempt property as enumerated in state or local law on the date of the filing of their petition. 11 U.S.C. § 522(b)(2)(A). Under Chapter 2 of Title 34 of the Virginia Code, the debtors are each entitled to homestead up to $5,000.00 in real or personal property, including money. Va.Code § 34—4 (Supp.1981). In addition, a debtor may exempt from his estate any interest in property held as tenants by the entireties or joint tenants, to the extent that interest is exempt from process under state law. 11 U.S.C. § 522(b)(2)(B).

Under the Virginia Code, any hospital providing treatment to a person whose injuries result from the negligence of another [449]*449has a lien on the claim of the injured person, for the reasonable cost of services rendered, not to exceed $500.00. Va.Code § 8.01-66.2 (Supp.1981). The hospital’s lien becomes effective when the hospital serves written notice upon the tortfeasor or the attorney for the injured party. Id. at § 8.01-66.5. The evidence showed that the Hospital provided the debtors’ attorney with proper notice of its lien for the first admission on December 23, 1980, and for the second admission on May 8, 1981. The Hospital’s claim for amounts due is, therefore, a secured claim to the extent of the statutory lien amount, or $500.00. The balance of the Hospital’s claim is unsecured.

To the extent a debtor’s claimed exemptions are properly allowed exemptions under § 522(b) of the Code, any waiver of those exemptions executed by a debtor in favor of a creditor holding an unsecured claim is unenforceable in a case under the Code. 11 U.S.C. § 522(e). Consequently, the Hospital’s claimed waiver of exemptions is unenforceable to the extent the Hospital’s claim is an unsecured claim.

Failing in a claim of waiver, the Hospital would have this Court find the unsecured portion of its claim declared nondischargeable pursuant to § 523(a)(2) of the Code.

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21 B.R. 446, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 4707, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/community-hospital-of-roanoke-valley-inc-v-musser-in-re-musser-vaed-1982.