Crumley v. Hope College (In Re Crumley)

21 B.R. 170, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 3915
United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Tennessee·Decided June 16, 1982·No. Bankruptcy No. 3-81-01860, Adv. No. 3-82-0053·Published·Cited by 13 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

CLIVE W. BARE, Bankruptcy Judge.

I

This proceeding involves the discharge-ability of an indebtedness created when the plaintiff received educational loans while enrolled as a student at Hope College. This court has previously determined that the plaintiff is not entitled to a hardship discharge of the indebtedness pursuant to § 523(a)(8)(B) of the Bankruptcy Code. Consequently, this opinion is limited to the question of whether the indebtedness is dis-chargeable on the premise that more than five years, exclusive of any applicable suspension of the repayment period, elapsed between the date such loan first became due and the date of the filing of the bankruptcy petition. 11 U.S.C.A. § 523(a)(8)(A).

The parties have stipulated the following facts:

(1) The plaintiff-debtor and her husband filed a joint, voluntary petition in bankruptcy on December 11, 1981. 11 U.S.C.A. § 302.
(2) Their bankruptcy schedule reflects an unsecured debt to the defendant, Hope College. This indebtedness is for student loans obtained by the plaintiff while she was a student at Hope College, and plaintiff is solely responsible for the payment thereof.
(3) A portion of the total indebtedness represents a National Defense Student Loan, and the remainder represents a National Direct Student Loan.
(4) Three separate promissory notes were executed by the plaintiff. Each of these notes provided that repayment would commence nine months after the plaintiff ceased to carry at least one-half of a full-time academic workload.
(5) Plaintiff finished her studies at Hope College in December of 1974.
(6) On November 12, 1976, plaintiff requested and received a deferment of *171 repayment since she was pursuing at least a half-time course of study at an institution of higher education. The plaintiff requested a deferment for the period between September of 1976 and July of 1977, but the defendant actually deferred repayment on its books for the entire year of 1976 and the first seven months of 1977.
(7) The total amount of the indebtedness at this time is $3,135.49.
(8) Two exhibits to the Stipulation of Facts, one reflecting advancements and other information and the second a “Repayment Schedule,” are part of the regularly kept business records of the defendant regarding the plaintiff’s student loans.

The parties disagree as to the date on which the loan first became due and on the length of the period during which repayment was deferred. The plaintiff insists that the loans first became due in September of 1975. The basis for this contention is the cessation of her student status in December of 1974 and the fact that the notes held by the defendant provide that repayment will be made over a period of 10 years and 9 months commencing 9 months after date on which the maker ceases to carry at least one-half of a full-time academic workload. The defendant apparently agrees that the repayment period began in September of 1975 but asserts that the first payment was not “due” until January 1, 1976. Defendant’s assertion is based on the repayment schedule prepared by the defendant on a date undisclosed by the record in this case.

The date on which a note first becomes due is clearly a factual question which should be resolved by reference to the note in question. In re Brown, 4 B.R. 745 (Bkrtcy.E.D.Va.1980). The notes in this case contain the following term:

Repayment of principal, together with interest thereon, ... shall be made in equal ... quarterly, bimonthly or monthly installments in accordance with the schedule which is attached to and made part of this note.

The repayment schedule apparently was not prepared concurrently with the notes. Additionally, there is nothing in the record which reflects that the repayment schedule was ever attached to any of the notes in question. However, the factual dispute related to the date on which payment first became due is inconsequential in resolving the controversy concerning the discharge-ability of the plaintiff’s indebtedness, for the reasons noted hereafter.

II

11 U.S.C.A. § 523(a) provides in apposite part:

A discharge under section 727 ... of this title does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt—
(8) for an educational loan made, insured, or guaranteed by a governmental unit, or made under any program funded in whole or in part by a governmental unit or a nonprofit institution of higher education, unless—
(A) such loan first became due before five years (exclusive of any applicable suspension of the repayment period) before the date of the filing of the petition; ....

The issue in this case is simply whether the prescribed statutory period elapsed between the date the “loan first became due” and the date on which the bankruptcy petition was filed. If more than five years elapsed between the date on which the loan first became due and the date of the filing of the bankruptcy petition, exclusive of any applicable suspension of the repayment period, the indebtedness is discharged.

Assuming arguendo that the loan first became due on January 1, 1976, (which is the date on which the first installment was due according to the defendant) the indebtedness would be dischargeable if the debt- or’s petition was filed subsequent to January 1, 1981, provided there was no suspension of the repayment period. However, there was a period during which repayment was deferred at the request of the plaintiff-debtor.

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Crumley v. Hope College (In Re Crumley), 21 B.R. 170, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 3915 (Tenn. 1982).

21 B.R. 170 (Crumley v. Hope College (In Re Crumley)) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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