Curtis Cole

CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedJuly 20, 2020
Docket18-35182
StatusUnknown

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Bluebook
Curtis Cole, (Tex. 2020).

Opinion

= □□ □□□ □□□□□□ □□ □□ □□ IN THE UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT □□□□ AS, FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS HOUSTON DIVISION ENTERED 07/20/2020 IN RE: § CURTIS COLE § CASE NO: 18-35182 Debtor(s) § § CHAPTER 13 MEMORANDUM OPINION Baker &Associates seeks Court approval of $40,670.84 in attorney’s fees and expenses stemming from Curtis Cole’s chapter 13 bankruptcy case. Mr. Cole’s chapter 13 case was a year- long case that ended in dismissal in light of Mr. Cole’s failure to make payments, and failure to confirm a plan. For the reasons set forth below, the Court awards Baker & Associates fees and expenses of $32,608.84. Background! On September 15, 2018, Curtis Cole filed a chapter 13 bankruptcy petition along with a proposed plan with the assistance of the Baker & Associates law firm. (See ECF Nos. 1-2). On September 18, 2018, Baker & Associates filed a statement pursuant to 11 U.S.C.§ 329(a) and Bankruptcy Rule 2016(b), which embodied Mr. Cole’s agreement to compensate Baker & Associates for its work on his case. (See ECF No. 8). The statement disclosed that Baker & Associates had received $800.00 prior to the filing of the agreement with the Court. (ECF No. 8 at 2). At the time of his bankruptcy filing, Mr. Cole had been employed with Umana Trucking, LLC as a truck driver for approximately eight months. (See ECF No. | at 35-37 (listing a monthly

' A substantial portion of this background section was written in reliance on the parties’ briefing. It is included solely for background. The statements in this background section do not constitute findings by the Court.

1/31

income of $6,904.40 from his employment with the company)). For the work Mr. Cole did with Umana Trucking prior to filing bankruptcy, he used a commercial truck. On October 4, 2018, Mr. Cole initiated an adversary proceeding against OTR Leasing, LLC, asserting claims for violation of the stay, contempt, and conversion based on OTR’s alleged repossession of Mr. Cole’s

commercial truck. (Case No. 18-03284; see ECF No. 1). In Mr. Cole’s Complaint, Baker & Associates lists several notices and inquiries to OTR for the return of the truck. (ECF No. 130-3 at 1 (“After the case was filed, counsel contacted the creditor for the truck to have the truck returned. The creditor refused to return the truck.”)). The dispute revolved around whether the commercial truck had been leased or purchased by Mr. Cole—with OTR arguing that the truck had been leased and Mr. Cole opposing OTR’s assertion, claiming the truck had been purchased. (Case No. 18-03284; ECF Nos. 1; 4; 7). The initial hearing was scheduled for October 10, 2018 but was reset to October 16, 2018 in light of Mr. Cole’s inability to appear at the initial hearing. On October 16, 2018, the Court2 denied Mr. Cole’s emergency motion for return of the truck. (Case No. 18-03248; see ECF No. 1). Subsequently, on December 7, 2018, Mr. Cole and OTR

entered into a joint stipulation to dismiss Mr. Cole’s complaint against OTR, which had the effect of closing the adversary proceeding. (Case No. 18-03248; see ECF No. 18); (see also ECF No. 130-3 at 1 (“After further review, the Debtor elected not to pursue the return of the truck.”)). On October 1, 2018—a few days before Mr. Cole initiated the adversary proceeding against OTR Leasing—Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. filed an objection to confirmation in the main case. (See ECF No. 12). Select Portfolio Servicing based its objection on its alleged perfected security interest in certain real property, arguing that Mr. Cole’s proposed plan was deficient because it failed to provide Select Portfolio Servicing with a payment covering the full of amount of its

2 At the time of Mr. Cole’s emergency motion, the adversary proceeding was pending before Bankruptcy Judge Jeffrey Norman. secured interest, which at the time reflected a $92,703.89 pre-petition arrearage. (ECF No. 12 at 1–2). Mr. Cole’s proposed plan only purported to pay Select Portfolio approximately $90,000.00 of its secured claim. (ECF No. 12 at 2). In its Fee Application, Baker & Associates describes its work on Select Portfolio’s objection as follows:

The arrearage amount was low by approximately $2,000.00. The Debtor had a very high arrearage amount on his home loan. The high amount resulted in additional time for counsel to review and address alternatives to address the high amount.

(ECF No. 130-3 at 1). On October 24, 2018, Harris County, et al. also filed an objection to confirmation. (See ECF No. 26). Similarly, Harris County claimed that Mr. Cole’s proposed plan failed to comply with 11 U.S.C. § 1329(a) by failing to provide for its fully secured ad valorem tax claim of $10,327.19. (ECF Nos. 26 at 1–2; 130-3 at 1 (“The past due amount on ad valorem taxes was not correct.”)). On October 31, 2018, Mr. Cole filed an amended plan and schedules. (See ECF No. 27). On November 6, 2018, both Mr. Cole and Baker & Associates3 attended the Meeting of Creditors, which concluded the same day. (ECF No. 130-3 at 1). The Trustee did not recommend confirmation at the time of the meeting. Subsequently, on November 20, 2019, the Chapter 13 Trustee filed a motion to dismiss the case. (See ECF No. 30). The Trustee’s motion for dismissal was predicated on his claim that Mr. Cole had failed to amend Schedules B, I, and J for the purpose of disclosing personal injury claims and business income and expenses. (ECF No. 30 at 1). The Trustee further claimed that Mr. Cole failed to provide a tax appraisal for real property. (ECF No. 30 at 1). Baker & Associates asserts that it “worked with the debtor to obtain and provide the trustee the requested documents.” (ECF No. 130-3 at 1).

3 There were approximately eleven different persons, both attorneys and paralegals, who worked on Mr. Cole’s case, as reflected in the Fee Application. (See ECF No. 130). On November 27, 2018, Mr. Cole filed a motion for approval of appointment of counsel in a personal injury suit stemming from a pre-petition accident that occurred on February 16, 2015. (See ECF No. 31). In its Fee Application, Baker & Associates claims it provided services in conjunction with Mr. Cole’s personal injury cause of action despite its separate nature from Mr.

Cole’s bankruptcy case: The Debtor had a personal injury claim and lawsuit. While counsel did not represent the debtor in the personal injury lawsuit, counsel had to address issues on exemption amounts, funds, and related matters on the personal injury lawsuit with the debtor and the attorney representing the debtor.

(ECF No. 130-3 at 1–2). The appointment of counsel for this separate cause of action was later approved by this Court. (See ECF No. 52). On November 30, 2018, Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. withdrew its objection to confirmation based on Mr. Cole’s Amended Plan. (See ECF No. 33). On December 10, 2018, however, the Trustee filed an amended objection to confirmation, arguing that the Amended Plan was deficient and therefore should not be confirmed in light of the fact that: (i) the Amended Plan failed “the liquidation best interest test” under 11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(4); (ii) Mr. Cole had “non-exempt equity totaling approximately $59,994.36”; (iii) the “equity in the non-exempt real property and personal property [was] greater than the amount provided to general unsecured creditors”; and (iv) the Amended Plan, therefore did not provide a 100% payout to “all allowed unsecured claims.” (ECF Nos. 36 at 1; see 130-1 at 1 (noting through its Fee Application that the “trustee did not believe that sufficient amounts were being paid to unsecured creditors”)).

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