Delco Development Co. v. Kuempel Co. (In Re Kuempel Co.)

14 B.R. 324, 1981 Bankr. LEXIS 3402, 7 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 1206
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedJuly 10, 1981
DocketBankruptcy No. 1-80-00406, Adv. No. 1-81-0040
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 14 B.R. 324 (Delco Development Co. v. Kuempel Co. (In Re Kuempel Co.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Delco Development Co. v. Kuempel Co. (In Re Kuempel Co.), 14 B.R. 324, 1981 Bankr. LEXIS 3402, 7 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 1206 (Ohio 1981).

Opinion

BURTON PERLMAN, Bankruptcy Judge.

The Chapter 11 plan of reorganization of defendant-debtor in this case was confirmed by Order of this Court on January 22,1981. Plaintiff, a creditor of defendant, which had previously filed an Objection To Confirmation of the plan, orally withdrew the objection at the hearing on confirmation held on January 9, 1981. Plaintiff’s withdrawal of the objection was on the condition that it be without prejudice to its right to raise the question of the dischargeability of its debt. The above-captioned adversary proceeding was then commenced by the filing of a Complaint To Determine Dis-chargeability Of Debt.

*325 The Complaint alleges that Defendant submitted to Plaintiff an affidavit pursuant to an agreement between Plaintiff and Defendant under which Defendant was to perform plumbing work at a site owned by Plaintiff; that in reliance upon this affidavit Plaintiff disbursed $94,500.00 to Defendant; that the affidavit was fraudulent; and that the amount so disbursed is a nondis-chargeable debt under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2). Defendant responded to the Complaint by filing a Motion To Dismiss the Complaint pursuant to Bankruptcy Rule 712(b) for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. The parties have filed memoranda setting forth their respective positions on the motion.

The question for decision presented by the Motion to Dismiss is whether a corporate debtor undergoing a Chapter 11 reorganization may be discharged from a debt specified as nondischargeable under section 523(a) of the Code. We hold that a corporate debtor is discharged from such debts.

For the purpose of deciding this issue, the operative provisions of the Code are sections 1141(d)(2) and 523(a). Section 1141(d)(2) provides that:

“The confirmation of a plan does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt excepted from discharge under section 523 of this title.” (Emphasis added)

Section 523(a) provides in part that:

“A discharge under section 727, 1141, or 1328(b) of this title does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt — ”
******

(Emphasis added)

We think that the inclusion in these provisions of the adjective “individual” to modify “debtor” clearly evidences the intent of Congress to exclude corporate debtors from the operation of section 523. Therefore, we do not agree with the argument advanced by Plaintiff that by failing specifically to exclude corporate debtors from the language of sections 523(a) and 1141(d)(2), Congress intended that these provisions apply to corporate debtors.

Section 101(12) of the Code provides that “ ‘debtor’ means person or municipality concerning which a case under this title has been commenced.” According to section 101(30), “ ‘person’ includes individual, partnership, and corporation, but does not in-cludé governmental unit.” Because an individual is but one type of “person” under the Code, inclusion in sections 523(a) and 1141(d)(2) of the term “individual” to modify “debtor” could have no purpose other than to restrict the category of debtors to which the provisions in question apply. Therefore, to construe these sections of the Code as including persons, and thus debtors (apart from municipalities), that are not individuals would render meaningless employment by Congress of the term “individual.” Statutes should not be construed in a manner that would render any of their terms superfluous. U. S. v. Johnson, 462 F.2d 423 (3d Cir. 1972), cert. denied, 410 U.S. 937, 93 S.Ct. 1396, 35 L.Ed.2d 602 (1973).

The legislative history of section 1141(d)(2) lends further support to the conclusion that the types of debts enumerated in section 523(a) can be held nondischargeable only as to an individual Chapter 11 debtor. Analysis of the legislative history of section 1141(d)(2) should start with observance of the stark contrast between the House and Senate’s respective versions of section 1141(d)(2). The provision contained in the House bill is identical to that of the Code. As noted above, section 1141(d)(2) of the Code reads:

“The confirmation of a plan does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt excepted from discharge under section 523 of this title.”

Section 1141(d)(2) of the Senate bill as reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee, however, provided that:

“The confirmation of a plan does not discharge—
(A) an individual debtor from any debt excepted from discharge under section 523 of this title, or
(B) any other debtor from any debt excepted from discharge under subpar- *326 agraph (A) or (D) of section 523(a)(1) of this title.” (Emphasis added)

S. 2266,95th Cong., 2d Sess., § 1141(d)(2) (as reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee) (1978). As amended by the Senate Finance Committee and adopted by the Senate, section 1141(d)(2) stated that:

“The confirmation of a plan does not discharge—
(A) a debtor which is a corporation, or a successor to such a debtor under the plan, from—
(i) any tax incurred as an administrative expense described in section 503(b)(1)(B) or (C) of this title;
(ii) any debt from which an individual debtor would not be discharged under section 523(a)(1)(A) of this title; or
(iii) any debt from which an individual debtor would not be discharged under section 523(a)(1)(B) or (C) of this title, unless equity security holders of the debtor, as of the commencement of the case, do not retain or receive, by reason of their equity ownership, any debt or equity interest in the debtor or successor to the debtor under the plan; or
(B) a debtor other than a corporation from any debt excepted from discharge under section 523 of this title.” (Emphasis added)
* * # * * *
S. 2266, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. § 1141(d)(2) 1978.

It can be readily observed from the underlined portion of both versions of the Senate bill that a distinction was explicitly drawn by the Senate between those debts dis-chargeable by a corporate debtor and debts dischargeable by a non-corporate debtor.

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14 B.R. 324, 1981 Bankr. LEXIS 3402, 7 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 1206, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/delco-development-co-v-kuempel-co-in-re-kuempel-co-ohsb-1981.