Evalyn PREBLICH, Appellant, v. Kenneth BATTLEY, Appellee

181 F.3d 1048, 99 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4698, 99 Daily Journal DAR 6029, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 13188, 3 Cal. Bankr. Ct. Rep. 59
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedJune 15, 1999
Docket95-35630
StatusPublished
Cited by86 cases

This text of 181 F.3d 1048 (Evalyn PREBLICH, Appellant, v. Kenneth BATTLEY, Appellee) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Evalyn PREBLICH, Appellant, v. Kenneth BATTLEY, Appellee, 181 F.3d 1048, 99 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4698, 99 Daily Journal DAR 6029, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 13188, 3 Cal. Bankr. Ct. Rep. 59 (9th Cir. 1999).

Opinion

ORDER

T.G. NELSON, Circuit Judge.

The Memorandum disposition filed July 7, 1997 [117 F.3d 1426, 1997 WL 377152], is withdrawn.

The appellee’s petition for rehearing is DENIED.

OPINION

Evalyn Preblich, a debtor in bankruptcy, appeals the district court’s affirmance of the bankruptcy court’s denial of Preblich’s motions to reopen the hearing on the trustee’s objections to creditors’ claims and for return of proceeds from certain escrow accounts. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. We affirm.

I.

Until the late 1980’s, Evalyn Preblich was engaged in buying, selling and financing real estate. She filed for bankruptcy in October 1987 during a real estate crash that hit Anchorage in the mid-1980’s. Preblich originally filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11, but her case was converted to Chapter 7 on November 8, 1988. The appellee, Kenneth W. Battley, was appointed trustee of the bankrupt estate on November 9,' 1988. Preblich was granted a discharge on May 20,1991.

In January 1993, Preblich moved the bankruptcy court for a return of payments that had been received by the trustee on certain escrow accounts. 2 Preblich claimed that these proceeds were exempt under the state exemption statute, Alaska Stat. § 09.38.030(b). On February 10, 1993, the trustee filed an objection to Preblich’s claim of exemption in the escrow proceeds. On February 24, 1993, the bankruptcy court denied Preblich’s motion, finding that “to the extent Ms. Preblich was entitled to any exemption under this state exemption statute, she has already received the proceeds.”

On June 22, 1994, the trustee filed a notice of motion objecting to claims that certain creditors had made against the *1051 bankrupt estate. The bankruptcy court held a hearing on the trustee’s objections on August 1, 1994, and on August 2, 1994, sustained the trustee’s objections.

On July 29, 1994, Preblich again moved the bankruptcy court for return of the escrow proceeds. On August 30, 1994, Preblich also moved the bankruptcy court to vacate its order sustaining the trustee’s objections to the creditors’ claims. Preb-lich alleged that she had not been notified of the trustee’s objections or the hearing on the objections and that her due process rights had therefore been violated.

The bankruptcy court denied both of Preblieh’s pending motions on September 6, 1994. The district court affirmed the bankruptcy court’s denial of Preblieh’s motions on April 18, 1995. Preblich timely appeals.

II.

We review the district court’s decision on appeal from a bankruptcy court de novo. In re Siragusa, 27 F.3d 406, 407 (9th Cir.1994). “We independently review the bankruptcy court’s decision and do not give deference to the district court’s determinations.” In re Weisman, 5 F.3d 417, 419 (9th Cir.1993). “We apply a clearly erroneous standard to the bankruptcy court’s findings of fact and review its conclusions of law de novo.” Id.

III.

Preblich contends that she was deprived of a property interest without due process of law, and that the local bankruptcy rules were violated, because she did not receive notice of the trustee’s objections to the creditors’ claims or of the hearing on the trustee’s objections. Preblich seeks to have the bankruptcy court’s order sustaining the trustee’s objections vacated and another hearing held so that she may participate in the hearing.

It is clear that under the Bankruptcy Code, the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and the local bankruptcy rules, the trustee was required to give Preblich notice of his objections to the creditors’ claims and of the hearing on those objections. See 11 U.S.C. § 502(b); Fed. R. Bankr.P. 3007; U.S. Bankr.Ct. for Dist. of Alaska Local Rule 70. See also In re New Concept Housing, Inc., 951 F.2d 932, 937 (8th Cir.1991) (finding that Fed. R. Bankr.P. 3007 requires a trustee to notify a debtor of disputed claims and of the hearing on the claims). It is also clear that the trustee failed to give Preblich the required notice and that he therefore violated the bankruptcy rules’ notice requirements.

“We do not condone violations of the Bankruptcy Rules’ notice requirements.” In re New Concept Housing, 951 F.2d at 937. Every effort should be made to comply with these notice requirements, and the failure to give the proper notice may, in some situations, require a second hearing or other appropriate remedy. We hold, however, that in the present case, the failure to give Preblich the required notice was harmless and does not require us to vacate the bankruptcy court’s order sustaining the trustee’s objections. See id. at 937-38.

First, the trustee’s failure to give Preblich notice of the objections and the hearing on those objections did not violate Preblieh’s due process rights. The Due Process Clause guarantees only that an individual will not “be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” U.S. Const, amend. V. Thus, to show a violation of the Due Process Clause, an individual must first show that he or she was “deprived of life, liberty, or property.” Preblich cannot meet this requirement.

Preblich claims that she was deprived of a property interest because the stay on a piece of property was lifted at the hearing. She fails, however, to provide any evidence to support this claim. Although the bankruptcy court docket sheet states that the Municipality of Anchorage and the trustee *1052 stipulated that certain property was subject to relief from the stay, Preblich does not dispute the trustee’s assertion that the stay has not been lifted on this property. Until, and unless, an attempt is made to actually lift the stay that was apparently discussed at the hearing, Preblich has not been deprived of a property interest and the lack of notice was therefore harmless. 3 See Logan v. Zimmerman Brush Co., 455 U.S. 422, 428, 102 S.Ct. 1148, 71 L.Ed.2d 265 (1982) (“We must [first] determine whether [plaintiff] was deprived of a protected interest.”); In re New Concept, 951 F.2d at 937 n. 7 (holding that no due process violation occurred because the debtor had not been deprived of a protected property interest).

Second, Local Bankruptcy Rule 70 does not provide the relief Preblich seeks.

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181 F.3d 1048, 99 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4698, 99 Daily Journal DAR 6029, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 13188, 3 Cal. Bankr. Ct. Rep. 59, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/evalyn-preblich-appellant-v-kenneth-battley-appellee-ca9-1999.