Gladwell v. Reinhart

2012 UT 82, 291 P.3d 228, 2012 WL 6013453
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 4, 2012
DocketNo. 20110257
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 2012 UT 82 (Gladwell v. Reinhart) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gladwell v. Reinhart, 2012 UT 82, 291 P.3d 228, 2012 WL 6013453 (Utah 2012).

Opinion

Justice PARRISH,

opinion of the Court:

INTRODUCTION

€ 1 This case presents a certified question of law from the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Dr. Douglas Reinhart claimed an exemption in bankruptcy for 75 percent of wages that he earned prior to filing his bank-ruptey petition but that were either paid to or still owing to Dr. Reinhart after the date of the petition. Dr. Reinhart based his claim on section 1678 of the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act (Section 1678), 15 U.S.C. 1673, and, alternatively, on Section 103 of the Utah Consumer Credit Code (Seetion 103), Utax § 70C0-7-108. The trustee of Dr. Reinhart's bankruptcy estate, David Gladwell (Trustee), opposed the claimed exemption. The bankruptey court permitted the exemption, the district court summarily affirmed, and the Trustee appealed to the Tenth Cireuit Court of Appeals. The Tenth Circuit held that Section 1678 did not permit Dr. Reinhart's claimed exemption. To resolve the state law question presented [230]*230under Section 108, the appeals court certified the following question to us: "Does [Section 103] create an exemption in bankruptey, or does it only limit a judgment creditor's garnishment remedy outside bankruptcy?"

2 We conclude that Section 108 does not create an exemption in bankruptey. Instead, Section 103 limits garnishment of a debtor's disposable earnings under the narrow circumstance when a creditor seeks to enforce payment of a judgment based on a consumer credit agreement. Accordingly, Dr. Reinhart may not rely on Section 103 to assert an exemption in bankruptcy.

BACKGROUND

13 We recite the facts as stated in the certification order filed by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. On December 830, 2004, the Trustee commenced an adversary proceeding against Dr. Reinhart and his professional corporation, Douglas J. Reinhart, M.D., P.C. The Trustee sought to recover at least $49,000 in salary, bonuses, and interest that Dr. Reinhart earned prior to filing his bankruptey petition, but which the corporation either paid to or still owed to Dr. Rein-hart after the petition date (collectively, Pre-Petition Wages). The parties resolved the adversary proceeding in arbitration, with the arbitrator awarding $10,815 for Dr. Rein-hart's 1999 unpaid wages. Gladwell v. Reinhart, No. 00-20995, slip op. at 2 (Bankr. D.Utah July 8, 2008).1

T4 During the adversary proceeding, Dr. Reinhart amended Schedules B and C of his petition to claim an exemption for 75 percent of the Pre-Petition Wages. He based his claim on Section 1673 of the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act (Consumer Protec tion Act), 15 U.S.C. 1678; Section 108 of the Utah Consumer Credit Code (Utah Credit Code); Utah Code section 70C-7-103; and In re Stewart, 32 BR. 132, 139 (Bankr.D.Utah 1983), which interpreted a predecessor to Section 103.

T5 The Trustee opposed the claimed exemption. He argued that Kokoszka v. Belford, 417 U.S. 642, 94 S.Ct. 2431, 41 L.Ed.2d 374 (1974), precluded Dr. Reinhart's claim for an exemption under Section 1673 of the Consumer Protection Act. The Trustee also argued that Section 108 does not create an exemption in bankruptcy for the following reasons: (1) Section 103 is similar to the Consumer Protection Act and Kokoszka resolved the issue; (2) Section 108, by its terms, does not apply in bankruptcy; (8) Section 1083's garnishment limitation serves a different purpose than a bankruptcy exemption; and (4) Im re Stewart was wrongly decided and, in any event, was later abrogated by subsequent amendments to the Utah Credit Code.

T6 The bankruptcy court overruled the Trustee's objection. It did not, however, articulate its reason for doing so. Instead, it merely stated that Dr. Reinhart could exempt 75 percent of the Pre-Petition Wages under either Section 1673 or Section 108, as interpreted by In re Stewart. The district court summarily affirmed the bankruptey court and the Trustee appealed to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

T7 The Tenth Circuit held that Kokoszka governed Dr. Reinhart's claimed exemption under Section 1673 and that "the Supreme Court has instructed that [Section 1678] does not provide for an exemption in bankruptcy. ..." Gladwell v. Reinhart, 416 Fed.Appx. 761, 763 (10th Cir.2011). The Tenth Circuit noted that Utah courts have yet to address whether Section 108 provides an alternative basis for an exemption in bankruptcy. Id. Accordingly, the Tenth Cireuit certified to us three questions of state law. Id. We have jurisdiction pursuant to section 78A-3-102(1) of the Utah Code.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

18 "On a certified question, we are not presented with a decision to affirm or reverse, and traditional standards of review do not apply." Whitney v. Div. of Juvenile Justice Servs., 2012 UT 12, ¶ 7, 274 P.3d 906 (internal quotation marks omitted).

[231]*231ANALYSIS

T 9 The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has certified to us three questions of state law. First, "Does Utah Code Ann. § 70C-7-103 ereate an exemption in bankruptey, or does it only limit a judgment creditor's garnishment remedy outside bankruptcy?" Second, "If § 700-7-108 does create an exemption in bankruptcy, do pre-petition wages such as those claimed by the debtor in this case qualify as 'disposable earnings' under the statute?" Third, "If § 70C-7-103 does create an exemption in bankruptcy, and the debtor's pre-petition wages qualify as 'disposable earnings' under the statute, do the debts in this case 'arisle] from a consumer credit agreement'?"

T 10 With respect to the first question, we hold that Section 103 does not provide an exemption in bankruptey. Rather, it limits only a creditor's ability to garnish a debtor's disposable earnings in cases involving an individual judgment based on a consumer ered-it agreement. Because we conclude that Section 108 does not create an exemption in bankruptcy, we do not address the second and third certified questions.

I. SECTION 103 DOES NOT CREATE AN EXEMPTION IN BANKRUPTCY

111 The Tenth Circuit's first certified question asks us to determine whether Seetion 108 of the Utah Credit Code provides an exemption in bankruptey. The federal bank-ruptey code provides a process for debtors to discharge debts and obtain a "fresh start." Gladwell v. Reinhart (Reinhart I), 2011 UT 77, ¶ 14, 267 P.3d 895 (internal quotation marks omitted). To initiate Chapter 7 bank-ruptey, the type of bankruptey at issue here, a debtor files a petition. 11 U.S.C. § 101(42). Doing so creates an estate, which is comprised of "all legal or equitable interests of the debtor in property" at the time of filing. 11 U.S.C. § 54l(a)(1). A trustee is appointed to manage the bankruptcy estate. 11 U.S.C. § 1104(a). The debtor must deliver all property of the bankruptey estate to the trustee. 11 U.S.C.

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Bluebook (online)
2012 UT 82, 291 P.3d 228, 2012 WL 6013453, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gladwell-v-reinhart-utah-2012.