Holsinger v. Hanrahan (In Re Miell)

439 B.R. 704, 64 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 1413, 2010 Bankr. LEXIS 4351, 2010 WL 4978748
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedDecember 9, 2010
DocketBAP 10-6060
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 439 B.R. 704 (Holsinger v. Hanrahan (In Re Miell)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Holsinger v. Hanrahan (In Re Miell), 439 B.R. 704, 64 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 1413, 2010 Bankr. LEXIS 4351, 2010 WL 4978748 (bap8 2010).

Opinion

NAIL, Bankruptcy Judge.

Gary L. Holsinger and Sherry Holsinger appeal the July 9, 2010 judgment of the bankruptcy court 1 dismissing their complaint against Renee K. Hanrahan and Heritage Bank. We affirm.

BACKGROUND

Robert Miell filed a petition for relief under chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code. The bankruptcy court converted the case to chapter 7, and the United States Trustee appointed Hanrahan to serve as the chapter 7 trustee.

*707 Hanrahan filed a motion to sell several parcels of real estate, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, claims, and other interests, to Heritage Bank. The Holsingers held junior liens against two of the parcels. Hanrahan gave written notice of her motion to all creditors and other parties in interest, including the Holsingers. Debtor filed the only objections to Hanrahan’s motion. The bankruptcy court overruled Debtor’s objections and entered an order authorizing Hanrahan’s proposed sale. No one appealed the bankruptcy court’s order, and the sale was consummated.

In their adversary complaint, as amended, the Holsingers challenged the sufficiency of Hanrahan’s notice of her proposed sale and sought a determination that their liens were unaffected by the sale or a declaration that their liens attached to the proceeds from the sale. Heritage Bank filed a motion to dismiss the Holsingers’ complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. The bankruptcy court granted Heritage Bank’s motion, and the Holsingers timely appealed.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

We review de novo a dismissal for failure to state a claim. McAdams v. McCord, 584 F.3d 1111, 1113 (8th Cir.2009) (citations therein). ‘We may affirm the bankruptcy court’s order on any basis supported by the record, even if that ground was not considered by the trial court.” Mid-City Bank v. Skyline Woods Homeowners Assoc. (In re Skyline Woods Country Club, LLC), 431 B.R. 830, 836 n. 16 (8th Cir. BAP 2010) (citation therein).

DISCUSSION

An adversary complaint must include “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the [plaintiff] is entitled to reliefi.]” Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2). 2

[A] complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face. A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged. The plausibility standard is not akin to a probability requirement, but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully. Where a complaint pleads facts that are merely consistent with a defendant’s liability, it stops short of the line between possibility and plausibility of entitlement to relief.

Ashcroft v. Iqbal, — U.S.-,-, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (internal citations and quotation marks omitted).

In reviewing de novo the dismissal of the Holsingers’ complaint for failure to state a claim, “we accept as true all of the factual allegations contained in the complaint, and review the complaint to determine whether its allegations show that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Schaaf v. Residential Funding Corp., 517 F.3d 544, 549 (8th Cir.2008) (citations therein). However, we need not accept as true any legal conclusions contained in the complaint. Ashcroft, 129 S.Ct. at 1949.

The Holsingers argue Heritage Bank was not a good faith purchaser and was thus not entitled to the protection afforded such a purchaser by 11 U.S.C. § 363(m). That section provides:

The reversal or modification on appeal of an authorization ... of a sale or lease of property does not affect the validity of a sale or lease under such authoriza *708 tion to an entity that purchased or leased such property in good faith, whether or not such entity knew of the pendency of the appeal, unless such authorization and such sale or lease were stayed pending appeal.

11 U.S.C. § 368(m) (emphasis added). As noted above, no one appealed the bankruptcy court’s order authorizing Hanra-han’s proposed sale. Because that order has not been reversed or modified on appeal, § 363(m) is inapposite and provides no basis for granting the Holsingers any relief.

The Holsingers’ complaint must instead be considered in the context of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b). 3

Once a sale of assets has been approved by a final order of the bankruptcy court, it is a judgment that is good as against the world, not merely as against parties to the proceeding. Under this standard, property rights acquired at a foreclosure sale cannot be challenged unless the procedural rules allow for a collateral attack. Thus, if the trustee discovers that the order permitting a foreclosure sale has been obtained wrongfully, Rule 60(b) governs his ability to obtain relief from the otherwise final judgment.

Lange v. Schropp (In re Brook Valley VII, Joint Venture), 496 F.3d 892, 899 (8th Cir.2007) (internal citations and quotation marks omitted).

Pursuant to Rule 60(b), a court may relieve a party from a final judgment, order, or proceeding for several reasons. Only one of those reasons — if the judgment from which relief is sought is void— is implicated by the Holsingers’ complaint.

Ordinarily, the finality of a Bankruptcy Court’s orders following the conclusion of direct review would stand in the way of challenging their enforceability. Rule 60(b), however, provides an exception to finality that allows a party to seek relief from a final judgment, and request reopening of his case, under a limited set of circumstances. Specifically, Rule 60(b)(4) ... authorizes the court to relieve a party from a final judgment if the judgment is void.
A void judgment is a legal nullity. Although the term void describes a result, rather than the conditions that render a judgment unenforceable, it suffices to say that a void judgment is one so affected by a fundamental infirmity that the infirmity may be raised even after the judgment becomes final. The list of such infirmities is exceedingly short; otherwise, Rule 60(b)(4)’s exception to finality would swallow the rule.

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439 B.R. 704, 64 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 1413, 2010 Bankr. LEXIS 4351, 2010 WL 4978748, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/holsinger-v-hanrahan-in-re-miell-bap8-2010.