In re Alonso

525 B.R. 195, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 137, 2015 WL 224937
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedJanuary 15, 2015
Docket09-06996
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 525 B.R. 195 (In re Alonso) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Alonso, 525 B.R. 195, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 137, 2015 WL 224937 (prb 2015).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

ENRIQUE S. LAMOUTTE, Bankruptcy Judge.

This case is before the court upon the Debtor’s Objection to Claim Number (8-1) [196]*196by Creditor Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and/or Request for entry of Order for the Trustee to Perform a Recovery of Disbursed Funds (Docket No. 38). The Debt- or argues that Banco Popular de Puerto Rico’s (hereinafter referred to as “BPPR”) amendment to proof of claim # 8 filed three (3) months before plan completion constitutes a collateral attack on the confirmed plan. If a creditor does not object to confirmation, 11 U.S.C. § 1327 binds the creditor to the terms set forth in the confirmed plan and precludes collateral attack of the confirmed plan. BPPR filed its Response to “Objection to Claim Number (8-1) by Creditor Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and/or Request for entry of Order for the Trustee to Perform a Recovery of Disbursed Funds ” (Docket No. 47) arguing that pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1322(b)(2) the Debtor cannot modify the rights of holders of secured claims secured by debt- or’s principal residence and thus, BPPR should be allowed to amend its claim. The Chapter 13 Trustee (“Trustee”) filed his Objection to Amended Claim 8 filed by Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and Position Regarding Debtor’s Objection to Claim 8 and Creditor’s Response to the Same (Docket No. 50) establishing the following: (i) BPPR’s amended proof of claim does not satisfy the tree-prong test established in In re Hemingway Transp., 954 F.2d 1 (1st Cir.1992) for the amendment of proof of claims which this court adopted in In re Jimenez Galindez, 514 B.R. 79 (Bankr.D.P.R.2014); (ii) in In re Jimenez Galindez this court determined that the terms of a plan are binding over the terms of a proof of claim, as long as the due process requirements of reasonable and actual notice were satisfied; and (iii) in In re Ruiz Martinez, 513 B.R. 779, this court determined that a creditor’s mistake in a claim can only be attributed to such creditor and, therefore, the creditor is prevented from amending its claim at a late point in the bankruptcy, thus BPPR’s amendment to its proof of claim is untimely. For the reasons set forth below the court grants Debtor’s objection to BPPR’s amended claim # 8-2, thus BPPR’s amended claim # 8-2 is disallowed.

Jurisdiction

The Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1334(b) and 157(a). This is a core proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 157(b)(2)(B). Venue of this proceeding is proper under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1408 and 1409.

Facts and Procedural Background

The Debtor filed a bankruptcy petition under Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code on August 25, 2009. The Debtor included in Schedule D (Creditors Holding Secured Claims) BPPR’s secured mortgage debt in the amount of $79,035.41. On August 25, 2009, the Debtor filed her Chapter 13 Plan of Reorganization (Docket No. 4). The plan consisted of the following: (i) a plan base of $25,500 ($425 x 60); (ii) $2,175 of attorney fees that will be paid through the plan; (iii) the arrears owed to BPPR in the amount of $16,000 shall be paid through the plan pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1322(b)(3); (iv) all allowed priority claims shall be paid in full unless creditor agrees otherwise; and (v) the Debtor will pay directly to BPPR its secured claim. The 341 meeting was held and closed on October 2, 2009.

On October 22, 2009, BPPR filed claim # 8-1 in the amount of $81,321.93 based on a mortgage note and secured with real property with a value of $125,000. BPPR filed supporting documentation for its claim, which consisted of the following documents: (i) the mortgage deed; (ii) a mortgage note in the amount of $75,800 and an interest rate of 7.375%; and (iii) a statement of account dated September 26, 2009 which provided the following account [197]*197detail: (a) principal balance as of 06/01/08 in the amount of $70,284.44; (b) accrued interest from 05/01/08 to 09/30/09 in the amount of $7,323.65; and (c) title search in the amount of $35; (d) a line item titled “Other” in the amount of $1,867.50; and (e) legal fees in the amount of $1,861.34. The Statement of Account also lists the total pre-petition amount in arrears in the amount of $3,763.84 and it also lists that there are 0 pre-petition payments of $555 in arrears. The Statement of Account includes the following “Other Information:” (i) next payment due 06/01/08; (ii) interest rate of 7.375%; and (iii) P & [monthly payment] of $523.53; and (iv) monthly late charge of $26.18.

On October 29, 2009, the Debtor filed her Amended Plan and Notice of Opportunity to Object and for a Hearing (Docket No. 23). The amended plan consisted of the following: (i) a plan base of $25,500 ($425 x 60); (ii) $2,175 of attorney fees that will be paid through the plan; (iii) the arrears owed to BPPR in the amount of $3,763.84 shall be paid through the plan pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1322(b)(3); (iv) all allowed priority claims shall be paid in full unless creditor agrees otherwise; (v) the Debtor will pay directly to BPPR its secured claim and to the San Juan Municipality; and (vi) tax refunds will be used to fund the plan until plan completion. On November 18, 2009, the court entered an Order confirming the Debtor’s Chapter 13 plan dated October 29, 2009 (Docket No. 27).

Subsequently, on May 23, 2014, that is, fifty-five (55) months after filing its original claim, BPPR filed amended secured claim # 8-2 in the amount of $83,209.53 of which $13,298.34 was allocated to pre-petition arrears. The supporting document filed for its amended claim was a statement of account dated May 23, 2014 which provided the following account detail: ,(a) principal balance as of 05/01/08 in the amount of $70,325.76; (b) accrued interest from 04/01/08 to 08/25/09 in the amount of $7,261.13; (c) accrued late charge of $1,858.80; (d) title search in the amount of $35; (e) a line item titled “Other” in the amount of $1,867.50; and (f) legal fees in the amount of $1,861.34. The statement of account also lists the total pre-petition amount in arrears in the amount of $13,298.34 which is allocated in the following manner: (i) $8,880 in pre-petition arrears (16 payments of $555 each); (ii) late charges of $654.50; (iii) title search of $35; (iv) “Other” in the amount of $1,867.50; and (v) legal fees of $1,861.34. The statement of account includes total post-petition arrears of $1,759.30 which consist of one post-petition payment of $555 and late charge in the amount of $1,204.30. The total amount of pre-petition and post-petition arrears is $15,057.64. On May 28, 2014, BPPR filed an Informative Motion

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
525 B.R. 195, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 137, 2015 WL 224937, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-alonso-prb-2015.