In Re Amerson

143 B.R. 413, 1992 Bankr. LEXIS 1238, 1992 WL 194589
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Mississippi
DecidedJuly 29, 1992
Docket19-50407
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 143 B.R. 413 (In Re Amerson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Amerson, 143 B.R. 413, 1992 Bankr. LEXIS 1238, 1992 WL 194589 (Miss. 1992).

Opinion

OPINION

EDWARD R. GAINES, Bankruptcy Judge.

There came before the Court for consideration the objection to confirmation of plan and the motion to terminate stay filed on behalf of C & F Financial Services of Hattiesburg, Inc. Having reviewed the pleadings and the legal briefs submitted on behalf of the parties, the Court is of the opinion that the objection to confirmation should be sustained and the motion to terminate stay should be granted.

I.FACTS 1

1. Sallie M. Amerson executed a note in favor of C & F Financial Services of Hat-tiesburg, Inc., on June 4,1987, in the principal amount of $14,100.00, payable over four years in monthly payments of $250.00 and with final balloon note of $13,247.61 due June 15, 1991. Co-borrowers on the note were Maggie Amerson and Isaac Farmer, the sister and step-father of the debtor.

2. A second deed of trust on the debt- or’s principal residence was executed in favor of C & F Financial to secure the above referenced note.

3. In addition to the real estate, a security interest was taken in a 1978 Pontiac *415 Grand Prix. Credit life insurance was also purchased.

4. C & F Financial released its lien on the automobile in February of 1989. C & F indicates that the automobile lien was released at the debtor’s request.

5. Amerson failed to pay the final balloon payment when it became due on June 15, 1991.

6. Sallie M. Amerson filed a petition for relief under Chapter 13 of Title 11 of the United States Code on September 5, 1991.

7. The debtor filed a Chapter 18 plan in which she proposed to pay mortgage ar-rearages, through June of 1991, in the amount of $13,029.99 to C & F Financial. The plan was proposed was to be paid over 60 months.

8. Creditors were notified by the bankruptcy court that objections to plan confirmation had to be filed 5 days prior to the confirmation hearing, which was noticed for November 15, 1991.

9. On November 8, 1991 an order was entered granting C & F Financial a 15-day extension of time to file an objection to confirmation.

10. A timely objection to confirmation was filed by C & F.

11. An order of confirmation was erroneously entered on November 15, 1991. On December 19, 1991 an order setting aside the order confirming the debtor’s plan was entered.

12. A motion to terminate stay and for relief from stay of action against codebtor was filed by C & F Financial Services.

13. Briefs were subsequently filed by the parties and the issues were presented to the Court for determination.

II. CONCLUSIONS

The matters before the Court are core proceedings under 28 U.S.C. § 157. The Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1334.

The primary areas of focus in this decision are in determining whether the claim of C & F is secured only by the debtor’s primary residence or whether the claim is secured by additional collateral, and in determining whether the debtor may include a residential mortgage debt in her Chapter 13 plan that fully matured prior to filing of bankruptcy.

Prior to reaching these issues, it is noted that the debtor argues that the plan has been confirmed and that it is therefore binding on the debtor and all creditors pursuant to § 1327 of Title 11. As noted in the factual recitation above, the order of confirmation was set aside by order of this Court dated December 19, 1991. Therefore, the previously entered confirmation order cannot bind any party, without further order of the Court.

The debtor also argues in her brief that the order granting an extension of time to C & F was entered without notice to the debtor’s attorney. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9006(b)(1), the court for cause shown may at any time in its discretion, with or without motion or notice, order a time period enlarged if the request is made before the expiration of the period originally prescribed or as extended by a previous order, as was the case here. Although C & F asserts that notice of the request for extension was provided to the debtor, it is not necessary for the Court to make this factual determination in light of the above referenced rule.

An additional preliminary argument raised by C & F is that the debtor’s plan is not feasible because she has included and “confiscated” social security income of Isaac Farmer as her monthly future income. No authority has been provided to indicate that the debtor may not use funds provided by another person to propose a Chapter 13 plan, and no evidence has been presented indicating that the debtor has indeed “confiscated” the funds of Isaac Farmer against his will. The information provided in the briefs is not sufficient for the Court to make a determination on this issue at the present time.

The Court next considers issues relating to collateral held by C & F. Section 1322 of the Title 11 provides the following *416 in reference to debts secured by a debtor’s residence:

(b) Subject to subsections (a) and (c) of this section, the plan may—
(2) modify the rights of holders of secured claims, other than a claim secured only by a security interest in real property that is the debtor’s principal residence....

11 U.S.C. § 1322(b)(2). The note and security agreement indicate that at the time the loan was made in June of 1987, collateral included the debtor’s residence and a 1987 Pontiac Grand Prix automobile, as well as a credit life insurance policy. The lien on the automobile was released at the debtor’s request in February 1989, approximately m years prior to the debtor’s petition in bankruptcy.

Section 1322(b)(2) would have clearly allowed the debtor to modify the rights of C & F with regard to the security interest as originally executed, since the security included other property in addition to the principal residence. See, In re Dent, 130 B.R. 623 (Bankr.S.D.Ga.1991). However the impact of releasing the automobile lien and the timing of the release, whether pre-petition or postpetition, must be considered.

Section 502 of the Bankruptcy Code provides the following in reference to the time for determining claims:

(a) A claim or interest, proof of which is filed under section 501 of this title, is deemed allowed, unless a party in interest ... objects.

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Bluebook (online)
143 B.R. 413, 1992 Bankr. LEXIS 1238, 1992 WL 194589, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-amerson-mssb-1992.