In re Atkinson

126 B.R. 713, 5 Tex.Bankr.Ct.Rep. 209, 1991 Bankr. LEXIS 636, 1991 WL 71210
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedMay 3, 1991
DocketBankruptcy Nos. 286-20497-11, 286-20499-11
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 126 B.R. 713 (In re Atkinson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Atkinson, 126 B.R. 713, 5 Tex.Bankr.Ct.Rep. 209, 1991 Bankr. LEXIS 636, 1991 WL 71210 (Tex. 1991).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF OPINION ON CLAIM OF PHILIP R. RUSS

JOHN C. AKARD, Bankruptcy Judge.

The Bankruptcy Trustees1 in the captioned cases objected to a secured claim filed by Philip R. Russ (Russ) for the following reasons:

A. That the applicable statute of limitations barred Russ from exercising his claim on a note and mortgage executed by the Debtors. The court finds that Russ may pursue his claim on the mortgage in this bankruptcy proceeding.
B. That a portion of the mortgage securing the promissory note forming the basis of Russ’ claim erroneously described the Debtors’ property and, therefore, was void as against the Trustees who occupy the position of a bona fide purchaser. The court concludes that Russ’ claim to the erroneously described tract should be denied.
C. That since the mortgage was signed by Lazy Le Cattle Company; G.M. Atkinson, partner; and E.D. Atkinson, partner, but the property was owned by G.M. Atkinson and E.D. Atkinson, as individuals, the conveyance was not effective notice to a subsequent bona fide purchaser. The court finds that a bona fide purchaser would have had constructive notice of the mortgage.

The Trustee’s objection to Russ’ claim under the mortgage is, therefore, overruled except as to the erroneously described tract.

FACTS

On May 2, 1984, G.M. Atkinson, E.D. Atkinson, and Vivian Atkinson executed a $400,000.00 promissory note payable to Russ for attorney’s fees and expenses for prosecution of claims against Anadarko [715]*715National Bank. The note was secured by a mortgage on a number of tracts of land in Union County, New Mexico, commonly known as the McCarley Place and the Robinson Place. “Lazy Le Cattle Company, a/k/a Atkinson Cattle Company, a partnership composed of E.D. Atkinson and Gene Malcolm Atkinson” granted the mortgage. The mortgage was filed for record on May 4, 1984. E.D. Atkinson and G.M. Atkinson, individually, owned the land in question.

On October 6, 1986 the Atkinsons filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. Russ represented the Atkinsons in their bankruptcy proceedings. The Debtors’ schedules listed Russ’ claim as contingent and undetermined at time of filing. The bar date for claims was March 9, 1987. On September 1, 1988, the court ordered a trustee appointed in each bankruptcy estate. The Trustees filed a liquidating plan for each Debtor.

On August 9, 1989, Connie McCarley, the first lienholder on the McCarley Place, obtained relief from the Automatic Stay. The court later issued an “Order Clarifying Lift of Stay” which stated that both McCarley and Russ were authorized to foreclose their liens on the McCarley Place. Subsequently the McCarley mortgage was conveyed to Loren F. Leighton. In 1989, Leighton and Russ instituted judicial foreclosure proceedings in New Mexico against the Debtors and the McCarley Place. The Trustees were not parties to this suit. On July 30, 1990, the New Mexico court entered a judgment and decree of foreclosure against the Debtors and the property, and ordered the property sold with proceeds to be applied to the court costs and the mortgages. The McCarley Place sold on September 10, 1990.

On August 20, 1990, Russ filed a secured claim with the bankruptcy court for $440,-000.00, including $40,000.00 in interest, on the judgment and the mortgage. Russ amended his claim on December 26, 1990 to reflect a credit of $176,500.00 (which he received from the sale of the McCarley Place) reducing the balance of his claim to $263,500.00.

Pursuant to this court’s order the Trustees sold the 1120 acre Robinson Place for $100,800.00 ($90.00 per acre) on October 29, 1990. The Trustees paid $54,277.44 to satisfy the first lien on the property. Expenses of the sale totaled $13,665.48. Russ seeks to enforce his claim as a lien on the $32,857.08 balance of the proceeds of the Robinson Place sale. Russ does not seek to enforce any unsecured portion of his claim.

Discussion

Statute of Limitations

The Trustees argue that since the promissory note was payable on demand, the statute of limitations began to run on the date of the note and, therefore, the statute of limitations expired prior to Russ filing his claim or exercising any other right under the note or mortgage. Thus, he could no longer enforce the note and mortgage.

New Mexico provides a six year statute of limitations on prosecution of a promissory note. N.M.StatAnn. S37-1-3 (1978). New Mexico also subscribes to the majority rule that the statute of limitations on a promissory note payable on demand begins to run from the date of the note’s execution. Schoonover v. Caudill, 65 N.M. 335, 336, 337 P.2d 402, 403 (1959).

The Debtors executed the promissory note on May 2, 1984. The terms of the note required payment “on demand and if no demand is made then ... thirty days following the conclusion of Atkinson litigation. ...” Applying the New Mexico statute of limitations, Russ’ cause of action on the note expired on May 2,1990. Although Russ filed his claim on August 20, 1990, he began foreclosure action on the McCarley Place in 1989. The New Mexico court granted a judgment and decree of foreclosure as to the McCarley Place on July 30, 1990. Russ’ lift of stay under the August 3, 1989 order and authorization to proceed in this foreclosure action were clarified by this court’s order on October 31, 1990. Therefore, Russ commenced action on the note, or at least on the McCarley Place, prior to expiration of the statute of limitations on May 2, 1990.

[716]*716Some confusion exists as to whether the New Mexico state court was authorized to render judgment in favor of Russ on the entire note. The relief from stay and clarifying order only authorized Leighton and Russ to accelerate the indebtedness owed and to foreclose on the McCarley Place. Consequently, the New Mexico court may not have been authorized to proceed to judgment on the entire balance of the note. Therefore, the New Mexico action may not have been sufficient to toll the statute of limitations on enforcing the entire balance of the note.

To the extent that the New Mexico order does not toll the statute of limitations, Bankruptcy Code § 108(c) applies to extend the statute of limitations.2 See In re Martin-Trigona, 763 F.2d 503, 506 (2nd Cir.1985). Section 108(c) states:

[I]f applicable nonbankruptcy law ... fixes a period for commencing ... a civil action in a court other than a bankruptcy court on a claim against the debtor-... and such period has not expired before the date of the filing of the petition, then such period does not expire until the later of—
(1) the end of such period ... or
(2) 30 days after notice of the termination or expiration of the stay under section 362
Section 362(c)(2) states that unless the stay is terminated by court order, the stay
... continues until the earliest of—
(A) the time the case is closed;
(B) the time the case is dismissed ...

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
126 B.R. 713, 5 Tex.Bankr.Ct.Rep. 209, 1991 Bankr. LEXIS 636, 1991 WL 71210, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-atkinson-txnb-1991.