In re Benbow

496 B.R. 605, 2013 WL 4546753, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 3503
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Colorado
DecidedAugust 27, 2013
DocketNo. 11-12257 HRT
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 496 B.R. 605 (In re Benbow) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Benbow, 496 B.R. 605, 2013 WL 4546753, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 3503 (Colo. 2013).

Opinion

Chapter 7

ORDER

Howard R. Tallman, Chief Judge United States Bankruptcy Court

This case comes before the Court on Debtor’s Verified Motion to Avoid Judicial Lien Impairing Exemption (docket # 38) (the “Motion”).

I.FACTS
1. Debtor filed his petition for protection under chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code on February 8, 2011 (the “Petition Date”). Subsequently, on June 13, 2011, Debtor voluntarily converted his case to a case under chapter 7. The Debtor received his chapter 7 discharge on April 13, 2012.
2. On the Petition Date, Debtor resided at 7881 Grizzly Way, Evergreen, Colorado (the “Real Property”). He claimed that residence as his homestead and claimed the applicable homestead exemption under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 3 8-41-201(a).
3. On the Petition Date, the Debtor valued the Real Property on his Schedule A at $350,000.00.
4. On June 15, 2011, following Debtor’s voluntary conversion of his case to a case under chapter 7, the Debtor filed an Amended Schedule A and an Amended Schedule C. On the Amended Schedule A, the Debtor values the Real Property at $377,000.00. According to Debtor’s Amended Schedule A, that increased value is based on a contract of sale that was pending at the time the amendment was filed. Debtor also amended his list of exemptions to claim the full $60,000.00 homestead [608]*608exemption under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 3 8-41-201(a).
5. On the Petition Date, Bank of America held a first mortgage against the Real Property. The evidence presented at hearing consisted of a statement showing the principal balance only as of July 30, 2012, as $235,179.60. Kelly Benbow testified that no payments had been made on the obligation for 24 months and that the payment amount was $1,971.59. Bank of America filed no proof of claim in this ease. Based on that evidence, the Court finds that, as of the Petition Date, the principal balance of the Bank of America first mortgage obligation was $235,179.60
6. On the Petition Date, Westerra Credit Union held a second mortgage against the Real Property in the amount of $97,205.78. This is based upon the proof of claim filed by Westerra Credit Union.
7. On December 9, 2009, Debtor retained the firm of Samuel J. Stoorman & Associates, P.C., (“Stoorman”) to represent him in a dissolution of marriage action. That action was filed in the District Court for Jefferson County, Colorado (the “Dissolution Court”), under Case No. 09 DR 3362 (the “Dissolution Case”).
8. On July 10, 2010, the Dissolution Court entered its Permanent Orders. The Dissolution Court found that it is not economically feasible for the Debtor to retain the home. It ordered that the property be listed and sold and that the Debtor and Kelly Benbow are each to receive one-half of the net proceeds of the sale (or one half of the remaining liability as the case may be).
9. On July 14, 2010, in the Dissolution Case, Stoorman filed an Amended Notice of Claim of Attorney’s Lien (the “Amended Notice”). The Amended Notice asserted attorney fees due to Stoorman of $71,513.24 as of July 13, 2010 for services rendered between December 9, 2009, and July 13, 2010.
10. On July 15, 2010, in the Dissolution Case, Stoorman filed a Motion to Foreclose and Enforce Lien and for Entry of Judgment for Attorney’s Fees.
11. On August 25, 2010, the Dissolution Court entered judgment in favor of Stoorman and against the Debtor. The court ordered that
a. Stoorman “has a valid and enforceable lien in the amount of $71,513.24 upon all the monies, properties, choses in action, claims and demands in suit, upon any property awarded to Respondent, and to any money due to Respondent in the hands of Petitioner or any other person or entity.”
b. In addition, the court entered judgment “in the principal amount of $71,513.24 plus interest thereon at the rate of one-half [sic] percent (1.5%) per month as provided in the Fee Agreement, from July 13, 2010 until the judgment and lien have been satisfied in full, together with all reasonable costs of collecting and reasonable attorneys fee incurred in collecting upon the Judgment.” As of February 8, 2011, the Petition Date, with interest at the rate of 1.5% monthly, the Court calculates the value of Stoorman’s lien to be $78,919.27.
12. On September 7, 2010, Stoorman recorded a transcript of his judg[609]*609ment in Jefferson County. The Real Property is located in Jefferson County.
18. On the Petition Date, the Debtor owned the Real Property jointly with Kelly Benbow.

II. DISCUSSION

A 11 U.S.C. § 522(f)

Under 11 U.S.C. § 522(f), a debtor may avoid a judicial hen to the extent that the lien impairs certain of the debtor’s exemptions:

Notwithstanding any waiver of exemptions but subject to paragraph (3), the debtor may avoid the fixing of a lien on an interest of the debtor in property to the extent that such lien impairs an exemption to which the debtor would have been entitled under subsection (b) of this section, if such lien is—
(A) a judicial hen, other than a judicial hen that secures a debt of a kind that is specified in section 523(a)(5)....

11 U.S.C. § 522(f)(1)(A).

B. Stoorman’s Charging Lien

In Colorado, attorneys are entitled, under statute, to assert a hen “on money, property, claims, or judgments they have obtained or assisted in obtaining.” In re Fisher, 202 P.3d 1186, 1197 (Colo.2009) (citing Colo. Rev. Stat. § 12-5-119). As reflected in the judgment of the Dissolution Court, Stoorman has an attorney’s charging hen under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 12-5-119. That court’s judgment describes the extent of Stoorman’s charging hen by roughly paraphrasing the language from the statute.1 The Colorado statute reads as follows:

All attorneys- and counselors-at-law shall have a hen on any money, property, choses in action, or claims and demands in their hands, on any judgment they may have obtained or assisted in obtaining, in whole or in part, and on any and all claims and demands in suit for any fees or balance of fees due or to become due from any client.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In re Steinke
522 B.R. 331 (D. Colorado, 2014)
Baldwin v. Phillips (In re Phillips)
520 B.R. 853 (D. New Mexico, 2014)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
496 B.R. 605, 2013 WL 4546753, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 3503, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-benbow-cob-2013.