In re Bouchard

560 B.R. 385, 2016 Bankr. LEXIS 4189, 2016 WL 7047979
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Rhode Island
DecidedDecember 5, 2016
DocketBK No: 15-10543
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 560 B.R. 385 (In re Bouchard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Bouchard, 560 B.R. 385, 2016 Bankr. LEXIS 4189, 2016 WL 7047979 (R.I. 2016).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER ON CREDITOR’S MOTION TO CONVERT OR DISMISS CASE

Diane Finkle, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge

In bankruptcy administration, the system will collapse if debtors are not forthcoming. 1

Before this Court is the motion of creditor Amanda Rotella, former spouse of debtor Andrew Bouchard, to convert or dismiss this chapter 13 case for bad faith. One need only review the record here to understand the tortured path of this case and to fully appreciate Mr. Bouchard’s abuse of the bankruptcy process and his repeated efforts to manipulate his income and expenses to fit his needs. It is the Court’s foremost responsibility to protect the integrity of the bankruptcy process for the benefit of honest debtors and their creditors. This decision constitutes the Court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law pursuant to Federal Rule of Bankrupt[388]*388cy Procedure 7052,2 to the extent made applicable by Rule 9014(c), Considering the totality of the circumstances presented, the Court finds that Mr. Bouchard lacked good faith in the filing of his bankruptcy petition, and that it is in the best interest of the Debtor’s creditors that this case be dismissed.

1. Jurisdiction

The .Court has . jurisdiction over this matter under to 28 U.S.C. §§ 157(a) and 1334, and Rule 109(a) of the local rules of the District Court for the District of Rhode Island This is a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(A), (L), and (0).

II. Convoluted Procedural History

On March 26, 2015, Mr. Bouchard filed a voluntary chapter 13 bankruptcy petition (Doc. # 1), together with applicable schedules (Doc. #1), a Form 22C chapter 13 statement of current monthly income and calcúlation of commitment period (the so-called “means test” form) (Doc. # 3), and a chapter 13 plan (“Plan,” Doc. # 4). The Plan proposed monthly payments to the Chapter 13 Trustee in the amount of $233 for 60 months; to pay directly secured creditors Attitash Mountain Village (monthly timeshare fee of $115) and San-tander Consumer USA .(monthly vehicle installment payment of $384); and after deduction of administrative expenses, to pay $10,582 to unsecured creditors, approximately 7% of their claims. In early May 2015, only a few days after the meeting of creditors was held as mandated by 11 U.S.C. § 3413 (“Creditors’ Meeting”), Ms. Rotella filed an initial objection to Plan confirmation (Doc, # 15), which she amended soon after (Doc. # 18). The Chapter 13 Trustee also objected to the Plan (Doc. # 19).

On July 2, 2015, Mr. Bouchard filed an amended Schedule B (list of personal property) (Doc. # 27) to add a joint bank account containing $650 he held (and still holds) with his then-girlfriend, now fian-cée, Jessica Doyle, as well as clothing and a watch both valued at $200. The Court held a preliminary hearing on Plan confirmation on July 8, 2015, and then scheduled a full evidentiary hearing for September 10, 2015. Mr. Bouchard and Ms. Rotella filed a joint pretrial statement on August 24, 2015 (Doc. # 39), and supporting mem-oranda of law (Doc. ## 42, 46). Prior to the evidentiary hearing, Ms. Rotella also filed a motion seeking to convert the case from chapter 13 to chapter 7 or, in the alternative, to dismiss the case (“Motion,” Doc. # 47), to which Mr. Bouchard filed an objection (Doc. # 54).4 In light of the Motion, the evidentiary hearing was rescheduled to October 22, 2015, for Plan confirmation and consideration of the Motion. As directed by the Court, the parties filed amended joint pretrial statements on October 7, 2015 (Doc.' # 59), and again on October 20, 2015 (Doc. # 66).

At the commencement of the October 22 evidentiary hearing, Mr. Bouchard’s counsel represented that his client intended to file an amended plan, amended schedules, and an amended means test form. Conse[389]*389quently, the evidentiary hearing was once again rescheduled, this time to November 19, 2015.. Mr. Bouchard -filed amended Schedules I and J (statement of income and expenses) (Doc. #72), an. amended means test (Doc. #73), and an amended plan (Doc. # 74) on October 26, 2015. Line 4 of the amended means test reflected $150 in additional monthly income of Mr. Bouchard for pre-petition monthly contributions from Ms, Doyle, allegedly for utility expenses: In actuality, as the later testimony indicated, this monthly contribution was in- fact $300, büt because Mr. Bou-chard claimed to have received it for only three of the six months prior to the petition date, he only listed it as a $150 monthly contribution.

The following day, both the Chapter 13 Trustee (Doc. # 76) and Ms. Rotella (Doc. # 77) filed objections to confirmation of the amended plan, and Ms. Rotella also objected to Mr. Bouchard’s amended means test form (Doc. # 78) and the amended 'Schedules I and J (Doc. #79). Adding to the' confusion, the next day Mr. Bouchard filed a new set of Schedules' I and J (Doc. # 80),‘ this time supplemental schedules to reflect changes to his income that would become effective in January 2016, and yet another amended plan (“First Amended Plan,” Doc. #81) upon the Clerk’s office termination of. the amended plan, filed the previous day as filed incorrectly.

In his revised supplemental Schedule I (Doc. #80), Mr.. Bouchard disclosed that his residential lease would expire at the end of 2015, that Ms. Doyle had purchased her own home, and that he would be entering into a one-year lease with her and moving to her home the first of the year. Consequently, he would no longer receive her $300 per month contribution. In turn, his revised supplemental Schedule J indicated that his monthly rental contribution for his current apartment was reduced from $1,300 to $650 (presumably reflecting Ms. .Doyle’s new rent contribution in the same amount for one-half of -the total rent). It also noted that once he moved into her house in January 2016, his rent payments would, increase to $950 per month (this sum being one-half of Ms, Doyle’s mortgage payment). This schedule also reflected the elimination of the $115 monthly timeshare payment. The First Amended Plan proposed monthly payments of $233 for seven months, $1,046 for two months, and $446 for 51 months to correspond with the changes noted in the newly revised supplemental Schedules I and J. The payment increase was intended to cure the plan payment shortfall that the Chapter 13 Trustee and Ms. Rotella asserted arose due to Mr. Bouchard’s unrea¡-sonable payment of the entire rent for the apartment he shared with Ms. Doyle, rather than one-half of the total monthly rent. The Chapter 13 Trustee and Ms. Rotella objected to the First Amended Plan (Doc. ## 84, 77).5

On November 18, 2015, the parties filed a revised joint pretrial statement (Doc. #91), and the following, day, the Court held an evidentiary hearing on confirmation of the First Amended Plan, the Motion, and the various objections. Mr. Bouchard and Ms. Rotella introduced testimony and documentary evidence, and the Court continued the hearing to November 23, 2015, for closing arguments. See

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
560 B.R. 385, 2016 Bankr. LEXIS 4189, 2016 WL 7047979, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-bouchard-rib-2016.