In re D'Avila

498 B.R. 150, 2013 WL 4498992, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 3398
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Texas
DecidedAugust 21, 2013
DocketNo. 13-11173-TMD
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 498 B.R. 150 (In re D'Avila) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, W.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 D'Avila, 498 B.R. 150, 2013 WL 4498992, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 3398 (Tex. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

TONY M. DAVIS, Bankruptcy Judge.

In this case, the Court must decide whether a debtor who filed bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code and promptly claimed a Texas homestead exemption can be restricted from later selling that homestead and disposing of the proceeds of sale as she wishes. As explained in this Memorandum Opinion, the Court determines that the homestead is no different from any other exempt property, and once it has been duly exempted, the Chapter 7 debtor is free to dispose of it as she wishes, including by selling it and keeping the proceeds.

The Court has considered the Application of Debtor to Sell Property Free and Clear of Liens and Other Interests (the “Application to Sell”) [Dkt. No. 6], the Debtor’s Post Trial Brief Regarding Debt- or’s Application to Sell Property Free and [152]*152Clear of Liens (the “Debtor’s Brief”) [Dkt. No. 16], the Trustee’s Trial Brief With Regard to Motion to Sell Property Free and Clear of Liens (the “Trustee’s Brief”) [Dkt. No. 14], the presentations made at a hearing on this matter held on July 15, 2013 (the “Hearing ”), all other evidence in the record, and the relevant case law.

The Court has jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1334. This is a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2).

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

The parties are not in dispute as to the relevant facts. Carol Feille D’Avila (the “Debtor”)filed a petition for relief (the “Petition ”) [Dkt. No. 1], under Chapter 7 of Title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code ” or “Code ”), on June 24, 2013. On Schedule A [Dkt. No. 5], the Debtor noted her interest in a residence located at 11309 Rockwell Court, Austin, Texas 78726 (the “Homestead ”).The Debt- or valued the Homestead at $340,000, explained that this was a “value based on pending sale,” and entered $219,533.58 as the amount of the secured claims on the Homestead. The Debtor shares her interest in the Homestead with her husband, Rex Anthony D’Avila, who did not file for bankruptcy. Because the Homestead is jointly managed community property, upon the Debtor’s filing of the Petition, it became property of the bankruptcy estate. 11 U.S.C. § 541(a)(2)(A). On Schedule C, the Debtor elected to claim state exemptions, as allowed by 11 U.S.C. § 522(b)(3). She claimed the Homestead as exempt under the Texas Constitution and the Texas Property Code.

The D’Avilas are parties to a divorce proceeding, pending in the 200th Judicial District Court, Travis County. In the Application to Sell, the Debtor represented that the judge in the divorce proceeding has ordered the sale of the Homestead, with the proceeds to be divided between the Debtor and her soon-to-be-ex-husband. The Debtor and her husband executed a contract, pre-petition, to sell the Homestead for $340,000, which they now wish the Court to approve by granting the Application to Sell. They propose to use the proceeds of the sale to pay off their secured debt and the costs of sale, and then to keep the remaining funds for distribution as ordered by the divorce court, without being subject to any further restrictions from this Court, or to any interference from the Debtor’s bankruptcy estate or her pre-petition creditors.1

Randolph N. Osherow, the Chapter 7 Trustee (the “Trustee ”), advances a limited but significant objection to the Application to Sell. He argues that after the secured debts and costs of sale are paid, the remaining funds are subject to the Texas law requiring that those who wish to exempt proceeds of a homestead sale reinvest the proceeds into a new homestead within six months, or lose the exemption. Tex. PROP.Code § 41.001(c). The Trustee requests that the Court grant the Application to Sell only if the Court extends the exemption objection deadline to six months and ten days after the date of the Homestead sale — until creditors can ascertain whether the proceeds have been reinvested in another homestead or not. The Trustee argues that any proceeds not rein[153]*153vested within six months will be subject to recovery by the estate in order to pay the creditors of the estate.

Because of the conflict between the Debtor and the Trustee concerning whether Texas Property Code § 41.001(c) applies to the sale of the Homestead, the issue is ripe for decision.

II. LEGAL ANALYSIS

A. The Texas Homestead Exemption and the Texas Proceeds Rule

Texas law provides broad protection for homesteads. The law exempts homesteads from seizure or encumbrance in all but a narrow range of circumstances, and caps homesteads in size but not in value. Tex. Pkop.Code § 41.001, .002. Strong protection of the homestead dates back to the first Texas Constitution of 1845. See England v. F.D.I.C. (In re England), 975 F.2d 1168, 1172, 1174-75 (5th Cir.1992) (outlining history of Texas homestead exemption).

Protection did not extend, initially, beyond the homestead itself. Once a homestead was “voluntarily sold or exchanged,” all protection lapsed. England, 975 F.2d at 1174. “This rule was harsh and inconsistent with the purposes of the homestead laws, and many people were rendered homeless because of it.” Id. Accordingly, a law was added in 1897 to exempt the proceeds of the sale of a homestead. Id. Now, in addition to the homestead itself, Texas protects the proceeds of a homestead sale — but only for a limited time. “[Pjroceeds of a sale of a homestead are not subject to seizure for a creditor’s claim for six months after the date of sale.” Tex. PROp.Code § 41.001(c). The proceeds lose their exemption after six months, unless they are reinvested in another exempt Texas homestead. England, 975 F.2d at 1173-74. This opinion refers to that rule as the “Texas Proceeds Rule.”

B. The Texas Proceeds Rule and Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code

Harmonizing the Texas Proceeds Rule with the Bankruptcy Code’s exemption regime can be difficult. Soon after a bankruptcy filing, exemptions usually are determined once and for all, having been “determined by the facts and the law as they exist on the date of filing the bankruptcy petition.” Zibman v. Tow (In re Zibman), 268 F.3d 298, 302 (5th Cir.2001). Courts have used the metaphor of a “snapshot” taken on the date of filing, which “determin[es] the extent of the bankruptcy estate and the scope of the exemptions.” Id.

Under the “snapshot” principle, post-petition events rarely affect whether an exemption applies. As a matter of course, in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy such as the Debtor’s, once an exemption is granted, the debtor can sell or dispose of exempt property, or even encumber property with post-petition debts, without involving the bankruptcy court or the bankruptcy estate. “Quite simply, property that has been exempted belongs to the debtor.” Bell v.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
498 B.R. 150, 2013 WL 4498992, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 3398, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-davila-txwb-2013.