In Re Haas

195 B.R. 933, 1996 Bankr. LEXIS 261, 77 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1477, 1996 WL 233781
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Alabama
DecidedMarch 6, 1996
Docket16-01313
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 195 B.R. 933 (In Re Haas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Haas, 195 B.R. 933, 1996 Bankr. LEXIS 261, 77 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1477, 1996 WL 233781 (Ala. 1996).

Opinion

ORDER CONFIRMING PLAN OF REORGANIZATION

ARTHUR B. BRISKMAN, Bankruptcy Judge.

The Debtors’ Second Amended Plan of Reorganization, the motion of the Internal Revenue Service to alter or amend this Court’s August 18,1995 order, and for relief from the stay, and the motion of the Internal Revenue Service to dismiss this case came on for hearing on November 24, 1995 on proper notice. On that date the Debtors filed their Third Amended Plan (“the Plan”) to meet the objections of certain creditors. Appearances were as noted in the record. The Court has considered the testimony, exhibits, arguments of counsel, briefs, and the entire record in this case, and based on the above enters the following findings of fact, conclusions of law, and order:

Findings of Fact

1. Thomas M. Haas is a practicing lawyer in Mobile, Alabama. He is a sole practitioner whose law practice is almost exclusively devoted to criminal defense. He is 68 years old, and received his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1952. He has been engaged in the private practice of law for 37 years. He has no associates working for him on a regular basis. He conducts his law practice in rented offices located at 258 State Street, Mobile, Alabama.

2. Bernice Elizabeth Haas is the wife of Thomas M. Haas, and works fulltime in her husband’s law office performing clerical, secretarial and administrative work. She receives an annual salary of approximately $25,000. The only other fulltime employee in the law office is an experienced legal assistant who receives an annual salary of approximately $36,000.

3. Thomas M. Haas no source of income other than fees received from clients for his professional legal services.

4. Beginning in 1978 the Internal Revenue Service filed notices of federal tax liens for unpaid joint federal income taxes and federal employment taxes for various tax periods.

5. The Debtors jointly own a homeplace located at 3957 Scenic Drive, Mobile, Alabama. In 1979 the Debtors refinanced their homeplace with Secor Bank and paid approx *935 imately $100,000 to the Internal Revenue Serviee toward their tax liabilities.

6. In October 1987 Thomas M. Haas pled guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge of willfully failing to pay income tax liabilities for 1980 through 1982, and employment taxes for 1984. He was sentenced to a one-year prison term (suspended) and was placed on five years probation. Certain conditions of his probation were that he remain current in his payment of future state and federal taxes, and that he make monthly payments to the Internal Revenue Service equal to twenty-five percent of his monthly net income to be applied as determined by the IRS. He complied with the requirements of his probation, which terminated in October 1992.

7. In September 1991 the Internal Revenue Service seized the Debtors’ homeplace and advertised its sale for the payment of unpaid tax liabilities.

8. The Debtors filed a joint voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in this Court on October 7,1991.

9. On the petition date the Debtors owned the following assets;

Assets Value
Homeplace $225,000
Cash in bank accounts 4,027
Household furniture, appliances, pictures, books & clothing 3,385
Life insurance policies 0
Accounts receivable 21,736
1972 Volkswagen 600
1985 Cadillac 2,500
Office equipment, furnishings & supplies 1,850
Total $259,098

10.On the petition date the Debtors had the following liabilities:

A. Federal income, withholding and Social Security (Form 941) and unemployment (Form 940) taxes totalling $685,276.45. 1 Of this amount $68,164.22 consists of non-dis-ehargeable employment taxes, including interest and penalties. The balance is dis-chargeable income taxes, including interest and penalties. Virtually all of the tax debt is secured by notices of federal tax liens filed between 1978 and 1991.

B. The U.S. Small Business Administration holds a mortgage on the Debtors’ home-place recorded in 1980 which secures a debt of approximately $13,000.

C. The Secor Bank 2 holds a mortgage on the Debtors’ homeplace which secures a debt of approximately $140,000.

D. The Mobile County Revenue Commissioner holds a pre-petition claim for ad valo-rem taxes on the Debtors’ homeplace for 1991 in the sum of $1,104.11. 3

E. The Alabama Department of Revenue holds a pre-petition income tax claim for $973.15, which claim is secured by a recorded tax lien.

F. Principal Financial Group holds a priority claim for $658.79 in connection with an employee benefit program for health insurance.

G. General unsecured creditors hold claims totalling approximately $100,000.

11. This Chapter 11 case has generated litigation resulting in two appeals. In the first, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held that the federal tax liens prime the Secor Bank mortgage as a result of Secor’s inadvertent recordation of a mortgage cancellation. In re Haas, 31 F.3d 1081 (11th Cir.1994), cert. denied sub nom. Regions Bank of Louisiana v. Internal Reve *936 nue Service, — U.S. -, 115 S.Ct. 2578, 132 L.Ed.2d 828 (1995). In the second appeal the Eleventh Circuit held that the federal income tax liabilities of Debtor Thomas M. Haas are dischargeable. In re Haas, 48 F.3d 1153 (11th Cir.1995). By stipulation this Court determined that Mrs. Haas’ federal income tax liabilities are discharge able.

12. In January 1992 the Internal Revenue Service moved for relief from the automatic stay to proceed to sell the Debtors’ homeplace. The Court denied this motion. After remand of the lien priority adversary proceeding, the Court entered an order on August 18, 1995 which inadvertently stated incorrectly that “Secor Bank ... has a secured first priority mortgage.” The order again denied the motion for relief from stay. The Internal Revenue Service then moved to alter or amend the August 18, 1995 order so as to correctly reflect the decision on appeal that the federal tax liens prime the Secor mortgage with respect to the Debtors’ home-place, and for relief from the stay. The August 18,1995 order should be amended so as to state that the federal tax liens have a first priority lien position on the homeplace with respect to the Secor mortgage lien. Based on the facts and conclusions in this order, and because the Court is confirming the Plan, the motions of the Internal Revenue Service for relief from stay and to dismiss this case should be denied.

13.

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

Related

In Re Gosman
282 B.R. 45 (S.D. Florida, 2002)
In Re Rhea
224 B.R. 816 (S.D. Alabama, 1997)
In Re Classic Chemical and Supply Co.
198 B.R. 112 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1996)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
195 B.R. 933, 1996 Bankr. LEXIS 261, 77 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1477, 1996 WL 233781, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-haas-alsb-1996.