In re Hawk

524 B.R. 706, 73 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 65, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 309, 60 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 159, 2015 WL 476050
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedJanuary 30, 2015
DocketCase No. 13-37713
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 524 B.R. 706 (In re Hawk) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.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 Hawk, 524 B.R. 706, 73 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 65, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 309, 60 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 159, 2015 WL 476050 (Tex. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION REGARDING TRUSTEE’S EXPEDITED MOTION FOR TURNOVER

[Relates to Doc. Nos. 64 & 70]

Jeff Bohm, Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge

The Court writes this Memorandum Opinion because it concerns an important exemption issue: does the Fifth Circuit’s recent holding in Viegelahn v. Frost (In re Frost), 744 F.3d 384 (5th Cir.2014), pertaining to homestead exemptions extend to individual retirement account (IRA) exemptions? In the case at bar, the Chapter 7 trustee contends that it does; the debtors argue that it does not. This Court concludes that the principles in Frost logically extend to IRA exemptions.

I. Pkocedural Background

On December 29, 2014, Eva S. Engel-hart, the Chapter 7 trustee (the Trustee) for the estate of Gregory D. Hawk and [708]*708Marcie H. Hawk (the Debtors) filed an expedited motion (the Motion) seeking an order under 11 U.S.C. § 542(a) compelling the Debtors to turn over the proceeds from the post-petition liquidation of their exempt IRA account. [Doc. No. 64]. In the Motion, the Trustee argues that the IRA proceeds automatically reverted to the bankruptcy estate due to the Debtors’ failure to reinvest the proceeds in another exempt IRA account within 60 days as required by state law (Texas Property Code section 42.0021). [Id. at ¶ 8]. The Trustee relies on Frost and this Court’s 2014 ruling, In re Smith, 514 B.R. 838 (Bankr.S.D.Tex.2014). Frost involved a debtor who sold an exempt homestead during the pendency of a Chapter 13 case and failed to reinvest the sale proceeds in another exempt homestead within six months as required to maintain the exemption under state law (Texas Property Code § 41.001). 744 F.3d at 385. The Fifth Circuit held that upon expiration of the six-month period, the homestead proceeds lost their protection under Texas law and became non-exempt property and therefore property of the Chapter 13 estate. Id. at 391. In Smith, this Court extended Frost’s holding to homesteads sold in Chapter 7 bankruptcies. 514 B.R. at 852. The Trustee now argues that the 60-day requirement for the reinvestment of IRA funds is analogous to the six-month requirement for homestead sale proceeds. [Doc. No. 64, ¶ 11],

The Debtors filed a response to the Motion on January 5, 2015 (the Response). [Doc. No. 70]. In the Response, the Debtors contend that procedural variations in their case prevent application of Frost and Smith. Specifically, the Debtors argue that the IRA proceeds are not property of the estate because they liquidated the IRA account after (1) the deadline for objections to exemptions; (2) the deadline for objections to discharge; and (3) the Chapter 7 Trustee had filed a report declaring no assets for distribution and proposing to abandon all non-exempt assets. [Id. at ¶¶ 11-13],

On January 5, 2015, this Court held a hearing on the Motion, and counsel for the parties made oral arguments. [Doc. No. 70]. The Court made oral findings and conclusions at that time and granted the Motion. The Court now memorializes its oral findings and conclusions in this Opinion.1

The Court makes the following Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 52, as incorporated by Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure 7052 and 9014.2 To the extent that any Finding of Fact is construed to be a Conclusion of Law, it is adopted as such. To the extent that any Conclusion of Law is construed to be a Finding of Fact, it is adopted as such. The Court reserves the right to make any additional Findings and Conclusions as may be necessary or as requested by any party.

II. Findings op Fact

The relevant facts are as follows:

1. On December 15, 2013, (the Petition Date), the Debtors filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code.3 [Doc. No. 1].
[709]*7092. On January 7, 2014, the Debtors claimed an IRA account as exempt pursuant to Texas Property Code section 42.0021. [Doc. No. 18, p. 13]. NFP Securities, Inc. managed the IRA (the NFP Account), which had a balance of $164,902 as of the Petition Date. [Id.]
3. On March 17, 2014, the period to object to the Debtors’ discharge expired. [Doc. No. 7]. However, pursuant to an agreed order between the Trustee and the Debtors, the deadline for the Trustee, the U.S. Trustee, and RES-TX One, LLC (RES-TX One) to object to the Debtors’ discharge was extended until May 17, 2014. [Doc. No. 39].
4. On March 28, 2014, after numerous extensions, the meeting of creditors was finally held. [No. 13-37713]. Accordingly, the deadline to object to the Debtors’ claimed exemptions expired on April 28, 2014. [ Id.]
5. On April 3, 2014, the Trustee filed a report declaring the case to be a “no asset” case and proposing to abandon all assets that were not already exempt (the No Asset Report). [No. 13-37713],
6. On May 16, 2014, creditor Res-TX One timely filed an Adversary Proceeding, [No. 14-3191], objecting to the Debtors’ discharge. [Doc. No. 46],
7. Between December 11, 2013 and July 14, 2014, the Debtors withdrew all of the funds in the NFP Account (the Liquidated IRA Funds or the Funds). [Doc. Nos. 64, ¶3 & 70, ¶1].
8. The Debtors did not reinvest, or “roll over,” any of the Liquidated IRA Funds into another exempt IRA account. [Hearing of July 5, 2015 at 5:21-5:36 p.m.]. Instead, the Debtors have been using the Liquidated IRA Funds for living and other expenses. [Id.].
9. On November 18, 2014, counsel for creditor Res-TX One took the deposition of Gregory D. Hawk (Hawk) in connection with Adversary Proceeding No. 14-3191. ■ [Doc. Nos. 64, ¶ 5 & 70, ¶ 3]. In response to questions about the Liquidated IRA Funds, Hawk testified that approximately $30,000 of the Liquidated IRA Funds were still in his possession and being held “in a shoebox.” [Doc. Nos. 64, ¶5 & 70, ¶3]. The Trustee first learned of the Liquidated IRA Funds through this deposition. [Hearing of July 5, 2015 at 4:20 p.m.].
10. The Trustee made a demand upon the Debtors to turn over the Liquidated IRA Funds in Hawk’s possession prior to filing the Motion, but the Debtors refused to do so. [Doc. Nos. 64, ¶ 6 & 70, ¶ 4].
11. The Debtors have not received a discharge due to Res-TX One’s pending objection to discharge. [Doc. Nos. 64, ¶ 7 & 70, ¶ 5].
12. The main case remains open while the Trustee continues to locate and liquidate assets for distribution to creditors.

III. Conclusions of Law

A. Jurisdiction

The Court has jurisdiction over this adversary proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C.

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Related

Gulamali v. Dinh (In re Dinh)
562 B.R. 122 (S.D. Texas, 2016)
Hawk v. Engelhart (In re Hawk)
556 B.R. 788 (S.D. Texas, 2016)
Romo v. Montemayor (In re Montemayor)
547 B.R. 684 (S.D. Texas, 2016)
Res-TX One, LLC v. Hawk (In re Hawk)
534 B.R. 697 (S.D. Texas, 2015)
Sender v. Golden (In re Golden)
528 B.R. 803 (D. Colorado, 2015)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
524 B.R. 706, 73 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 65, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 309, 60 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 159, 2015 WL 476050, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-hawk-txsb-2015.