In re: Herbert M. Zukerkorn Jennifer Zukerkorn

484 B.R. 182
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedDecember 19, 2012
DocketBAP NC-11-1506-JuKiJo; Bankruptcy 10-18626
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 484 B.R. 182 (In re: Herbert M. Zukerkorn Jennifer Zukerkorn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re: Herbert M. Zukerkorn Jennifer Zukerkorn, 484 B.R. 182 (bap9 2012).

Opinions

OPINION

JURY, Bankruptcy Judge.

Chapter 7 1 trustee, Linda S. Green (the “Trustee”), moved to compel turnover of all or some of the income distributed to debtor, Herbert M. Zukerkorn (“Herbert”), under a spendthrift trust. The Trustee’s motion and amended motion raised issues regarding (1) the enforceability of the trust’s choice of law clause which designated Hawaii as the governing law; (2) the validity of the trust’s spendthrift clause; and (3) whether the postpetition income distributions to Herbert became [186]*186property of the estate under § 541(a)(5)(A). The bankruptcy court denied the Trustee’s motion in its entirety, the Trustee appealed, and we AFFIRM.

I. FACTS

The facts established by the record in this case are undisputed. In 1978, Herbert’s mother, Sally Zukerkorn (“Sally”), established the Revocable Trust of Sally Zukerkorn (hereinafter, the “Sally Zuker-korn Trust”) after Herbert’s father passed away. Sally was the settlor (“grantor”), individual trustee, and beneficiary of this trust during her lifetime. American Trust Co. of Hawaii, Inc. was named as the corporate trustee. The trust was fully revocable and provided that Sally could use all income and whatever portion of the principal she deemed fit for whatever purposes she believed “... to be for Grantor’s best interest.”

The trust contained the following spendthrift clause:

No interest under this instrument shall be transferable or assignable by any beneficiary, or be subject during said beneficiary’s life to the claims of said beneficiary’s creditors. This paragraph shall not restrict the exercise of any power of appointment.

The trust also contained a choice of law clause:

This instrument and the dispositions under it shall be construed and regulated and their validity and effect shall be determined by the law of Hawaii.

On October 15, 1982, Sally amended the trust. The amended trust provided that on her death the corpus was split into two separate trusts for her sons Herbert and Jack. Herbert was named as the successor trustee and lifetime beneficiary for his trust. Herbert’s children, Jon and Sara, were granted a contingent remainder interest in Herbert’s trust. Herbert’s brother Jack was named as the successor trustee and lifetime beneficiary of the second trust. Herbert was named as the successor trustee of this trust upon Jack’s death. Herbert’s children, Jon and Sara, were likewise named the contingent beneficiaries of Jack’s trust.

Sally died in 1984. Jack died in 1986. Herbert became the trustee of both trusts. In 2003, Herbert, acting as trustee, sold Sally’s real property for $5.8 million. He netted $4 million and placed half into Jack’s trust and half into his own trust. Jack’s trust terminated when Herbert’s children reached the age of 45. Herbert remains the trustee and the life beneficiary of the Sally Zukerkorn Trust up through the present time.

The Bankruptcy

On September 20, 2010, Herbert and Jennifer Zukerkorn (collectively, “Debtors”) filed their chapter 7 petition. Green was appointed the Trustee.

Debtors’ Schedule B identified Herbert’s life income interest only in the trust and noted that the trust had a spendthrift provision valid under Hawaii law, which governed the instrument. Debtors valued Herbert’s interest at “0.00” and did not claim this interest as exempt. Debtors’ Schedule I showed income of $12,224 per month, $7,160 of which was from the trust and related income.2 Debtors’ Schedule F showed that they owed $162,062 in unsecured debt, consisting mostly of credit card debt.

On December 3, 2010, the Trustee filed a motion to compel turnover of twenty-five percent of the distributions paid to Her[187]*187bert pursuant to the trust, contending that portion was property of the estate under Cal. Prob.Code § 15306.5.3 The Trustee argued that California law, rather than Hawaii law, should apply to the Sally Zuk-erkorn Trust because (1) California had the more substantial relation to the dispute and (2) enforcing the spendthrift provision under Hawaii law would violate the fundamental policies of California.

On April 29, 2011, the Trustee filed an amended motion, seeking turnover of the entire principal and all income from the trust, arguing that the spendthrift clause was unenforceable because Herbert was both the trustee and beneficiary of the trust. Alternatively, the Trustee sought Herbert’s postpetition income distributions from the trust, contending they were property of the estate under § 541(a)(5)(A).4

The bankruptcy court considered the Trustee’s motion and amended motion in two phases. First, it concluded on cross motions for summary judgment that the trust was governed by Sally’s choice of Hawaii law. Second, after an evidentiary hearing held on August 11, 2011, the bankruptcy court concluded that none of the principal or interest paid or payable to Herbert under the trust was property of the estate since the spendthrift provisions were fully enforceable under Hawaii law.5 The court further found that § 541(a)(5)(A) was inapplicable to the Sally Zukerkorn Trust because it was an inter vivos trust as opposed to a testamentary trust. Thus, Herbert’s postpetition income distributions were not property of the estate. On September 2, 2011, the bankruptcy court entered its order denying the Trustee’s motion to compel turnover of property of the estate. The Trustee timely appealed.

II. JURISDICTION

The bankruptcy court had jurisdiction over this proceeding under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1334 and 157(b)(2)(E). We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 158.

[188]*188III.ISSUES

A. Did the bankruptcy court err by deciding that Hawaii law rather than California law should govern the Sally Zuker-korn Trust?

B. Did the bankruptcy court err in concluding that the postpetition income distributions from the Sally Zukerkorn Trust to Herbert were excluded from property of the estate? 6

IV.STANDARD OF REVIEW

We review de novo the bankruptcy court’s decisions on summary judgment, choice of law questions, statutory interpretation and whether property is property of the estate. Ghomeshi v. Sabban (In re Sabban), 600 F.3d 1219, 1221-22 (9th Cir.2010) (summary judgment); Mazza v. Am. Honda Mtr. Co., 666 F.3d 581, 589 (9th Cir.2012) (choice of law); Simpson v. Burkart (In re Simpson), 557 F.3d 1010, 1014 (9th Cir.2009) (statutory interpretation); White v. Brown (In re White), 389 B.R. 693, 698 (9th Cir. BAP 2008) (property of the estate).

V.DISCUSSION

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
484 B.R. 182, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-herbert-m-zukerkorn-jennifer-zukerkorn-bap9-2012.