In re Joslin

544 B.R. 877, 2016 WL 556125
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedJanuary 26, 2016
DocketBankruptcy Case No. 15-12376
StatusPublished

This text of 544 B.R. 877 (In re Joslin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Joslin, 544 B.R. 877, 2016 WL 556125 (Ohio 2016).

Opinion

ORDER SUSTAINING TRUSTEE’S OBJECTION TO INCLUSION OF ATTORNEY’S FEES IN MORTGAGE ARREARAGE CLAIM AND OVERRULING, IN PART, SHARE-FAX CREDIT UNION, INC.’S OBJECTION TO CONFIRMATION

Beth A. Buchanan, United States Bankx'uptcy Judge

The debtor in this case seeks to cure the arrearage on his residential mortgage through his chapter 13 plan and maintain the on-going monthly mortgage payments in accordance with § 1322(b)(5). The arrearage claim filed by the debtor’s mortgage holder includes attorney fees stemming from prepetition foreclosure litigation. The chapter 13 trustee objects to the request for payment of prepetition attorney fees.

Pursuant to § 1322(e), the amount required to cure the arrearage on the debt- or’s mortgage is determined in accordance with the underlying agreement and applicable nonbankruptcy law. Relying on the reinstatement provision in the debtor’s mortgage and an Ohio Supreme Court decision holding that a contract provision providing for recovery of attorney fees in connection with the reinstatement of a mortgage is enforceable under Ohio law, the mortgage creditor argues that the requested attorney fees are properly allowable. The chapter 13 trustee contends that prepetition attorney fees may not be [879]*879included in a mortgage arrearage claim based on a long line of bankruptcy cases holding that provisions for payment of attorney fees upon the default of a debt obligation are void as against public policy under Ohio law.

Concurring with the bankruptcy court in In re Tudor, 342 B.R. 540 (Bankr.S.D.Ohio 2005), this court finds that the cure of a mortgage arrearage through a chapter 13 plan is the not the equivalent of a contractual mortgage reinstatement. While the parties’ contract and applicable nonbankruptcy law set the amount of an arrearage claim, the bankruptcy code prescribes a debtor’s right to cure and maintain a mortgage in a chapter 13 plan. As such, the reinstatement provision in the mortgage is not operative in this bankruptcy case and provides no basis for the request for attorney fees in the arrearage claim.

I. Background

Pursuant to his chapter 13 plan (the “Plan”), debtor Anthony Joslin (the “Debtor”) proposes to cure the arrearage owed to Sharefax Credit Union, Inc. (“Sharefax”) on his residential mortgage (the “Mortgage”) and maintain the on-going monthly mortgage payments in accordance with § 1322(b)(5).1 Sharefax filed a secured proof' of claim in the amount of $173,358.82, which is broken down as follows:

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Proof of Claim Number 3-3. In an exhibit to its claim, Sharefax references paragraph 18 of the Mortgage regarding a borrower’s right to reinstate the mortgage following default and the Ohio Supreme Court case of Wilborn v. Bank One Corp., 121 Ohio St.3d 546, 906 N.E.2d 396 (Ohio 2009), which holds that provisions allowing for recovery of attorney fees in connection with a reinstatement of a mortgage are enforceable under Ohio law.

The chapter 13 trustee (the “Trustee”) objected to Sharefax’s claim, asserting that the $27,083 in attorney fees included in the prepetition arrearage claim should be disallowed. The Trustee argues that Ohio follows the “American Rule” regarding the recovery of attorney fees in civil litigation. Under the American Rule, each party is responsible for paying its own attorney fees. In support of her objection, the Trustee relies on the Lake2/Landrum3 line of bankruptcy court decisions holding that all provisions in debt instruments for payment of attorney fees upon a debtor’s default are void and unenforceable under Ohio law as against public policy. Relying on In re Tudor,4 the Trustee [880]*880further argues that even if Ohio law permits provisions for recovery of attorney fees in connection with the reinstatement of a mortgage, such fees are not recoverable under § 1322(e).

In its response, Sharefax focuses on the Trustee’s Lake/Landrum argument asserting that Wilborn, as well as the earlier cases of Davidson5 and Mahaffey,6 recognize an exception to the American Rule where attorney fees are sought as a condition of reinstatement of a mortgage. Sharefax also argues that the Sixth Circuit’s decision in Tucker7 allows attorney fees to be included in prepetition arrearage claims.

Sharefax likewise objected to confirmation of the Debtor’s Plan on the grounds that the Plan is not feasible when the full amount of its arrearage claim is included in the Plan. Alternatively, Sharefax argues that the Plan cannot be confirmed because it cannot be completed within the proposed approximate 51 month period even if attorney fees are excluded from Sharefax’s allowed claim.

In its original response, Sharefax did not address In re Tudor. At this Court’s request, the parties filed supplemental briefs. Accordingly, this matter is ripe for adjudication.

II. Analysis

A. Section 1322(b)(5) Versus Contractu-, al Reinstatement

Section 1322(b)(5) allows a chapter 13 debtor to cure defaults on long-term debts and maintain ongoing payments. Specifically, a debtor’s chapter 13 plan may:

provide for the curing of any default within a reasonable time and maintenance of payments while the case is pending on any unsecured claim or secured claim on which the last payment is due after the date on which the final payment under the plan is due[.]

11 U.S.C. § 1322(b)(5). Parties must look to § 1322(e), however, to determine the amount necessary to cure a default under § 1322(b)(5). Section 1322(e) provides that “if it is proposed in a plan to cure a default, the amount necessary to cure a default, shall be determined in accordance with the underlying agreement and applicable nonbankruptcy law,” 11 U.S.C. § 1322(e). Section 1322(e) prescribes a two part process.

First, as a threshold matter, the amount necessary to cure must be in accordance with the parties’ agreement. Second, the amount sought to be included must not otherwise be forbidden by applicable, non-bankruptcy law. Section 1322(e) does not provide for the inclusion of an item in an arrearage claim that would be permitted under applicable non-bankruptcy- law that was not included in the underlying agreement.

In re Tudor, 342 B.R. at 551 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted).

Sharefax contends that paragraph 18 of the Mortgage and the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision in Wilborn support Share-fax’s position that prepetition attorney fees are properly recoverable in this case. Paragraph 18 of the Mortgage reads as follows (the “Reinstatement Provision”):

[881]*88118. Borrower’s Right to Reinstate.

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Related

Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. v. Tucker
621 F.3d 460 (Sixth Circuit, 2010)
In Re Tudor
342 B.R. 540 (S.D. Ohio, 2005)
In Re Lake
245 B.R. 282 (N.D. Ohio, 2000)
In Re Landrum
267 B.R. 577 (S.D. Ohio, 2001)
Davidson v. Weltman, Weinberg & Reis
285 F. Supp. 2d 1093 (S.D. Ohio, 2003)
Washington Mutual Bank v. Mahaffey
796 N.E.2d 39 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2003)
Wilborn v. Bank One Corp.
906 N.E.2d 396 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2009)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
544 B.R. 877, 2016 WL 556125, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-joslin-ohsb-2016.