In re Kennedy

161 B.R. 203, 1993 Bankr. LEXIS 1788, 1993 WL 502586
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedNovember 3, 1993
DocketBankruptcy No. 93-30091-13
StatusPublished

This text of 161 B.R. 203 (In re Kennedy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.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 Kennedy, 161 B.R. 203, 1993 Bankr. LEXIS 1788, 1993 WL 502586 (Ohio 1993).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

RICHARD L. SPEER, Bankruptcy Judge.

This cause comes before the Court upon Debtor’s Objection to Proof of Claim, filed by Union Bank of California (hereafter “Union Bank”). A Hearing was convened on Debt- or’s Objection and Counsel agreed to submit written arguments. Both parties submitted Briefs in support of their position. After the Hearing, Counsel agreed to submit Post-Trial Memorandum in-lieu of closing arguments. Creditor’s Counsel comphed with this request. Debtor’s Counsel, after being granted a request to extend time, never filed a Post-Petition Memorandum. The Court has reviewed the written arguments of Counsel, supporting affidavits, and exhibits, as well as the entire record of the case. Based upon that review and for the following reasons, the Debtor’s Objection to Proof of Claim should be Overruled.

FACTS

Donovan and Julie Kennedy (hereafter “Debtors”), on September 11, 1991, entered into a Pre-Computed Interest Motor Vehicle Contract and Security Agreement (hereafter “Contract”) with Cardinale Oldsmobile GMC in California. This Contract provided for the financing of a 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse. Payments were to be paid on the twenty-sixth (26th) of each month until September 26, 1996. The contract also provided that the Debtors were prohibited from removing the [205]*205vehicle from California for more than thirty (30) days at a time.

This Contract was assigned without recourse to Union Bank. Union Bank received a security interest in the vehicle which was, according to the record, perfected under the laws of California.

In February of 1992, after Donovan Kennedy’s discharge from the army, the Debtors moved to Ohio. They did not notify the Creditors that they had moved until they were in Ohio. The Creditors then commenced to send all correspondences to the Debtors at their address in Ohio.

About the same time the Debtors moved they started to become delinquent in their payments. Although they never completely missed a month they were late in paying several times. In addition, in August of 1992, the Debtors arranged with Union Bank to have that month’s payment deferred. The Debtors missed their September 26, 1992 payment and have not since made a payment.

On September 10, 1992 Donovan Kennedy went to the Wood County Title Department (hereafter “Title Department”) to begin proceedings to retitle the ear in Ohio. The Title Department on the aforementioned date, sent a request to Union Bank asking for the original title and a certified copy of the Security Agreement. When the Title Department received no response from Union Bank, they sent another letter on October 5, 1992 and again received no response.

The Debtors called Union Bank to discover • the reason why the bank was withholding the title. The Debtors were informed that Union Bank would not allow the Debtors to retitle the vehicle in Ohio because of their payment history. Since the car could not be driven without valid Ohio license plates, which cannot be obtained without an Ohio title, Debtors offered to surrender the vehicle. Union Bank agreed and on October 26, 1992 Debtors returned the vehicle to Toledo Auto Auction, a location designated by Union Bank. Union Bank then sold the vehicle and now claim a deficiency of Five Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty-six Dollars and Eighty-two Cents ($5,786.82).

The procedure of this case is as follows: the Debtors filed their Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Petition on January 13, 1993. Union Bank then filed its Proof of Claim on February 8, 1993 with an Objection to the Claim being filed by the Debtors on March 10, 1993. A Hearing was held on the Debtors’ Objection and Union Bank subsequently filed Closing Arguments and Post-Trial Memorandum. Debtors’ Counsel never filed a Closing Arguments or Post-Trial Memorandum.

LAW

The relevant portions of the Bankruptcy Code are as follows:

11 U.S.C. § 501(a):

A creditor or an indenture trustee may file a proof of claim. An equity security holder may file a proof of interest.

11 U.S.C. § 502

(a) A claim or interest, proof of which is filed under section 501 of this title, is deemed allowed, unless a party in interest ... objects.
(b) ... the court, after notice and a hearing shall determine the amount of such claim in lawful currency of the United States as of the date of the filing of the petition, and shall allow such claim in such amount, except to the extent that— (1) such claim is unenforceable against the debtor and property of the debtor, under any agreement or applicable law for a reason other than because such claim is contingent or unmatured.

The relevant portions of the California Uniform Commercial Code are as follows:

Cal.Com.Code § 9502(2)

A secured party who by agreement is entitled to charge back uncollected collateral or otherwise to full or limited recourse against the debtor and who undertakes to collect from the account debtors or obli-gors must proceed in a commercially reasonable manner and may deduct his reasonable expenses of realization from the collections. If the security agreement secures an indebtedness, the secured party must account to the debtor for any surplus, [206]*206and unless otherwise agreed, the debtor is liable for any deficiency.

DISCUSSION

Allowance or disallowance of claims against the estate is a core proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(B). The case at bar is a core proceeding.

This case arose out of a security agreement devised under the California Uniform Commercial Code. Referral to California law occurs throughout the Security Agreement, by implication then, California law should govern. “In the absence of any controlling federal law, ‘property’ and ‘interests in property’ are creatures of state law.” Barnhill v. Johnson, 503 U.S.-, 112 S.Ct. 1386, 118 L.Ed.2d 39 (1992), citing McKenzie v. Irving Trust Co., 323 U.S. 365 at 370, 65 S.Ct. 405 at 408, 89 L.Ed. 305 (1945).

Pursuant to Cal.Com.Code § 9502 after a debtor has defaulted, the secured party has the right to repossess the collateral and sell it in a commercially reasonable manner. If there is any surplus amount between the selling price and the debt, then the secured party must pay the difference to the debtor. Contra, if there is a deficiency, the debtor is hable to the secured party for the difference between the debt and the selling price.

The major issue in this case is whether the Debtors were in default when they voluntarily surrendered the vehicle. If so, they are hable for the deficiency to Union Bank. It is the Court’s belief that the Debtors were in default at the time of surrender.

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Related

McKenzie v. Irving Trust Co.
323 U.S. 365 (Supreme Court, 1945)
Barnhill v. Johnson
503 U.S. 393 (Supreme Court, 1992)
American Business Credit Corp. v. Kirby
122 Cal. App. 3d 217 (California Court of Appeal, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
161 B.R. 203, 1993 Bankr. LEXIS 1788, 1993 WL 502586, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-kennedy-ohnb-1993.