In re Lien

527 B.R. 1, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 833, 2015 WL 1190091
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Minnesota
DecidedMarch 16, 2015
DocketBKY Case No. 11-60636
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 527 B.R. 1 (In re Lien) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Lien, 527 B.R. 1, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 833, 2015 WL 1190091 (Minn. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

Michael E. Ridgway, United States Bankruptcy Judge

This matter came on for evidentiary hearing before the Court on December 16, 2014, upon the chapter 7 Trustee’s (“Trustee”) motion for a determination that conversion from chapter 13 to chapter 7 was done in bad faith under 11 U.S.C. § 348(f)(2), and for a determination that the “inheritance”1 received by the Debtors during the chapter 13 bankruptcy filing is property of the chapter 7 bankruptcy estate (the “Bad Faith Conversion Motion”), and the Debtors’ response thereto, as well as the Trustee’s motion for turnover appearing at ECF No. 58 (the “Turnover Motion”), and the Debtors’ response thereto. Appearances were as noted on the record.2 After some discussion, the Court allowed the parties, in their discretion, to submit supplemental briefing on the Turnover Motion. Both parties did so and the Court took the matters under advisement. The matters are now ready for disposition.

This is a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(A), (B), (E), and (0); this Court has jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. §§ 157(a) and 1334. The motions arise under 11 U.S.C. §§ 521 and 542. The motions were filed under Fed. R. Bankr.P. 9014 and Local Rule 6072-1. For the reasons set forth below, the Court will grant the Trustee’s motions.

Background3

The Debtors, Bruce and Sherie Lien, originally filed a chapter 13 bankruptcy [3]*3case on June 21, 2011. The Debtors’ first amended chapter 13 plan was submitted to the Court on August 17, 2011; under it, the Debtors proposed to pay $550.00 each month for sixty months for a total of $33,000.00 to be paid under the plan. Ex. I. This plan was confirmed on October 25, 2011. The Debtors’ second amended chapter 13 plan was submitted to the Court on April 2, 2012 and was approved by the Court on May 22, 2012. Ex. J. The Debtors’ second amended chapter 13 plan provided that the Debtors would make the same payments of $550.00 per month for 60 months for a total of $33,000.00, but added an IRS debt to be paid as a priority claim in the second amended plan.4 On July 30, 2014, the debtors filed a verified conversion form, converting their chapter 13 case to a case under chapter 7. Ex. 13.

The chapter 13 trustee’s final report and account was filed on August 18, 2014; it reflects that the Debtors paid a total of $19,250.00 during the chapter 13 plan, $4,308.24 of which went to costs of administration, and the remainder to creditors. The chapter 13 trustee’s final report shows total allowed claims of $345,241.97.

Bruce Lien was appointed the trustee of the Loretta A. Lien Irrevocable Trust dated November 2, 1999. Ex. 9; Ex. B. Loretta A. Lien was Bruce Lien’s mother. Mr. Lien testified that, at the time, he understood that he was also a beneficiary under the trust and he knew that his mother owned farmland. Bruce and his siblings are each beneficiaries under the trust. The trust provided that upon the death of the debtor’s mother, Bruce, along with his eleven siblings, would each be entitled to one equal share of the assets of the trust, i.e., each was entitled to a one-twelfth share, unless alternative provisions of distribution were invoked.5

Bruce Lien testified that he began his duties as trustee of the trust in January 2012, when his mother was admitted to the nursing home;6 prior to that, his mother was in an assisted living facility since autumn of the preceding year, and prior to that, had lived alone, having been “feisty.” Bruce Lien’s mother died on April 7, 2012, at which time he became entitled to receive property from his mother’s trust. Ex. C.7 At that time, Bruce was also advised by the attorney for his mother’s estate that Bruce was the sole trustee.

Sherie Lien testified that Bruce and his brother decided to liquidate their mother’s trust estate sometime in 2013. There were two parcels of real estate in the trust, which are legally described in the trust document. Ex. 9; Ex. B.8

Parcel 1 was sold and the debtor received his share from the sale of that property in August, 2013, in the amount of $34,191.00. The Debtors did not report the income from this inheritance/land sale to the chapter 13 trustee. These funds [4]*4were deposited into the Debtors’ Mid Central Federal Savings Bank account, and the statement for that account reflects an ending balance of $19,925.32 as of June 30, 2014. Ex. 17. Sherie Lien testified that the difference was spent on medical bills and business debt. Sherie and Bruce further testified that additional amounts of the sale proceeds have since been spent, leaving a current balance of approximately $17,000.00.

Prior to trial, and per the parties’ stipulation of undisputed facts, Parcel 2 had been listed for sale with a listing price of $159,000.00, which would have yielded a potential gross recovery from the sale of that land, before costs of sale, of $13,250.00 ($159,000.00 /12 children = $13,250.00). ECF No. 66.

In addition, Bruce Lien has a claim to a one-twelfth interest in $40,000.00 currently being held in escrow for taxes and trust expenses by the attorney for the trust.

As noted, Bruce Lien received the funds from the sale of Parcel 1 of the real estate in approximately August 2013 and did not notify the chapter 13 trastee.9 Both Debtors testified, rather unconvincingly, that they had no idea that they had an obligation to report additional disposable income or property to which they became entitled during the pendency of their chapter 13 case, i.e., after the filing of their chapter 13 case.10 This testimony was belied by the fact that Bruce Lien testified that he knew he had an obligation, among other things, to submit copies of the Debtors’ state and federal income tax returns to the chapter 13 trustee. And, the Debtors’ second amended chapter 13 plan, provided, at ¶ 13, that the “debtors will submit copies of their state and federal income tax returns to the Trustee annually while this case is pending and shall be entitled to retain the first $2.000 ($1,200 if single) plus any earned income credit and Minnesota Working Family Credit. Any remaining amounts shall be turnover to the Chapter 13 trustee as additional plan payments.” Ex. J. More specifically, both Debtors unconvincingly testified that they were under the belief that they had no obligation to report the inheritance that Bruce Lien received after the passing of his mother, a substantial amount when viewed in comparison to what the Debtors were paying their unsecured creditors under their chapter 13 plan. In actuality, the amount the Debtors received from the trust proceeds from the sale of Parcel 1 alone, $34,191.00, was more than the entire

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Bluebook (online)
527 B.R. 1, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 833, 2015 WL 1190091, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-lien-mnb-2015.