In re Ojiegbe

512 B.R. 513, 2014 WL 2809705
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Maryland
DecidedJune 20, 2014
DocketNo. 11-11426-TJC
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 512 B.R. 513 (In re Ojiegbe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Ojiegbe, 512 B.R. 513, 2014 WL 2809705 (Md. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

THOMAS J. CATLIOTA, Bankruptcy Judge.

The debtor Vitalis Ojiegbe (the “Debt- or”) filed a motion seeking sanctions for violating the automatic stay against Judith Walter, Esq. (“Walter”), who holds a judgment against the Debtor. Docket No. 55. Now before the court are cross-motions for summary judgment. Docket Nos. 100 and 117. The cross-motions raise the following issues: (1) whether Walter violated the automatic stay by serving a writ of execution on a business entity owned by the Debtor; and (2) whether Walter’s service of a writ of garnishment on the Debtor’s bank accounts was excepted from the automatic stay because she served the writ to satisfy a domestic support obligation or because the accounts contained exempted funds. The court held a hearing on the cross-motions for summary judgment on May 13, 2014.

For the reasons set forth herein, the court concludes that Walter’s writ of execution on a separate business entity owned by the Debtor did not violate the automatic stay in the Debtor’s case. The court rejects Walter’s contention that the garnishments were excepted from the stay because she served them to satisfy a domestic support obligation, and concludes that Walter violated the automatic stay by garnishing the Debtor’s Capital One Bank account because there are no issues of fact in dispute as to whether it contained exempt funds. The court further concludes that Walter violated the automatic stay by garnishing the Debtor’s bank accounts held in Bank of America, N.A. and State Employees Credit Union, unless she can establish at trial that the funds in the bank account were exempt property.

Jurisdiction

The court has subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1334(b) and 157(a) and Local Rule 402 of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. This is a core proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(1).

[517]*517Material Facts Not in Dispute

On January 25, 2011, the Debtor filed a petition for relief under Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code. His plan was confirmed on August 29, 2011. See Docket No. 49. The Debtor is a physician who conducts his practice from a clinic that is owned and operated by Sunrise Medical Clinic, LLC (“Sunrise”). Docket No. 100 at ¶ 6. Sunrise is a duly formed limited liability company. See Docket No. 100-35 (1040 form listing Sunrise as an LLC); Docket No. 55 at ¶ 3, 13 (stating that Sunrise is known as an LLC and that the Debtor’s interest in the LLC is part of the bankruptcy estate). The Debtor is the sole member of the LLC and listed his 100% membership interest in it on schedule B. Docket No. 1 at 10.

On July 7, 2011, the Debtor filed divorce proceedings against his wife Magdaline Ojiegbe in the Circuit Court of Prince George’s County, Maryland (“Circuit Court”). Docket No. 100 at ¶ 12. On August 1, 2011, Magdaline also filed divorce proceedings in the Circuit Court and the cases were consolidated. Docket No. 100 at ¶ 15. Walter represented Magda-line in these proceedings. A suggestion of bankruptcy was never filed in either divorce case and the parties litigated the divorce at hearings held April 2, 2012, May 20, 2012, and June 18, 2012. Docket No. 100 at ¶¶ 17 and 25. The Circuit Court entered the Judgment of Limited Divorce on September 27, 2012. Docket No. 55-5. The Judgment of Limited Divorce awarded rehabilitative alimony and child support to Magdaline. Id. at 2-3.

The Judgment of Limited Divorce also awarded attorney fees to Walter in the amount of $13,000. Id. at 3. The order stated that if the Debtor did not pay the attorney fees in thirty days, a judgment for the attorney fees would be entered against the Debtor in favor of Walter in the amount of $13,000. Id. On November 19, 2012, the thirty day period expired and Walter filed a motion for entry of a judgment against the Debtor for the attorney fee award. Docket No. 55-56. The Circuit Court granted a judgment (the “Fee Judgment”) in the amount of $13,000 against the Debtor in favor of Walter on December 10, 2012. Docket No. 100-19. On January 14, 2013 and again April 12, 2013, the Debtor filed motions requesting that the Circuit Court reconsider or vacate the Fee Judgment. Docket No. 55 at ¶ 18; Docket No. 100 at ¶ 37. The Circuit Court denied both motions. Docket No. 100-22; Docket No. 100 at ¶ 38.

On January 29, 2013, Walter requested writs of garnishment on the Debtor’s personal bank accounts at Bank of America, N.A. (“BOA”), Capital One Bank (“Capital One”) and State Employees Credit Union (“SECU”) (collectively the “Accounts”). See Docket Nos. 117 at Ex. 7, 100 at ¶ 39 and 100-5 at 9. On February 15, 2013, the Clerk of the Circuit Court issued writs of garnishment of property to BOA, Capital One and SECU. Docket Nos. 100-5 at 9; 117-8. All three institutions filed Garnishee’s Confession of Assets. Docket No. 55-8-55-10.

On February 1, 2013, Walter filed a request for a writ of execution directing the Sheriffs Office to execute on cash proceeds maintained in the Sunrise medical office. Docket No. 100 at ¶ 40; Docket No. 117-14. On February 15, 2013, the Clerk issued a writ of execution directing the Sheriff “to levy upon the property of the Judgment Debtor to satisfy a money judgment.” Docket No. 117-15 at 1. In furtherance of the writ, Walter wrote a letter on February 20, 2013, requesting that the Sheriff levy against the Debtor’s property, consisting of cash located in the Sunrise medical office. Docket No. 55 at ¶ 38 and 117-14-117-16. On April 10, 2013, the Sheriffs Deputy appeared at the [518]*518Sunrise medical office and served the writ of execution. Docket No. 55 at ¶ 55.

The Debtor filed the motion seeking sanctions for stay violations on June 25, 2013. Docket No. 55. At the parties’ request, they were provided a substantial period of time for discovery. The parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment and opposition briefs, and the matter is now ripe for resolution.

Conclusions of Law

The Debtor alleges that Walter violated the automatic stay when she served the writ of execution against Sunrise and the writs of garnishment against the Accounts. Walter offers numerous defenses to the Debtor’s claims, focusing primarily on exceptions in the Bankruptcy Code for collection of domestic support obligations. Walter also requests that the court abstain from hearing the motion for stay violations. The court will turn to Walter’s abstention request first.

Abstention

Walter states that “[mjany federal bankruptcy courts have found that abstention was required in circumstances in which a Debtor attempted to relitigate a state court judgment in the bankruptcy court.” Docket No. 100 at 28. Relying on the Circuit Court’s denial of the Debtor’s motions to reconsider, Walter states that the Circuit Court “did not intend to retroactively stay the award of attorney fees already entered in the case.” Id. at 29. She concludes that “[tjhis case is purely a case involving domestic relations law and the domestic relations exception to federal jurisdiction” and that this is a case where “it is appropriate for [the] court to abstain from further consideration of the Debtor’s motion.” Id. at 30.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Antonucci v. Carbone
E.D. Pennsylvania, 2020
Jeffrey B. Bruce
E.D. Wisconsin, 2019
Pee Dee Elec. Membership Corp. v. King
2018 NCBC 22 (North Carolina Business Court, 2018)
Jordahl v. Dyal (In re Jordahl)
555 B.R. 861 (S.D. Georgia, 2016)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
512 B.R. 513, 2014 WL 2809705, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-ojiegbe-mdb-2014.