In Re Osborn

176 B.R. 941, 1994 WL 736216
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 29, 1994
Docket18-81312
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 176 B.R. 941 (In Re Osborn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Osborn, 176 B.R. 941, 1994 WL 736216 (Okla. 1994).

Opinion

ORDER

TOM R. CORNISH, Bankruptcy Judge.

On the 12th day of October, 1994, the above-referenced matter came on for trial after the case was remanded to this Court by the Tenth Circuit, In re Osborn, 24 F.3d 1199 (10th Cir.1994) and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Counsel appearing were Mark Craige and Jim Hicks for Durant Bank & Trust and Keith Hoeker and Greg Tontz for the Debtors. Both parties have filed proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law. After hearing testimony, arguments of counsel, and reviewing the file, this Court does hereby enter the following findings and conclusions in conformity with Rule 7052, Fed.R.Bankr. P., in this core proceeding:

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

In 1956, the Osborns purchased and claimed as their homestead property located 10818 Lake June Road, Dallas, Texas (“the Texas property”). The Osborns continued to reside there until they were required to leave by the U.S. Marshal after the sale of the property in January, 1991. The Osborns purchased property in southeast Oklahoma beginning in 1959 (“the Oklahoma property”), with the intent to reside there and enter into the farming business once Mr. and Mrs. Osborn retired. The Oklahoma property was mortgaged to Durant Bank & Trust (“DB & T” or “Bank”).

The Osborns filed a Chapter 12 proceeding on July 9, 1987. After the Bank objected, the action was subsequently dismissed. The Bank filed an involuntary Chapter 7 proceeding against the Osborns on December 30, 1987 which was converted to Chapter 11 and thereafter reconverted back to Chapter 7. During the Chapter 11 ease, the Osborns filed their original Schedule B-l listing their real property. The Texas property was valued at $70,000 and a piece of rural property in Oklahoma was valued at $238,950. The Tenth Circuit noted in its opinion that many of the documents relating to the loans on the Oklahoma property listed an Oklahoma address for the Osborns. The original schedules in the Chapter 12 and this Chapter 7 proceeding listed the Oklahoma property as the Osborns’ mailing address. The original bankruptcy petitions listed the Osborns’ mailing address as Route 2, Box 118, Bokchi-to, Oklahoma. Mrs. Osborn later testified that she thought that she was to give the Oklahoma address because they were filing a business bankruptcy, which was connected to the Oklahoma property.

In the appellate record before the Tenth Circuit, Mrs. Osborn had testified that she had made no express representation that the Oklahoma property was her homestead. She further testified that she had no understanding of the legal meaning of the word “homestead.” On the other hand, Mr. Osborn had testified on several occasions that the Okla *944 homa property was his homestead. He even testified at the first meeting of creditors that he and his wife lived on the property in Oklahoma.

The Tenth Circuit also had before it the circumstances regarding the adequate protection lien on the Texas property. On July 6, 1988, the Bankruptcy Court granted the Bank an adequate protection lien on the Texas property, and allowed the Debtors to use cash proceeds from the sale of some of their cattle in order to maintain the herd, which was subject to the security interest of the Bank. The Osborns used over $11,000 of these proceeds. Notably, the Osborns did not object to that lien being put on the Texas property nor did they argue that the property was their homestead.

The Bank filed an adversary proceeding seeking to deny the Osborns a discharge of their debt to the Bank. On January 9, 1990, an agreed journal entry of judgment was entered which provided that a debt of $225,-000 to the Bank was nondischargeable and the parties asked Farmers Home Administration to reguarantee the loan. The judgment provided that if Farm Home did not reguarantee the loan, then the Bank had the right to execute upon the judgment and take other legal action as it deemed reasonable. Farm Home refused to reguarantee the loan.

The Osborns then filed an amendment to their Schedule B-4 which claimed the Texas property as exempt. The Bankruptcy Court denied the amendment and the Debtors appealed. The District Court affirmed the Bankruptcy Court’s decision and the Debtors appealed to the Tenth Circuit. The Tenth Circuit found:

(1) The Osborns’ appeal was not moot in light of the sale of the Texas property to a third party. The Tenth Circuit noted that where state law or the Bankruptcy Code provides some remedy that does not affect the validity of the sale, § 363(m) of the Bankruptcy Code does not moot the appeal.

(2) In this case, the showing of prejudice was not sufficient to deny the amendment under Rule 1009. The Tenth Circuit noted:

The bankruptcy court’s order here is not clear whether there was merely a procedural denial of the amendment, or whether the homestead claim was rejected on the merits. In any event we hold that, insofar as the bankruptcy court’s order was a denial of the procedural right to amend, the ruling was in error. That is not the end of the matter, however. “Whether the claims of exemption contained in that amendment will be approved if an interested party timely objects, however, is a separate issue.” Redmond [v. Tuttle ], 698 F.2d [414] at 417 [ (10th Cir.1983) ].
(3)The Tenth Circuit further stated:
We feel the fashioning of such a remedy should first be considered by the bankruptcy judge. Moreover, the present record is inadequate for the making of a determination about possible relief for the Osborns, and the weighing of the equities relating to impressing a trust on the proceeds from the sale of the Texas property or to the extent of monetary relief that should be given to the Osborns from those proceeds or from the party that received them. The bankruptcy court should conduct proceedings to consider the equities and the fashioning of relief, consistent with this opinion.

The denial of the amendment was reversed by the Tenth Circuit and remanded.

The Tenth Circuit noted that the Bankruptcy Court entered an order allowing the Trustee to sell the Texas property. The Bankruptcy Court stayed the sale of the Texas property on the condition that the Osborns maintain insurance on the property and pay “reasonable rent” of $450 per month to the Bank. The reasonable rate of $450 per month was agreed to by Mrs. Osborn at a bankruptcy hearing and was not appealed. The Osborns failed to comply with the conditions and the Trustee sold the Texas property at auction for $27,000. As a result of this case being remanded back to this Court, this Court held a full day trial where the following evidence was received.

FACTS BEFORE THE BANKRUPTCY COURT ON REMAND

Mrs. Osborn testified that in 1956, she and Mr. Osborn purchased the property known as 10818 Lake June Road, Dallas, Texas and *945 resided there until 1991. Mr. and Mrs. Osborn had never been separated or divorced. In 1965, Mrs. Osborn began working for Proctor and Gamble in Dallas. At first, she only worked part-time and in 1962, she began working full-time.

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176 B.R. 941, 1994 WL 736216, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-osborn-okeb-1994.