In Re Richardson

27 B.R. 560, 8 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 79, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17423, 10 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 570
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedDecember 7, 1982
DocketCiv. A. No. 82-1267, Bankruptcy No. 79-371
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 27 B.R. 560 (In Re Richardson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Richardson, 27 B.R. 560, 8 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 79, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17423, 10 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 570 (E.D. Pa. 1982).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

HANNUM, District Judge.

The appellants, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) and two of its officials, Kenneth R. Reeher, and Jay Evans, herein appeal an order of the Bankruptcy Court which determined that PHEAA Regulation 121.4(b), 1 22 Pa.Code *562 § 121.4(b) is unconstitutional pursuant to § 525 of the Bankruptcy Code as applied to the appellee. The Bankruptcy Court’s order also enjoined appellants from applying PHEAA Regulation 121.4(b) to deny the application of Reginald Richardson for a guaranteed student loan, and the order directed PHEAA to approve the application of Richardson for a guaranteed student loan. 2

The facts, as found by the Bankruptcy Court are as follows: Reginald Richardson attended undergraduate school at the University of Pennsylvania between 1972 and 1976. During that time the plaintiff applied for and received student loans guaranteed by PHEAA totaling $5,800.00. After leaving school prior to graduation, Richardson failed to contact the lending institution and establish a repayment schedule or to repay any of his student loans as required by his loan agreements. As a result, PHEAA was obliged to purchase Richardson’s loans from the lending institution.

Thereafter, on March 12, 1979, Richardson filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy under the Bankruptcy Act. On June 29, 1979, Richardson obtained a discharge from all of his dischargeable debts including the debt owed to PHEAA for his student loans. 3

In the spring of 1980, Richardson returned to the University of Pennsylvania to complete his undergraduate degree. At that time he applied for a PHEAA-guaran-teed grant which application was denied by PHEAA because of the fact that Richardson had defaulted on his prior PHEAA-guaranteed student loans. At the same time, he applied for a PHEAA-guaranteed loan which application was not processed by the University of Pennsylvania. Because Richardson was able to obtain other loans and grants through the school, he failed to appeal PHEAA’s denial of his grant application or to take any other steps to obtain relief from that decision.

In May of 1981, Richardson graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He had applied to several law schools and had decided in May to attend Temple Law School. On June 21, 1981, Richardson filed an application for a PHEAA-guaranteed student loan through Girard Bank. That application was initially denied by Girard Bank but, after discussions with Richardson’s lawyer, the Bank approved the application and sent it on to PHEAA for approval.

On June 22,1981, Richardson filed a complaint in Bankruptcy Court seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against PHEAA to prevent it from denying his guaranteed loan application. On August 10, 1981, PHEAA filed a motion to dismiss that complaint. Thereafter the appellee was admitted to the University of Virginia Law School and filed a new guaranteed loan application which was processed through the Bank. A hearing was held on the complaint and motion to dismiss on August 20, 1981, at which time the plaintiff also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order/or for a preliminary injunction to require PHEAA to process his loan application immediately and to enjoin PHEAA from denying that application for discriminatory reasons. Following an evidentiary hearing, the Bankruptcy Court granted the relief sought by issuance of an order dated October 9, 1981. 4

Appellants raise three contentions on appeal. First, appellants argue that the broad jurisdictional authority conferred on bankruptcy judges under 28 U.S.C. § 1471 is *563 unconstitutional. Second, it is contended that the Bankruptcy Court erred in its determination that guaranteed student loans fall within the terms of 11 U.S.C. § 525, which prohibits governmental entities from discriminating against bankrupts with respect to the grant of various public benefits. Thirdly, appellants argue that PHEAA Regulation 121.4(b) would not discriminate against appellee on the basis of his prior bankruptcy.

The Bankruptcy Code of 1978 expanded the jurisdiction of the Bankruptcy Courts to include “all civil proceedings arising under Title 11 or arising in or related to cases under Title 11.” 28 U.S.C. § 1471. 5 Appellants argue that the grant of such broad jurisdictional power to the Bankruptcy Courts is unconstitutional, thus warranting dismissal of Richardson’s adversary proceeding in Bankruptcy Court that resulted in the decision that is now the subject of appeal. During the pendency of this appeal, the United States Supreme Court has indeed concluded that Congress’ grant of jurisdiction to the Bankruptcy Courts created by the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 was unconstitutional because it conferred Article III judicial power upon judges who lacked life tenure and protection against salary diminution as are afforded Article III judges under the Constitution. Northern Pipeline Construction Company v. Marathon Pipe Line Company, - U.S. -, 102 S.Ct. 2858, 73 L.Ed.2d 598 (1982). The Supreme Court, however, held that its decision would apply only prospectively, and the Court stayed its judgment until October 4, 1982. 102 S.Ct. at 2880. Since the Court has expressly declined to give retroactive effect to its holding, we do not find appellants’ jurisdictional argument to be a ground for upsetting the Bankruptcy Court’s decision.

Title 11, U.S.C. § 525 provides:

[A] governmental unit may not deny, revoke, suspend, or refuse to renew a license, permit, charter, franchise, or other similar grant to, condition such a grant to, discriminate with respect to such a grant against, deny employment to, terminate the employment of, or discriminate with respect to employment against, a person that is or has been a debtor under this title or a bankrupt or a debtor under the Bankruptcy Act, or another person with whom such bankrupt or debt- or has been associated, solely because such bankrupt or debtor is or has been a debtor under this title or a bankrupt debtor under the Bankruptcy Act, has been insolvent before the commencement of the case under this title, or during the case but before the debtor is granted or denied a discharge, or has not paid a debt that is dischargeable in the case under this title or that was discharged under the Bankruptcy Act.

Id. (emphasis supplied). In enacting Section 525, Congress intended to codify the result of Perez v. Campbell, 402 U.S. 637, 91 S.Ct. 1704, 29 L.Ed.2d 233 (1971). H.Rep. No. 95-595, 95th Cong., 1st Sess., 366-67 (1977); S.Rep. No. 95-989, 95th Cong., 2nd Sess. 81 (1978), U.S.Code Cong. & Admin. News 1978, p. 5787. In Perez,

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Bluebook (online)
27 B.R. 560, 8 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 79, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17423, 10 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 570, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-richardson-paed-1982.