In re Rodemeyer

99 B.R. 938, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 702, 1989 WL 49125
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Iowa
DecidedJanuary 25, 1989
DocketBankruptcy No. 88-00069M; Contested No. 68232
StatusPublished

This text of 99 B.R. 938 (In re Rodemeyer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Rodemeyer, 99 B.R. 938, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 702, 1989 WL 49125 (N.D. Iowa 1989).

Opinion

ORDER RE: MOTION FOR RELIEF FROM AUTOMATIC STAY

WILLIAM L. EDMONDS, Bankruptcy Judge.

The matter before the court is a motion for relief from automatic stay filed by Hampton State Bank. A hearing was held on this motion on November 30, 1988 in Mason City, Iowa. This ruling shall constitute findings of fact and conclusions of law as required by Bankr.R. 7052. This is a core proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(G).

FINDINGS OF FACT

The parties have stipulated to the following facts which this court now adopts as findings:

1. An order for relief under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code was entered on or about January 15, 1988, on a petition filed by debtors.
2. Bank holds a claim in this matter in the dollar amount of $77,056.71.
3. At the time of the filing of debtors’ petition, there was pending in the Iowa District Court for Franklin County, in No. C-1401-0586, an application for reinstatement of a fraudulent conveyance action by Bank against the debtors, which action had been dismissed as of the 1st day of January, 1988, pursuant to Iowa Rule of Civil Procedure 215.1, notwithstanding that a trial date had been scheduled in said matter for January 26, 1988.
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5. The state court action, No. C-1401-0586, was originally filed on May 2, 1986.
6. The state court action, No. C-1401-0586, was indexed on the Franklin County lis pendens index on May 2, 1986.
■ 7. True and accurate copies of the depositions of Dean Rodemeyer and Timothy Rodemeyer which were taken in Franklin County No. C-1401-0586 are attached hereto, respectively, as Exhibits 4 and 5, and are made a part hereof by this reference.
8. Due to the filing of the debtors’ petition in this matter, the debtors have contended that the Bank has been stayed from obtaining a ruling on its still pending application for reinstatement of Franklin County No. C-1401-0586.
9. Bank has now filed a second fraudulent convenyance (sic) action in this matter, as Adversary No. X-88-0116M, virtually identical to that stated in Franklin County No. C-1401-0586.
10. A certain defendant to Adversary No. X-88-0116M, specifically, Larry Eide as trustee in the bankruptcy of Dean and Ellen Rodemeyer, has taken the position that his interest in the subject premises is prior and superior to that of Bank’s, at least unless and until Franklin County No. C-1401-0586 is reinstated.
11. Dean and Ellen Rodemeyer filed their voluntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition on May 5, 1987, Bankr. No. 87-01087M in the Northern District of Iowa,....
12. That Larry S. Eide was duly appointed trustee in the Dean and Ellen Rodemeyer bankruptcy,....
13. That the Dean and Ellen Rode-meyer bankruptcy is still pending at this time and that Larry S. Eide still remains the duly appointed and acting trustee thereof.
14. That the Hampton State Bank was a duly listed creditor in the Dean and Ellen Rodemeyer bankruptcy.
15. That the Hampton State Bank had no security for its claim in the Dean and Ellen Rodemeyer bankruptcy other [940]*940than whatever lien Hampton State Bank may have had by virtue of its lis pendens status in the state court proceeding, No. C-1401-0586, pending in the Franklin County District Court entitled Hampton State Bank vs. Dean C. Rodemeyer, et al.
16. As of the date of this stipulation, the Franklin County District Court has not ruled or otherwise disposed of the Bank’s application to reinstate Franklin County No. C-1401-0586.

17. In addition, the court finds that Bank’s state court action sought as a remedy the setting aside of the deeds from Dean and Ellen Rodemeyer to Timothy and Patricia Rodemeyer.

DISCUSSION

The Hampton State Bank (BANK) seeks relief from the stay of 11 U.S.C. § 362 in order to pursue reinstatement of a state court fraudulent conveyance action which had been dismissed for lack of prosecution shortly before this bankruptcy case was filed. Bank puts forth three arguments in support of its motion for relief from stay:

1. That Bank, by virtue of the lis pen-dens indexing of its state court fraudulent conveyance action, has a perfected lien against the property in question which is enforceable against the trustee;

2. That even if the Bank does not have a “perfected” lien, the stay should not prevent it from perfecting because of the exceptions provided in 11 U.S.C. §§ 362(b)(3) and 546(b); and

3. That even if Bank does not have a perfected lien, it has a contingent interest which under state law has priority over the interest of the trustee of the Dean and Ellen Rodemeyer case.

I. PERFECTED LIEN ARGUMENT

Bank contends that it has a perfected lien against the subject premises as of the filing date of the state court action and therefore is entitled to relief from the automatic stay. Pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(1), the filing of a petition operates as a stay of the commencement or continuation of a judicial action or proceeding against the debtor that was commenced before the commencement of the case under this title, or to recover a claim against a debtor that arose before the commencement of the case under this title. It also operates as a stay against the creation, perfection or enforcement of a lien against property of the estate (§ 362(a)(4)) and against acts to obtain possession of property of the estate (§ 362(a)(3)).

Bank argues that it acquired a perfected lien against the subject premises when it indexed its state court action on the Iowa district court’s lis pendens docket on May 2, 1986.

In Iowa, the indexing of a pending action against real estate is provided for in Iowa Code §§ 617.10 and 617.11. Section 617.10 provides:

When a petition affecting real estate is filed, the clerk of the district court where filed shall forthwith index same in an index book to be provided therefor, under the tract number which describes the property, entering in each instance the cause number as a guide to the record of court proceedings which affect such real estate. If the petition be amended to include other parties or other lands, same shall be similarly indexed. When the cause is finally determined the result shall be indicated in said book wherever indexed.
Section 617.11 of Iowa Code says:

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Bluebook (online)
99 B.R. 938, 1989 Bankr. LEXIS 702, 1989 WL 49125, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-rodemeyer-iand-1989.