In re Spinks

591 B.R. 113
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Georgia
DecidedAugust 21, 2018
DocketNumber 17-41579-EJC
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 591 B.R. 113 (In re Spinks) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Spinks, 591 B.R. 113 (Ga. 2018).

Opinion

(Dckt. 48, p. 1). On May 31, 2018, the Court entered an order confirming the Debtor's plan. (Dckt. 51).

III. CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

The sole issue before the Court is whether to equitably toll the 180-day lookback period of 11 U.S.C. § 507(a)(4). Section 507(a) of the Bankruptcy Code"sets forth 10 categories of claims that are entitled to be paid ahead of a debtor's general body of unsecured creditors." In re Norwalk Furniture Corp., 418 B.R. 631, 634 (Bankr. N.D. Ohio 2009). "These categories of priority claims reflect the Congressional determination that, while equality of distribution is a major goal of the Bankruptcy Code, certain categories of claims deserve to be paid over other claims." Id. Here, Montoya claims priority status, in the form of his objection to confirmation, pursuant to the fourth category of priority claims as set forth in § 507(a)(4), which provides in pertinent part:

(a) The following expenses and claims have priority in the following order:
...
(4) Fourth, allowed unsecured claims, but only to the extent of $12,850 for each individual or corporation, as the case may be, earned within 180 days before the date of the filing of the petition or the date of the cessation of the debtor's business, whichever occurs first, for-
(A) wages, salaries, or commissions, including vacation, severance, and sick leave pay earned by an individual ....

11 U.S.C. § 507(a)(4)(A). "Pursuant to section 507(a)(4), an employee generally 'earns' wages at the time that the services are performed or the entitlement to the benefits vests, regardless of when the payment is made." In re Golden Gate Cmty. Health , 577 B.R. 567, 570 (Bankr. N.D. Cal. 2017) (citing In re Idearc Inc. , 442 B.R. 513 (Bankr. N.D. Tex. 2010) ).

If Montoya's unpaid wages are entitled to priority status, then his claim must be paid in full over the life of the Debtor's Chapter 13 plan. See 11 U.S.C. § 1322(a)(2) ("[t]he plan ... shall provide for the full payment, in deferred cash payments, of all claims entitled to priority under section 507 of this title ..."). The problem for Montoya is that his unpaid wages were not earned within 180 days before October 20, 2017, the date the Debtor filed the petition in the second case.8 Thus, under the plain language of § 507(a)(4), Montoya's claim is not entitled to priority status.

As Montoya points out, however, the automatic stay provisions of 11 U.S.C. § 362(a) prohibited him from pursuing any collection efforts against the Debtor between the filing of the Debtor's petition in the first case on April 2, 2015, and the dismissal of that case on October 10, 2017.

*118Accordingly, Montoya requests that the Court equitably toll the 180-day lookback period for the pendency of the Debtor's first bankruptcy case. "The doctrine of equitable tolling applies to periods of limitation in appropriate circumstances. It permits a court to suspend the measuring period for a party to take action during the time the party was unable to act."9 Tidewater Fin. Co. v. Williams (In re Williams) , 333 B.R. 68 (Bankr. D. Md. 2005). In other words, Montoya contends that the period from April 2, 2015, through October 10, 2017, should not count against the 180-day lookback period. If the Court equitably tolls this period, then a portion of Montoya's wages, which were earned within 180 days before the first case, would still be entitled to priority status in the second case.

This appears to be a matter of first impression, as Montoya does not cite, and the Court has not found, any cases in which a bankruptcy court addressed the issue of equitable tolling in the context of the 180-day lookback period of a § 507(a)(4) wage claim.10 Numerous courts, however, have addressed equitable tolling in connection with priority tax claims under § 507(a)(8), and these cases may assist the Court in resolving the present issue. Thus, the Court will briefly survey the history of equitable tolling of priority tax claims.

Section 507(a)(8) provides in pertinent part:

(a) The following expenses and claims have priority in the following order:
...
*119(8) Eighth, allowed unsecured claims of governmental units, only to the extent that such claims are for -
(A) a tax on or measured by income or gross receipts for a taxable year ending on or before the date of the filing of the petition -
(i) for which a return, if required, is last due, including extensions, after three years before the date of the filing of the petition ...

11 U.S.C. § 507(a)(8)(A)(i). In other words, unpaid income taxes are entitled to priority status so long as the tax returns were due less than three years before the date the bankruptcy petition was filed. Further, § 523(a)(1)(A) renders such priority tax debts nondischargeable, stating:

(a) A discharge under section 727, 1141, 1228(a), 1228(b), or 1328(b) of this title does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt-
(1) for a tax or a customs duty-
(A) of the kind and for the periods specified in section 507(a)(3) or 507(a)(8) of this title, whether or not a claim for such tax was filed or allowed ....

11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(1)(A).

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Bluebook (online)
591 B.R. 113, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-spinks-gasb-2018.