In Re Tamasha Town and Country Club, Bankrupt. Don Rothman, Trustee v. United States

483 F.2d 1377, 32 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5833, 1973 U.S. App. LEXIS 8123
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit·Decided August 30, 1973·No. 71-1634·Published·Cited by 16 cases

Opinions

OPINION

HUFSTEDLER, Circuit Judge:

On July 31, 1962, Tamasha Town and Country Club (“Tamasha”) filed a petition for an arrangement under section 322, Chapter XI of the Bankruptcy Act (“Act”). (11 U.S.C. § 722.) Operations were continued under “debtor in possession” status. Tamasha’s First Amended Plan of Arrangement was confirmed on January 21, 1965. In accordance with the plan of arrangement, $14,000 was deposited by Tamasha to pay the priority creditors, pursuant to section 337(2) of the Act. (11 U.S.C. § 737(2).) However, before any significant payments1 were made from this fund,2 the ailing company succumbed altogether and was adjudicated bankrupt on November 4, 1965.3 The trustee then transferred the unpaid deposits to the trustee’s account.

On January 27, 1970, the United States filed a priority claim of $6,774.09 and a claim of $7,603 as an expense of administration. Both claims represent accrued and unpaid taxes. With respect to the priority claim, $5,328.95 is pre-Chapter XI debt, tax obligations which arose before the filing of the petition for an arrangement. The remaining $9,048.14 4 is post-Chapter XI debt, tax obligations which accrued after the filing of the petition and during the now aborted plan of arrangement period. The referee required the trustee to satisfy the priority tax claim ($6,774.09) prior to any other distribution and allowed the expense of administration [1379] claim ($7,603) to share pro rata with other such claims.5

The trustee does not dispute the ruling on the expense of administration claim. He argues, however, that $1,445.-14 of the priority claim (the post-Chapter XI filing portion) should also be treated as an expense of administration and that the remaining $5,328.95 (pre-Chapter XI debt) should not be given a superpriority, but should be treated in accordance with section 64(a) of the Act. (11 U.S.C. § 104(a).) Claims for taxes accrued before the Chapter XI filing are given a fourth priority under' section 64(a), well behind costs and expenses of administration. We hold that segregation of funds under a plan of arrangement, absent actual transfer, does not establish priorities that survive an adjudication of bankruptcy.

The trust fund theory advanced by the Government here is similar to that rejected in United States v. Randall (1971) 401 U.S. 513, 91 S.Ct. 991, 28 L.Ed.2d 273. In Randall, the Government’s general trust fund theory was bolstered by reference to the explicit trust created by the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 7501(a)). The Court held that the Bankruptcy Act is “an overriding statement of federal policy on this question of priorities” and made reference to “the strong policy of § 64(a)(1) of the Bankruptcy Act.” (401 U.S. at 515, 517, 91 S.Ct. at 992, 994; see also Nicholas v. United States (1966) 384 U.S. 678, 691, 86 S.Ct. 1674, 1683, 16 L.Ed.2d 853.) The opinion traced the history of legislative change which has continuously subordinated tax claims and elevated the priority of administrative costs and expenses, concluding “We think the statutory policy of subordinating taxes to costs and expenses of administration would not be served by creating or enforcing trusts which eat up an estate, leaving little or nothing for creditors and court officers whose goods and services created the assets.” (401 U.S. at 517, 91 S.Ct. at 994.) The rationale and holding in Randall compel reversal here.

The Government would distinguish Randall on three bases: (1) Randall involved the interplay of two federal acts, while the instant ease involves only the Bankruptcy Act; (2) in Randall no fund for taxes was actually segregated; and (3) the plan of arrangement in the instant case aborted after judicial confirmation, and therefore after the parties’ rights had vested. None of these factors is determinative.

The trust asserted in Randall was that specifically created by 26 U.S.C. § 7501(a).6 Here the Government asks us to enforce an implied trust, said to be found in the nexus of sections 337(2) and 367(2) of the Bankruptcy Act.7 However, the Randall rule depends on the effect of the trust claimed, and not on its alleged source. We will not create or enforce an implied trust which would accomplish a reversal of the congressional policy favoring administration expenses over tax claims as fully as would the express trust in Randall. Nor does [1380] the Randall rule depend upon isolation of particular funds. In Randall, the trustee argued that since the debtor in possession had failed to segregate the taxes withheld, no trust in favor of the United States resulted. (401 U.S. at 515, 91 S.Ct. 991.) Instead of adopting this argument, the Court chose to place its ruling on the survey of legislative developments favoring administrative expenses over tax claims and on the overriding policy of section 64(a), as discussed above.

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In Re Tamasha Town and Country Club, Bankrupt. Don Rothman, Trustee v. United States, 483 F.2d 1377, 32 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5833, 1973 U.S. App. LEXIS 8123 (9th Cir. 1973).

483 F.2d 1377 (In Re Tamasha Town and Country Club, Bankrupt. Don Rothman, Trustee v. United States) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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