In Re Thompson

454 B.R. 486, 2011 Bankr. LEXIS 1870, 2011 WL 1883679
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Idaho
DecidedMay 17, 2011
Docket09-00963
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 454 B.R. 486 (In Re Thompson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Idaho primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Thompson, 454 B.R. 486, 2011 Bankr. LEXIS 1870, 2011 WL 1883679 (Idaho 2011).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

TERRY L. MYERS, Chief Judge.

INTRODUCTION

Before the Court is the question of confirmation of the amended plan of reorganization of chapter 11 debtors in possession Victor and Teresa Thompson (“Debtors”) dated January 13, 2011, Doc. No. 272 (“Plan”). 1 Objections to confirmation were filed by Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”) through its servicing agent, IBM Lender Business Process Services, Inc. (“IBM”). Doc. Nos. 292, 293, 311, 312 (“Objections”). 2 A confirmation hearing was held on March 28, 2011. The Court took the issues under advisement on April 11, 2011, at the conclusion of post-hearing briefing. This Decision constitutes the Court’s findings and conclusions. Fed. R. Bankr.P. 7052, 9014.

BACKGROUND AND FACTS

Debtors, husband and wife, are in the business of buying and developing real estate. Whether they resell such properties or hold them as rental income producing properties has varied with market conditions. Their Plan identifies ten parcels of property on which they propose to restructure debts. Doc. No. 272 at 2-3. Debtors’ amended disclosure statement, Doc. No. 273, indicates that many of the parcels were acquired by Debtors personally while others “were purchased by one of [Debtors’] self-settled trusts as title holder, for estate planning purposes, but are considered by law to belong to the Debtors for purposes of this case.... [T]he self-settled trusts which were created to acquire and hold title are considered void for purposes of this bankruptcy proceeding, so the properties will be treated as belonging to the Debtors themselves.” Id. at 2-3.

Debtors identify 30 secured creditors under Class 3 of their Plan. Doc. No. 272 at 4-8. Each secured creditor is further classified into subclasses ranging from “C” to “FF,” with each subclass containing a given creditor and the property securing *489 the creditor’s claim. 3 The issues addressed in this Decision relate to the claims of creditor FNMA (identified as IBM in Debtor’s Plan, see note 2 supra) found in Class 3 subclass “X” and Class 3 subclass “Y” for properties located at 727 Stampede Court, Nampa, ID, and 743 Stampede Court, Nampa, ID (hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Stampede Court Properties”).

Douglas and Elizabeth Thompson (the “Thompsons”), Victor’s brother and sister-in-law, acquired the Stampede Court Properties in the summer of 2007. They financed the purchases through FNMA’s predecessor in interest (First Horizon Home Loans) by executing two promissory notes — -one for $247,500 and another for $249,000. See Doc. Nos. 292 at 34-36, and 293 at 21-23. The notes were secured by deeds of trust on the Stampede Court Properties. Doc. Nos. 292 at 18-33, and 293 at 6-21. 4 The properties are single-level triplexes located on adjacent parcels. They have been managed and used as rental properties since they were acquired by the Thompsons in 2007.

On March 5, 2009, the Thompsons conveyed by warranty deed legal title to each of the Stampede Court Properties to Victor as “Trustee of the 727 Stampede Trust” and “Trustee of the 743 Stampede Trust,” with the Thompsons as the trust beneficiaries. See Doc. Nos. 292 at 16, and 293 at 4. 5 In conjunction with the transfers of legal title, the Thompsons also conveyed to Victor their beneficial interests in the 727 Stampede and 743 Stampede Trusts. 6 Victor paid nothing to the Thompsons in consideration for the properties and he did not execute any documents to assume the Thompsons’ obligations on the notes.

A little over a month later, on April 16, 2009, Debtors filed their chapter 11 peti *490 tion. Among their assets they listed the Stampede Court Properties, each with a secured claim of $240,000. On January 5, 2011, Debtors filed an objection to claims and motion for determination of secured status of the Stampede Court claims. Doc. No. 264. The objection/motion was directed at IBM but drew no response. On March 1, 2011, the Court, having received no objections, entered an order establishing the secured amounts of the two claims. Doc. No. 306. That order established an allowed secured claim on the 727 Stampede Court property of $138,100 (resulting in an unsecured claim of $101,900) and an allowed secured claim on the 743 Stampede Court property of $138,400 (leaving an unsecured claim of $101,600). Id.

Through this Order and their Plan, Debtors seek to restructure FNMA’s claims against the Stampede Court Properties. The Plan proposes to pay the 727 Stampede Court secured claim in the amount of $138,400 at 6% interest over a 30-year period at $823.24 per month plus a reserve for taxes and insurance, and the 743 Stampede Court secured claim in the amount of $13 8,100 at 6% interest over a 30-year period at $821.45 per month plus a similar reserve. Doc. No. 272 at 7. On the unsecured portions of its claims, treated under Class 4 of the Plan with the other general unsecured creditors, FNMA is to receive “a pro rata share of $5,000.00 per year for a period of five years until a maximum of $25,000” total is paid to the unsecured creditors within the class. Id. at ll. 7

Although IBM did not respond to Debtors’ objection/motion, Doc. No. 264, IBM did file, on February 7, 2011, objections to confirmation of Debtors’ Plan, Doc. Nos. 292, 293, which were “supplemented” by the subsequent FNMA objections filed on March 25, Doc. Nos. 311 and 312.

DISCUSSION AND DISPOSITION

Debtors here request confirmation under the “cramdown” provisions of § 1129(b). Their Plan must therefore satisfy all of the confirmation requirements set forth in § 1129(a), with the exception of § 1129(a)(8), as well as the requirements of § 1129(b) which require that the Plan “not discriminate unfairly, and is fair and equitable” with respect to each impaired class that has not accepted the Plan under § 1129(a)(8)(A). Liberty Nat’l Enters. v. Ambanc La Mesa Ltd. P’ship (In re Ambanc La Mesa Ltd. P’ship), 115 F.3d 650, 653 (9th Cir.1997) (citing In re Arnold & Baker Farms, 177 B.R. 648 (9th Cir. BAP 1994), aff'd, 85 F.3d 1415 (9th Cir.1996)). As the Plan proponent, Debtors bear the burden of proving to the Court by a preponderance of the evidence that these requirements have been met before confirmation may be granted. Id.; see also Varela v. Dynamic Brokers, Inc. (In re Dynamic Brokers, Inc.), 293 B.R. 489, 498-99 (9th Cir.BAP2003) (explaining that the law of the Ninth Circuit places an independent duty on the bankruptcy court *491 to make certain that all requirements for confirmation have been met, whether or not a creditor objects) (citing Everett v. Perez (In re Perez),

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
454 B.R. 486, 2011 Bankr. LEXIS 1870, 2011 WL 1883679, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-thompson-idb-2011.