In Re Thornes

386 B.R. 903, 2007 Bankr. LEXIS 4594, 2007 WL 5171032
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Georgia
DecidedSeptember 26, 2007
Docket18-41503
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 386 B.R. 903 (In Re Thornes) 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 Thornes, 386 B.R. 903, 2007 Bankr. LEXIS 4594, 2007 WL 5171032 (Ga. 2007).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER ON MOTION TO IMPOSE STAY

LAMAR W. DAVIS, JR., Bankruptcy Judge.

Debtor, who has had two prior Chapter 13 cases dismissed within the past year, filed a new case on August 1, 2007. Because it is his third case within a year, no automatic stay arose upon his filing as a matter of law. Accordingly, he filed this Motion to Impose the Automatic Stay under 11 U.S.C. § 362(c)(4)(B). Upon consideration of the record, I will deny that Motion for the reasons that follow.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Debtor purchased a 2004 Kia automobile on December 3, 2004 for $19,402.01 with payments of $451.31 per month starting in January 2005. Debtor financed the purchase of the 2004 Kia through National Auto Finance (“Creditor”).

Debtor filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy case No. 05-40881 on April 4, 2005 (“Case 1”). At that time, Debtor was employed by Chatham Area Transit as a bus driver with income of $32,000.00 to $34,000.00 per year. In September 2006, Debtor was rendered unable to work because of a problem with his eyesight that was caused by diabetes. As a result, he had no income until he began receiving disability income of about $1,500.00 per month in November 2006. Because of this interruption and reduction in income, Debtor fell behind on his Chapter 13 payments and Trustee filed a motion to dismiss in March 2007. Since Debtor was not able to cure the deficiency (the payments would increase to over $600.00 per month from the original payments of $534.00 per month), Debtor filed a voluntary dismissal on May 15, 2007, hoping to propose a plan with a more affordable payment. Case 1, Dckt. No. 62.

On May 15, 2007, Debtor filed Chapter 13 case No. 07-40709 (“Case 2”) with a proposed payment of $385.00 per month. Creditor held a secured claim on Debtor’s 2004 Kia automobile in an amount which had been reduced but not paid in full during Case 1. Debtor valued Creditor’s collateral at $9,100, an amount which he contends “was higher than the NADA retail on the Debtor’s 2004 Kia, and was based primarily on the balance due on the lender’s secured claim in the first case.” Case No. 07-41166 (Case 3), Dckt. No. 8, p. 1 (August 1, 2007). Debtor made one payment of $354.59 in ten weeks under Case 2.

Creditor filed an objection to confirmation of the plan in Case 2, asserting that it was entitled to fully secured status because the 2004 Kia was purchased 894 days prior to filing Case 2. Case 2, Dckt. No. 18 (May 22, 2007). Pursuant to a portion of 11 U.S.C. § 1325, commonly referred to as the “hanging paragraph,” Creditor asserted that it was entitled to an allowed secured claim in the amount of $21,509.62. The relevant portion of § 1325 provides in essence that debt which is secured by a motor vehicle incurred within 910 days prior to the date of filing the petition must be paid in full. Debtor acknowledged that Creditor was correct and, because he could not afford the higher *906 payments to fund this fully secured claim, filed a voluntary dismissal on July 31, 2007. Case 2, Dckt. No. 31.

After dismissing Case 2, Debtor filed case No. 07-41166 on August 1, 2007 (“Case 3”), well after the 910-day period had run. Debtor again proposed to value Creditor’s collateral at $9,100.00 with plan payments of $385.00 per month. Debtor now seeks an order imposing the automatic stay pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 362(c)(4)(B). Because of the two prior cases, Debtor must overcome a presumption that this case was not filed in good faith by clear and convincing evidence. 11 U.S.C. § 362(c)(4)(D).

Debtor argues that under my decision in Robinson v. Country Home Loans (In re Robinson), Ch. 13 Case No. 05-43319, Adv. No. 05-4069 (S.D.Ga. December 29, 2005)[hereinafter Robinson], this Court should look to a “totality of circumstances” in determining whether Debtor has overcome the presumption by clear and convincing evidence. Debtor further argues that this Court should broadly interpret the “totality of circumstances” test, and find his financial situation adequate to fund a plan since, in addition to his disability income, he is receiving $185.00 per month in food stamps, has family members that will help him out if he needs to make payments, and has a potential increase in income to $2,250.00 if he is successful in his application for Social Security benefits. Debtor points out that Case 1 was dismissed because he lost his job due to a disability and that Case 2 was not dismissed because of his lack of payments but because of his attorney’s misinterpretation of the Code. Case 3, Dckt. No. 31, p. 2-3.

In opposition, Creditor makes three arguments. First, Creditor argues that the proposed plan payment of $385.00 per month fails the feasibility test because Debtor is only receiving about $1,500.00 per month in disability income and $262.00 in food stamps. Thus Debtor’s budget will not be sufficient to pay the $685.00 mortgage, $125.00 electric bill, $650.00 in food, $140.00 on insurance on both cars, $100.00 in medical and dental expenses, $158.00 in transportation expenses (not including car payments), $50.00 in clothing, and an unspecified amount in general support of his three children and his unemployed spouse. Schedule J reports a monthly income of $2,395.00 and average monthly expenses of $2,010.40, an amount which arguably leaves an insufficient amount for the proposed payments and for emergency expenses. Case 3, Dckt. No. 33, p. 3; Dckt. No. 1, Schedules I and J. This contention is supported by the fact that Debtor received a $6,000.00 settlement for a personal injury in 2006, and Debtor has spent part of this money, in addition to his current income, to pay all his bills.

Second, Creditor points out that like the debtor in Robinson, Debtor’s first case ended because Debtor was on disability and was receiving only $1,500.00 a month. Now Debtor is still on disability and receiving $ 1,500.00 a month. Thus Creditor argues that Debtor’s financial circumstances have not “substantially” changed.

Third, Creditor argues that Debtor’s only reason for filing this third ease is to circumvent the 910-day requirement and this is evidence of bad faith.

For the following reasons, I conclude that Debtor has not made the requisite showing by clear and convincing evidence that there has been a “substantial change” in circumstances since either of the prior cases were dismissed that would lead this Court to conclude Debtor’s plan would be fully performed. The presumption im *907 posed by Section 362(c)(4)(D) on Debtor has therefore not been overcome.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

1. Debtor is presumed not to have filed in good faith and that presumption has not been overcome by clear and convincing evidence.

According to § 362(e)(4)(A)(i), the automatic stay does not go into effect upon a debtor’s filing a case if the debtor had two or more pending bankruptcy cases within the previous year.

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Bluebook (online)
386 B.R. 903, 2007 Bankr. LEXIS 4594, 2007 WL 5171032, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-thornes-gasb-2007.