In Re Torline

357 B.R. 856, 2006 Bankr. LEXIS 3539, 2006 WL 3775924
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Kansas
DecidedDecember 22, 2006
Docket05-12251
StatusPublished

This text of 357 B.R. 856 (In Re Torline) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Torline, 357 B.R. 856, 2006 Bankr. LEXIS 3539, 2006 WL 3775924 (Kan. 2006).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER FOLLOWING TRIAL ON OBJECTION TO CONFIRMATION OF DEBTOR’S THIRD AMENDED PLAN

Dale L. SOMERS, Bankruptcy Judge.

On November 20 and 21, 2006, trial was held on objections to confirmation of the Debtor’s Third Amended Chapter 12 Plan of Reorganization (hereafter “Plan”). The Debtor, Kelly James Torline (hereafter “Debtor”) was present and represented by Elizabeth A. Carson of Bruce, Bruce & Lehman, LLC. Creditor Rebecca L. Barnhardt (hereinafter “Rebecca”) was present and represented by J. Michael Morris of Klenda, Mitchell, Austerman & Zuercher, LLC. The Chapter 12 Trustee, Edward J. Nazar, was also present. There were no other appearances. The Court has jurisdiction. 1

The Plan was filed on September 8, 2006. Objections were filed by Rebecca Barnhardt, Debtor’s ex-wife, and by Farmer’s State Bank of Bucklin. Counsel for the bank was present at the start of trial but announced that because he was satisfied that Debtor intended to pay his client’s claim in full, he would not participate in the trial. Rebecca and Debtor presented exhibits and testimony. The court heard arguments of counsel. Following the submission of post-trial briefs, the Court took the matter under advisement. The Court is now ready to rule.

*859 FINDINGS OF FACT.

Knowledge of the divorce proceedings is critical to understanding this Chapter 12 case and to the Court’s resolution of the issues presented. The parties were married on December 19, 1987, and were divorced by order of the District Court of Ford County, Kansas 2 on May 29, 2002. During the years 1990 through 2001, Rebecca received, by inheritance and gift, Archer Daniels Midland (hereafter “ADM”) stock and money having a total value of $1,511,345. Approximately two years after the divorce was granted, the state court entered a Journal Entry and Order for Disposition of Property (hereafter “Property Judgment”).

When dividing the property in the course of the divorce, the court concluded that it was apparent from the evidence that the purchase of farmland and machinery and the farming operation was made possible only by the substantial contributions and loan collateral derived from Rebecca’s gifts and inheritance. For that reason, the court found that equity and fairness could be achieved only by preserving Rebecca’s inheritance as much as was reasonably possible and by setting over the agricultural real estate purchased during marriage, with the related debt, to the Debtor. Accordingly, the Property Judgment provided the following regarding the Debtor’s debts:

The following debts shall be set over to Respondent [Debtor] as his sole and separate obligation, from which he shall hold Petitioner [Rebecca] harmless, and those debts incurred as purchase money obligations and secured by Petitioner’s stock shall be refinanced within 90 days and Petitioner’s stock shall be released as collateral, and in the event Respondent is unable to refinance within 90 days and release Petitioner’s collateral, Petitioner may move the Court for an order for sale of all assets sufficient to satisfy outstanding purchase money indebtedness which would allow the release of her stock as collateral, and those debts are set forth as follows:
Farmers State Bank of Bucklin (agricultural loans): Loan No. 367583 (secured by 32,437 of Archer-Daniels Midland common stock)
Amount: $186,916
Loan No. 355429 (secured by Sunflower soil conditioner)
Amount: $ 3,616
Loan No. 348163 (secured by John Deere 980 field cultivator)
Amount: $ 3,446
Bank of America agricultural loan
Secured by [31,500 shares of Archer-Daniels Midland Company common stock].
Amount: $140,000
John Deere Credit
Amount: $ 86,450
Citizens Bank of Kansas, Pretty Prairie, Kansas Loan No. 51026909.15 (refinanced ... loan to purchase... farm)
Amount: $ 43,450
Citizens State Bank Down payment on [farm real estate]
Amount: $ 2,138
Diversified Financial Services Remaining .. .payment for ... irrigation system
Amount: $ 9,520
Gordon Barnhardt Promissory note dated November 6, 2000 for the purchase of [farm property]
Amount: $131,968
Respondent’s Total Debt: $607,504

The Property Judgment also addressed division of bank accounts, including awarding to Debtor and Rebecca one half of Rebecca’s AmeriTrade account, stating the value to each as $43,720.

*860 In September and October 2004, within 90 days after the Property Judgment, Debtor obtained new financing from the Bucklin National Bank. The largest loan was in the amount of $121,500 and was secured by real estate and farm equipment. In addition there were two new operating loans for $50,000 and $46,500, one secured by crops and the other secured by crops, real estate, and equipment. The loan proceeds were used to pay John Deere Credit, Peggy Torline (Debtor’s mother), the real estate note with Citizen’s Bank of Kansas (one of two notes with that bank secured by Rebecca’s ADM stock), two small machinery notes held by the Farmers State Bank of Bucklin, and attorney fees.

Debtor did not timely refinance outstanding purchase money indebtedness to allow release of Rebecca’s ADM stock, as required by the Property Judgment. On November 19, 2004, the state court heard Rebecca’s motion for an order for sale of all assets sufficient to satisfy outstanding purchase money indebtedness which would allow the release of Rebecca’s ADM stock held as collateral by Farmers State Bank, Bank of America, and Citizens Bank of Kansas. On January 31, 2005, the court ordered the sale of Ford County real estate and machinery and equipment which had been set over to the Debtor in the Property Judgment filed on July 29, 2004. One March 7, 2005, because no supersede-as bond had been filed to stay the order during the appeal of the Property Judgment to the Kansas Court of Appeals, an order of sale was issued. This bankruptcy was filed on April 20, 2005, before the sale was held. The Property Judgment was affirmed by the Kansas appellate courts during the pendency of this case.

On August 23, 2005, Rebecca filed a proof of claim for $607,504, plus interest from April 6, 2004. The basis for the claim is the Property Judgment. In that judgment, the following pre-divorce obligations of the parties were set over as Debtor’s sole responsibility, from which he was to hold Rebecca harmless:

Farmers State Bank $193,978

Bank of America $140,000

John Deere $ 86,450

Citizens Bank, Pretty Prairie $ 43,450

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Related

University State Bank v. Blevins
605 P.2d 91 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1980)
Brieger v. Brieger
421 P.2d 1 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1966)
In Re Petroleum Products, Inc.
150 B.R. 270 (D. Kansas, 1993)
In Re Clark
288 B.R. 237 (D. Kansas, 2003)
Bassett v. Waters
176 P. 663 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1918)
Stoner v. Stoner
5 P.2d 847 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1931)
Rajala v. Kelly (In re Kelly)
169 B.R. 721 (D. Kansas, 1994)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
357 B.R. 856, 2006 Bankr. LEXIS 3539, 2006 WL 3775924, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-torline-ksb-2006.