In Re Turner

157 B.R. 904, 29 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 848, 1993 Bankr. LEXIS 1346, 1993 WL 347440
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Alabama
DecidedSeptember 7, 1993
Docket19-70180
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 157 B.R. 904 (In Re Turner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Turner, 157 B.R. 904, 29 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 848, 1993 Bankr. LEXIS 1346, 1993 WL 347440 (Ala. 1993).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

JAMES S. SLEDGE, Bankruptcy Judge.

These proceedings are before the Court for a consolidated hearing in three separate cases filed under Title 11, United States Code, Chapter 13. In each case Internal Revenue Service (IRS) filed proofs of claim and the trustee filed contests of the IRS claims. The facts of each case are slightly different, but the dispositive issue is the same in each case. The Court must determine whether a claim filed in a Chapter 13 case after the 90-day deadline set by Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 3002(c) can be allowed.

Appearing at the August 11, 1993, hearing were Linda B. Gore, Chapter 13 standing trustee, Richard E. O’Neal, assistant United States attorney, Scott J. Crosby, trial attorney, Tax Division, United States Department of Justice, Charles D. Martin, attorney for Phillip Owens and Debra Owens, Thomas M. Semmes, attorney for Glenda Turner and Ronny Turner, and Virgil M. Smith, attorney for Troy Franklin Moore. This Court has jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1334, and these are core proceedings under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(B). Some of the parties have filed briefs and written arguments which the Court has considered, and the facts as set forth below are not in dispute. Upon full consideration of the arguments by counsel, the facts, and the law, the Court concludes that the contests by the standing trustee are to be sustained. 1

FINDINGS OF FACT

The facts of each case are set out individually.

Phillip Owens and Debra Owens

Phillip Owens and Debra Owens filed a petition on October 13, 1992. The notice for a meeting of creditors under § 341 was dated and mailed October 14, 1992, and this notice provided a deadline for filing proofs of claims on February 11, 1993. The debtors did not schedule IRS as a creditor and no notice was sent to IRS. The debtors amended the schedules to add Internal Revenue Service on February 4,1993, for those taxes that were owed for 1987, 1988, and 1989. The clerk mailed a notice to Internal Revenue Service on February 5, 1993, indicating the deadline for filing a proof of claim. The scheduled hearing for confirmation was held March 3, 1993, and the *906 order confirming the plan was entered March 5, 1993. Neither the debtor nor the trustee filed a proof of claim on behalf of Internal Revenue Service. IRS neither objected to confirmation nor appealed the confirmation order but filed a proof of claim on April 28, 1993, asserting a priority claim for the estimated taxes for 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990. Mr. Owens did not file an income tax return for those years. The trustee filed a contest to the claim on May 5, 1993, and the court scheduled this hearing after IRS responded to the contest.

Troy Franklin Moore

Troy Franklin Moore filed a petition on October 29, 1992. The original schedules listed Internal Revenue Service. A notice of the meeting of creditors under § 341 was dated and mailed October 30, 1992, indicating that the deadline for filing a proof of claim was March 11, 1993. The debtor filed an amendment to Schedule “F” on March 18, 1993, indicating a larger amount owed. The scheduled hearing for confirmation was held March 24, 1993, and an order confirming the plan was entered March 25, 1993. IRS did not object to confirmation, did not appeal the confirmation order, but filed two priority proofs of claim on May 26, 1993, one for income tax for 1989 and one for income tax for 1992. The trustee contested these two claims on June 3,1993. After a response by IRS, the contests were set for hearing.

Glenda Turner and Ronny Turner

Glenda Turner and Ronny Turner filed a petition on August 2, 1991. The petition did not list IRS. A notice of the meeting of creditors under § 341 was dated and mailed August 5, 1991, indicating a deadline for filing proofs of claim of December 11,1991. The scheduled hearing for confirmation was held January 8, 1992, and an order confirming the plan was entered January 10, 1992. Internal Revenue Service did not object to confirmation and did not appeal the confirmation order. Even though no notice of the bankruptcy case was mailed from the clerk of court to IRS, it filed a proof of claim on April 30, 1993, claiming a priority status for income taxes for 1988 and 1989. Upon receipt of this proof of claim, the clerk added Internal Revenue Service to the mailing list. The trustee filed a contest to the proof of claim on May 20, 1993. After a response from the Internal Revenue Service, the court set the contest for this hearing.

As grounds for each of the above contests, the Chapter 13 standing trustee asserts that the claims do not amend previously-filed claims, were filed subsequent to the date fixed for filing claims, and do not fit within the exceptions set forth in Rule 3002(c). In each case, the notice of the meeting of creditors included a bold notice as follows: “Creditors: File your claims NOW. Claims not filed by claims bar date generally are not allowed. Bar date is [applicable date\.” Each debtor’s plan provides that the debtor shall pay in full, in deferred cash payments, all allowed claims entitled to priority under 11 U.S.C. § 507. All of the claims filed by Internal Revenue Service are unsecured claims entitled to priority status by 11 U.S.C. § 507. The provisions of the plan in each case satisfy the requirement for full payment in deferred cash payments of claims entitled to priority under § 507. 11 U.S.C. § 1322(a)(2).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

Whether or not a claim filed in a Chapter 13 case after the deadline or bar date for filing proofs of claim can be allowed and entitled to distributions from the standing trustee depends upon the interrelationship of United States Code, Title 11, §§ 501 and 502 and Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 3002. This issue was thought to be settled by a long-standing precedent that the 90-day deadline for filing unsecured claims (priority or nonpriority) is an absolute bar and that the bankruptcy court has no discretion to enlarge the time or permit an untimely filed or tardy proof of claim to be paid by distributions from the standing trustee. 2 Keith M. Lundin, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy §§ 7.15-7.24 (1992); 5 Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice 2d, § 123.9 (William L. Norton, Jr. ed., 1993). Internal Revenue *907 Service seeks to persuade the Court to deviate from this long established precedent and follow a new direction recently blazed by a bankruptcy court in another circuit.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In re Dumain
492 B.R. 140 (S.D. New York, 2013)
In Re Hogan
346 B.R. 715 (N.D. Texas, 2006)
In Re Stewart
247 B.R. 515 (M.D. Florida, 2000)
Cavaliere v. Sapir
208 B.R. 784 (D. Connecticut, 1997)
In Re Cavaliere
194 B.R. 7 (D. Connecticut, 1996)
In Re Ford
205 B.R. 960 (N.D. Alabama, 1996)
In Re Tucker
174 B.R. 732 (N.D. Illinois, 1994)
In Re Marsiat
184 B.R. 846 (M.D. Florida, 1994)
In Re Robert
171 B.R. 881 (N.D. California, 1994)
In Re Friesenhahn
169 B.R. 615 (W.D. Texas, 1994)
In Re Becker
169 B.R. 725 (D. Kansas, 1994)
In Re Gullatt
164 B.R. 279 (M.D. Tennessee, 1994)
In Re Babbin
164 B.R. 157 (D. Colorado, 1994)
In Re Jones
164 B.R. 543 (N.D. Texas, 1994)
Matter of Andrew
162 B.R. 46 (M.D. Georgia, 1993)
In Re Parr
165 B.R. 677 (N.D. Alabama, 1993)
Matter of Osman
164 B.R. 709 (S.D. Georgia, 1993)
In Re Sullins
161 B.R. 957 (M.D. Tennessee, 1993)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
157 B.R. 904, 29 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 848, 1993 Bankr. LEXIS 1346, 1993 WL 347440, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-turner-alnb-1993.