In Re Wood

122 B.R. 107, 1990 Bankr. LEXIS 2592, 1990 WL 200192
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Idaho
DecidedDecember 11, 1990
Docket19-00072
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 122 B.R. 107 (In Re Wood) 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 Wood, 122 B.R. 107, 1990 Bankr. LEXIS 2592, 1990 WL 200192 (Idaho 1990).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

JIM D. PAPPAS, Bankruptcy Judge.

Introduction.

The Court has under advisement a Motion to Modify Plan filed in this Chapter 12 case by the Trustee, Mr. Fitzgerald. Debtors’ plan was confirmed in January of 1988, and has been the subject of two uncontested modifications sponsored by Debtors. Debtors have recently completed the last of their “sum certain” payments to Trustee for the benefit of their creditors under the terms of the plan.

From the record, it appears the motion was originally filed when Trustee discovered from Debtors’ financial reports that they had liquidated approximately $80,000 worth of stored grain. The object of the motion initially was to obtain the Court’s declaration that the grain proceeds were “disposable income” as defined in Section 1225(b) of the Code, and to secure an order that the funds be paid to Trustee for distribution to creditors. However, as the proceedings on Trustee’s motion evolved, the scope of the inquiry became increasingly broad, all with the consent of the interested parties. Trustee now seeks to comprehensively examine Debtors’ entire financial performance during the plan. While it is now apparent that the grain sold by Debtors was subject to a correspondingly large Commodity Credit Corporation secured loan obligation, so that Debtors netted relatively little in the transaction, Trustee has now identified literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in other monies he claims represent disposable income which must be paid to creditors.

The evidentiary hearing on the motion was conducted in several different sessions over a period of five months. Hundreds of pages of financial and other documentary exhibits were introduced into evidence, and what first appeared to be a simple case has taken on major dimensions. 1 Of course, Debtors’ position is that there was and is no disposable income which should be paid to Trustee. In essence, they claim all funds they received have been reasonably expended for the continued operation of their farm, and that any funds currently on hand are required for their future business and living expenses.

In addition, the major secured creditor in the case, Eastern Idaho Production Credit Association (EIPCA), has opposed Trustee’s motion. EIPCA supports Debtors’ claims that no disposable income exists and decries any attempts to pay any funds to unsecured creditors at the risk of the failure of Debtors’ business, and their resulting inability to service the EIPCA loan. 2

Debtors explain that their plan was originally financed through an agreement with EIPCA which allowed them the use of 1987 crop proceeds and government payments amounting to about $105,000, subject to an EIPCA security interest, in connection with their 1988 operation. EIPCA agreed to repayment of its loans, thereafter to be secured by liens on basically all Debtors’ assets, over a seven year period. This then *111 allowed Debtors through their dry farm operation to make annual payments through the Trustee to other creditors, including a token small annual sum to be shared by unsecured creditors.

Debtors claim that their plan operation was “bare-bones” from the start, cutting back severely on such important operating items as fertilizer, equipment, and repairs. Additionally, Debtors claim that drought, insect infestations, and market conditions impaired their performance, at least during the first two years of their three year plan.

Procedure.

Trustee brings his disposable income arguments to the Court via a Motion to Modify. That is, when he discovered what he felt was the existence of additional disposable income available for distribution to creditors, he filed a Motion to Modify the confirmed plan, pursuant to Section 1229(a), seeking to incorporate a new specific payment requirement. This procedure appears to be consistent with the suggestions of other bankruptcy courts examining the issue of the proper approach for submitting disposable income issues to the Court, a question left unanswered by the Code or legislative history. See, e.g., In re Schwarz, 85 B.R. 829, 882 (Bankr.S.D.Iowa 1988).

The confirmed plan in this case contains the following provision:

“All disposable income not used for the farming operation shall be paid to the trustee and the trustee may, at its discretion, use said disposable income for purposes of making additional payments to unsecured creditors during the term of the plan.”

Chapter 12 Plan, Article XVI, p. 14. Under authority of Section 1225(b)(1)(B), such a provision is almost uniformly required by Chapter 12 trustees in this district as a part of any proposed plan. 3 In light of such a plan provision, must the trustee seek a modification to the plan to compel the Chapter 12 Debtors to pay over disposable income to him?

The answer to this question is quite clearly that no plan modification is necessary. The plan provision cited above places an affirmative duty on the Debtors to make the required payments. If they fail to do so, they risk dismissal based upon their default, Section 1208(c)(6), and will not be entitled to a discharge of indebtedness, Section 1228(a). The trustee, in satisfaction of his duties under the Code, must ensure that the debtor makes all payments required by the plan, Section 1202(b)(2), and oppose entry of discharge if good reason exists, Section 1202(b)(1). The debtor is required by the U.S. Trustee to file monthly financial reports with the Chapter 12 trustee during the term of the plan, and to file a final account of the administration of the estate, Section 1203. 4 In this manner, the trustee will be able to review the debt- or’s performance and seek either dismissal or denial of discharge if all disposable income has not been paid over.

At oral argument, the parties to this action agreed that modification of the plan was not the proper procedure to reach the issues at bar. They instead desire a declaration by the Court as to whether any disposable income exists, and if so, the amount. Since the parties have raised no objections to this procedure, the Court feels it appropriate to make such determinations. The consequences that may flow from such a decision must, however, be left to further proceedings.

*112 Burden of Proof.

When disposable income issues do arise in a case, the courts have taken different positions with respect to the allocation of the burden of proof. The courts that require a modification motion to be prosecuted by the trustee also place the burden of proving there is indeed disposable income on the trustee. See In re Coffman, 90 B.R. 878, 885 (Bankr.W.D.Tenn. 1988); In re Rott, 94 B.R. 163, 167 (Bankr.D.N.D.1988); Farm Credit Bank v. Hurd, 105 B.R. 430, 432 (W.D.Tenn.1989). In the rehabilitative chapters, generally the burden of proving cause for dismissal rests on the moving party, and such has been held to be the case in a Chapter 12 case. In re lessen, 82 B.R. 490 (Bankr.S.D.Iowa 1988).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
122 B.R. 107, 1990 Bankr. LEXIS 2592, 1990 WL 200192, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-wood-idb-1990.