Long v. Long (In Re Long)

93 B.R. 791, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 1911, 1988 WL 124836
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Georgia
DecidedNovember 23, 1988
Docket15-52387
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 93 B.R. 791 (Long v. Long (In Re Long)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Long v. Long (In Re Long), 93 B.R. 791, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 1911, 1988 WL 124836 (Ga. 1988).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

JOHN T. LANEY, III, Bankruptcy Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

On October 19, 1988, a trial was held on the above captioned Adversary Proceeding on Plaintiff’s complaint to determine dis-chargeability of debt to Jocyria S. Long relying on section 523(a)(3), (5) of the Bankruptcy Code. 1 At the conclusion of the trial, Defendant requested additional time to submit a brief regarding the issues of third party payment cases in which the payment was held to be alimony or support *793 where payment did not result in an immediate support benefit to the spouse. Both parties submitted briefs for the court’s consideration. This court, having considered the evidence presented at trial and the briefs of counsel, now publishes its Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law.

FINDINGS OF FACT

The parties were married to each other on September 20,1974, in Atlanta, Georgia, and were subsequently divorced on November 4, 1983, in Leon County, Florida. The Plaintiff moved to Columbus in January, 1984 and married his second wife, Mary Louise, on January 11, 1984. On February 23, 1984, the Plaintiff and Defendant entered into a modified settlement agreement in which the Defendant quitclaimed her interest in the former marital property in exchange for $4,000.00. The marital domicile was encumbered by a first and second mortgage to Security First Federal Savings and Loan Association and Security Pacific Finance Corporation of Florida respectively. The agreement also specified that the Plaintiff shall be responsible for the deficiency, if any, upon foreclosure of the former domicile and that Plaintiff agreed to hold the Defendant harmless against said debt and obligation.

Security First Federal Savings and Loan Association commenced foreclosure proceedings and Plaintiff was served on April 5, 1984. The Plaintiff subsequently filed his Chapter 7 petition in bankruptcy on April 26, 1984 in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Columbus Division. Plaintiff did not list either Defendant or Security Pacific Finance Corporation of Florida as creditors and therefore neither creditor received actual notice of the bankruptcy. At the time

of filing Plaintiffs petition in bankruptcy, there was a contract for the sale of the marital domicile which subsequently did not materialize. The Defendant was subsequently sued by Security Pacific Finance Corporation of Florida and a judgment was taken against her in the sum of $10,380.59 plus court costs of $67.50 on January 19, 1987. On January 21, 1988, the Defendant instituted a contempt action in Leon County, Florida against the Plaintiff because of his failure to pay this amount. The Plaintiff then moved this court to reopen his Chapter 7 bankruptcy case in order to amend his schedules and add the Defendant and Security Pacific Finance Corporation of Florida as unsecured creditors. The Plaintiff then filed this Adversary Proceeding to determine the dischargeability of debt to the Defendant.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

The Defendant seeks to have the debt owed to her by Plaintiff declared non-dis-chargeable on several grounds. The grounds on which Defendant seeks denial of discharge can be summarized as follows:

1. Whether or not Plaintiff had been a resident of this judicial district for a longer portion of the 180 day period preceding the filing of this case so that the venue of this case is proper pursuant to former 28 U.S.C. A. section 1472. 2

2. Whether or not in Plaintiffs no asset bankruptcy case,- the debt to Defendant was not scheduled because of fraud or intentional design pursuant to section 523(a)(3) of the Bankruptcy Code. 3

3. Whether or not the obligation of the Plaintiff to hold the Defendant harmless from the deficiency which resulted from the foreclosure sale is alimony, mainte *794 nance, or support so as to be non-dis-chargeable pursuant to 11 U.S.C.A. section 523(a)(5). 4

When a party objects to the discharge of a debt, that party bears the burden of proving the objection by clear and convincing evidence. In re Hunter, 780 F.2d 1577 (11th Cir.1986). Although the creditor has the ultimate burden of persuasion, under 11 U.S.C.A. section 523(a)(3) the debtor who failed to schedule a creditor in a no-asset case must show absence of fraud or intentional design in order to obtain a discharge. Matter of Baitcher, 781 F.2d 1529, 1534 (11th Cir. 1986). Therefore, the debtor must make a satisfactory explanation for the failure to schedule the Defendant as a creditor in his bankruptcy case.

As to the venue in Plaintiffs underlying bankruptcy case, this court finds that the Plaintiff did reside in Columbus, Georgia as of January 11, 1984, and therefore Plaintiff was a resident of Muscogee County, Georgia, in the Middle District of Georgia for the greater part of the six months immediately preceding the filing of this case on April 26, 1984. Therefore, the venue in the underlying case is proper pursuant to 28 U.S.C. section 1474. 5

In regard to the Plaintiff’s failure to schedule the Defendant in his Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, this court finds that Plaintiff has failed to carry his burden of showing absence of fraud or intentional design. The evidence presented to this court was that Plaintiff and Defendant entered into a modified settlement agreement on February 23, 1984. Plaintiff subsequently filed his Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition on April 26, 1984. Plaintiff’s testimony was that that he did not think he owed Defendant anything and therefore, did not schedule Defendant as a creditor in his Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. In view of the fact that the time period between the modified settlement agreement on February 23, 1984, and the filing of Plaintiff’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition on April 26, 1984, is so short, this court does not find Plaintiff’s testimony to be credible about the failure to schedule Defendant as a creditor in his Chapter 7 bankruptcy case.

As to Plaintiff’s allegation that Defendant knew about the bankruptcy or had actual notice, there was conflicting testimony between Plaintiff and Defendant. Plaintiff testified that several weeks after the filing of his Chapter 7 case, he talked with Defendant on the phone, and that Defendant had knowledge of his bankruptcy due to difficulties with the financing of Defendant’s car with GMAC. Defendant’s testimony was that she denied receiving any such notice from Plaintiff, but instead was told about Plaintiff’s bankruptcy several years later through someone at GMAC in connection with financing problems with her car.

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

Related

In Re Berry
190 B.R. 486 (S.D. Georgia, 1995)
In Re Martinez
112 B.R. 46 (M.D. Georgia, 1990)
In Re Anderson
104 B.R. 427 (N.D. Florida, 1989)
In Re Brian Sung Il Kim
102 B.R. 787 (D. Hawaii, 1989)
Lanker v. Wheeler (In Re Wheeler)
101 B.R. 39 (N.D. Indiana, 1989)
In Re Mendiola
99 B.R. 864 (N.D. Illinois, 1989)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
93 B.R. 791, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 1911, 1988 WL 124836, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/long-v-long-in-re-long-gamb-1988.