McCullough v. Camden Nursery, Inc. (In re Camden Nursery, Inc.)

31 B.R. 1, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 3141
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. South Carolina
DecidedOctober 11, 1982
DocketBankruptcy No. 81-00197; Complaint No. 81-0188
StatusPublished

This text of 31 B.R. 1 (McCullough v. Camden Nursery, Inc. (In re Camden Nursery, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCullough v. Camden Nursery, Inc. (In re Camden Nursery, Inc.), 31 B.R. 1, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 3141 (southcarolinaed 1982).

Opinion

ORDER

J. BRATTON DAVIS, Bankruptcy Judge.

The trustee seeks to recover certain payments made by the debtor, Camden Nursery, Inc. (Camden Nursery), to Jeanne Pointer Pratt, which payments were made within one year of the debtor’s petition for relief under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code (11 U.S.C. § 701 et seq.). After reviewing the testimony and numerous exhibits submitted at trial, I find the following to be matters of fact:

FACTS

On January 11, 1980, Jean Pointer (now Pratt) loaned Camden Nursery $9,000 and Camden Nursery, delivered to her a promissory note, payable on demand, for $9,000. On February 14, 1980, Jeanne Pointer married the sole shareholder of Camden Nursery, Edward Pratt, and on May 9,1980, she loaned Camden Nursery $10,350, which delivered to her a promissory note, payable on demand, for $10,350. Both notes were signed “Camden Nursery, Inc., by Edward Pratt.” Jeanne Pointer Pratt was not in the business of making loans and had not ' been repaid within 45 days of her loans. Both loans were unsecured.

, Camden Nursery filed its Petition for Relief on February 17, 1981, after having operated without a profit for approximately .one year.

Camden Nursery repaid the balance on the two notes to Jeanne Pointer Pratt with the following checks, all of which were made within one year of bankruptcy:

[2]*2DATE SIGNED BY CHECK NO. AMOUNT
July 21,1980 Leatrice McCaskill Check #11055 $ 5,000.00
August 7,1980 Lillian M. Pratt Check #11102 5,350.00
August 28,1980 Leatrice McCaskill Check #11139 1,200.00
Oct. 28,1980 Jeanne Pratt Check #11227 1,000.00
Nov. 13,1980 Edward Pratt Check #11249 800.00
Nov. 21,1980 Edward Pratt Check #11257 1,200.00
Jan. 29,1981 Leatrice McCaskill Check #11331 4,800.00
$19,350.00

Two of- these payments were made within 90 days of bankruptcy. There is no evidence that Jeanne Pointer Pratt gave Camden Nursery, in exchange for the checks, any new money, goods, services, credit, or releases.

During the one year prior to bankruptcy when these transfers were made Camden Nursery owed: Ann Martin (first wife of Edward Pratt) approximately $50,000 under a divorce settlement agreement, approximately $12,000 to the South Carolina National Bank, $6,000 to The First National Bank, $19,350 to Jeanne Pointer Pratt, and various other sums to other trade creditors. During this period, the debtor’s primary asset — its building and premises — was encumbered by a note and mortgage held by Fidelity Savings and Loan, having a balance then of approximately $34,200.

Jeanne Pointer Pratt had access to the corporate records of Camden Nursery following her marriage to Edward Pratt, the person in control of the debtor. She was authorized to sign checks on behalf of the corporation and signed one of the checks repaying herself. Her access to and knowledge of the corporate records of Camden Nursery were such as to give her reasonable cause to believe that the nursery was insolvent at the time she received repayments for her loan.

The payments made to Jeanne Pointer Pratt within one year of bankruptcy enabled her to receive more than she would have received through ordinary bankruptcy proceedings. Jeanne Pointer Pratt and Ann Martin are the sole unsecured creditors, but the assets of the debtor’s estate are insufficient to pay their claims. Had the transfers to Jeanne Pointer Pratt not been made, the debtor’s estate would contain an additional $19,350., with Ann Martin and Jeanne Pointer Pratt receiving their respective portions of this sum.

Edward Pratt, the sole shareholder of Camden Nursery, stated in the debtor’s Statement of Affairs that the debtor had not repaid any loans in whole or in part during the year preceding the filing of the petition for relief. However, at the first meeting of creditors held March 12, 1981, Edward Pratt admitted that the debtor made loan repayments within this period, in essence, paying off all of the creditors of Camden Nursery, including Jeanne Pointer Pratt, except Ann Martin, Fidelity Savings, and Goodwin’s Floor Coverings.

ISSUES

The facts and pleadings present the following issues:

(1) Whether the payments to Jeanne Pointer Pratt are avoidable by the Trustee as preferences under 11 U.S.C. § 547(b).

(2) Whether the payments to Jeanne Pointer Pratt are avoidable by the Trustee as fraudulent transfers under 11 U.S.C. § 548(a)(1) (1979).

DISCUSSION

I

The payments to Jeanne Pointer Pratt are avoidable by the Trustee as preferences under 11 U.S.C. § 547(b).

11 U.S.C. § 547 provides in relevant part:

(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the trustee may avoid [3]*3any transfer of property of the debt- or—

(1) to or for the benefit of a creditor;

(2) for or on account of an antecedent debt owed by the debtor before such transfer was made;
(3) made while the debtor was insolvent;
(4) made—
(A) on or within 90 days before the date of the filing of the petition; or
(B) between 90 days and one year before the date of the filing of the petition, if such creditor, at the time of such transfer—
(i) was an insider; and
(ii) had reasonable cause to believe the debtor was insolvent at the time of such transfer; and
(5) that enables such creditor to receive more than such creditor would receive if—
(A) the case were a case under Chapter 7 of this title;
(B) the transfer had not been made; and
(C) such creditor received payment of such debt to the extent provided by the provisions of this title.
(f) For the purposes of this section, the debtor is presumed to have been insolvent on and during the 90 days immediately preceding the date of the filing of the petition.

11 U.S.C. § 101(26)(A) defines “insolvent” as “financial condition such that the sum of such entity’s debts is greater than all of such entity’s property at a fair valuation, exclusive of—

(i) property transferred, concealed or removed with intent to hinder, delay or defraud entity’s creditors; and
(ii) property that may be exempted from property of the estate under section 522 of this title.... ”

11 U.S.C.

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Bluebook (online)
31 B.R. 1, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 3141, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccullough-v-camden-nursery-inc-in-re-camden-nursery-inc-southcarolinaed-1982.