Morse v. Coleman (In Re Alloway)

401 B.R. 43, 2009 Bankr. LEXIS 1009, 61 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 839, 2009 WL 465587
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedFebruary 18, 2009
Docket19-10015
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 401 B.R. 43 (Morse v. Coleman (In Re Alloway)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Morse v. Coleman (In Re Alloway), 401 B.R. 43, 2009 Bankr. LEXIS 1009, 61 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 839, 2009 WL 465587 (Mass. 2009).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

JOEL B. ROSENTHAL, Bankruptcy Judge.

These proceedings arise in cases referred to this Court by the Standing Order of Reference entered in this District and are determined to be core proceedings pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(B). The Court is authorized to enter final judgments in these proceedings.

In reaching its determinations, the Court considered the demeanor and credibility of all witnesses who testified as well as the admitted exhibits and arguments and submissions of the parties. The Court found all witnesses credible.

These are multi-count actions involving alleged activities of the Defendant, David Coleman (“Coleman”), as a petition preparer without compliance with § 110 of the Bankruptcy Code. The Court accepts all facts agreed to in the Joint Pretrial Statement (Docket # 25) and stipulated on the record as proved.

*45 The facts are not materially in dispute. In fact, I can and do adopt the findings and rulings proposed by the Plaintiff, the United States Trustee (docket # 52), which are attached hereto as Attachment 1. At the conclusion of the two day consolidated trial in these matters the Court requested that the parties submit proposed findings of fact and rulings of law if they wished to do so; Counsel to the United States Trustee did so in a timely manner, Coleman did not. Several times prior to the trial the Court urged Coleman to retain counsel which he did not do. At the trial the Court again made that suggestion which Coleman ignored.

Discussion

The Bankruptcy Code defines a “bankruptcy petition preparer” as “a person, other than an attorney for the debtor or an employee of such attorney under the direct supervision of such attorney, who prepares for compensation a document for filing.” 11 U.S.C. § 110(a)(1). A “document for filing” is defined as “a petition or any other document prepared for filing by a debtor in a United States bankruptcy court or a United States district court in connection with a case under this title.”

Section 110 contains several requirements that a bankruptcy petition preparer (“petition preparer”) must comply with. A petition preparer must sign and print the petition preparer’s name and address on all documents that he prepares for filing. 11 U.S.C. § 110(b)(1). A petition preparer must also provide the debtor with a written notice informing the debtor that the preparer “is not an attorney and may not practice law or give legal advice,” which must be signed by the debtor and by the preparer under the penalty of perjury and must be filed with any “document for filing.” 11 U.S.C. § 110(b)(2)(A). A petition preparer, who is an individual, must also place the petition preparer’s social security number on documents that he prepares for filing. 11 U.S.C. § 110(c). A petition preparer must provide the debtor with a copy of any document for filing not later that when the document is presented for the debtor’s signature. 11 U.S.C. § 110(d). Finally, a petition preparer must file, together with the bankruptcy petition, a declaration under the penalty of perjury disclosing the amount of fees received from the debtor. 11 U.S.C. § 110(h)(2).

Petition preparers who fail to comply with section 110 are subject to the imposition of several penalties. If the bankruptcy court finds that a" petition preparer “violate[d]” section 110 or committed any “fraudulent, unfair, or deceptive” act, the bankruptcy court shall order the petition preparer to pay the debtor “(A) the debt- or’s actual damages; (B) the greater of(i) $2,000; or (ii) twice the amount paid by the debtor to the bankruptcy petition preparer for the preparer’s services; and (C) reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs in moving for damages under this subsection.” 11 U.S.C. § 110(i)(l). The bankruptcy court may order a petition preparer to disgorge all fees that were received in a case in which the petition preparer failed to comply with subsections (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), or (g) of section 110. 11 U.S.C. § 110(h)(3)(B). The bankruptcy court may fine a petition preparer up to $500 for each failure to comply with (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), or (h) of section 110. 11 U.S.C. § 110(Z)(1). Any fines assessed under § 110(Z)(1) shall be tripled if a petition preparer “prepared a document for filing in a manner that failed to disclose the identity of the bankruptcy petition preparer.” 11 U.S.C. § 110(1)(2)(D). Finally, the bankruptcy court may enjoin a person from acting as a petition preparer if the petition preparer “continually engaged” in (1) “conduct in violation of [section 110] or any provision of [the Bankruptcy Code],” *46 (2) misrepresentations of the “preparer’s experience or education as a bankruptcy-petition preparer” or (3) “other fraudulent, unfair, or deceptive conduct.” 11 U.S.C. § 110(j)(2)(B).

Coleman never denied the facts asserted by the United States Trustee, only her ultimate conclusion that he was and is a “petition preparer.” Coleman argued that he was not a “petition preparer” because (1) he was hired to do other tasks and the petition preparation was just a means to and incidental to that end; (2) he did what he promised, i.e. stopped the imminent foreclosure; and (3) he helped many people. This argument is without merit as the case law has established that completion of tasks in addition to preparing a bankruptcy petition does not take a person outside the statutory definition of “petition preparer.” See In re Nieves, 290 B.R. 370, 374-78 (Bankr.C.D.Cal.2003) (finding that defendant was bankruptcy petition preparer notwithstanding argument that he was hired by debtors for debt counseling, rather than preparation of bankruptcy documents); In re Crowe, 243 B.R. 43, 49-50 (9th Cir. BAP 2000) (finding that author of instructional book on bankruptcy forms was a petition preparer within the meaning of § 110 because the author offered to prepare petitions for readers if they were unable to do so). While the Court believes Coleman’s contention that he prevented (or delayed for a time) the foreclosure of many of his clients’ homes, it does not exempt him from the commands of section 110, nor does the brief delay create value for the $1,000 fee that he charged.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
401 B.R. 43, 2009 Bankr. LEXIS 1009, 61 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 839, 2009 WL 465587, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morse-v-coleman-in-re-alloway-mab-2009.