Northrup v. Ben Thompson Enterprises (In Re Northrup)

220 B.R. 855, 35 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 711, 1998 Bankr. LEXIS 517, 1998 WL 214580
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 29, 1998
Docket19-10303
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 220 B.R. 855 (Northrup v. Ben Thompson Enterprises (In Re Northrup)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Northrup v. Ben Thompson Enterprises (In Re Northrup), 220 B.R. 855, 35 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 711, 1998 Bankr. LEXIS 517, 1998 WL 214580 (Pa. 1998).

Opinion

OPINION

DAVID A. SCHOLL, Chief Judge.

A. INTRODUCTION

Resolution .of the instant adversary proceeding (“the Proceeding”) requires this *857 court to decide several issues regarding the nature and scope of the posessory lien of a motor vehicle repair person. We address and decide these issues as follows: (1) the repair person’s Hen is entitled to priority over purchase-money security interests; (2) a repair person has a Hen for only repairs effected to property, not for storage of the property, especiaHy when there is no contract to pay storage charges; and (3) the instant repair person is adequately protected by an assurance that the vehicle in which it has a Hen is properly titled and insured, it retains its Hen until fuH payment is received, and the Debtor remits an initial payment of $200 to BTE and provides for the payment of the balance of its vaHd secured claims in a confirmable Chapter 13 plan of reorganization.

B. PROCEDURAL AND FACTUAL HISTORY

JAMES NORTHRUP (“the Debtor”) filed the underlying individual Chapter 13 bankruptcy case on March 2, 1998. On the next day, March 3, 1998, he filed the instant Proceeding against BEN THOMPSON ENTERPRISES (“BTE”), an automobile repair shop recently sold to a large entity which owns several such shops. The Complaint was accompanied by the Debtor’s “Emergency Hearing Motion for Turnover of Vehicle” (“the Motion”), aHeging that he needed an order requiring BTE to immediately turn over his 1991 Aeura Legend automobile (“the Auto”) in which BTE claimed a Hen to continue his employment; and offering BTE a Hen, identification as a loss payee on his insurance poHcy, and payment in fuH through a prospective Chapter 13 plan as aHeged adequate protection to its interests. BTE opposed the Motion at a hearing scheduled on March 12, 1998.

At that hearing it was estabHshed that, in April 1997, almost one year ago, the Debtor’s back was seriously injured and the Auto, valued at $14,000 by the Debtor, was severely damaged when it was struck by another motorist while parked with the Debtor sitting in it. The Auto was taken to BTE, which finished the repairs on May 5, .1997, and biHed the Debtor $5,041.63. The amount of this biH is not in dispute. The Debtor received two insurance cheeks, in the amounts of $2,809.18 and $2,232.45, to compensate him for these charges. While the Debtor paid over the proceeds of the $2,232.45 check to BTE, he unfortunately expended the other check on his Hving expenses, leaving a balance of $2,809.18 owed to BTE.

BTE refused to release the Auto, claiming a “common law Hen,” apparently as provided in 6 P.S. § 11, against the Auto. Although the Debtor made offers of a partial payment as large as $1,100 and promised to pay the balance in exchange for release of the Hen, BTE demanded full payment as a condition for the Auto’s release and the Debtor was unable to raise this stun.

On October 8, 1997, BTE sent a certified letter to the Debtor stating that, as of October 13, 1997, it would begin to charge him $30 per day storage for the Auto which would be added to his bill. BTE claimed that these charges were consistent with signs posted at its place of business. The Debtor testified that he did not observe any such signage and that no such charges were brought to his attention until he received the October 1997 letter. Placed into evidence was BTE’s Payment Procedure and Repair Authorization form, executed by the Debtor on June 2, 1997, which provides, in pertinent part, as foHows:

PAYMENT: Upon completion of repairs to your satisfaction, you will be expected to make payment in fuH for your repairs to include any supplement(s) or additional amounts....
.. .An express mechanic’s Hen is acknowledged on my vehicle to secure the amount of repairs....

BTE now claims, in addition to its $2,809.18 repair bill balance, a storage charge of $5,100, measured at $30 per day from October 13,1997, through March 3,1998.

The Debtor, a young man in his mid-20’s who Hves in Downingtown, Pennsylvania with his fianceé and their year-óld son, came to Pennsylvania as a student in 1991 or 1992 with the Auto from his family home in Florida. The Auto is financed through a credit *858 union, identified as “Florida Telco,” to which his mother belongs. He and his mother are both obligated on the purchase loan, the balance of which was estimated on the Debtor’s Schedules as in excess of $15,000. The Auto is titled in Florida in the Debtor’s name, and he has a Florida driver’s license. The Auto is nevertheless allegedly validly insured in Pennsylvania, and $427 monthly payments to Florida Telco, shared by the Debtor and his mother, are allegedly current.

The Debtor’s fíaneeé has a 1992 or 1993 Nissan Sentra automobile of her own which she uses to drive to her daily employment as a teacher. The Debtor, who is now re-employed after a six-month period of disability, can obtain public transportation to his employment as a social worker in the Philadelphia Public Defender’s office, but claimed that he needed the Auto to make evening calls in connection with a second job as a mental health therapist. He further stated that his fianeeé’s vehicle is not always available to him for this purpose. As of the date of the March 12, 1998, hearing, no Chapter 13 plan had been filed, but the Debtor contemplated liquidating the repair bill of $2,809.18 by making trustee payments for over 60 months to do so.

At the close of the hearing we indicated our reluctance to rule on a Motion until the amount of BTE’s secured claim was ascertained. Specifically, we were uncertain regarding the priority of the liens of BTE and Florida Telco, which could possibly have eliminated or reduced the secured portion of BTE’s claim against the Debtor, and, in addition, whether BTE’s lien extended to its claim for storage charges. We also found that, having subsisted without the Auto for almost a year and not having proven an immediate and critical personal need for the Auto, the Debtor had not established that he would be irreparably harmed if the Auto were not immediately returned to him. Therefore, we ordered the Debtor to promptly amend his Complaint to raise the issue of the amount of BTE’s secured claim by March 20, 1998; BTE to answer the amended complaint by April 3, 1998; and scheduled the final trial of the Proceeding on all of these issues on April 15,1998.

The parties complied with these directives. At the April 15 trial they agreed that BTE appeared to have a lien priority over Florida -Telco. The Debtor testified that he did not agree to pay the storage charges. A Chapter 13 plan contemplating payments of $80 monthly for. 60 months, the proceeds of which would be devoted to liquidation of BTE’s entire secured claims, believed to be the only priority or secured claim which would be funded under the plan, was introduced. The Debtor did indicate an ability to pay as much as $400 monthly. He further testified that he had hired Rand Spear, Esquire, as counsel to pursue his personal injury claim arising out of his April 1997 vehicular accident. 1

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220 B.R. 855, 35 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 711, 1998 Bankr. LEXIS 517, 1998 WL 214580, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/northrup-v-ben-thompson-enterprises-in-re-northrup-paeb-1998.