Pendleton v. Dealer Warehouse, Inc. (In Re Pendleton)

40 B.R. 306, 38 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 1805, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 6271
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Kentucky
DecidedFebruary 10, 1984
Docket15-40580
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 40 B.R. 306 (Pendleton v. Dealer Warehouse, Inc. (In Re Pendleton)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pendleton v. Dealer Warehouse, Inc. (In Re Pendleton), 40 B.R. 306, 38 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 1805, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 6271 (Ky. 1984).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

G. WILLIAM BROWN, Bankruptcy Judge.

Debtors-in-possession commenced this adversary proceeding by filing a complaint on December 30, 1982 seeking to avoid a garnishment by creditor, Dealer Warehouse, Inc., of approximately $5,000.00 within ninety (90) days of debtors’ petitioning for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978. An amended complaint filed March 18, 1983 by debtors-in-possession specifically alleges: (1) that garnishment of approximately $5,000.00 by Dealer Warehouse, Inc. is a preference within the language and meaning of 11 U.S.C. § 547 by providing this creditor with more than would have been received had distribution in accordance with Chapter 7 provisions been made; (2) that'within ninety (90) days of the bankruptcy filing, Dealer Warehouse, Inc. executed upon certain exempt property of debtor-in-possession, Joseph Allen Pendle-ton, and that said lis pendens notice encumbering said residential property should be released pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 522(f); (3) that financing statements filed by Farmers Home Administration inadequately describe equipment of debtors-in-possession for valid perfection therein to have occurred under Kentucky law; (4) that payments made within 90 days of the bankruptcy filing to Farmers Home Administration by Dairymen, Inc. pursuant to a pre-petition assignment of right to payment by debtors-in-possession constitute preferential transfers in accordance with 11 U.S.C. § 547.

This Court sets forth the following findings of fact upon which related conclusions of law have been established.

On April 12, 1982, Dealer Warehouse, Inc. (hereinafter “Dealer”) received a judgment against debtors-in-possession in the amount of $9,127.00 granted by the Circuit Court, Christian County, Kentucky. Coin *308 cidental with this order and judgment, Dealer was granted a security interest in machinery, equipment, 1982 soybean crop, 1982 wheat crop, including all proceeds thereof, owned by debtors-in-possession. The security agreement was properly executed and filed April 19, 1982 in the office of the Christian County Court Clerk.

Subsequent to the judgment rendered in the civil action, Dealer caused an execution to issue on September 29, 1982 against certain real estate identified as Lot No. 27, Holiday Park and owned by debtor-in-possession, Joseph Pendleton, A lis pendens notice was recorded pursuant to Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) 382.440, and the Sheriff of Christian County executed said Execution on September 30, 1982.

On January 29, 1982, Dealer filed a prejudgment attachment after complying with KRS 425, et seq., including Attachment Bond, and an Order of Attachment was entered on said date covering all livestock and dairy cattle of debtors-in-possession.

On September 16, 1982, Dealer garnished the approximate sum of $5,000.00 owing by Dairymen, Inc. to debtors for sale of milk. Plaintiffs complain that said garnishment provided Dealer with more than would have been received had a Chapter 7 distribution of debtors’ assets been made. In response thereto, Dealer asserts that under a Chapter 7 liquidation its entire judgment of $9,127.00 plus interest at twelve percent (12%) per annum until paid would have been received either through its secured position on real estate of Joseph Pendleton, through attachment of livestock and dairy cattle of debtors-in-possession, or due to Dealer’s secured position in machinery, equipment and crops of debtors.

In resolving this issue of whether debtors-in-possession can recover the transfer to Dealer of approximately $5,000.00, this Court notes that 11 U.S.C. § 547 presents five (5) criteria which are to be applied to a transfer of property of the debtor, and provides that the trustee, or debtors-in-possession pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1106, may avoid any transfer of debtor’s property which satisfies all five criteria. The criteria are: (1) the transfer must have been made to or for the benefit of a creditor; (2) for or on account of an antecedent debt; (3) made while the debtor was insolvent; (4) within 90 days before the date of the filing of the petition, or within one year before the date of filing if the creditor had achieved “insider” status at the time of the transfer and had reasonable cause to believe that the debtor was insolvent; and (5) which enabled the creditor to receive more than he would have received under Code provisions. Each of these elements must be present and established by a preponderance of the evidence by the trustee or debtor-in-possession seeking to avoid the transfer. In re Taylor, 29, B.R. 5 (W.D.Ky.1983).

In the instant case, plaintiffs alleged only that a preference occurred when Dealer Warehouse, Inc. received more by the transfer than would have been received under Code law, and that said transfer was made on account of an antecedent debt. Remaining elements of a preference were not alleged, and no evidence of any of the elements was offered as proof by debtors-in-possession. Due to failure of the plaintiffs to meet their burden of proving each element of a preference by a preponderance of the evidence, this Court finds that the garnishment of approximately $5,000.00 by Dealer Warehouse, Inc. cannot be recovered by debtors-in-possession pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 547.

Debtors-in-possession further complain that an execution by Dealer against certain real property of Joseph Pendleton within ninety (90) days of filing impaired an exemption claimed by this debtor and that said encumbrance is voidable pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 522(f). Because of the Court’s above finding of Dealer’s right to maintain the garnished amount, coupled with Dealer’s superior status in proceeds from sale of plaintiffs’ 1982 wheat crop, this issue has become moot by Dealer’s claim being satisfied in full. Thus, Dealer is instructed to release any encumbrance upon real property of Joseph Pendleton, identified as Lot 27, Holiday Park.

*309 Debtors-in-possession next allege that financing statements filed by Farmers Home Administration (hereinafter “FmHA”) insufficiently describe collateral for valid perfection of FmHA’s interest in debtors’ equipment to have occurred under applicable Kentucky law.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
40 B.R. 306, 38 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. (West) 1805, 1984 Bankr. LEXIS 6271, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pendleton-v-dealer-warehouse-inc-in-re-pendleton-kywb-1984.