Rushton v. Williams (In re Williams)

271 B.R. 663, 2001 Bankr. LEXIS 1705
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Utah
DecidedDecember 5, 2001
DocketBankruptcy No. 97-27460 JHA; Adversary No. 00-02023
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 271 B.R. 663 (Rushton v. Williams (In re Williams)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rushton v. Williams (In re Williams), 271 B.R. 663, 2001 Bankr. LEXIS 1705 (Utah 2001).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

TOM R. CORNISH, Bankruptcy Judge.

This matter came on for evidentiary hearing on the Complaint filed by Kenneth A. Rushton, the Chapter 7 trustee (“Trustee”), against DeAnna Williams (“DeAnna”) and Shelley A. Williams (“Shelley”), seeking approval pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 363(h)1 to sell thirteen parcels of real property. Pursuant to a “Partial Settlement” filed with the Court on September 6, 2001, the parties have agreed that twelve of the thirteen parcels are jointly owned by the debtor and DeAnna and/or Shelley, and they have designated which of those jointly-owned parcels are subject to sale under § 363(h) or subject to partition. See Amended Pretrial Order ¶ 4. The only [665]*665issue remaining for the Court to determine is whether DeAnna has an ownership interest in the thirteenth parcel, commonly referred to as “Parcel 10,” located at 1171 South West Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. Id. at ¶¶ 4-5. This is an office building in which debtor conducts business. If she does, the parties have stipulated that pursuant to § 363(h)(1) and (2), partition in kind of Parcel 10 among the estate and DeAnna is impracticable, and that the sale of the estate’s undivided interest in Parcel 10 would realize significantly less for the estate than the sale of Parcel 10 free and clear of DeAnna’s interest. Id. at ¶ 4.e. Thus, assuming that the requirements of subsections (3) and (4) of § 363(h)2 are met, the Trustee will be authorized to sell Parcel 10, and will be required to pay DeAnna for her interest in the property pursuant to § 363(j). If, however, DeAnna is held to have no interest in Parcel 10, the Trustee will be authorized to sell it pursuant to § 363(b), and DeAnna will not be entitled to any share of the sale proceeds.

A trial was held by the Court on September 6, 2001. R. Kimball Mosier, Esq. of Parsons, Davies, Kinghorn & Peters, Salt Lake City, Utah, appeared on behalf of the Trustee. Howard P. Johnson, Esq. of Salt Lake City, Utah, appeared on behalf of the Defendants. The Court has considered the evidence, the pleadings filed by the parties, the arguments of counsel and all relevant authorities, and based thereon hereby concludes that De-Anna does not have an ownership interest in Parcel 10. Further, the Court determines that DeAnna does not have an equitable hen on Parcel 10. The following are the Court’s Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law as required under Fed. R. Bankr.P. 7052(a). A separate judgment shall issue on this date as required under Fed. R. Bankr.P. 7052(a) and Fed.R.Civ.P. 58.

I.Findings of Fact

The following are the Court’s Findings of Fact. To the extent that any Finding of Fact is considered to be a Conclusion of Law, it is incorporated into the Conclusions of Law below.

1. On December 6, 1995, the debtor filed a petition seeking relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Hawaii, Case No. 95-01859.

2. On August 6, 1997, the debtor’s Chapter 11 case was converted to a case under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code, and venue of the case was transferred to Utah.

3. On October 29, 1997, the Trustee was appointed.

4. DeAnna Williams, the debtor’s spouse, is a resident of Hawaii.

5. DeAnna has asserted various secured and unsecured claims against the debtor’s estate.

6. On January 31, 2000, the trustee filed a “Complaint to Obtain Approval Pursuant to U.S.C. § 363(h) [sic] to Sell Interest of Estate and Co-Owner in Property” thereby commencing the above-captioned adversary-proceeding.

7. On March 2, 2000, DeAnna answered the Trustee’s Complaint, and asserted a counterclaim against the Trustee (“Counterclaim”). In her first claim for relief, DeAnna seeks a determination that she has an undivided 1/2 interest in Parcel 10 “pursuant to her marital property rights.... ” Counterclaim ¶ 13. Her [666]*666second claim for relief seeks a declaration that she has an equitable lien on Parcel 10, entitling her to a 1/2 interest in that Parcel. Finally, De-Anna’s third claim for relief requests that the Court partition Parcel 10 among herself and the debtor’s estate pursuant to Utah Code Ann. § 78-39 et seq.3

8. On March 13, 2000, the Trustee filed an answer to DeAnna’s Counterclaim, asserting eleven defenses, including estoppel and laches.

9. On September 6, 2001, the Court signed an Amended Pretrial Order which, pursuant to the parties’ Partial Settlement, limited the issue for trial to DeAnna’s ownership interest in Parcel 10. This Amended Pretrial Order governs and controls all issues raised by the parties and issues to be decided by the Court.

10. On September 6, 2001, the Court conducted a trial. At that trial, the Court, admitted the following Exhibits without objection from either party:

a.Plaintiffs Exhibit A: Warranty Deed dated August 1, 1973, under which Milton D. and Alice J. Hen-drickson and S. John and Madalyn Webber conveyed “Lots 2 and 3, Block 4, NORTH COLUMBIA SUBDIVISION, a subdivision of part of Block 22, Five Acre Plat A’, Big Field Survey” to the debt- or, “a married man[.]” The lot so described in Plaintiffs Exhibit A is Parcel 10, the parcel whose ownership is subject to this adversary proceeding. Hearing Transcript at 16.

b. Plaintiffs Exhibit B: Warranty Deed dated June 13, 1983, under which Viola Wilson conveyed “Lots 4 and 5, Block 4, NORTH COLUMBIA SUBDIVISION ...” to the debtor and DeAnna, “joint tenants with full right of survivorship]!]”

c. Plaintiffs Exhibit C: Warranty Deed dated April 4, 1978, under which Sterling G. and Mary P. Webber and James C. and Maxine C. Waller conveyed “Lots 6 and 7, Block 4, North Columbia Subdivision, a subdivision of part of Block 22, Five Acre Plat ‘A’. Big Field Survey” to the debtor and DeAn-na, as “husband and wife, as joint tenants[.]”

d. Plaintiffs Exhibit D: Warrant Deed dated May 4, 1978, under which several grantors conveyed a tract of land located in Salt Lake County, Utah (“Salt Lake Tract”) to the debtor.

e. Plaintiffs Exhibit E: Quit-Claim Deed dated June 28, 1978, under which the debtor as grantor quit-claimed the Salt Lake Tract to himself and DeAnna “as joint tenants with full rights of survivor-ship[.]”

f. Plaintiffs Exhibit F: QuiU-Claim Deed dated August 4, 1980, under which Kennecott Corporation as grantor quit-claimed a tract of land situated in Salt Lake and Tooele Counties (“Kennecott Tract”) to the debtor as grantee.

g. Plaintiffs Exhibit G: An exact copy of the document submitted as Exhibit D.

[667]*667h. Defendant’s Exhibit 1:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
271 B.R. 663, 2001 Bankr. LEXIS 1705, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rushton-v-williams-in-re-williams-utb-2001.