Still v. Hopkins (In re Hopkins)

494 B.R. 306, 2013 WL 2154354, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 2028
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Tennessee
DecidedMay 17, 2013
DocketBankruptcy No. 10-13385; Adversary No. 12-1051
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 494 B.R. 306 (Still v. Hopkins (In re Hopkins)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Still v. Hopkins (In re Hopkins), 494 B.R. 306, 2013 WL 2154354, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 2028 (Tenn. 2013).

Opinion

[308]*308MEMORANDUM

SHELLEY D. RUCKER, Bankruptcy Judge.

The Trustee has filed this adversary proceeding against the defendants James F. Hopkins, Marilyn Hopkins-Dixon, Vivian Hopkins-Bailey, and Anthony Hopkins. [Doc. No. 1, Complaint].1 One of the four named defendants, Marilyn Hopkins-Dixon (“Hopkins-Dixon” or “Defendant”), has moved to dismiss this adversary proceeding on the grounds: (1) that the court lacks jurisdiction over the state law fraudulent conveyance claim against non-creditors; (2) that the adversary complaint fails to name her mother, the debtor, Bettie Jean Hopkins (“Debtor”), who is an indispensable party; and (3) that this proceeding fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. [Doc. No. 14]. The plaintiff trustee, C. Kenneth Still (“Plaintiff’ or “Trustee”) opposes the motion to dismiss. [Doc. No. 26],

The court postponed ruling on the motion while it ruled upon the Trustee’s objection to the Debtor’s plan confirmation in the main bankruptcy case. The court confirmed the plan on September 18, 2012 and scheduled a de novo review for November 11, 2012. [Bankr. Case No. 10-13385, Doc. No. 47]. The de novo review was rescheduled for January 7, 2013 and then again for February 4, 2013 and April 1, 2013. [Bankr. Case No. 10-13385, Doe. No. 50, 56, 59].

On February 4, 2013, at the hearing on the Trustee’s objection to confirmation, the court ruled that the Debtor’s real property and improvements at issue in this fraudulent transfer adversary proceeding have a fair market value of $45,000. Oral Opinion, Feb. 4, 2013 Hearing, at 12:12 p.m. The court also determined that the value of the life estate was less than $18,500. Id. The amount of $18,500 was the sum of the amount the Debtor proposed to pay to unsecured creditors plus the claimed homestead exemption of $12,500. The court determined that the value of the homestead was $18,000 based on the testimony of the Debtor’s auctioneer that the life estate was worth 40% of the value of the fee. Testimony of Bill Anderton, Feb. 4, 2013 Hearing at 11:24 a.m. Following the hearing on February 4, 2013, the court issued an order allowing the parties to submit briefing regarding the Trustee’s objection to confirmation and to address the value of this avoidance action which the court concluded should also be included in the amount paid to creditors to meet the best interest of creditors test. 11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(4); In re Hilliard, No. 11-13347, 2012 WL 1067691 (Bankr.E.D.Tenn. Mar. 12, 2012). The parties filed briefing in the main bankruptcy case on February 21 and March 8. [Bankr. Case No. 10-13385, Doc. Nos. 62, 63], The Debtor argued in the main case briefing that “[t]here is no middle ground in the adversary proceeding. The Trustee will either be successful or unsuccessful in the action to set aside the conveyance.” [Bankr. Case No. 10-13385, Doc. No. 62, p. 4]. The Trustee contends that, the Debtor is not an indispensable party in the adversary proceeding because “[t]he resolution of the adversary will not affect the Debt- or’s right to exemption.” [Bankr. Case No. 10-13385, Doc. No. 63, p. 2],

The court has reviewed the briefing filed by the parties, the pleadings at issue, and the applicable law and makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law pursuant to Fed. R. Bankr.P. 7052. The [309]*309court has determined that (a) it has jurisdiction over this matter or can recast its ruling as proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law; (b) the Debtor is not an indispensable party under Fed.R.Civ.P. 19; and (c) the Trustee has adequately alleged the elements of his claim. Therefore, the court will DENY the Defendant’s motion to dismiss.

Further, because the court is not dismissing the complaint, the court finds that the value of this proceeding is in excess of $500. Therefore, the court will sustain the Trustee’s objection to the confirmation of the plan. Having found that the action is likely to produce more than $500 for the estate, the plan as proposed does not provide more for creditors than they would get in a Chapter 7 liquidation.

I. Background Facts

The Debtor filed her bankruptcy petition on June 11, 2010. [Bankr. Case No. 10-13385, Doc. No. 1], The Debtor originally filed the case as a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. On Schedule A relating to real property assets, the Debtor listed that she owned a life estate in a single family residence located at 204 Lakeshore Drive, McMinnville, Tennessee (“Property”). Id. at p. 15. The Debtor listed the current value of her interest in the property as $12,500. Id. On Schedule C relating to exemptions, the Debtor listed her single family residence and an exemption valued at $12,500 based on Tenn.Code Ann. § 26-2-301(e). The Debtor listed unsecured debt in an amount of $42,330.39 in Schedule F of her bankruptcy petition and listed exemptions totaling $15,809, which included $3,309 for personal property and $12,500 for her life estate, the maximum value allowed under Tennessee law for a homestead exemption. [Bankr. Case No. 10-13385, Doc. No. 1, pp. 20, 23-25].

On June 4, 2012 the Debtor moved to convert the Chapter 7 case to a Chapter 13 bankruptcy case. Id. at Doc. No. 32. The court granted the motion on June 27, 2012, and the current Trustee was added to the case. On August 2, 2012, following the Debtor’s conversion of the case from Chapter 7 to Chapter 13, this court granted a motion to substitute the Chapter 13 Trustee for the former Chapter 7 trustee as the Plaintiff in this action. [Doc. No. 23].

A. The Plan Proposal

The Debtor filed her Chapter 13 plan on July 10, 2012. [Bankr. Case No. 10-13385, Doc. No. 38]. The plan proposed that she would pay $100 per month via direct pay. Id. Those payments will generate at most a dividend of $6000 for unsecured creditors. The assets available for distribution to unsecured creditors under a Chapter 7 would be the value of the Debtor’s life estate and the value of the recovery from this adversary proceeding. If this avoidance action is successful, the trustee could sell the fee interest in the property for a value of $45,000 less the sale expenses. The proofs of claim filed in the case total $14,756.81 although the Debtor listed over $42,000 in debt on Schedule F. If the avoidance action is successful, the creditors would be paid in full. The Debtor’s plan proposes less than a 50% dividend.

B. The Fraudulent Transfer Complaint

On June 5, 2012 the Chapter 7 trustee filed the complaint in this adversary proceeding against the Defendant and her three siblings. [Doc. No. 1, Complaint]. The Complaint does not assert any claims against the Debtor herself, only her four children. It seeks to avoid the transfer that divided the Debtor’s fee interest in the real property into a life estate and a [310]*310remainder interest pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 544 and Tenn.Code Ann. §

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
494 B.R. 306, 2013 WL 2154354, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 2028, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/still-v-hopkins-in-re-hopkins-tneb-2013.