Tessel v. Fifth Third Bank (In re Abbott)

123 B.R. 784, 1991 Bankr. LEXIS 121
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedJanuary 31, 1991
DocketBankruptcy No. 1-89-05163; Adv. No. 1-90-0091
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 123 B.R. 784 (Tessel v. Fifth Third Bank (In re Abbott)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tessel v. Fifth Third Bank (In re Abbott), 123 B.R. 784, 1991 Bankr. LEXIS 121 (Ohio 1991).

Opinion

ORDER

J. VINCENT AUG, Jr., Bankruptcy Judge.

This case is before the Court pursuant to the Plaintiff’s Complaint for a Turnover Order against defendants, Fifth Third Bank and June A. Abbott (Doc. 1); The Debtor’s Answer to the Complaint for a Turnover Order (Doc. 6); Fifth-Third’s Answer to the Complaint for a Turnover Order (Doc. 8) and the briefs submitted by the parties.

The Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1334(b) and the General Order of Reference entered in this District. This is a core proceeding arising under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(A).

The issue for determination is whether the Debtor’s interest in the Robert L. Matchett Trust Fund is a valid spendthrift trust under Ohio law and therefore not part of her bankruptcy estate. For the reasons stated below, Plaintiff’s complaint for turnover is Denied.

The agreed facts of the case are as follows: Defendant June Annette Abbott filed a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy petition on December 11, 1989. As part of her petition, she listed an interest in the Robert L. Matchett Trust Agreement (hereafter called Trust) which was established by her stepfather, Robert L. Matchett, and which is being administered by the Fifth Third Bank Corporation.

Ms. Abbott’s interest in the Trust is confined to the income from the Trust. Under the terms of the Trust Agreement, Ms. Abbott and her dependents are permitted to live in the family home which is part of the Trust corpus and Ms. Abbott is to pay the expenses associated with her occupancy of the home. In the event she does not pay these expenses, the Trust is authorized to withhold income and pay these expenses on her behalf. Ms. Abbott is living in the family home. Her son has a learning disability and has lived with her at various times because of his difficulty in obtaining and retaining employment. Other dependents have also lived with her at various times.

[786]*786Under the terms of the Trust Agreement, Ms. Abbott is not permitted to transfer her interest in the Trust and it is not subject to the claims of creditors.

Ms. Abbott listed her total monthly gross income, including approximately $400.00 per month from the Trust, as $2,378.00. She listed her total monthly expenses as $1,687.95. A total of $532.00 of these expenses represents home expenses.

Defendant Fifth Third Bank reports an approximate annual income from the Trust of $6,637.00. From this is deducted a trustee’s fee which for 1989 was $1,727.00. However, this amount varies each year. The monthly mortgage payment to Fifth Third Bank is $307.24 for an annual payment of $3,686.88. The mortgage is scheduled to be paid in full in April, 1998. Defendant Fifth Third Bank as trustee must withhold $21.50 per year for a storm drainage fee and $385.00 per year for real estate insurance. The trustee is also obligated to withhold income for any ancillary expenses, such as repair and replacements, that are needed to maintain the value of the Trust real estate.

After Ms. Abbott filed her Chapter 7 petition, the U.S. Trustee appointed plaintiff as the bankruptcy estate trustee. He subsequently filed this complaint seeking to have Ms. Abbott’s interest in the Trust Agreement turned over for distribution to creditors of the estate. Ms. Abbott filed an Answer denying that her interest was property of the estate and/or claiming that she was entitled to an exemption under Ohio Rev.Code Ann. § 2329.66(A)(11). Defendant Fifth Third Bank also filed an Answer denying that the Trust income could be reached by creditors of the bankruptcy estate.

On October 9, 1990, the Court held an evidentiary hearing on the Complaint for Turnover, of Property and evidence was presented to supplement and clarify the question at issue. Ms. Abbott testified to the following additional facts relating to the use of the Trust income. For approximately the last six years, she has operated a licensed foster care facility out of her home, the corpus of the Trust. These mentally ill, elderly boarders are living in her home as tenants and at any time may need to return to a hospital. Ms. Abbott testified that she is not guaranteed the income from these patients if they do reenter a hospital. In addition to operating the group home, Ms. Abbott is employed elsewhere.

Under 11 U.S.C. § 541(a)(1), all property in which a debtor has “legal or equitable interest” at the time of bankruptcy comes into the estate. However, § 541(c)(2) allows a debtor to retain certain assets which would otherwise remain subject to the reach of his creditors. Section 541(c)(2) provides, “[a] restriction on the transfer of a beneficial interest of the debt- or in a trust that is enforceable under applicable nonbankruptcy law is enforceable in a case under this title.” (Emphasis added). 11 U.S.C. § 541(c)(2). Thus, property determined to fall within this exception will not enter the bankruptcy estate or be subject to the claims of creditors.

The words “applicable nonbank-ruptcy law,” which are usually construed narrowly, refer to spendthrift trusts as determined by state law. In re Leimbach, 99 B.R. 796, 799 (Bankr.S.D.Ohio 1989). While there is no single recognized definition of a spendthrift trust, it generally is a trust designed to protect its beneficiaries from creditors. A spendthrift trust provides a fund for the benefit of a beneficiary other than the settlor which is secured against the beneficiary’s own improvidence, and places it beyond his creditor's reach. See, Black’s Law Dictionary 1256 (5th ed. 1979). An anti-alienation clause guards the beneficiary’s interest against his voluntary or involuntary transfer and attachment of his interest by creditors. See, Restatement (Second) of Trusts, section 152 (1959).

Under Ohio law, a spendthrift trust is enforced as long as it is not unlawful or against public policy. See, McWilliams v. McWilliams, 2 Ohio Op.2d 77, 79, 140 N.E.2d 80, 82 (1956). However, this statement is problematic. In Ohio, it is unclear whether a spendthrift trust provision is reachable by a debtor’s creditors. [787]*787Two Ohio Supreme Court decisions have addressed this issue coming to what appears to be different conclusions. In the case of Martin v. Martin, 54 Ohio St.2d 101, 374 N.E.2d 1384 (1978), a divorced woman’s alimony claim was deemed outside the contemplation of the settlor’s intent when the settlor inserted a provision in the trust for the comfort, care, support and education of his son. Id. at 103, 374 N.E.2d at 1386. The Ohio Supreme Court characterized the trust as being neither purely discretionary nor a strict support trust. This determination rested on the pertinent distribution language of the trust: “the trustee ... shall distribute the trust’s interest income or principal necessary for the beneficiary’s comfort, care, support and education.” Id. at 109, 374 N.E.2d at 1389. The Martin

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Related

In Re Quinn
299 B.R. 450 (W.D. Michigan, 2003)
Matter of Abbott
123 B.R. 784 (S.D. Ohio, 1991)

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Bluebook (online)
123 B.R. 784, 1991 Bankr. LEXIS 121, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tessel-v-fifth-third-bank-in-re-abbott-ohsb-1991.