Tracy Lynn Ponte

CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. California
DecidedFebruary 1, 2024
Docket23-10148
StatusUnknown

This text of Tracy Lynn Ponte (Tracy Lynn Ponte) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tracy Lynn Ponte, (Cal. 2024).

Opinion

EDWARD J. EMMONS, CLERK SY a \ □□ □□ □□ □ NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA (Wie) Qe □□□ □ LIS TS 1 □□□□□□□ OES The following constitutes the order of the Court. 2 Signed: February 1, 2024 3 = = Whey “gd, I 5 OK William J. Lafferty, Il 6 U.S. Bankruptcy Judge ; UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT 8 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 9 SANTA ROSA DIVISION 10 11 In re Case No.: 23-10148 WJL 12 Tracy Lynn Ponte, Chapter 7 13 4 Debtor, Hearing Held Date: December 5, 2023 15 Time: 9:30 a.m. Location: 1300 Clay St, Ctrm 220/Zoom, 16 Oakland, CA 94612 17 18 MEMORANDUM DECISION ON TRUSTEE’S OBJECTIONS TO DEBTOR’S CLAIMS OF EXEMPTION 19 20 I. Factual and Procedural Background 21 This matter came before the Court on the Chapter 7 Trustee’s (“Trustee”) objections 22 || (dkts. #17, #31, #48) to Debtor Tracy Lynn Ponte’s (“Debtor”) claims of exemption (dkts. #1, 23 On December 5, 2023, the Court held a continued hearing on the Trustee’s objections 24 |! then took the matter under submission. For the reasons set forth below, the Court sustains the 25 || Trustee’s objections. 26 On March 27, 2023, Debtor filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 7 of the 27 || Bankruptcy Code. (Dkt. #1). In Debtor’s Schedule A/B, Debtor listed the following assets: (1) 28 ||“Charles Schwab retirement account bearing account number XXXX 1125 (ERISA qualified

pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 401 – not property of the estate – listed for information purposes only). 1 Held in the name of Tracy Ponte Family Trust 2016” in the amount of $55,502.15 (“Inherited 2 IRA”); (2) “Operating Engineers Credit Union retirement account bearing account number 3 XXXX3331. (ERISA qualified pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 401 – not property of the estate – listed 4 for information purposes only)” in the amount of $80,218.51 (“Personal IRA”); (3) “[f]uture 5 distribution from deceased father’s trust. Administration is still pending. Debtor is 50% 6 beneficiary with her sister. Sister is trustee of the trust. Believed to be less than $25,000 as there 7 are pending claims for attorneys fees and taxes for the estate” (the “Inheritance”). (Id., Schedule 8 A/B at 5, 7). In her initial Schedule C, Debtor claims exemptions in the Inherited IRA and the 9 Personal IRA under 11 U.S.C. § 522(b)(3)(C), and in the Inheritance under California Code of 10 Civil Procedure (“C.C.P.”) §703.140(b)(5). (Id., Schedule C at 1-5). 11 On May 16, 2023, the Trustee filed an objection challenging Debtor’s claim of 12 exemptions under § 522(b)(3)(C), arguing that the Inherited IRA and the Personal IRA are not 13 exempt under the Bankruptcy Code’s exemption scheme; the Trustee also reserved the right to 14 object to the Inheritance. (Dkt. #17). Following the Trustee’s objection, Debtor filed an 15 amended Schedule C to include claims of exemption in the Inherited IRA and the Personal IRA 16 under CCP §703.140(b)(10)(E). (Dkt. #21). 17 As background, after the passing of Debtor’s father in 2015, Debtor inherited her 18 father’s interest in the funds held in the Inherited IRA. (Dkts. #31 at 4, #48 at 2). Debtor attests 19 that she has not personally made any contributions to, and since then, has elected to receive 20 minimum annual distributions from the Inherited IRA. (Id.). As of the petition date, the 21 Inherited IRA had an aggregate balance of $55,502.15. (Id.). 22 On August 29, 2022, Debtor established the Personal IRA at Operating Engineers 23 Local No. 3 Union Federal Credit Union (“OEFCU”) and indicated in her application that the 24 initial contribution to this fund was a rollover “from a Roth IRA or eligible employer sponsored 25 retirement plan…” (Dkt. #48 at 2–3). That same day, Debtor deposited $90,000 into two 26 separate accounts at OEFCU—$80,000 into a traditional savings account and $10,000 into the 27 Tracy Ponte PAS Family Trust account. (Id. at 3). Debtor then transferred the $80,000 into the 28 Personal IRA as a “rollover contribution.” (Id.). In fact, Debtor received the $90,000 as part of 1 an equalizing payment pursuant to a marital settlement agreement executed with Debtor’s ex- 2 spouse in July 2021. (Id. at 4–5). 3 On July 11, 2023, the Court held a hearing on the Trustee’s Objection pursuant to § 4 522(b)(3)(C) but declined to adjudicate the matter in light of Debtor’s amended claims of 5 exemption, which had been filed shortly before the hearing. Accordingly, the Court gave the 6 parties an opportunity to provide supplemental briefing respecting the amended exemptions and 7 set the matter for resolution at a continued hearing. (see Dkts. #31, #48, #50, #52). On 8 December 5, 2023, the Court held a continued hearing and took the matter under submission. 9 II. Exemption Provisions 10 When an individual debtor files for bankruptcy, an estate is created which includes the 11 debtor’s “legal or equitable interests…in property.” 11 U.S.C. § 541(a)(1). The Bankruptcy 12 Code, however, allows a debtor to exempt from the estate limited interests in certain types of 13 property through various exemptions found in the Bankruptcy Code or applicable state law. See 14 Clark v. Rameker, 573 U.S. 122, 124 (2014); Rousey v. Jacoway, 544 U.S. 320, 325 (2005). 15 Under § 522(b)(3)(C), a debtor can exempt “retirement funds to the extent those funds 16 are in a fund or account that is exempt from taxation under section 401, 403, 408, 408A, 414, 17 457, or 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code.” 11 U.S.C. §§ 522(b)(3)(C), 522(d)(12). The 18 referenced sections of the Internal Revenue Code include accounts such as traditional and Roth 19 IRAs which are created by 26 U.S.C. 408 and 408A, respectively. See Clark, 573 U.S. at 124. 20 The Bankruptcy Code further provides that states can opt out of the federal exemption 21 scheme and can provide their own forms of exemptions. See 11 U.S.C. §§ 522(b)(2), 22 522(b)(3)(A), 522(d). California has chosen to opt out, and has (i) included and made available 23 to debtors a series of exemptions that are purely the creation of the California legislature (see, 24 e.g., C.C.P. § 704.115)1; and (ii) enacted a separate scheme of exemptions found in §703.140, 25 including § (b)(10)(E) which is identical to the federal scheme under § 522(d)(10)(E), which 26 provides in relevant part: “The debtor’s right to receive … a payment under a stock bonus, 27

28 1 Debtor has chosen not to avail herself of these exemptions. pension, profitsharing, annuity, or similar plan or contract on account of illness, disability, 1 death, age, or length of service, to the extent reasonably necessary for the support of the debtor 2 and any dependent of the debtor…” See C.C.P. § 703.140(b)(10)(E). 3 With the enactment of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act 4 in 2005, a debtor in opt-out states like California is not limited to the IRA exemption under state 5 law but may also claim an exemption under § 522(b)(3)(C), subject to applicable dollar limits in 6 § 522(n). See In re Williams, 556 B.R. 456, 460 (Bankr. C.D. Cal. 2016). Here, Debtor seeks to 7 exempt the Inherited IRA and the Personal IRA under both 11 U.S.C. § 522(b)(3)(C) and C.C.P. 8 § 703.140(b)(10)(E).

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Rousey v. Jacoway
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Tracy Lynn Ponte, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tracy-lynn-ponte-canb-2024.