Vaughan v. Union Bank & Savings Co. (In re Grieger)

172 B.R. 222, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 1450
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedAugust 31, 1994
DocketBankruptcy No. 93-3308; Related No. 93-32813
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 172 B.R. 222 (Vaughan v. Union Bank & Savings Co. (In re Grieger)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vaughan v. Union Bank & Savings Co. (In re Grieger), 172 B.R. 222, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 1450 (Ohio 1994).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND DECISION

RICHARD L. SPEER, Bankruptcy Judge.

This cause comes before the Court upon Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment, Memorandum in Support, Reply, and Motion to Strike; and Defendant’s Motion in Opposition, Memorandum in Support, Motion for Summary Judgment, Memorandum in Support, and Final Reply. This Court has reviewed the arguments of counsel, exhibits as well as the entire record in the case. Based upon that review, and for the following reasons, the Court finds that the Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment and Motion to Strike should be Denied; that Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment should be Denied; and that the matter should be scheduled for trial.

FACTS

On or about February 11, 1993, Debtor Danny Grieger, and Carmella Gould, the mother of Danny Grieger, signed a loan agreement with the Union Bank and Savings Company (UBSC) in the amount of nine thousand four hundred eighty-four dollars and forty-three cents ($9,484.43). The monies borrowed were turned over to Danny Grieger. The loan was secured by a certificate of deposit, account number 01-7-089301, at UBSC which would mature in the amount of seventeen thousand dollars ($17,000.00). The certificate of deposit was titled in the name of “Carm M. Grieger Gould or Dan P. Grieger”. On September 30, 1993, Debtors Danny and Susanna Grieger filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy and Elizabeth A. Vaughan was appointed Trustee in the matter. Pursuant to the Bankruptcy Court Order dated January 2, 1994, the loan was foreclosed by the UBSC and the debt was satisfied by liquidating the certificate of deposit. The value of the certificate of deposit at the time of liquidation was sixteen thousand nine hundred sixty-four dollars and seventy-four cents ($16,964.74) and the remaining balance of the loan was nine thousand two hundred forty-three dollars and fifteen cents ($9,243.15), leaving a surplus of seven thousand seven hundred twenty-one dollars and fifty-nine cents ($7,721.59). The Trustee holds the remaining funds from the certificate of deposit in an interest bearing account.

Trustee has filed a Motion for Summary Judgment, asking that the surplus funds be found to be property of the Debtor’s estate. Defendant Danny Grieger, and his mother Carmella Gould have likewise filed a Motion for Summary Judgment claiming that the surplus funds are rightfully the property of Carmella Gould, and has asked the Court to order that the funds be returned to her.

LAW

Section 541 of the Bankruptcy Code provides in pertinent part:

(a) The commencement of a case ... creates an estate. Such an estate is comprised of all the following property, wherever located and by whomever held: (1) ... [A]ll legal or equitable interests of the debtor in property as of the commencement of the case.

DISCUSSION

Determinations concerning the administration of the debtor estate, orders to turn over property of the estate, and other proceedings affecting the liquidation of the [224]*224assets of the estate are core proceedings pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Section 157. Thus, this case is a core proceeding.

Summary judgment mil be granted to the movant upon demonstration that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). In order to prevail, the movant must demonstrate all elements of the cause of action. R.E. Cruise, Inc. v. Bruggeman, 508 F.2d 415, 416 (6th Cir.1975). A Motion for Summary Judgement must be construed in the light most favorable to the party opposing the Motion. In re Weitzel, 72 B.R. 253, 256 (Bankr.N.D.Ohio 1987), (quoting In re Sostarich, 53 B.R. 27 (Bankr.W.D.Ky. (1985)).

The issue presented in this case is to what extent Debtor Danny Grieger, as an alternate payee, owns an interest in the certificate of deposit so as to bring this interest into the Debtor’s estate for the benefit of creditors under section 541, supra.

The ownership interest in the certificate of deposit is a question of state law. Fetter v. United States, 269 F.2d 467 (6th Cir.1959). See also In re Garretson, 6 B.R. 127 (Bankr.E.D.Tenn.1980); In re Goldstein, 135 B.R. 703 (Bankr.S.D.Florida 1992); In re Hall DeMarco, 114 B.R. 121 (Bankr.N.D.W.Va.1990). Questions concerning the ownership interests of negotiable interests are not governed by the Ohio Commercial Code, but depend on the arrangement between the two payees. Parker v. Parker, 2 Ohio Misc. 93, 203 N.E.2d 513 (1965); Franke v. Third National Bank, 31 Ohio App.3d 189, 509 N.E.2d 955 (1986). See also Garretson, Goldstein, and DeMarco, supra.

The Ohio Supreme Court recently handed down a decision clarifying the law in the area of joint tenancies arising from situation where alternate payees are named in bank obligations. Wright v. Bloom, 69 Ohio St.3d 596, 635 N.E.2d 31 (1994). In Wright, beneficiaries of a decedent’s estate brought an action seeking a determination that the funds which remained in joint bank accounts were property of the decedent’s estate, rather than the joint depositor. This situation is very similar to the herein case where the Trustee is attempting to retain the property of a joint certificate of deposit for the creditors of the Debtor’s estate.

In Wright, however, language was also included in these accounts that the balance was to go to the survivor upon the death of the alternate payee. The Court addressed both the situation concerning joint accounts with survivorship language, and those without, and held that the opening of an account with joint and survivorship language shall be conclusive evidence of the depositor’s intent to transfer a survivorship interest to the alternate payee, absent fraud or mistake. 69 Ohio St.3d at 605-606, 635 N.E.2d at 39. Likewise, the Court held that opening a joint account without survivorship language will be conclusive evidence of the depositor’s intent not to vest a survivorship interest in the alternate payee, absent fraud or mistake. Id.

In the case at bar, there has been no evidence presented to the Court other than the affidavit of Carmella Gould, allegedly the depositor of the funds of the certificate of deposit, that the deposit was made in alternate form for the purpose vesting a survivor-ship interest in her son, Danny Grieger. Further, under the Court’s holding in Wright, the fact that the certificate of deposit bears no survivorship language is conclusive evidence that there was no intent to create a joint survivorship account.

This issue of survivorship, however, is not necessarily determinative of the outcome in this case. The Wright Court also reiterated its earlier holding in In re Estate of Thompson, 66 Ohio St.2d 433, 423 N.E.2d 90

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Bluebook (online)
172 B.R. 222, 1994 Bankr. LEXIS 1450, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vaughan-v-union-bank-savings-co-in-re-grieger-ohnb-1994.