Virginia Block Co. v. Bank of Christiansburg (In Re Virginia Block Co.)

6 B.R. 670, 1980 Bankr. LEXIS 4251
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Virginia
DecidedOctober 23, 1980
Docket15-71220
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 6 B.R. 670 (Virginia Block Co. v. Bank of Christiansburg (In Re Virginia Block Co.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Virginia Block Co. v. Bank of Christiansburg (In Re Virginia Block Co.), 6 B.R. 670, 1980 Bankr. LEXIS 4251 (Va. 1980).

Opinion

H. CLYDE PEARSON, Bankruptcy Judge.

The issue presented here is twofold: one, whether the bankruptcy court has jurisdiction over the interest the debtor, Virginia Block Company, has as beneficiary of a second deed of trust securing payment of certain notes and, two, whether the bankruptcy court can compel the first deed of trust noteholders, The Bank of Christians-burg, to employ the equitable principle of marshaling and foreclose on property not secured by a Virginia Block Company deed of trust.

The facts are simple and are undisputed: Virginia Block Company “Virginia Block” is a debtor before this Court in a reorganization proceeding pursuant to Chapter 11 of *671 Title 11 of the United States Code, having filed a voluntary petition on June 19, 1980. The Bank of Christiansburg “Bank” is a party before this Court by virtue of its position as first deed of trust noteholder on certain property in which “Virginia Block” is the second deed of trust noteholder.

“The Bank” holds the first deed of trust on the following property: (1) a 68 acre tract in Montgomery County; (2) lots 33, 34, and 35 of Survey No. 2 of Riverbend Subdivision in Pulaski County; (3) lots 37, 38, 40, and 42 of Survey No. 4 of Riverbend Subdivision in Pulaski County; and (4) 0.259 acre, being a well lot, in Pulaski County. The “Bank’s” deed of trust secures the payment by Charles Terry DeHart and Nancy S. DeHart of a debt in the original principal amount of $100,000.00.

“Virginia Block” is the beneficiary under a later dated deed of trust (“the second deed of trust”) which encumbers the following property: (1) a 68 acre tract in Montgomery County, being the same property also securing “The Bank”; (2) lots 32 and 33 of Survey No. 2 of Riverbend Subdivision, Pulaski County; (3) and lots 37, 38 and 40 of Survey No. 4 of Riverbend Subdivision, Pulaski County. It is undisputed that the second deed of trust is subordinate to the lien of the first deed of trust with respect to all the encumbered property.

The deed of trust trustee had duly given notice of a trustee’s sale of the 68 acre Montgomery County tract to have been held on October 24,1980 at 2:00 p. m. The same trustee had also given notice of a trustee’s sale of the Pulaski County property to be held on November 7, 1980 at 10:00 a. m.

“Virginia Block” and “The Bank” appeared by counsel at an expedited hearing, notice having been waived, on October 23, 1980 at 1:30 p. m. before this Court. At that hearing, it was the position of “Virginia Block” that “The Bank” as the foreclosing party has an equitable duty to marshal its assets and foreclose on the 0.259 acre tract, lots 34 and 35 of Survey No. 2 and Lot 42 of Survey No. 4 in Pulaski County before it proceeded against jointly secured property. It was the position of “The Bank” that it was not a party before the court because, it claimed, the bankruptcy court had no jurisdiction of the subject matter.

Upon hearing the motion by “Virginia Block” temporarily restraining the proposed auction sale, the court granted the motion in a limited fashion. By order entered this day, the Court directed “The Bank” to continue the auction sale of the Montgomery County property scheduled for October 24, 1980 until the afternoon of November 7, 1980, the date scheduled for the sale of the Pulaski County property.

At the outset, let us turn to the primary issue, whether the bankruptcy court has jurisdiction over the parties and the subject matter in this proceeding.

Title 11 U.S.C. § 105 1 designated “power of the Court” states that the Bankruptcy Court may issue any order of process or judgment that is necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions of this title. This is a provision of the Bankruptcy Code Title 11. It is also necessary that we review the provisions of a new Chapter 90 added to Title 28 relating to the Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

Title 28 U.S.C. § 1471 2 provides for the jurisdiction of the Bankruptcy Court under *672 the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, which is applicable hereto. This section vests in this Court jurisdiction of all civil proceedings arising under Title 11 or arising in or related to cases under Title 11. This section structures the Bankruptcy Court and is modeled as closely as possible on Chapter 5 of Title 28, which establishes and governs the United States District Courts and is designed and intended to mirror the District Court system as nearly as possible. See 9 Bkr.L.Ed. § 82:22, page 459. At page 472, the above authority sets forth the following commentary upon the jurisdictional portion herein recited as follows:

“Subsection (b) is a significant change from current law. It grants the bankruptcy court original (trial), but not exclusive, jurisdiction of all civil proeeed-ings arising under title 11 or arising under or related to cases under title 11. This is the broadest grant of jurisdiction to dispose of proceedings that arise in bankruptcy cases or under the bankruptcy code. Actions that formerly had to be tried in State court or in Federal district court, at great cost and delay to the estate, may now be tried in the bankruptcy courts. The idea of possession or consent as the sole bases for jurisdiction is eliminated. The bankruptcy court is given in personam jurisdiction as well as in rem jurisdiction to handle everything that arises in a bankruptcy case.
The jurisdiction granted is of all proceedings arising under title 11 or arising under or related to a case under title 11. The bill uses the term ‘proceeding’ instead of the current “matters and proceedings” found in the Bankruptcy Act and Rules. The change is intended to conform the terminology of title 28, under which anything that occurs within a case is a proceeding. Thus, proceeding here is used in its broadest sense, and would encompass what are now called contested matters, adversary proceedings, and plenary actions under the current bankruptcy law. It also includes any disputes related to administrative matters in a bankruptcy case.
... The phrase ‘arising under’ has a well defined and broad meaning in the jurisdictional context. By a grant of jurisdiction over all proceedings arising under title 11, the bankruptcy courts will be able to hear any matter under which a claim is made under a provision of title 11 ... Indeed, because title 11, the bankruptcy code, only applies once a bankruptcy case is commenced, any proceeding arising under title 11 will be in some way ‘related to’ a case under title 11. In sum, the combination of the three bases for jurisdiction, ‘arising under title 11,’ ‘arising under a case under title 11,’ and ‘related to a case under title 11,’ will leave no doubt as to the scope of the bankruptcy court’s jurisdiction over disputes.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
6 B.R. 670, 1980 Bankr. LEXIS 4251, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/virginia-block-co-v-bank-of-christiansburg-in-re-virginia-block-co-vawb-1980.