Walker v. Guy F. Atkinson Co. of California (In Re Sanders)

89 B.R. 266, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 1441, 1988 WL 74470
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Georgia
DecidedJuly 18, 1988
Docket15-10443
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 89 B.R. 266 (Walker v. Guy F. Atkinson Co. of California (In Re Sanders)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Walker v. Guy F. Atkinson Co. of California (In Re Sanders), 89 B.R. 266, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 1441, 1988 WL 74470 (Ga. 1988).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

JOHN S. DALIS, Bankruptcy Judge.

James D. Walker, Jr., trustee in the underlying chapter 7 case filed this adversary proceeding pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 542 seeking turnover of property. At the call of this case for trial, counsel for the parties stated that there were no factual issues in dispute and that this matter could be submitted on a stipulation of facts and briefs. There is some abiguity as to what precisely the parties have stipulated. The focus of this action is on the corpus of funds that Mr. Arnold G. Sanders has acquired an interest in through his employment. However, the stipulations often refer simply to “debtor”. Since there are two debtors here, the potential for misunderstanding exists. Nevertheless, when the stipulations are read as a whole, it is apparent that where the parties use the word “debt- or” they are referring to the debtor Arnold G. Sanders. The parties have stipulated to the following:

1. On September 24, 1986 the debtors, Arnold G. Sanders and Gaynell Sanders filed their petition for relief under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code bearing case number 186-00915.

, 2. James D. Walker, Jr. is the duly appointed trustee in the bankruptcy proceeding.

3. At the time of the bankruptcy petition, the debtor Mr. Sanders was employed by Walsh Construction Company, a division of Guy F. Atkinson Company of California, (Atkinson).

4. At the time of the petition, the debtor worked for Walsh Construction Company in Waynesboro, Georgia.

5. At the time of the filing, Mr. Sanders had an interest in a retirement investment plan with Atkinson.

6. As of September 30, 1986 the debtor was 100% vested in his employee contribution account with the retirement investment plan, and his interest in the employee contribution account at such time was valued at approximately Twelve Thousand Eight Hundred Eighteen and 77/100 ($12,-818.77) Dollars. The debtor had no vesting in the employer contributions.

7. The debtor had, in addition to the retirement investment plan, a retirement stock plan with Atkinson at the time of the filing.

*268 8. The debtor was 100% vested in his employee contribution account in such retirement stock plan. At the time of filing the debtor’s interest consisted of 363 shares of stock and Two Hundred One and 45/100 ($201.45) Dollars cash. The debtor had no vesting in the employer contributions.

9. At the time of the filing, in addition to the two aforementioned plans the debtor was a participant in the Atkinson Pension Plan; however, that interest was not vested.

10. The contributions toward the Atkinson Pension Plan were provided solely by the debtor’s employer, Atkinson.

11. All funds and assets of the foregoing plans were held by Bank of California, N.A., as trustee.

12. All funds, stocks, and any other assets comprising the retirement investment plan, stock plan, and pension plan are in the possession of the Bank of California, N.A.

13. The debtor is still employed by Walsh Construction Company, a division of Atkinson.

14. The debtor was first employed by the company on December 16, 1982 and first enrolled in the foregoing plans on January 1, 1983.

15. The debtor’s date of birth is June 17, 1945.

16. In addition to the foregoing stipulations the parties have submitted photostatic reproductions of the three relevant plans. From these plans the following facts are discernible:

(a) The plans are settled and intended to be interpreted according to the laws of the State of California.

(b) The Atkinson Pension Plan is a qualified plan under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (E.R.I.S.A.), 29 U.S.C. § 1001 et seq.

(c) The Atkinson Stock Plan and the Atkinson Retirement Investment Plan are qualified plans under § 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. § 401(a).

(d) All three plans contain language prohibiting the assignment or alienation of benefits under either E.R.I.S.A. or the 401 plans as is required to obtain the plan’s potential federal tax advantages. In pertinent part the plans’ language states:

The interest or property rights of any person in the Plan, in the Trust Fund established pursuant to the Plan or in any payment to be made under the Plan shall not be optioned, anticipated, assigned (either at law or in equity), alienated or made subject to attachment, garnishment, execution, levy (including a federal tax levy), other legal or equitable process, or bankruptcy and any act in violation hereof shall be void. Notwithstanding the foregoing the creation, assignment, or recognition of a right to all or a portion of the Participant’s Plan Benefit pursuant to a domestic relation order shall not constitute a violation of the section ...
Atkinson Retirement Stock Plan, Section 12(a) at p. 18; Atkinson Pension Plan, Section 11(c) at pp. 18-19; Atkinson Retirement Investment Plan, Section 9(a) at p. 17.

(e) Mr. Sander’s participation in these stock and retirement plans is wholly voluntary and is not a condition of his continued employment.

(f) Upon cessation of employment with Atkinson, Mr. Sanders would be entitled to immediate possession of the vested contributions to these plans.

(g) Mrs. Sanders, as spouse, is the co-beneficiary of the plans and her interests may not be assigned to another individual without her consent.

(h) The spouse’s interest is subject to complete defeasibility since Mr. Sanders, the employee, would be entitled to the entire vested contributions should he cease employment with Atkinson.

' (i) Additionally, should Mr. and Mrs. Sanders divorce, Mrs. Sanders would lose her status as co-beneficiary.

Two issues are presented to this court for resolution.

*269 1. Is the debtor’s vested interest in the retirement investment plan and retirement stock plan property of the estate subject to turnover within the meaning of 11 U.S.C. § 541 and § 542?

2. If so, to what extent is this vested interest exemptible by the debtors under available exemption statutes?

With the enactment of 11 U.S.C. § 541(a), Congress intended that a very broad range of bankruptcy debtor’s property interests become property of the estate. U.S. v. Whiting Pools, Inc., 462 U.S. 198, 103 S.Ct. 2309, 76 L.Ed.2d 515 (1983).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
89 B.R. 266, 1988 Bankr. LEXIS 1441, 1988 WL 74470, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/walker-v-guy-f-atkinson-co-of-california-in-re-sanders-gasb-1988.