Warren v. Abreu (In re Skumpija)

494 B.R. 822
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. North Carolina
DecidedJuly 26, 2013
DocketCASE NO. 11-00338-8-SWH; ADVERSARY PROCEEDING NO. 11-00072-8-SWH
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 494 B.R. 822 (Warren v. Abreu (In re Skumpija)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Warren v. Abreu (In re Skumpija), 494 B.R. 822 (N.C. 2013).

Opinion

CHAPTER 7

ORDER ALLOWING SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN FAVOR OF CHAPTER 7 TRUSTEE

Stephani W. Humrickhouse, United States Bankruptcy Judge

David W. Warren (“trustee”) initiated this adversary proceeding on February 25, 2011. The multi-count complaint, subsequently amended on July 13, 2011 and [825]*825April 25, 2012,1 seeks avoidance of a deed of trust executed by Lisa Gail Skumpija (“debtor”) in favor of her mother, Janet Abreu (“defendant”), pursuant to §§ 544, 548(a)(1)(B), 550 and 551 of the Bankruptcy Code.2 The defendant filed a response opposing the relief requested in the trustee’s complaint. The trial of this adversary proceeding was scheduled for June 4, 2018, in Raleigh, North Carolina. For reasons of efficiency and judicial economy, the court informed the parties that it would determine whether the trustee was entitled to summary judgment against the defendant pursuant to his strong-arm powers under § 544(a) prior to hearing evidence relating to his remaining causes of action under § 548. Following the hearing on June 4, 2018 and in accordance with the deadline established by the court, both parties submitted memoranda of law outlining their respective positions. Based on the foregoing, the court concludes that the trustee is entitled to summary judgment against the defendant with respect to his claim for relief asserted under § 544(a).

BACKGROUND

The debtor filed a voluntary petition seeking relief under chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code on January 14, 2011. Prepet-ition and on June 10, 2008, the debtor acquired real property located at 575 Chapel Ridge Drive, Pittsboro, North Carolina (hereinafter “Chapel Ridge Property”) from her brother, Jed Schipper. Two days later on June 12, 2008, the debtor executed a promissory note, which was made payable to the defendant in the original principal amount of $500,000.00 (“promissory note”). The promissory note, which designates the debtor as the “Maker” and the defendant as the “Payee,” provides that the principal is due and payable as follows: $200,000.00 upon the sale of the Chapel Ridge Property and $300,000.00 upon sale of real property located at 151 Hawfields Drive, Pittsboro, NC 27312 (“Hawfields Property”). It also states that “[t]his Note is given to secure the purchase of real property located at 575 Chapel Ridge Drive, Pittsboro NC 27312 and is secured by a Deed of Trust.”

After execution and registration of a separate promissory note and deed of trust in favor of Branch Banking and Trust Company (“BB & T”),3 the debtor and her husband, Nelu Skumpija (“Mr. Skumpija”), executed two deeds of trust, both dated September 15, 2009, to secure the promissory note previously executed in favor of the defendant. The first deed of trust, which purports to encumber the Chapel Ridge Property, provides in pertinent part:

WITNESSETH, That whereas the Grantor is indebted to the Beneficiary in the principal sum of Two Hundred Thousand-Dollars ($200,000* *), as evidenced by a Promissory Note of even date herewith, the terms of which are incorporated herein by reference. The final due date for payments of said [826]*826Promissory Note, if not sooner paid, is September 15, 2019.

(“Chapel Ridge Deed of Trust”). The second deed of trust granted the defendant a lien encumbering the Hawfields Property (“Hawfields Deed of Trust”). The Haw-fields Deed of Trust, which contains provisions very similar to those in the Chapel Ridge Deed of Trust, provides:

WITNESSETH, That whereas the Grantor is indebted to the Beneficiary in the principal sum of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand-Dollars ($250,000* *), as evidenced by a Promissory Note of even date herewith, the terms of which are incorporated herein by reference. The final due date for payments of said Promissory Note, if not sooner paid, is September 15, 2019.

Both the deeds of trust designate the “Grantor” as “Lisa Skumpija and husband, Nelu Skumpija” and the “Beneficiary” as the defendant, “Janet Abreu.”

The Chapel Ridge Deed of Trust and Hawfields Deed of Trust were registered with the Chatham County Register of Deeds on September 16, 2009 and September 25, 2009, respectively. Both deeds of trust were properly registered with Chat-ham County Register of Deeds and appear in each respective parcel’s chain of title.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c), made applicable to bankruptcy proceedings by Fed. R. Bankr.P. 7056, summary judgment may be allowed “if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c); Fed. R. Bankr.P. 7056. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c) “mandates the entry of summary judgment ] ... against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s case as to which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). In making this determination, all conflicts are resolved by viewing the facts and all reasonable inferences drawn therefrom in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986); United States v. Diebold, Inc., 369 U.S. 654, 655, 82 S.Ct. 993, 8 L.Ed.2d 176 (1962). When ruling on a motion for summary judgement, the trial court has an “affirmative obligation ... to prevent factually unsupported claims and defenses from proceeding to trial.” Felty v. Graves-Humphreys Co., 818 F.2d 1126, 1128 (4th Cir.1987).

DISCUSSION

The trustee’s complaint, as amended, seeks avoidance of the Chapel Ridge Deed of Trust pursuant to his powers under the strong-arm clause of § 544(a).4 Specifically, the trustee argues that § 544(a) permits avoidance of the Chapel Ridge Deed of Trust because it fails to properly identify the promissory note and is therefore invalid under North Carolina law. See, e.g., Willows II, LLC, v. Branch Banking and Trust Co. (In re Willows II, LLC), 485 B.R. 528 (Bankr.E.D.N.C.2013) (detailing the requirement, under North Carolina law, that a deed of trust must properly identify the obligation secured).

[827]*827Section 544, outlining the instances where state law allows a trustee to utilize his avoidance powers, provides:

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Related

Bank of America, N.A. v. Gallo (In re Gallo)
539 B.R. 88 (E.D. North Carolina, 2015)

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Bluebook (online)
494 B.R. 822, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/warren-v-abreu-in-re-skumpija-nceb-2013.