Waterfield Mortgage Co. v. Cassi (In Re Cassi)

24 B.R. 619, 7 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 383, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 4268, 9 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 1022
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Indiana
DecidedApril 22, 1982
Docket18-32115
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 24 B.R. 619 (Waterfield Mortgage Co. v. Cassi (In Re Cassi)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Waterfield Mortgage Co. v. Cassi (In Re Cassi), 24 B.R. 619, 7 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 383, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 4268, 9 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 1022 (Ind. 1982).

Opinion

ORDER

ROBERT K. RODIBAUGH, Bankruptcy Judge.

This matter is before the Court on the complaint of Waterfield Mortgage Company, Incorporated (hereafter, Waterfield), the plaintiff-creditor, seeking a declaratory judgment and relief regarding the effect, if any, that a discharge of Mr. and Mrs. Cassi, debtors, will have on the lien of plaintiff’s mortgage, in the event that plaintiff takes no further action in the bankruptcy proceedings. A hearing was held on June 30, 1981 at which the parties agreed that a stipulation of facts, the pleadings and a brief would constitute the full submission of this matter. Upon receipt of the stipulation and the brief, the matter was taken under advisement on September 18, 1981.

*620 Issue

The issue to be determined is whether or not Waterfield is entitled to a declaratory judgment to the effect that, notwithstanding the discharge of debtors, the lien of Waterfield’s real estate mortgage is and will continue to be an enforceable in rem lien against the real estate described in the mortgage.

There is no controversy regarding the facts in this case. The parties have stipulated that:

a) Michael Louis Cassi and Betty Luise Cassi have filed proceedings in bankruptcy and have received their discharge.
b) Waterfield has filed its proof of secured claim, showing an indebtedness of $31,776.12, plus subsequent interest.
c) Waterfield’s claim is secured by a first mortgage on real estate which is occupied by debtors as their residence.
d) The payments due from debtors to Waterfield under the note and mortgage are current. Debtors desire to retain their home.
e) No reaffirmation agreement has been made.
f) Waterfield’s mortgage was a valid pre-filed lien on the real estate involved herein.
g) No party in interest has requested that the Court determine and allow or disallow Waterfield’s claim. Waterfield’s claim is an allowed, secured claim.
h) Waterfield has not sought relief from the automatic stay against lien enforcement.

The debtors, jointly and severally, obligated themselves to Waterfield on May 1, 1980 under the terms of a mortgage note to repay the principal amount of a loan together with interest at a stipulated rate in monthly installments over a thirty-year period. The loan was used for the purchase of the debtors’ residence. The debtors filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code 1 on May 1, 1981. Waterfield was listed as a secured creditor.

The plaintiff seeks judicial affirmation of the right to enforce its mortgage lien in rem against the debtors’ mortgaged real estate after discharge in the absence of a reaffirmation agreement. The plaintiff states that, without doubt, one in plaintiff’s position could so enforce its lien under Section 14f of the Bankruptcy Act of 1898, 2 the predecessor of Section 524(a) of the Bankruptcy Code. 3 Plaintiff contends that the same is also true under Section 524(a) of the Bankruptcy Code. However, the plaintiff states that the decision of In re Williams, 9 B.R. 228 (Bkrtcy.D.Kan.1981) holding that after discharge a creditor may not enforce pre-filed liens against the debtors or their property in the absence of an enforceable reaffirmation agreement casts doubts upon their rights in spite of the fact that other bankruptcy courts have held under the Code that such creditors can enforce their liens after discharge.

The plaintiff contends that In re Williams, supra was erroneously decided. In essence, the plaintiff claims that its in rem rights against the property of the debtors survives the discharge just as it did under the Bankruptcy Act, while the Williams decision said that the new Code has changed the method by which a creditor’s lien rights may be exercised and preserved and that a creditor’s failure to abide by the changes results in the loss of the right by way of a “waiver.” The plaintiff asserts that the decision in Williams is based primarily upon that Court’s interpretation of wording in Section 524(a)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code. 4 Yet the Williams Court’s reading of Section 524 is contrary to established law and practice under Section 14f of the Bankruptcy Act. 5 Furthermore the approach of the Williams Court is unsupported by legisla *621 tive history and is in conflict with other sections of the Code. The plaintiff also disagrees with the positions taken in Williams that the discharge extinguishes the debt and that without a debt there can be no lien.

For the reasons stated hereafter the Court is of the opinion that Congress did not intend, by enactment of Section 524(a)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code, to change prior bankruptcy law that allowed for the survivability of pre-filed liens which were not otherwise avoided during the proceedings.

As stated above the essence of the issue at bar is how to interpret new language in the Bankruptcy Code and determine its effect on past law and practice. At the heart of the matter is Congress’ intent in enacting Section 524 of the Bankruptcy Code.

The Williams Court states in itá opinion that certain sections of title 11 of the United States Code, plus some of the legislative history, a treatise on bankruptcy, and case law interpretation of the relevant sections of the Bankruptcy Code indicate that creditors’ in rem rights may be enforced against the debtors’ property post-discharge just as was so under the Bankruptcy Act. Nevertheless, the Williams Court goes on to say that general concepts of the law, portions of the legislative history, and Sections 524 and 727 of the Bankruptcy Code lead that Court to conclude that apparent conflict among sections of the Code can only be resolved by finding that without reaffirmation, liens do not survive discharge. In re Williams, supra at 100.

This Court believes that any apparent conflict, if any exists, can be resolved in such a way to be more consistent with the rest of the Code, the legislative history, and past law and practice regarding the survivability of valid pre-filed liens.

Section 524(a) of the Bankruptcy Code, in pertinent part, reads:

§ 524. Effect of discharge
(a) A discharge in a ease under this title—
(1) voids any judgment at any time obtained, to the extent that such judgment is a determination of the personal liability of the debtor with respect to any debt discharged under section 727, 944, 1141 or 1328 of this title, whether or not discharge of such,debt is waived;

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Bluebook (online)
24 B.R. 619, 7 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d 383, 1982 Bankr. LEXIS 4268, 9 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 1022, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/waterfield-mortgage-co-v-cassi-in-re-cassi-innb-1982.