In Re Grein
MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER
THIS MATTER came before the Court
I. ISSUES PRESENTED
The issues before the Court are as follows:
1. Whether the assets belonging to a debtor at the commencement of a bankruptcy case and the proceeds generated from the disposition of those assets during a Chapter 13 case are considered property of a Chapter 7 estate when the Chapter 13 case is converted to a Chapter 7 case; and
2. Whether a debtor who disposes of property of the estate during a Chapter 13 case must surrender the value of that property of the estate to a Chapter 7 Trustee when the Chapter 13 case is converted to a Chapter 7 case.
II. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
The following facts are not disputed. On March 21, 2007, John A. Grein and Angela Grein (“Debtors”) filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. 4 Thereafter, on July 19, 2007, the Debtors agreed to surrender to the Chapter 7 Trustee the sum of $4,217.71 so that the Chapter 7 Trustee could make payments to the Debtors’ unsecured creditors. 5 The $4,217.71 represented the nonexempt portion of the accounts receivable of a business owned by one of the Debtors and the non-exempt equity in one of the Debtors’ automobiles.
The Debtors never surrendered the $4,217.71 to the Chapter 7 Trustee because on September 10, 2007, the Debtors voluntarily converted their Chapter 7 case to a Chapter 13 case.
6
While the Chapter 13 case was pending, the Debtors sold the automobile and disposed of the accounts receivable in order to generate additional revenues and pay certain expenses. Nevertheless, in accordance with their confirmed Chapter 13 plan, the Debtors made payments in the amount of $16,025.02 to their unsecured creditors.
7
Unfortunately, the Debtors failed to make at least three payments outside of the Chapter 13 plan to the lending institution that possessed a mortgage on the Debtors’ home. Consequently, the lending institution filed a Motion for Relief from Automatic Stay on May 6, 2009 in order to commence foreclosure proceedings against the home.
8
On June 2, 2009, this Court granted the lending institution’s Motion for Relief from Automatic Stay after no objections to the
On November 6, 2009, the Debtors voluntarily reconverted their Chapter 13 case to a Chapter 7 case after experiencing a change in their financial and personal circumstances.
10
Nearly four months later, on March 4, 2010, this Court granted the Debtors a discharge pursuant to
III. PROPERTY OF THE ESTATE
A. BACKGROUND
Under the Bankruptcy Code, a bankruptcy estate is comprised of all legal or equitable interests of the debtor in property as of the commencement of the bankruptcy case.
15
In addition, a bankruptcy estate is comprised of any proceeds generated from the disposition of any property of the estate.
16
With respect to a Chapter 13 ease, a bankruptcy estate is comprised of all legal or equitable interests of the debtor in property as of the commencement of the bankruptcy case and any property acquired after the commencement of the bankruptcy case.
17
In order to ensure that property acquired after the commencement of a Chapter 13 case is not included in property of a Chapter 7 estate when the Chapter 13 case is converted to a Chapter 7 case,
B. CHAPTER 7 TRUSTEE’S AND DEBTORS’ ARGUMENTS
The Chapter 7 Trustee’s argument in his Motion to Compel Turnover is simple and direct: “[p]ursuant to
Relying on
C. PROPERTY OF THE ESTATE UPON CONVERSION UNDER
When a Chapter 13 case is converted to a Chapter 7 case, a court must determine which assets belonging to the debtor must be considered property of the Chapter 7 estate. Accordingly, a court will seek to apply the provisions of
This Court finds three cases addressing what constitutes property of the estate when a Chapter 13 case is converted to a Chapter 7 case to be persuasive. In Pisculli v. T.S. Haulers, Inc. (In re Pisculli), 21 the debtor filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code. However, nearly six months later, the Chapter 13 case was converted to a Chapter 7 case. While the Chapter 13 petition was pending, the debtor sold certain assets of a company he owned for the sum of $247,500. Presumably, the debtor owned these assets at the time the Chapter 13 petition was filed. Subsequently, an unsecured creditor sought denial of the debt- or’s discharge because it believed that the proceeds generated from the aforementioned sale were transferred to third parties with the intent to hinder, delay, or defraud the unsecured creditor.
Relying on
Moreover, the court noted that
Similarly, in
Bogdanov v. Laflamme (In re
Laflamme),
28
the debtor filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code. However, more than four months later, the bankruptcy court converted the Chapter 13 case to a Chapter 7 case. Thereafter, the Chapter 7 Trustee commenced an adversary proceeding against the debtor in order to recover commissions received by the debtor on account of her former employment as a real estate broker. The Chapter 7 Trustee argued that the real estate commissions were property of the estate and subject to turnover under
Under 11 U.S.C. 1306(a), any property acquired after the filing of a Chapter 13 petition becomes property of the estate. The court observed that Congress enacted
Similarly, in
Wyss v. Fobber (In re Fobber)
33
the debtors filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. Approximately nine months later, the Chapter 7 case was converted to a Chapter 13 case. However, prior to the confirmation of the Chapter 13 plan, the Chapter 13 case was reconverted to a Chapter 7 case. During the Chapter 13 phase of the bankruptcy case, the debtors sold a tractor for the sum of $35,000. Presumably, the debtors owned the tractor prior to the commencement of the original Chapter 7 case. Consequently, the Chapter 7 Trustee commenced an adversary proceeding against the debtors in order to revoke the debtors’ discharge pursuant to
Relying on
The court also noted that under
D. THE NON-EXEMPT PORTIONS OF THE DEBTORS’ ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AND THE EQUITY IN THE DEBTORS’ AUTOMOBILE ARE PROPERTY OF THE CHAPTER 7 ESTATE
In the present ease, the Debtors listed the accounts receivable and the automobile on their Schedule B when they filed their original Chapter 7 petition.
39
Accordingly, the Debtors, similar to the debtors in
Pisculli, Laflamme,
and
Fobber,
had a legal interest in the accounts receivable and the automobile as of the commencement of the original Chapter 7 case. Under
Once the Chapter 13 case was reconverted to a Chapter 7 case, similar to the assets in question in
Pisculli, Laflamme,
and
Fobber,
the accounts receivable became property of the Chapter 7 estate because
Further, even though the Debtors, similar to the debtors in
Pisculli, Laflamme,
and
Fobber,
did not possess nor control the accounts receivable, the automobile, or the proceeds from the sale of the automobile at the time of reconversion, these assets are property of the reconverted Chapter 7 estate because literal application of
For the aforementioned reasons, the non-exempt portions of the Debtors’ accounts receivable and the equity in the Debtors’ automobile constitute property of the reconverted Chapter 7 estate.
IV. TURNOVER OF PROPERTY IN A CONVERTED CASE
A. CHAPTER 7 TRUSTEE’S ARGUMENTS
In his motion, the Chapter 7 Trustee argues that the non-exempt portions of the Debtors’ accounts receivable and the equity in the Debtors’ automobile are property of the Chapter 7 estate. Accordingly, the Chapter 7 Trustee argues that the Debtors are statutorily required to surrender the value of these assets ($4,217.71) to the Chapter 7 Trustee.
40
However, as discussed below, the facts in the Debtors’ bankruptcy case support the conclusion that the value of the non-exempt portions of the Debtors’ accounts receivable and the
B. EXCEPTIONS TO REQUIREMENT THAT PROPERTY OF THE ESTATE MUST BE SURRENDERED TO THE TRUSTEE
Under the Bankruptcy Code, a debtor must surrender all property of the estate to the Trustee if the Trustee is administering the bankruptcy case. 41 Further, “any entity ... in possession, custody, or control, during the case, of property that the trustee may use, sell, or lease ... shall deliver to the trustee, and account for, such property or the value of such property ...” 42 As mentioned previously, when a Chapter 13 case is converted to a Chapter 7 case, a court must determine which assets belonging to the debtor must be considered property of the estate. Thereafter, any assets deemed to be property of the Chapter 7 estate must be surrendered to the Chapter 7 Trustee. However, when a Chapter 13 ease is converted to a Chapter 7 case, courts have held that property of the estate does not need to be surrendered to the Chapter 7 Trustee if (1) unsecured creditors received in the Chapter 13 case as much as they would have received if the Chapter 13 ease had been a Chapter 7 case from the outset; or (2) the debtor used property of the estate for ordinary and necessary living expenses provided that said use was not in bad faith. 43
This Court finds the aforementioned exceptions to the requirement that property of the estate must be surrendered to be persuasive. In the case of In re Sparks, the debtor filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code. Nearly eight months later, the bankruptcy court entered an order confirming the debtor’s Chapter 13 plan. However, shortly thereafter, the Chapter 13 case was converted to a Chapter 7 case. While the Chapter 13 case was pending, the debtor made payments in the approximate amount of $4,000 to his unsecured creditors in accordance with his Chapter 13 plan. 44 After conversion, the debtor sought to exempt $4,000 of equity in his automobile from property of the estate. However, the Chapter 7 Trustee filed an objection to the debtor’s claim of exemption and filed a motion to compel turnover of the automobile. 45
The debtor sought a denial of the motion to compel turnover of the automobile because during the pendency of the Chapter 13 case the debtor’s unsecured creditors received as much as they would have received if the debtor had simply filed a Chapter 7 petition on the date of the commencement of the bankruptcy case and had the Chapter 7 Trustee liquidated the debtor’s non-exempt assets.
46
Ultimately, the bankruptcy court agreed with the debtor’s position and denied the Chapter 7 Trustee’s motion to compel turnover of the automobile.
47
In justifying its holding, the court reasoned that all payments during the Chapter 13 case went to the debtor’s unsecured creditors, and the unsecured creditors received what they would have
As mentioned earlier, in
Lqflamme,
the Chapter 7 Trustee commenced an adversary proceeding against the debtor, whose Chapter 13 case was converted to a Chapter 7 case, in order to recover commissions received by the debtor on account of her former employment as a real estate broker.
49
After holding that the real estate commissions were property of the estate pursuant to
The bankruptcy court noted that
C. THE VALUE OF THE NON-EXEMPT PORTIONS OF THE DEBTORS’ ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AND THE EQUITY IN THE DEBTORS’ AUTOMOBILE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE SURRENDERED TO THE CHAPTER 7 TRUSTEE
In the present case, while the Chapter 13 case was pending, the Debtors, similar to the debtor in the case of
In re Sparks,
made payments in the amount of $16,025.02 to their unsecured creditors in accordance with their Chapter 13 plan.
57
This amount exceeds the $4,217.71 that the Debtors originally agreed to surrender to the Chapter 7 Trustee so that the Chapter 7 Trustee could make payments to the Debtors’ unsecured creditors. The $4,217.71 is the amount that was to have been paid to the Debtors’ unsecured creditors had the Debtors not converted their original Chapter 7 case to a Chapter 13 case. This Court finds the reasoning applied in the case of
In re Sparks
to be persuasive; therefore, the Debtors do not have to surrender the value of the non
This Court notes that in their Objection to the Chapter 7 Trustee’s Motion to Compel Turnover, the Debtors assert that the accounts receivable were disposed of in order to make payments toward the Debtors’ ordinary expenses, including payments under the Chapter 13 plan. 58 In their Objection, the Debtors also assert that the automobile was sold; however, it is unclear how the Debtors utilized the proceeds generated from the sale of the automobile. 59 While this Court finds the reasoning applied in Laflamme to be persuasive, it cannot hold that the Debtors used the accounts receivable and the proceeds from the sale of the automobile to meet ordinary and necessary living expenses, and that any such use was not in bad faith, without holding an evidentiary hearing. Nevertheless, an evidentiary hearing is not necessary since the Debtors do not have to surrender the value of the non-exempt portions of their accounts receivable and the equity in their automobile to the Chapter 7 Trustee because the unsecured creditors have already received more than they would have received had the Debtors never converted their original Chapter 7 case to a Chapter 13 case.
For the aforementioned reasons, the value of the non-exempt portions of the Debtors’ accounts receivable and the equity in the Debtors’ automobile does not have to be surrendered to the Chapter 7 Trustee.
Y. CONCLUSION
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the Chapter 7 Trustee’s Motion to Compel Turnover is DENIED.
Notes
. The Minutes of Proceeding for the June 22, 2010 non-evidentiary hearing are located at Docket No. 112.
. Docket No. 106.
. Docket No. 108.
. Docket No. 1.
. The Debtors’ agreement to surrender $4,217.71 was the basis of the Stipulation to Pay to Trustee, which is located at Docket No. 30.
. Docket No. 40.
. Exhibit A attached to the Debtors' Objection to Trustee's Motion to Compel Turnover located at Docket No. 108.
. Docket No. 78.
. Docket No. 81.
. Docket No. 96.
. Docket No. 100.
. Docket No. 106.
. Although the Chapter 7 Trustee cites
. Docket No. 108.
.
.
.
. Docket No. 108.
.
. It must be noted that there are no allegations by the Chapter 7 Trustee and there is no evidence whatsoever that the Debtors here converted their bankruptcy case from Chapter 13 to Chapter 7 in bad faith and, thus, paragraph (2) of
.
. Id. at 62.
.Id. at 65.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id. at 62.
. Id.
.
. Id. at 196-97.
. Id. at 201.
. Id. at 202.
. Id. at 203.
.
. Id. at 276.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id. at 277-78.
. Id. at 278.
. Docket No. 17.
. Docket No. 106.
. 11 U.S.C
.
.
See Bogdanov v. Laflamme,
. In re Sparks,
. Id.
. Id. at 180.
. Id. at 182.
. Id.
.
Laflamme,
. Id. at 203-04.
. Id. at 204.
. Id.
. Id. at 205.
. Id.
. Id. at 206.
. Id.
. Exhibit A attached to the Debtors' Objection to Trustee's Motion to Compel Turnover located at Docket No. 108.
. Docket No. 108.
. Id.