MEMORANDUM DECISION
Collect Access, LLC (“Collect”) brought a motion (“Motion”) to vacate an order for turnover of personal property entered by the Court at the request of debtor Jose J. Hernandez (“Debtor”). The Motion raises issues about the respective rights of a creditor and debtor in funds that a levying officer has seized, but has not yet turned over to the creditor by the time the debtor files bankruptcy. The Debtor successfully moved the Court to compel turnover of the funds that were held by the sheriff on the petition date. Collect contends the turnover was wrongfully ordered because the Debtor did not have any rights in the funds after they were seized by the sheriff. Collect refused to comply with the turnover order and the Debtor also seeks damages for Collect’s refusal to turn over the funds.
These disputes are governed by 11 U.S.C. § 542 and
United States v. Whiting Pools, Inc.,
Examining the applicable state statutes, the Court concludes the sheriffs levy on the funds created an execution lien, rather than an ownership interest. Cal.Civ.Proc. Code § 697.710.
1
This lien had not been extinguished as of the date of the bankruptcy petition, since the funds had not been released to Collect.
See
CaLCiv. Proc.Code § 724.010(b).
2
The Debtor had rights to claim exemption for the funds, which he did in his bankruptcy schedules under Cal.Civ.Proc.Code § 703.140(b)(5). These rights rendered the funds subject to turnover.
Mwangi v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (In re Mwangi),
Upon reconsideration of its turnover order, the Court finds no error in its entry. The Court will also hold further proceedings on whether the Debtor can recover damages from Collect’s failure to turn over the funds.
I. Factual Background
A California state court judgment in favor of First Select, Inc. and against the Debtor was entered on August 30, 2000, and renewed on May 19, 2008, for $3,723.19. The Debtor is disabled and retired, and lives on social security benefits and the support of his family. Apparently as a successor to First Select, Inc., 3 Collect submitted a writ of execution to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (the “Sheriff’) on July 12, 2011, three years after the judgment was renewed. The Sheriff levied funds from the Debtor’s Wells Fargo Bank deposit account on Collect’s instructions on September 7, 2011.
When the Debtor filed his chapter 7 bankruptcy petition September 27, 2011, the levied funds were still in the Sheriffs possession. The Debtor claimed the funds in the Wells Fargo Bank deposit account exempt under Cal.Civ.Proc.Code § 703.140(b)(5). About a month later, on November 3, 2011, the Debtor filed an Ex Parte Motion for Turnover of Personal Property (“Turnover Motion I”) under 11 U.S.C. § 542, which was served on the chapter 7 trustee, the Sheriff, Zee Law Group, and Atlas Acquisitions LLC. On November 4, 2011, this Court granted Turnover Motion I and issued an order (“Turnover Order I”) for the Sheriff to turn over $712.39 (the “Funds”) to the Debtor. Apparently before receiving *400 Turnover Order I, since this order was not served on anyone but the Debtor, the Sheriff sent the Funds to Zee Law Group on November 7, 2011.
The Debtor soon learned the Sheriff no longer held the Funds and filed his Motion for an Order directing Zee Law Group or Tappan Zee, Attorney at Law, to turn over the Funds (“Turnover Motion II”) on November 21, 2011. The Debtor served this second motion on the same parties as the first. On November 29, 2011, the Court entered its order (“Turnover Order II”, and collectively “Turnover Orders”) directing Zee Law Group/Tappan Zee to turn over the Funds to Debtor.
Nearly a month after its counsel and predecessor were served with Turnover Motion I, Collect filed its opposition to it. Collect also shortly thereafter filed its motion to vacate Turnover Order II. The Debtor responded to Collect’s opposition, and also alleged that Collect violated the automatic stay and requested $1,100 in attorney fees.
The Court issued a tentative ruling on January 17, 2012, and entertained oral argument at the hearing on January 19, 2012. The Court then took the matter under submission.
II. Analysis
A. Collect’s Motions Must be Evaluated under Bankruptcy Rule 9023
Collect requests that the Court vacate Turnover Order II,
4
which is tantamount to seeking reconsideration of it.
Am. Ironworks & Erectors Inc. v. N. Am. Constr. Corp.,
Bankruptcy Rule 9023 allows reconsideration of the correctness and merits of the initial order.
McDowell v. Calderon,
Collect seeks reconsideration on two grounds. First, it claims it did not receive notice of Turnover Motion II until after the order granting this motion was entered on November 29, 2011. While that may be true, Collect through its counsel had notice of the bankruptcy case and specifically of Turnover Motion I well before then. Counsel delayed responding for two weeks, possibly because his client decided to rely on their receipt of the Funds from the Sheriff on November 7, 2011 to claim ownership. Even though Turnover Order I specifically compelled only the Sheriff, and not Collect, to turn over the Funds to the Debtor, Collect had an affirmative duty to terminate the levy process upon learning of the bankruptcy case. This duty was imposed by the automatic stay and Collect failed to respect it.
Cal. Empl’t Dev. Dep’t v. Taxel (In re Del Mission Ltd.),
Collect’s disregard of its affirmative duty to stop the garnishment for several weeks after he knew of the bankruptcy renders him an unworthy candidate for relief. His arguments could have, and should have, been raised earlier in the case as required by Bankruptcy Rule 9023. In any event, these untimely arguments are also substantively flawed.
B. Property of the Estate
Collect’s second ground for reconsideration is that the Court erred in entering Turnover Order II because the Debtor had no rights in the Funds after September 7, 2011, when the Sheriff levied on them. Correcting a manifest error of law is an appropriate ground for reconsideration of an order.
McDowell,
Subject to certain exceptions, the Bankruptcy Code requires creditors to turn over all property of a debtor’s estate to the trustee. 11 U.S.C. § 542(a). Turnover of property to the debtor may also be ordered for exempt property.
Mwangi,
Under California law, the Sheriffs levy under Collect’s writ of execution resulted in an execution lien,
5
rather than a transfer of ownership of the Funds. Cal.Civ.Proc.Code § 697.710;
see also Southern Cal. Bank v. Zimmerman (In re Hilde),
Before Collect’s lien could be transformed into its ownership of the Funds, the Sheriff had to release the Funds. Under Civ. Proc.Code § 697.710, an execution lien created by levy survives for the earlier of two years, or when the judgment is satisfied. Under Civ. Civ. Proc.Code § 724.010(b)
6
, the judgment is not fully satisfied until the creditor receives the levied funds from the levying officer.
See Estate of Neilson,
Collect does not discuss these cogent statutory provisions, and relies almost ex-clusively
7
upon language in
Del Riccio v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County,
When the writ has been regularly issued and executed, money collected, while in the hands of the officer, is property of the judgment creditors and not the debt- or. Nothing can be done with it other than to turn it over to the creditor. The possession of the officer solely for the use and benefit of the creditor is possession by the latter. As between the parties, the money should be deemed to have been delivered to the creditor immediately upon its receipt by the officer. ... Correspondingly, when the debtor’s money is taken on a valid execution it ceases to be his and he immediately becomes entitled to partial or full satisfaction of the judgment. The rights of the parties cannot be interfered with except through procedure authorized by statute.
Despite the broad language in
Del Riccio
that “money collected, while in the hands of the officer, is property of the judgment creditors and not the debtor,” the case is not applicable here.
Del Riccio
merely held that courts have no inherent power to stay enforcement of a judgment in absence of specific statutory authority.
Id.; Curley v. Superior Court of Alameda County,
As properly constrained to its actual holding,
Del Riccio
does not support Collect’s claim to the Funds. Unlike
Del Riccio,
C. The Debtor’s Rights in the Funds Had Not Expired as of the Petition Date.
Undercutting its claim of ownership of the Funds outright, Collect concedes that the Debtor had exemption rights at the time of the levy. Referencing CaLCiv. Proc.Code §§ 703.030(b)
9
and 703.520(a),
10
allowing a claim for exemption of levied funds, but only within 10 days of the levy, Collect argues that the Debtor’s expired exemption rights cannot justify turnover of the Funds.
See Whiting Pools,
As averred in the Debtor’s Schedules of Assets and Liabilities, he is retired and disabled. His only source of income, other than $100 of family contributions, is $636 in monthly social security benefits. Under state law, the Debtor’s social security benefits are exempt pursuant to Cal. Civ.Proc.Code § 704.080(b) in the amount of $2,425. This exemption is automatic and the expiration of the 10-day period of Cal.Civ.Proc.Code § 703.520(a) does not apply. “Some exemptions need not be claimed. They are automatic and are denoted by the statutory term of art ‘exempt without making a claim,’ which has the effect of eliminating the applicability of the procedure for enforcing a money judgment.”
In re Petruzzelli,
Another exemption potentially available to the Debtor is the one he claimed on his schedules; the wild card exemption under Cal.Civ.Proc.Code § 703.140(b)(5). Collect does not offer a reason why this wild card exemption was not available to the Debtor when he filed, other than its suggestion that the expiration of the 10-day period of Cal.Civ.Proc. Code § 703.520(a) was controlling. But state court exemption procedure is not controlling in bankruptcy.
See Cisneros v. Kim (In re Kim),
The Turnover Orders were not entered in error and the Court declines to vacate *405 them. Collect will be ordered to turn over the Funds to the Debtor no later than seven days after entry of the order denying the Motion.
D. The Debtor’s Claim for Damages for Collect’s Violation of the Automatic Stay
The duty of an entity in possession of estate property to deliver property of the estate to the trustee or debtor-in-possession is a mandatory duty arising upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition.
Del Mission,
Upon receiving notice of the Debt- or’s September 27, 2011 bankruptcy petition,
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Collect had an affirmative obligation to cease its collection procedures and notify the Sheriff to return the property. It failed to do so, resulting in the Sheriffs release of the Funds to Collect on November 7, 2011. This release violated the automatic stay and was void.
See Schwartz v. United States (In re Schwartz),
Bankruptcy Code section 362(k) permits a person injured by any willful violation to recover actual and punitive damages, as sanctions for willful violations. That the creditor had an argument that its conduct was appropriate is no defense.
Johnston Envtl Corp. v. Knight (In re Goodman),
III. Conclusion
This Memorandum Decision will constitute the Court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law pursuant to Fed. R. Bankr.P. 7052. The Court will prepare its own order in this matter.
Notes
. Cal.Civ.Proc.Code § 697.710 provides that "[a] levy on property under a writ of execution creates an execution lien on the property from the time of levy until the expiration of two years after the date of issuance of the writ unless the judgment is sooner satisfied.”
. Cal.Civ.Proc.Code § 724.010(b) provides that "[wjhere a money judgment is satisfied by levy, the obligation of the judgment creditor to give or file an acknowledgment of satisfaction arises only when the judgment creditor has received the full amount required to satisfy the judgment from the levying officer.”
. Although the record is not clear when these transfers occurred, and no Bankruptcy Rule 3001(e) transfers of claims were filed, it appears First Select, Inc. later transferred its claim to Atlas Acquisitions LLC, who then transferred its claim to Collect. Each of these successor assignees were represented by Zee Law Group.
. Whether this Court has constitutional authority to enter findings of fact and conclusions of law in this motion for reconsideration brought pursuant to Bankruptcy Rule 9013 based upon
Stern v. Marshall,
-U.S.-,
This Memorandum Decision will serve as this Court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law on the matters before it. If either of the parties challenges this Court’s authority to enter a final turnover order here, the party challenging the authority of this Court must timely comply with the provisions of Bankruptcy Rule 9033 to seek de novo review of this Memorandum Decision from the District Court.
. It may well be the case that this lien would be avoidable as a preference since it was created on August 12, 2011, when the levy occurred, which was within the 90 days before the case was filed on September 27, 2011; this issue is not before the Court. That the lien as well as the payment were potentially avoidable transfers distinguishes this case from
In re Momentum Computer Systems International,
. While the Court notes that § 724.010(b) refers only to
full
satisfaction of the judgment, and the Funds here were levied by the Sheriff in
partial
satisfaction of the judgment, that distinction is meaningless here. The issue before the Court is when Collect’s execution lien is merged into an ownership interest; § 724.010(b) specifically requires delivery to the creditor before that can occur. Whether a full satisfaction of judgment can be compelled when the judgment has been partially paid is not germane here, since creditors must give credit to even partial payments in satisfaction of a judgment.
Murchison v. Murchison,
. Collect notes that the bankruptcy court in
Churchill Nut Co.,
. This statute prescribes the duties of the levying officer to the creditor.
See Ellerhee v. County of Los Angeles,
. Cal.Civ.Proc.Code § 703.030 provides "[except as otherwise specifically provided by statute, property that is described in this chapter or in any other statute as exempt without making a claim is not subject to any procedure for enforcement of a money judgment.”
. Cal.Civ.Proc.Code § 703.520(a) provides that "[t]he claimant may make a claim of exemption by filing with the levying officer a claim of exemption together with a copy thereof. The claim shall be made within 10 days after the date the notice of levy on the property claimed to be exempt was served on the judgment debtor.”
. Collect and its attorney, Tappan Zee, were given notice of Debtor's Chapter 7 petition on the date of filing, September 27, 2011.
