Weber v. SEFCU (In Re Weber)Weber v. SEFCU (In Re Weber)
Defendant SEFCU, a lender, appeals from a judgment of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (Suddaby, J.) reversing an order of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York (Littlefield, J.) and remanding the case to the Bankruptcy Court for further proceedings. The District Court concluded that SEFCU violated the automatic stay provision of the Bankruptcy Code,
On appeal to our Court, SEFCU challenges the District Court‘s interpretation of section 362 and other relevant provisions of the Bankruptcy Code, and argues that, under the authority of Manufacturers & Traders Trust Co. v. Alberto (In re Alberto), 271 B.R. 223 (N.D.N.Y. 2001), it was entitled to retain the vehicle notwithstanding the pending bankruptcy proceedings. For the reasons set forth below, we AFFIRM the judgment of the District Court and REMAND the cause to the district court for a determination of the amount of damages, costs, and attorneys’ fees that SEFCU owes Weber under section 362(k), and any other proceedings consistent with this opinion.
BACKGROUND
The relevant facts are undisputed.1
In 2009, SEFCU became entitled to proceed against Weber. As a result, on January 10, 2010, SEFCU took possession of Weber‘s vehicle pursuant to the loan agreement, and, by notices dated January 10 and 11, 2010, advised him of his right under New York law to redeem the vehicle upon payment of amounts due and certain costs. Four days after the seizure, on January 14, Weber filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code,
One week later, SEFCU still had the vehicle, and accordingly, on January 22, Weber filed an adversary proceeding against SEFCU seeking its return so that, as later explained by his counsel to the Bankruptcy Court, he could “continue his construction business” during the pendency of his petition. On March 1, with the vehicle still in SEFCU‘s possession, the Bankruptcy Court entered an
The proceedings in the Bankruptcy Court continued, as Weber sought damages for his inability to use the vehicle between January 14 and March 5, attorneys’ fees, and sanctions. In November 2010, SEFCU moved for summary judgment, putting to the Bankruptcy Court the question of law whether SEFCU‘s failure to release the vehicle promptly after the petition was filed constituted a “willful” violation of the automatic stay under subsections (a) and (k)(1) of section 362 (providing for recovery of damages, costs, and attorneys’ fees for “any willful violation of a stay“). SEFCU maintained that there was no violation, and that an earlier district court decision in other proceedings, Alberto, 271 B.R. 223 (N.D.N.Y. 2001), gave it a reasonable basis for declining to release the vehicle absent a court order issued pursuant to Bankruptcy Code section 542,
DISCUSSION
We conduct a “plenary review” of a decision of “a district court functioning in its capacity as an appellate court in a bankruptcy case.” Mazzeo v. United States (In re Mazzeo), 131 F.3d 295, 301 (2d Cir. 1997). Thus, we review de novo the bankruptcy court‘s legal conclusions. Resolution Trust Corp. v. Best Prods. Co. (In re Best Prods. Co.), 68 F.3d 26, 29 (2d Cir. 1995). As noted above, the relevant facts are not contested; we have no occasion to subject them to further review.
Under Bankruptcy Code section 541, governing “Property of the estate,” the act of filing a petition for bankruptcy creates an estate comprised of (as relevant here) “all legal or equitable interests of the debtor in property as of the
To assemble the bankruptcy estate, section 542 of the Code requires that, during bankruptcy proceedings, an entity “in possession, custody, or control” of certain property in the estate ”shall deliver” that property to the trustee, “unless such property is of inconsequential value or benefit to the estate.”
While bankruptcy proceedings are pending, the automatic stay provisions of section 362 work with sections 541 and 542 to shelter the debtor‘s estate from action by creditors, enabling the debtor to get the relief and fresh start that are among the goals of the bankruptcy regime.5 Thus, under section 362, filing a bankruptcy petition automatically effects a stay of “any act to obtain possession of property of the estate . . . or to exercise control over property of the estate.”
We first consider whether SEFCU‘s refusal to return the vehicle to Weber promptly upon learning of his Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing constituted an
I.
As observed above, section 541(a) provides that a bankruptcy estate is comprised of “all legal or equitable interests in property as of the commencement of the case.”6 Although SEFCU‘s repossession of the vehicle before Weber filed his petition lawfully overrode Weber‘s immediate possessory rights, the parties agree that New York law afforded Weber at least a continuing equitable interest in the vehicle. See Wornick v. Gaffney, 544 F.3d 486, 490 (2d Cir. 2008) (“Whether the debtor has a legal or equitable interest in property such that it becomes property of
Rather, Weber and SEFCU dispute whether, by failing to surrender the vehicle immediately upon receiving notice of the petition‘s filing, SEFCU “exercise[d] control” over Weber‘s equitable interest in the vehicle and thereby violated the stay imposed by section 362. The Supreme Court‘s decision in United States v. Whiting Pools, Inc., 462 U.S. 198 (1983), provides important guidance for our resolution of this issue.
The dispute in Whiting Pools arose when, to satisfy a tax lien, the IRS seized all of the tangible personal property of the corporation. One day after the seizure, the corporation filed for bankruptcy. The IRS moved for relief from the automatic stay, wishing to be free to sell the personal property that it had seized in
The Supreme Court affirmed the bankruptcy court‘s turnover order. Characterizing the IRS‘s interest in the seized property as “its lien” – not ownership – and analogizing the Service‘s right to effect a seizure to the remedies available to private secured creditors, the Court described the seizure as “not determin[ing] the Service‘s rights to the seized property, but merely bring[ing] the property into the Service‘s legal custody.” Id. at 210-11. It explained that “[i]n effect, § 542(a) grants to the estate a possessory interest in certain property of the debtor that was not held by the debtor at the commencement of reorganization proceedings,” id. at 207, and “requires an entity . . . holding any property of the debtor that the trustee can use under § 363 to turn that property over to the trustee.” Id. at 205-06.
The Court underscored the Congressional intent, in shaping the definition of “property” set forth in section 541(a), to include “a broad range” of property in the estate, and indeed, to capture “any property made available to the estate by other provisions of the Bankruptcy Code.” Id. at 204-05. Section 542(a) is such a provision. It requires delivery to the trustee of “any property of the debtor that the trustee can use under § 363,” including property repossessed by a secured creditor. Id. at 205-06. “Any other interpretation of § 542(a),” the Court declared, “would deprive the bankruptcy estate of the assets and property essential to its
For these reasons, the Court restricted the IRS – like any other creditor seizing property in which it held a security interest – to seeking protection of its interests “according to the congressionally established bankruptcy procedures, rather than by withholding the seized property from the debtor‘s efforts to reorganize.” Id. at 212.
Similarly, here, SEFCU seized Weber‘s vehicle before Weber filed for bankruptcy, but under New York law, Weber retained at least an equitable interest in the property notwithstanding its repossession. SEFCU did not automatically obtain an ownership interest in the vehicle: its rights to seize and sell were subject to U.C.C. provisions of state law, including certain continuing rights held by Weber, and also subject to the rights and remedies established by the Bankruptcy Code. Whiting Pools teaches that, upon Weber‘s filing of his bankruptcy petition, Weber‘s equitable interest under state law gave the bankruptcy estate a possessory right in the secured property, as property that the trustee could use under section 363. Under section 542, that right took precedence over the state law possessory right of SEFCU. See id. at 207.
It is true that Whiting Pools involved a Chapter 11 corporate reorganization, and that the Supreme Court expressly reserved judgment as to whether its analysis would also apply to Chapter 13 personal reorganizations like
Whiting Pools does not resolve, however, whether by demanding a turnover order of the bankruptcy court or “adequate protection” as a condition of its relinquishment, SEFCU “exercise[d] control” over the vehicle in contravention of the stay. In Whiting Pools, the IRS – unlike SEFCU – moved for relief from the stay, and did not simply wait for the debtor to initiate an adversary proceeding or
The district court‘s decision in Alberto, relied upon by SEFCU here, directly addressed the question left unanswered by Whiting Pools. The Alberto court concluded that a secured creditor did not violate the automatic stay when, after learning of the debtor‘s bankruptcy, it failed immediately to return a debtor‘s repossessed vehicle. 271 B.R. at 228. Rather, the court held that before such a secured creditor was obligated to surrender the collateral to the estate, the debtor must “take[ ] an affirmative step,” such as obtaining a turnover order under section 542. Id. at 227. Because (as it found) a repossessed vehicle was not part of the debtor‘s estate until such an action had occurred, the court reasoned that a creditor that had taken possession of its security did not “exercise control” over “property” of the estate by declining to surrender the possessory interest to the estate. Id. at 228. Since the debtor no longer had a possessory interest, the court concluded, the creditor “did not ‘act to obtain possession . . . or to exercise control’ of the vehicle in violation of the stay, since it already lawfully possessed and controlled the vehicle when the stay went into effect.” Id. at 226 (alteration in original) (quoting
We find the Alberto court‘s reasoning unpersuasive. Section 541 expressly provides that the “property” of Weber‘s estate includes equitable interests,
As for whether SEFCU‘s refusal to return the vehicle to the estate violated the stay, section 362 forbids any act to “obtain possession” or “exercise control” over the property of the estate. We need consult only an ordinary dictionary to confirm that a typical definition of “control” is: “To exercise authority over; direct; command.” Webster‘s New World College Dictionary (4th ed. 2002). In light of that definition, we see no way to avoid the conclusion that, by keeping custody of the vehicle and refusing Weber access to or use of it, SEFCU was
The Bankruptcy Amendments and Federal Judgeship Act of 1984 (the “1984 Amendments“) confirms our conclusion. The 1984 Amendments, passed after the Whiting Pools decision in 1983, broadened the already sweeping provisions of the automatic stay even further to prohibit expressly not only “acts to obtain possession” of property of the estate, but also “any act . . . to exercise control over the property of the estate.” Pub. L. No. 98-353, 98 Stat. 333, 371. This significant textual enlargement is consonant with our understanding and the Supreme Court‘s interpretation that Congress intended to prevent creditors from retaining property of the debtor in derogation of the bankruptcy procedure and the broad goals of debtor protection discussed above, without regard to what party was in possession of the property in question when the petition was filed. As the Seventh Circuit has pointed out, “Although Congress did not provide an explanation of that amendment, the mere fact that Congress expanded the provision to prohibit conduct above and beyond obtaining possession of an asset suggests that it intended to include conduct by creditors who seized an asset pre-petition.” Thompson, 566 F.3d at 702 (citation omitted).
The rule adopted by the Alberto court and urged on us by SEFCU – that some additional act by the debtor is required before the creditor is obligated to surrender the property – would, in contrast, place on the debtor or trustee the
[I]f persons who could make no substantial adverse claim to a debtor‘s property in their possession could, without cost to themselves, compel the debtor or his trustee to bring suit as a prerequisite to returning the property, the powers of a bankruptcy court . . . to collect the estate for the benefit of creditors would be vastly reduced.
Knaus v. Concordia Lumber Co. (In re Knaus), 889 F.2d 773, 775 (8th Cir. 1989) (internal quotation marks omitted). SEFCU has identified no basis for concluding that Congress intended this result.
The district court‘s decision in Alberto also runs counter to the strong trend of decisions from our sister Circuits. For example, the Seventh Circuit has bluntly ruled that “a plain reading of the Bankruptcy Code‘s provisions, the Supreme Court‘s decision in [Whiting Pools], and various practical considerations require that a creditor immediately return a seized asset in which a debtor has an equity interest to the debtor‘s estate upon his filing of Chapter 13 bankruptcy.”
Only the Eleventh Circuit has adopted a contrary approach, and those decisions have largely relied on readings of state law with regard to the relative legal property interests of debtor and secured creditor after a lawful repossession. See Bell-Tel Fed. Credit Union v. Kalter (In re Kalter), 292 F.3d 1350, 1356-60 (11th Cir. 2002) (applying Florida law); Charles R. Hall Motors, Inc. v. Lewis (In re Lewis), 137 F.3d 1280, 1284-85 (11th Cir. 1998) (applying Alabama law).
In our view, the majority rule adheres more faithfully to the text of the Bankruptcy Code and the reasoning of Whiting Pools. In addition, sound policy supports the majority‘s reading of the statutory text:
The primary goal of reorganization bankruptcy is to group all of the debtor‘s property together in his estate such that he may rehabilitate his credit and pay off his debts; this necessarily extends to all property, even property lawfully seized pre-petition. An asset actively used by a debtor serves a greater purpose to both the debtor and his creditors than an asset sitting idle on a creditor‘s lot.
Thompson, 566 F.3d at 702 (citations omitted) (emphasis in original).
We therefore join the majority of other Circuits to have addressed this issue and conclude that section 362 requires a creditor in possession of property
II.
SEFCU argues that even if the Code did not permit SEFCU to await a turnover order before relinquishing the vehicle, SEFCU was entitled to withhold the vehicle until Weber offered or the court ordered Weber to provide SEFCU “adequate protection” for SEFCU‘s security interest. Appellant‘s Br. 15. We need not pause long over this argument, for the plain text of the Bankruptcy Code contradicts this position. As we have observed, section 542(a) provides without qualification that anyone in possession of the property of the estate “shall deliver” it to the trustee.
SEFCU points to no provision of the Code permitting a creditor to withhold property of the estate until the debtor has offered protection that is “adequate” in the creditor‘s view, separate from any formal proceeding before the Bankruptcy Court. Rather, the Code provides for protection that the court deems adequate: “[O]n request of an entity that has an interest in property used . . . by the trustee, the court . . . shall prohibit or condition such use . . . as is necessary to provide adequate protection of such interest.”
SEFCU points principally to the Fourth Circuit‘s decision in Tidewater Finance Co. v. Moffett (In re Moffett), 356 F.3d 518 (4th Cir. 2004), in support of the
We easily conclude that SEFCU‘s belief that Weber had not provided “adequate protection” for SEFCU‘s security interest in the vehicle does not cure SEFCU‘s violation of section 362.
III.
Finally, SEFCU asserts that even if its actions violated section 362, its violation was not “willful” within the meaning of section 362(k), and therefore the court may not require it to pay Weber‘s damages, costs, or attorneys’ fees, or to impose any sanction. SEFCU asserts primarily that, because it relied in good faith on the Alberto decision and the “rule and custom” of the Northern District of New York, any violation that it committed should not be deemed “willful” under section 362(k). Appellant‘s Br. at 3.
Indeed, SEFCU misconstrues the meaning of “willful” as our Circuit law has construed the term in the context of section 362. A creditor willfully violates section 362 when it knows of the filing of the petition (and hence of the automatic stay), and has the general intent simply to perform the act found to violate section 362; no specific intent to violate section 362 is necessary. As we wrote over twenty years ago, “any deliberate act taken in violation of a stay, which the violator knows to be in existence, justifies an award of actual damages.” Crysen/Montenay Energy Co. v. Esselen Assocs., Inc. (In re Crysen/Montenay Energy Co.), 902 F.2d 1098, 1105 (2d Cir. 1990); see also In re Dominguez, 312 B.R. 499, 508 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2004) (“[S]o long as the violator possessed general intent in taking actions which have the effect of violating the automatic stay the intent required by § 362(h) is satisfied.“); Yates, 332 B.R. at 7 (“Whether the party believes
Although its good faith is insufficient to excuse SEFCU from liability for Weber‘s actual damages, it may prevent the imposition of punitive damages, which in any event Weber‘s counsel has conceded he no longer seeks.9 See Crysen/Montenay Energy Co., 902 F.2d at 1105 (“An additional finding of maliciousness or bad faith on the part of the offending creditor warrants the further imposition of punitive damages . . . .“); see also In re Velichko, 473 B.R. at 69-70 ( imposition of punitive damages premised on finding that secured creditor acted in bad faith by forcing debtors to sign reaffirmation agreement before relinquishing their vehicle).
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that by failing to deliver the repossessed vehicle to the debtor-in-possession promptly after receiving notice of the
Notes
The automatic stay is one of the fundamental debtor protections provided by the bankruptcy laws. It gives the debtor a breathing spell from his creditors. It stops all collection efforts, all harassment, and all foreclosure actions. It permits the debtor to attempt a repayment or reorganization plan, or simply to be relieved of the financial pressures that drove him into bankruptcy.
H.R. Rep. No. 95-595, at 340-41 (1977), reprinted in 1978 U.S.C.C.A.N. 5963, 6296-97; see also United States v. Colasuonno, 697 F.3d 164, 172 (2d Cir. 2012).
(a) The commencement of a case under [
11 U.S.C. §§ 301 ,302 , or303 ] creates an estate. Such estate is comprised of all the following property, wherever located and by whomever held:(1) [Subject to exceptions not relevant here,] all legal or equitable interests of the debtor in property as of the commencement of the case.
On request of a party in interest and after notice and a hearing, the court shall grant relief from the stay provided under subsection (a) of this section, such as by terminating, annulling, modifying, or conditioning such stay – (1) for cause, including the lack of adequate protection of an interest in property of such party in interest.
In relevant part, section 363(e) provides:
Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, at any time, on request of an entity that has an interest in property used, sold, or leased . . . by the trustee, the court, with or without a hearing, shall prohibit or condition such use, sale or lease as is necessary to provide adequate protection of such interest.