In re Denson
In re Denson
Opinion of the Court
This is a petition to review an order of the referee, setting aside to the bankrupt for his exemptions in lieu Of specific property claimed by him property in the amount of his exemptions found by the referee to have been in his possession at the time of the filing of the petition in bankruptcy, and which he had not surrendered to his trustee. The referee reached the conclusion from the evidence that the bankrupt had failed to account for property of the value of $3,000 which he had in his possession at the beginning of the bankruptcy by the method of balancing his receipts and disbursements. The evidence is convincing that the bankrupt’s disbursements of all kinds up to the time of the filing of the petition and the receiver’s inventory of his assets fell short of accounting for the goods and property traced into his possession from January 1, 1910, when he commenced business, to the date of the bankruptcy, six months thereafter, in at least that amount. The question is whether the record sufficiently shows that property of this value was still in his possession when the petition in bankruptcy was filed, for it is only on this theory that the referee would be justified in taking it into account as part of his exemptions.
For these reasons, the order of the referee denying the bankrupt his exemptions from the property specifically claimed by him, and allowing it only out of other property, in equal amount, found to have been in the bankrupt’s possession when the petition in bankruptcy was filed and which the bankrupt had failed to schedule or surrender to his trustee, is confirmed, and the petition for review denied at the costs of petitioner.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- In re DENSON
- Cited By
- 8 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Bankruptcy (§ .399*)—-Exemptions- Right to Exemptions. Fueler Code Ala. 1907, §§ 4180, 4184, requiring an execution debtor claiming exemption to schedule all ills personalty and deliver it to the officer, and providing that, if on a contest of his exemption he is shown to have personalty not scheduled nor delivered to the officer, the court must set aside his exemption from the omitted and undelivered property, a referee may on a contest of a bankrupt’s exemption charge his exemption with any property shown to have been in the bankrupt’s possession at the time of the institution of bankruptcy, and not disclosed by his inventory or surrendered to the trustee, but property fraudulently transferred by the bankrupt prior to the filing of the petition in bankruptcy cannot be treated as a part of his exempt properly, nor can exemption be denied as a punishment for fraudulent, conduct on the part of the bankrupt. TEd. Note.—For other cases, see Bankruptcy, Cent. Dig. §§ 657, 669; Dec. Dig. § 399.*] 2. Bankruptcy (§ 400*)—Exemptions- -Right to Exemptions. Where, on a contest of a bankrupt's exemption, the evidence showed a systematic attempt on the bankrupts part to fraudulently withhold from his trustee what goods he could secrete, and that part of the goods traced to his possession within six wombs of his bankruptcy were unaccounted for. and that he had concealed from his trustee for íiis own benefit other goods, the trustee, to require the referee to charge the exemption with any property shown to have been in the bankrupt’s possession at the time of the institution of bankruptcy and not surrendered to him, need not identify the undiscovered goods, since the facts are peculiarly within the knowledge of the bankrupt who must explain what became of the property. Did. Note.—For other cases, see Bankruptcy, Cent. Dig. §§ 670, 671 675; Dec. Dig. § 400.*]