Wiggains v. Reed (In re Wiggains)
Wiggains v. Reed (In re Wiggains)
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER DENYING MOTION TO DISTRIBUTE HOMESTEAD SALE PROCEEDS TO NON-DEBTOR SPOUSE, PURSUANT TO 11 U.S.C. § 363(j) [DE # 45] OR OTHER AUTHORITY [DE # 52]
I. INTRODUCTION
This Memorandum Opinion and Order (“Wiggains Opinion: Part II”) addresses
a. Subject Matter of the Adversary Proceeding.
This Adversary Proceeding involves a large and valuable Texas homestead (the “Texas Homestead”) formerly owned by Jeremy Wiggains, the Chapter 7 Debtor (the “Debtor”) and his non-debtor spouse, Tanya Wiggains (the “Non-Filing Spouse”). The Debtor and the Non-Filing Spouse acquired the Texas Homestead within the 1215-day period preceding the date of the filing of the bankruptcy petition (they purchased the Texas Homestead on or about November 27, 2012; the bankruptcy petition date was July 29, 2013). Thus, pursuant to section 522(p)(l)(A) and (D) of the Bankruptcy Code — the so-called “mansion loophole” enacted as a part of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (“BAPCPA”)
The Texas Homestead was sold by the Trustee during the early part of the above-referenced. bankruptcy case (the “Bankruptcy Case”) for $3.4 million, netting $568,668.41 of cash proceeds after payment of all liens, claims, and encumbrances (the “Homestead Net Sale Proceeds”). This Adversary Proceeding has essentially been a subsequent battle over the Homestead Net Sale Proceeds between the Trustee and the Non-Filing Spouse.
By way of further background, the Non-Filing Spouse and Debtor began marketing the Texas Homestead for sale, even before Debtor’s bankruptcy filing. In August 2013, an offer for $3.4 million was made on the Texas Homestead and a purchase contract signed. Upon the Trustee’s motion,
b. Part I of the Adversary Proceeding.
The Adversary Proceeding was commenced with the Non-Filing Spouse’s filing of a complaint (the “Complaint”) against the Trustee on May 5, 2014 (more than six months after the Texas Homestead was sold), seeking a declaratory judgment, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2201, as to the relative rights between her and the Trustee concerning the Homestead Net Sale Proceeds, by virtue of a certain marital property agreement entered into the same day as (and immediately prior to) the bankruptcy filing (the “Partition Agreement”). The eve-of-bankruptcy Partition Agreement purported to recharac-terize the Texas Homestead from the community property of both the Debtor and Non-Filing Spouse into one-half his sepa--rate property and one-half her separate property. The Trastee responded with an answer and counterclaims (the “Answer and Counterclaims”) of fraudulent transfer against the Non-Filing Spouse
c. Part II of the Adversary Proceeding.
Then, on April 20, 2015, the Non-Filing Spouse filed a Motion to Distribute Homestead Sale Proceeds Pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 363(j) (the “Section 363(j) Motion to Distribute”) in the underlying Bankruptcy Case
On June 24, 2015, the Non-Filing Spouse filed an Unopposed Motion for Leave to Supplement Motion to Distribute Homestead Sale Proceeds Pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 363® (the “Section 363 Supplement”),
An evidentiary hearing on the Homestead Compensation Request, was held on July 1, 2015 (the “Homestead Compensation Request Hearing”). On July 7, 2015 this court entered an Order Directing Post-Hearing Briefing [DE # 56] (the “Posh-Briefing Order”), which directed the Trustee and the Non-Filing Spouse to submit briefing on the following issues that the court believed might be germane to its determination of whether the Non-Filing Spouse would be entitled to any of the Homestead Net Sale Proceeds, under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code or other authority:
1. Who has the burden of proof on the current issue before the court?
2. Is the requirement that proceeds from a sale of a Texas homestead be reinvested in another homestead. within six months (to remain exempt)21 a problem for the Non-Filing Spouse under the facts and circumstances of this case (ie., a bar to her request for relief), since more than six months elapsed between the sale of the Texas Homestead and the filing of this Adversary Proceeding by the Non-Filing Spouse? Did some sort of tolling concept apply? Even if there is no concept of tolling that applied, does the six-month rule22 even matter in the context of Chapter 7 (ie., does the fact of no reinvestment of the homestead sale proceeds that were generated post-petition even matter in the context of a Chapter 7 estate)?
3. Assuming there is no bar to the Non-Filing Spouse’s request for relief (see question 2 above), does section 363® genuinely provide a*706 mechanism to compensate the Non-Filing Spouse, since community-property was involved? If not, does section 363(e) or other provisions of the Bankruptcy Code provide a mechanism for compensation?
4. • How relevant (if at all) is it that the Non-Filing Spouse may be obligated ' on some of the debts of the Debtor?
5. How relevant (if at all) is it that the Debtor and the Non-Filing Spouse were attempting to sell the Texas Homestead prepetition and the Debtor (without opposition from and with support of the Non-Filing Spouse) initially moved to sell the Texas Homestead postpetition (and the Trustee simply adopted that motion)? Does this create a possible abandonment of Non-Filing Spouse’s homestead interest or negate application of a life estate analogy for valuation purposes?
6. How relevant (if at all) is it that the Non-Filing Spouse (and Debtor) were likely going to lose the Texas Homestead due to foreclosure because of their dire financial situation (assuming the evidence before the court supports that they were going to soon lose the Texas Homestead)?
Having reviewed the post-trial briefing,
II. FINDINGS OF FACT
There was very little new evidence presented at the Homestead Compensation Request Hearing. The Non-Filing Spouse was the only testifying witness. She testified regarding her age at the time of the bankruptcy filing (34 years old); that she and the Debtor and their children were renting a house currently (at a cost of $5,000 per month) because they did not have adequate funds or means to purchase a new homestead; that the Debtor now works at a Toyota car dealership; and that they had used the $130,675.00 that the Debtor received earlier during the Bankruptcy Case on account of his agreed/ capped homestead exemption for living expenses. The only other evidence that was offered by the Non-Filing Spouse was an Expert Report of James E. Turpin, FCA, MAAA, EA, dated June 25, 2015, that was a valuation of the Non-Filing Spouse’s remainder interest and life estate in the Texas Homestead — offered by way of analogy, to attempt to value her separate, legal homestead interest. Using this report, the .Non-Filing Spouse argued that she would be entitled to the equivalent of a life estate based upon the Kim case
III. CONCLUSIONS OF LAW
The court has determined that it has subject matter jurisdiction over this Adversary Proceeding and the Homestead Compensation Request, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1334 and 157. This is a core proceeding pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(A), (B), and (0). The bankruptcy court additionally believes that it has Constitutional authority to enter a final judgment in this Adversary Proceeding.
a. Issue 1: Who has the Burden of Proof with Regard to the Homestead Compensation Request? Answer: the Non-Filing Spouse.
In the Homestead Compensation Request, the Non-Filing Spouse is claiming an interest in and entitlement to some portion of the Homestead Net Sale Proceeds, on account of her separate, legal interest in the Texas Homestead, and is specifically asking the court to compensate that interest pursuant to sections 363(e), (f), (j) and 105(a) of the Bankruptcy Code. The Non-Filing Spouse has argued that the Trustee has the burden of proof in this contested matter because of Bankruptcy Rule 4003(c), which provides that in any hearing regarding an objection to an exemption, “the objecting party has the burden of proving that the exemptions are not properly claimed.”
(p) In any hearing under this section—
(2) the entity asserting an interest in property has the burden of proof on the issue of the validity, priority or extent of such interest.31
The Non-Filing Spouse makes much of the fact that the Trustee did not put on any evidence at the Homestead Compensation Request Hearing. But this is not fatal, as the Non-Filing Spouse ultimately had the burden of proof with regard to whether or not she is entitled to compensation under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code for her claimed homestead interest.
b. Issue 2: Does the Texas Homestead Proceeds Rule Present a Problem For the Non-Filing Spouse Here, Since She Waited More than Six Months After the Postpetition Sale of the Texas Homestead to Bring this Adversary Proceeding? Alternatively, Is the Rule’s Application (If Any) Equitably Tolled Pursuant to the Terms of the Sale Order? Answer: Equitable Tolling Applies.
It is well accepted that Texas law provides extremely broad protection for homesteads. The law exempts homesteads from seizure or encumbrance in all but a narrow range of circumstances and caps homesteads in size, but not in value.
In the case at bar, the Homestead Net Sale Proceeds were in existence for more than six months when this Adversary Proceeding was filed. The sale of the Texas Homestead closed on September 2013.
The Fifth Circuit has stated that the purpose of the proceeds rule is solely to allow the claimant to invest the proceeds in another homestead and not to protect the proceeds in and of themselves.
However, this court does not ultimately need to determine this difficult is
Specifically, the Texas Homestead became property of the Debtor’s bankruptcy estate by operation of law under section 541(a)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code immediately upon the filing of the bankruptcy case by the Debtor on July 29, 2013 (although it was technically not clarified that the entire homestead property should be treated as community property and “property of the estate” until the court issued its Wiggains Opinion: Part I, on April 6, 2015, voiding the Partition Agreement). The Texas Homestead was sold on September 11, 2013, and the Trustee has continued to hold the Homestead Net Sale Proceeds (less the Disbursements made to lienholders and to the Debtor on account of his agreed, capped homestead exemption). Arguably, if this court were to apply the Texas Proceeds Rule, the Homestead Net Sale Proceeds would have only remained exempt through March 11, 2014 (six months after the Texas Homestead was sold and two months prior to the Adversary Proceeding being filed in May 2014). However, the court concludes that
In summary, this court concludes that the fact that the Non-Filing Spouse waited more than six months after the sale of the Texas Homestead to file this Adversary
c. Issue 3: Does Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code Provide a Mechanism for the Non-Filing Spouse to Receive Compensation For Her Homestead Interest From the Homestead Net Sale Proceeds, and If So, How Much Is the NonFiling Spouse Entitled To? Answer: Perhaps in Some Cases, But No Compensation is Warranted Here.
The Fifth Circuit’s recent rulings in Thaw
1. United States v. Rodgers
The Rodgers opinion does not deal with bankruptcy. It involves the consolidated appeals of two cases originating from federal district courts, in which the Internal Revenue Service had been engaged in collection attempts against delinquent taxpayers, seeking forced sales of their Texas homesteads which were co-owned with non-liable or “innocent” spouses. It ad
In its analysis, the Supreme Court spent a fair amount of time exploring the various contours of Texas homestead exemption law. The Court noted the restriction under Texas law on forced sale of a homestead for the payments of debt, except for certain exceptions (there being no exception for the IRS in the state statute).
Notwithstanding the above-revered aspects of Texas law, the Court further noted that “it has long been an axiom of our tax collection scheme that, although the definition of underlying property interests is left to state law, the consequences that attach to those interests is a matter left to federal law.”
In summary, the Supreme Court held that section 7403 of the Internal Revenue Code does, indeed, grant power to a federal court to order a forced sale of a Texas homestead — notwithstanding the provisions of Texas law that suggest to the contrary. But the Court also held that, if the home is sold, the non-delinquent spouse is entitled, as part of the distribution of proceeds required under section 7403, to so much of the proceeds as represents complete compensation for the loss of the homestead estate.
2. Kim
Fast-forward more than thirty years later to the Kim case.
This was not the end of the litigation regarding the homestead. Mr. Kim next filed an adversary proceeding seeking a declaratory judgment to determine: (a) whether Mrs. Kim had separate, legal homestead rights in and to the property; and (b) if so, (i) whether such interests prevented a forced sale of the homestead in the bankruptcy case; and (ii) if it did not preclude a forced sale, whether Mrs. Kim was entitled to remuneration for her interest in the property. Creditor Dome intervened in the adversary proceeding and sought its own declaratory judgment that: (1) Mrs. Kim’s interest in the homestead became a part of the bankruptcy estate on the petition date; (2) Mrs. Kim was not entitled to a separate exemption in the homestead; (3) that the bankruptcy court could force a sale of the homestead; and (4) Mrs. Kim’s interest — including any right to compensation from a forced sale— was limited to her community interest in the debtor’s exemptipn, and not an interest in the homestead itself.
The bankruptcy court held that Mrs. Kim had no protectable interest in the homestead. The district court affirmed. The Fifth Circuit ultimately affirmed the holding that the bankruptcy court could force a sale of the homestead, notwithstanding the non-debtor’s interest in the property. Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code is a federal law that grants this power. However, the Fifth Circuit deviated from each of the lower courts’ reasoning a bit on the other issue of whether Mrs. Kim had a separate, vested, legal interest in the homestead— holding that she did. The court stated that the interest was something that provided “prophylactic protection” from most types of creditors
3. Thaw
Then, along came Thaw.
In the Thaw case, Dr. Stanley Thaw filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in 2011. Stanley’s wife, Kernell Thaw, did not file bankruptcy. As mentioned, they purchased their residence after BAPCPA’s enactment for a price of $2,150,000. The chapter 7 trustee objected to Dr. Thaw’s homestead exemption and filed an adversary proceeding against both Dr. and Mrs. Thaw. Dr. Thaw eventually conceded that his exemption was capped at $146,450, pursuant to section 522(p) of the Bankruptcy Code. Following a hearing, the bankruptcy court held that his homestead exemption should be further reduced to $0, pursuant to section 522(o) of the Bankruptcy Code, because of a finding that there was a scheme to hinder, delay and defraud creditors. But separately, Mrs. Thaw argued that she had a separate, vested homestead right that was not subject to the limits of section 522(o) and (p) and entitled her to compensation for it. Like Mrs. Kim, Mrs. Thaw argued that the sale by the trustee would constitute a forced sale and a taking under the Fifth Amendment for which Mrs. Thaw was entitled to compensation. The bankruptcy court and
The primary issue on appeal before the Fifth Circuit (similar to the Kim case) was whether the bankruptcy court had authority to order a forced sale. The Fifth Circuit first reiterated, as in Kim, that a sale can be enforced as against a non-debtor spouse in bankruptcy, in spite of the non-debtor spouse’s homestead rights. The court further stated that the Takings Clause of the United States Constitution did not preclude a forced sale or entitle Mrs. Thaw to compensation because “The Supreme Court has indicated that when a federal statute permits a person’s property to become liable for the debts of another, a Takings Clause objection c[an] not be successfully interposed if the property interest ‘came into being after enactment of the provision.’ ”
Nevertheless, Mrs. Thaw made an additional Constitutional argument — specifically, that even a preexisting statutory scheme might operate in such a way as to result in a “gratuitous confiscation” of property.
[T]he Bankruptcy Code is designed to minimize takings concerns. Section 363, the provision under which the property is to be sold, contains protections for non-debtor spouses. Like the Tax Code provision that the Rodgers court found militated against ‘gratuitous confiscation,’ Section 363(j) directs the trustee to apportion and distribute the proceeds of the sale to the non-debtor spouse and to the estate. 11 U.S.C. § 363(j). In addition, Section 363(i) gives non-debtor spouses a right of first refusal to purchase the property. 11 U.S.C. § 363(i). These safeguards show that a forced sale here will not be a gratuitous confiscation.87
In summary, the court indicated that Mrs. Thaw did not show that the sale of the property was “so unreasonable or onerous as to compel compensation.”
4. The Ten Principles that Can be Gleaned from Kim, Thaw, and Rodgers
In reviewing this trilogy of opinions, this court has gleaned ten guiding principles for which it believes Rodgers, Kim, and Thaw stand: (1) a non-debtor spouse undeniably has a separate, legal interest in a Texas homestead, distinct and apart from actual ownership (and, thus, the non-debtor spouse has this interest no matter whether the homestead is in the nature of community property, or the debtor’s sole management community property, or even the debtor’s separate property); (2) this homestead ihterest protects the non-debtor spouse from certain creditor actions and even certain actions of her spouse and the spouse’s heirs, and is similar to a life tenancy or life estate, but not entirely similar; (3) section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code permits a forced sale of the homestead when a debtor spouse is in bankruptcy, even though the other spouse is not in bankruptcy and has this separate homestead interest; (4) perhaps there are provisions of section 363, such as subsections (g), (h) and (j), that provide a mechanism for the non-debtor spouse to seek part of the 'proceeds of any such sale, to compensate her independently for her lost homestead interest (similar to how an innocent spouse may be entitled to some of the proceeds of an IRS forced sale of a Texas homestead to collect on one spouse’s individual tax liability, as described in United States v. Rodgers), but the Fifth Circuit has not actually opined on that, since the non-debtor spouses in Kim and Thaw did not raise the issue of section 363; (5) in fact, the Fifth Circuit concluded in both Kim and Thaw that the non-debtor spouses had not demonstrated with any argument or evidence that the non-debtor spouses were entitled to anything more than the $136,875 exemption cap allowed to the debtor spouses in their individual bankruptcy cases, or that a “taking” would occur if the non-debtor spouses were not compensated more than this; (6) the Fifth Circuit suggested in Kim, and reiterated in Thaw, that a Constitutional “takings” argument is “likely limited” to cases such as Kim in which the homestead was acquired prior to the enactment of BAPCPA; (7) the Kim court noted that, even if some compensation were due to the non-debtor spouse for her divested homestead interest, Texas law is “not entirely clear that Texas courts would place exactly the same economic value on homestead rights as it would on a life estate” and the “assumptions used only for illustrative purposes in Rodgers would seem to overvalue home-' stead rights under Texas law”
5. So Where Does this Leave Us ? Answer: There Was No Evidence Here That the Sale of the Wiggains’ Texas Homestead Was “So Unreasonable or Onerous As to Compel Compensation” Beyond the Section 522(d) Cap.
So where does this all leave us? The answer here appears to be similar to the answer for Mrs. Kim and Mrs. Thaw: Mrs. Wiggains did not demonstrate that a “taking” would occur here if she is not paid more than the $130,675 that the Debtor already received (to which her homestead interest should be deemed to have attached). The evidence did not demonstrate that the sale of the Texas Homestead in this case was “so unreasonable or onerous as to compel compensation” or that it amounted to “a gratuitous confiscation” that warranted payment beyond the cap. Thus, the Expert Report submitted into evidence is irrelevant to the court. And, even if it were relevant, the court believes (taking the cue from the hint dropped in Kim) that valuing a homestead interest in the same way as a life estate would generally be over-valuing the homestead interest — particularly since the “prophylactic” interest is not something that can be sold like a life estate and has, in the typical case, mostly intrinsic value.
To be clear, unlike the non-debtor spouses in Kim and Thaw, the Non-Filing Spouse here has specifically requested relief under sections 363(j) or (e) of the Bankruptcy Code (no doubt, due to the dicta in Kim and Thaw), and the court believes that these Code sections may, in some unique situations, provide a vehicle for a non-debtor spouse such as Mrs. Wig-gains to be awarded just compensation in excess of the section 522(p) cap permitted for her debtor-spouse. To further be clear, the compensation in these unique situations would not be on account of the non-filing spouse’s community property interest. The Fifth Circuit has earlier stated, albeit in an unpublished case that should not be considered precedential, that section 363(j) does not provide a mechanism to compensate a non-filing spouse for a community property interest, stating that it, by its terms, provides for payment of the non-debtor spouse’s interest in property sold by a trustee only if the property is subject to section 363(g) or (h).
To reiterate, the court believes that there must be something special and unique about a non-debtor spouse’s homestead interest so as to make it “onerous” or “confiscatory” to merely award the non-debtor spouse the section 522(p) homestead exemption cap. The court believes that it is reasonable to assume that Congress intended to simply permit an exemption of $155,675 for one spouse, or $311,350 when both spouses are debtors,
IV. CONCLUSION
In summary, while the Non-Filing Spouse availed herself of section 363(j) and (e) to seek compensation for her separate, legal homestead interest, the evidence she put on was not particularly compelling. There was no evidence that the Texas Homestead was income producing such as a rural or business homestead. There was nothing unique about this particular house. The Wiggains family had lived in the home for less than one year. There was no evidence that this particular Texas Homestead had anything more than general intrinsic value to her.
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the Section 363(j) Motion to Distribute and the Section 363 Supplement (collectively, the “Homestead Compensation Request”) is hereby DENIED. The Trustee shall promptly upload a Final Judgment that is consistent with this Wiggains Opinion: Part II and is also consistent with Wig-gains Opinion: Part I, As Amended.
. See H.R. Rep. 109-31, pt. 1, at 15-16 (2005), reprinted in 2005 U.S.C.C.A.N. 88, 102.
. The Debtor first entered an agreed order with the Trustee on December 2, 2013, ordering that the Debtor’s homestead exemption would be allowed in the amount of $155,675. See DE # 138 in the Bankruptcy Case. However, the Debtor later, on January 10, 2014, entered into an agreed order [DE # 178 in the Bankruptcy Case] with two creditors who had also objected to the Debtor's homestead exemption, providing that his homestead exemption would be capped in the amount of $130,675. The amount was likely compromised further downward, due to the fact that one creditor had argued that the Debtor’s homestead exemption should also be reduced pursuant to section 522(q)(l)(B)(i) of the Bankruptcy Code (arguing that the debt owed by the Debtor to the creditor might constitute a violation of securities laws) or, perhaps, for other reasons, t Presumably, the Debtor desired to avoid additional expense and delay of litigation and to enjoy payment sooner rather than later on his homestead exemption. Note that references to "DE #_in the Bankruptcy Case” throughout this Opinion refer to the docket entry number at which a pleading appears in the docket maintained by the Bankruptcy Clerk in the above-referenced bankruptcy case. Further note that references to "DE #_in the AP” herein refer to the docket entry number at which a pleading appears in the docket maintained by the Bankruptcy Clerk in the Adversary Proceeding.
. See DE # 56 in Bankruptcy Case.
. See DE # 16 in Bankruptcy Case.
. See DE # 71 in Bankruptcy Case.
. Id.
. The Sale Order actually instructed the Trustee to wait thirty days before paying the consensual liens on the Texas Homestead in case any party in interest wanted to challenge the liens in an adversary proceeding. No party did, and the consensual liens were ultimately paid. See id.
. See Joint Pretrial Order [DE # 19 in AP], p. 6.
. See DE # 138 & DE # 178 in the Bankruptcy Case. See also footnote 2, supra.
. Note that Trustee likewise requested declaratory judgment, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2201 (2015), as to the Non-Filing Spouse's rights to the Homestead Net Sale Proceeds.
. Note that Trustee did not assert a constructive fraudulent transfer claim.
. The Debtor is not a party in this Adversary Proceeding.
.DE # 34 in the AP.
. DE # 244 in the Bankruptcy Case.
. See, e.g., Thaw v. Moser (In re Thaw), 769 F.3d 366 (5th Cir. 2014); Kim v. Dome Entm’t Ctr., Inc. (In re Kim), 748 F.3d 647 (5th Cir. 2014).
. DE # 39 in the AP.
. The court held a status conference regarding this procedural matter on April 27, 2015.
.DE # 46 in the AP. To be clear, the Wig-gains Opinion: Part I, as Amended, altered in one sole respect Wiggains Opinion: Part I, in response to Plaintiff's Motion Amend: it consolidated into this Adversary Proceeding, pursuant to Fed. R. Bankr.Pro. 9014 and 7042, the contested matter that was initiated by the Section 3630 Motion to Distribute.
. DE # 52 in the AP.
. DE # 54 in the AP.
. Tex. Prop.Code Ann. § 41.001(c) (West 2015).
. Id.
. See DE ## 58 & 59 in the AP.
. Kim v. Dome Entm't Ctr., Inc. (In re Kim), 748 F.3d 647 (5th Cir. 2014).
.DE # 46 in the AP.
. Wellness Intern. Network, Ltd. v. Sharif, — U.S. -, 135 S.Ct. 1932, 1949, 191 L.Ed.2d 911 (2015); see also Stern v. Marshall, - U.S. -, 131 S.Ct. 2594, 2611, 180 L.Ed.2d 475 (2011); Exec. Benefits Ins. Agency v. Arkinson, 134 S.Ct. 2165, 2171-72 (2014).
. See 11 U.S.C. § 102(2) (2015) ('"claim against the debtor’ includes claim against property of the debtor”).
. FED. R. BANKR. PRO. 4003. See also Chilton v. Moser (In re Chilton), 674 F.3d 486, 488 (5th Cir. 2012) (stating that a "claim of exemptions is presumably valid and the objecting party has the burden of proving that exemptions are not properly claimed”) (abrogated on other grounds by Clark v. Rameker, - U.S. -, 134 S.Ct. 2242, 189 L.Ed.2d 157 (2014)).
. See DE # 138 & DE # 178 in the Bankruptcy Case. See also footnote 2, supra.
. See generally, 11 U.S.C. § 522 (2015); see specifically 11 U.S.C. § 522(m) (2015) (applying the allowance of state exemptions separately to a joint debtor).
. 11 U.S.C. § 363(p)(2) (2015).
. In the Section 363 Supplement, the Non-Filing Spouse has asserted that she may be entitled to compensation for her homestead interest under section 363(e) of the Bankruptcy Code. Section 363(e) of the Bankruptcy Code provides that "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, or proposed to be used, sold, or leased, by the trustee, the court, with or without hearing, shall prohibit or condition such use, sale, or lease as is necessary to provide adequate protection of such interest....” Section 363(p) of the Bankruptcy Code provides that "in any hearing under this section — (1) the trustee has the burden of proof on the issue of adequate protection....” Thus, to the extent section 363(e) of the Bankruptcy Code provides a mechanism for the Non-Filing Spouse to receive some sort of compensation for her homestead interest, the Trustee would bear the burden of proof on the issue of adequate protection, but the Non-Filing Spouse would still have the burden of proof with regard to whether she has an interest in the Homestead Net Sale Proceeds. However, for the reasons articulated in section 111(c)(5) hereto, the court does not believe that section 363(e) of the Bankruptcy Code provides a mechanism by which the Non-Filing Spouse could receive compensation for her homestead interest and, thus, the fact that the Trustee did not present evidence at the Homestead Compensation Request Hearing remains unproblematic.
. Tex. Prop.Code Ann. § 41.001, .002 (West 2015).
. See, e.g., England v. F.D.I.C. (In re England), 975 F.2d 1168, 1174 (5th Cir. 1992).
. Id.
. Tex. Prop. Code Ann. § 41.001(c) (West 2015).
. England, 975 F.2d at 1173-74.
. See Joint Pretrial Order [DE # 19 in the AP], p. 6.
. England, 975 F.2d at 1174-75.
. Viegelahn v. Frost (In re Frost), 744 F.3d 384 (5th Cir. 2014) (during chapter 13 bankruptcy case, debtor sold homestead and used some of the funds for non-bankruptcy expenses; held debtor lost right to withhold proceeds from the estate when he failed to reinvest them in a homestead within six months); see also Garcia v. Bassel, 507 B.R. 907 (N.D.Tex. 2014) (same).
. See, e.g., Zibman v. Tow (In re Zibman), 268 F.3d 298, 306 (5th Cir. 2001) (Chapter 7 case where debtors sold homestead on November 27, 1998, before filing bankruptcy on February 9, 1999-thus, they filed bankruptcy within the 6-month window to reinvest homestead proceeds into another homestead — and the debtors scheduled the full amount of proceeds as exempt; when the 6-month deadline for purchasing a new home expired, 106 days after the Chapter 7 case was filed, in May 1999, and the debtors had not purchased a new Texas homestead, the Chapter 7 trustee objected to the Debtor’s claimed exemption to the proceeds; Fifth Circuit held that Chapter 7 trustee's objection should be sustained and the trustee should get the proceeds, stating that "[w]hen the Zibmans failed to invest the proceeds from the sale of their Houston homestead in another Texas homestead within the allotted time, the exemption on these proceeds evanesced by operation of law”; court addressed the so-called “snapshot rule” and stated that under such rule, a snapshot is taken of the facts and applicable law as of the date of the filing, further stating that it is the controlling exemption statute at the time of the filing, not the exempted character of the property, that undergirds the “snapshot rule”; all of the provisions of Section 41.001 of the Texas Property Code apply to a debtor’s homestead exemption and, if he chooses to exempt his homestead under that law, he must accept the law in its entirety; the court cited to an old Supreme Court case called Myers v. Matley, 318 U.S. 622, 63 S.Ct. 780, 87 L.Ed. 1043 (1943) as support for the notion, that a debtor’s postpetition acts could be relevant, as far as the validity of an exemption); Studensky v. Morgan (In re Morgan), 481 Fed.Appx. 183, 185-87 (5th Cir. 2012) (unpublished) (chapter 7 debtor filed bankruptcy on July 30, 2010 and on August 6, 2010, the debtor sold house and used the proceeds to pay off a lien thereon held by his brother; on August 24, 2010, the debtor scheduled the already sold house at a value of $100,000 and listed his brother’s lien as to the full value of the home; he claimed the federal exemptions and did not claim the homestead (or any value therein) as exempt; after trustee discovered this, the trustee challenged the validity of the brother’s lien and demanded that
. DE # 71 in the Bankruptcy Case.
. See DE # 71 in the Bankruptcy Case (p. 2).
. Id. at p. 3.
. Jones v. Maroney, 619 S.W.2d 296 (Tex. Civ.App-Houston [1st Dist.] 1981, no writ).
. Id. at 298.
. Id. at 297 (citing Gaddy v. First Nat’l Bank of Beaumont, 283 S.W. 277, 280 (Tex.Civ. App.-Beaumont 1926, no writ).
. Jones, 619 S.W.2d at 298 (citation omitted).
. See footnote 41, supra.
. The Fifth Circuit has stated that requests for equitable tolling are granted most frequently where the plaintiff is “actively mislead by the defendant about some cause of action or is prevented in some extraordinary way from asserting his rights." Teemac v. Henderson, 298 F.3d 452, 457 (5th Cir. 2002) (emphasis added). While these situations are not clearly analogous to the Non-Filing Spouse’s situation in the case at bar, the Non-Filing Spouse certainly was generally prevented from accessing the Homestead Net Sale Proceeds without a court order, and was not able to invest the proceeds.
. Thaw v. Moser (In re Thaw), 769 F.3d 366 (5th Cir. 2014).
. Kim v. Dome Entm’t Ctr., Inc. (In re Kim), 748 F.3d 647 (5th Cir. 2014).
. United States v. Rodgers, 461 U.S. 677, 103 S.Ct. 2132, 76 L.Ed.2d 236 (1983). The Rodgers case discussed herein should not be con fused with the case of Wallace v. Rogers (In re Rogers), 513 F.3d 212 (5th Cir. 2008), which the Fifth Circuit also discussed in Kim.
. Rodgers, 461 U.S. at 680, 103 S.Ct. 2132.
. 26 U.S.C. § 7403 (2015).
. Rodgers, 461 U.S. at 684, 103 S.Ct. 2132.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id. at 684-685, 103 S.Ct. 2132.
. Id. at 685, 103 S.Ct. 2132.
. Id.
. Id. at 685-686, 103 S.Ct. 2132.
. Id. at 686, 103 S.Ct. 2132.
. Id.
. Id. (citing Paddock v. Siemoneit, 147 Tex. 571, 585, 218 S.W.2d 428 (Tex. 1949)).
. Rodgers, 461 U.S. at 686, 103 S.Ct. 2132.
. Id. at 683, 103 S.Ct. 2132 (citing United States v. Mitchell, 403 U.S. 190, 205, 91 S.Ct. 1763, 29 L.Ed.2d 406 (1971) (state law determines income attributable to wife as community property, but state law allowing wife to renounce community property rights and obligations was not effective as to liability for federal tax) (emphasis added)).
. Rodgers, 461 U.S. at 678, 103 S.Ct. 2132.
. Id. at 678-679, 103 S.Ct. 2132.
. Id. at 702, 103 S.Ct. 2132.
. Id. at 680, 103 S.Ct. 2132..
. Id. at 698-699, 103 S.Ct. 2132.
. Kim v. Dome Entm't Ctr., Inc. (In re Kim), 748 F.3d 647 (5th Cir. 2014).
. It would seem to this court that the homestead interest gives "prophylactic protection" in at least three instances (as impliedly acknowledged in Rodgers): (a) from general creditors (i.e., all creditors except those enumerated in statute); (b) from one spouse’s actions against the other (one spouse cannot sell or abandon the homestead without the other’s consent); and (c) from the heirs of a deceased spouse (upon the death of one spouse, the surviving spouse may use or occupy the homestead during her whole lifetime if she chooses).
.Id. at 659.
. Id. at 663.
. Id. at 662.
. Rodgers, 461 U.S. at 697 n. 24, 103 S.Ct. 2132.
. Kim, 748 F.3d at 657 (citing Rodgers, 461 U.S. at 697 n. 24, 103 S.Ct. 2132).
. Kim, 748 F.3d at 663.
. Thaw v. Moser (In re Thaw), 769 F.3d 366 (5th Cir. 2014).
. Id. at 369 (citing to Kim and also Rodgers).
. Id. at 370.
. Id. at 370-71.
.Id. at 371.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id. at 372.
. Kim, 748 F.3d at 661-662.
. Id. at 662-663.
. 11 U.S.C. § 522(m) (2015). Note that these caps are now $155,675 and $311,350. 11 U.S.C. § 522(p) (2015).
. Thaw, 769 F.3d at 371-72.
. Milbank v. Graham Barber College, Inc. (In re Solomon), 129 F.3d 608, at *3 (5th Cir. 1997) (unpublished). The court would note that, while the property at issue in Solomon was the non-filing spouse's community property, it was not a homestead. Specifically, it was stock.
. 11 U.S.C. § 522(m) (2015).
. Indeed, in contrast to Thaw and Kim, the Trustee here did not even make the initial overtures to force the sale of the Texas Homestead; the Debtor and the Non-Filing Spouse marketed it prior to the Debtor’s decision to file for bankruptcy relief; and the Debtor even improperly brought a motion to sell after the Petition Date, which became moot after Trustee properly moved for the same relief.
. Jacobellis v. Ohio, 378 U.S. 184, 197, 84 S.Ct. 1676, 12 L.Ed.2d 793 (1964) (Justice Stewart concurring opinion).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN RE: Jeremy WIGGAINS, Debtor. Tanya Wiggains v. Diane G. Reed, Chapter 7 Trustee
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published