Sanders v. AllianceOne Receivables Mgmt., Inc. (In re Sanders)
Sanders v. AllianceOne Receivables Mgmt., Inc. (In re Sanders)
Opinion of the Court
INTRODUCTION
This matter came before me on motions for summary judgment by the Plaintiff, Randy Sanders ("Sanders " or the "Plaintiff "), and the Defendant, AllianceOne Receivables Management, Inc. ("AllianceOne " or the "Defendant ") (Dkt. Nos. 68 and 73). Sanders filed this adversary proceeding after objecting to proofs of claim nos. 1, 2 and 4 (the "Proofs of Claim ") filed by AllianceOne in the main bankruptcy case (the "Bankruptcy Case , " Case No. 15-15243). The objections to claim are consolidated into this proceeding. Additionally, Sanders seeks in his amended complaint (the "Amended Complaint ") to determine the dischargeability and the amount owed on various legal financial obligations in the Proofs of Claim. (Am. Compl., Dkt. No. 57). Sanders asserts that AllianceOne violated the discharge injunction under
Following oral argument on May 23, 2018, I took the matter under advisement. Having considered the pleadings, evidence, and arguments of counsel, and otherwise being fully advised, I deny Sanders' motion for summary judgment and I grant AllianceOne's motion for summary judgment in part.
JURISDICTION
I have jurisdiction over the parties and the subject matter of this adversary proceeding pursuant to
FACTS
Prior to Sanders' current Chapter 13 bankruptcy, he filed a Chapter 7 petition (the "Initial Bankruptcy Case ," Case No. 14-15724-KAO) and included AllianceOne in his Schedule F as a collection agent for Bellingham Municipal Court and Whatcom County. Sanders received his discharge in *878the Initial Bankruptcy Case on October 27, 2014. After AllianceOne engaged in post-petition collection activities, including garnishment of Sanders' wages, he filed the current Bankruptcy Case on August 31, 2015.
The Proofs of Claim include amounts for various fines, costs and interest associated with sixteen criminal convictions, six entered in Whatcom County Superior Court (the "Superior Court ") and ten entered in Bellingham Municipal Court (the "Municipal Court "). AllianceOne is the collection agent for each governmental entity. Additionally, there are at least eight judgments in Whatcom County District Court (the "District Court ") as to which AllianceOne was previously the collection agent. AllianceOne asserts that it no longer has a contractual relationship with the District Court. However, AllianceOne did attempt to collect the District Court debts following discharge in the Initial Bankruptcy Case, sending a letter to Sanders dated January 9, 2015 (Dkt. No. 57-16). Neither party offered any proof of the District Court's underlying judgments and/or sentencing documents.
The Superior Court Debts
AllianceOne seeks to collect $22,709.38, consisting of fines, costs and interest derived from six criminal convictions in Superior Court. For each criminal conviction there is a sentencing order (the "Sentencing Order ")
Each Sentencing Order imposes a different assortment of fines and costs, and each includes some variation of the following:
Victim Fund Assessment $500 Criminal Filing Fee $200 Court Appointed Attorney Fee $300-$600 DNA Collection Fee $100 VUCSA Fine $1000
Consistently, the Sentencing Orders include the following provisions that impose collection costs and interest:
The defendant shall pay the cost of services to collect unpaid legal financial obligations, which include monitoring fees for a monthly time payment plan and/or collection agency fees if the account becomes delinquent. ( RCW 36.18.190 )
The financial obligations imposed in this judgment shall bear interest from the date of Judgment until payment in full, *879at the rate applicable to civil judgments. RCW 10.82.090.
Dkt. No. 69-7. Additionally, all of the Sentencing Orders include a court finding that the defendant has the financial resources to pay all legal financial obligations. Although some, but not all, of the sentencing documents include a provision permitting a later court order that could impose restitution or other legal financial obligations, neither party has offered any proof of additional obligations being imposed by the Superior Court.
The Superior Court debts were referred to AllianceOne for collection on June 15, 2015. The referrals were memorialized in the Collection Referral signed by the county clerk. Each Collection Referral includes a total judgment amount, comprised of the following line items: Principal Penalty, Assigned Interest, Interest and Collection Fee. The amounts in the Collection Referral, specifically the Principal Penalty, do not directly match the Sentencing Order and it is unclear how either the county clerk or AllianceOne arrived at the exact numbers.
For each of the six Superior Court convictions there is an Accounting Summary providing for the following line items: Fine/Fee, Restitution, and Interest. Clouding the record further, the amounts provided on each Accounting Summary do not match the corresponding amounts on either the Sentencing Order or the Collection Referral. Additionally, some of the Accounting Summaries include restitution charges of $100 or $200, an amount not reflected in any of the Sentencing Orders.
One possible source of the discrepancies in the factual record is the "Offender Supervision Intake Fee" alluded to by AllianceOne at oral argument and provided for in the Declaration of Tim Bolden (Dkt. No. 73-2, Exs. K-P). The fee, amounting to $100, is cited under RCW 9.94A.780 and is not specifically imposed in the Sentencing Orders.
The Municipal Court Debts
AllianceOne seeks to collect $7,209.62, consisting of fines, costs and interest derived from ten criminal convictions in Municipal Court. There is a Sentencing Order and Collection Referral that corresponds to each conviction.
Each Sentencing Order imposes different fines and costs, but each include some variation of the following: Penalty/Fine, Warrant Fee, Attorney Fee, Conviction Fee, and a Book/Jail/Tour Fee. In contrast to the Superior Court Sentencing Orders, none of the Municipal Court Sentencing Orders expressly impose collection costs or interest.
Similarly to the Superior Court documentation, the Municipal Court Collection Referrals do not track the fines and costs imposed in the Sentencing Orders. More specifically, the line item "Principal Penalty" listed in each Collection Referral is $50-$160 higher than the amounts imposed in each corresponding Sentencing Order. The source of the discrepancy is unclear.
ANALYSIS AND DISPOSITION
I. Applicable Law
A. Summary Judgment
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(a) provides that "[t]he court shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." The moving party bears the initial burden of demonstrating the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett ,
*880Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc. ,
"[W]hen parties submit cross-motions for summary judgment, each motion must be considered on its merits." Fair Hous. Council of Riverside Cnty, Inc. v. Riverside Two ,
B.
A debt is excepted from discharge under § 523(a)(7)"to the extent such debt is for a fine, penalty, or forfeiture payable to and for the benefit of a governmental unit, and is not compensation for actual pecuniary loss..."
Creditors seeking an exception to discharge under § 523(a) bear the burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence. Grogan v. Garner ,
In Kelly , the Supreme Court concluded that restitution imposed in a criminal sentence was nondischargeable pursuant to § 523(a)(7). The Supreme Court explained:
*881Our interpretation of the Code must reflect the basis for this judicial exception, a deep conviction that federal bankruptcy courts should not invalidate the results of state criminal proceedings. The right to formulate and enforce penal sanctions is an important aspect of the sovereignty retained by the States.
A number of other courts have applied the rationale in Kelly to determine that other costs imposed as part of the criminal sentence are also excepted from discharge. See e.g. , Lopez v. First Judicial Dist. of Pa. (In re Lopez) ,
The Ninth Circuit has considered whether costs awarded in attorney disciplinary proceedings are excepted from discharge under § 523(a)(7). See State Bar of California v. Taggart (In re Taggart) ,
In response to the Taggart decision, the legislature in California amended the statute, adding language that expressly labeled the costs imposed as "penalties, payable to and for the benefit of the State Bar of California... to promote rehabilitation and to protect the public." BPC § 6086.10(e). In Findley , the Ninth Circuit addressed the amended statute, determining that the added language undermined *882the Taggart analysis and concluding that the costs were nondischargeable pursuant to § 523(a)(7). Findley ,
Further, disciplinary costs need not vary with the nature of the offense to be non-compensatory in nature. See e.g. , Thompson v. Commonwealth of Va. (In re Thompson) ,16 F.3d 576 , 580 (4th Cir. 1994) (holding prosecution cost awards to be penal rather than non-compensatory despite their relationship to the length of a trial rather than the underlying offense).
C. Washington State's Treatment of Legal Financial Obligations
Under Washington State law, a Legal Financial Obligation ("LFO ") is
a sum of money that is ordered by a superior court of the state of Washington for payment of restitution to a victim, statutorily imposed crime victims compensation fee, court costs, a county or interlocal drug fund, court-appointed attorneys' fees and costs of defense, fines, and any other legal financial obligation that is assessed as a result of a felony conviction.
RCW 9.94A.030(31).
Regardless of whether an LFO is discretionary or mandatory, Washington State permits courts to employ various means to ensure payment, often with punitive consequences for the defendant beyond normal *883collection practices. For example, nonpayment of LFOs may result in courts imposing a suspended sentence or modifying the initial sentence. RCW 9.94B.040 ; RCW 9.94A.6333 ; RCW 3.50.340 ; RCW 9.92.060. Additionally, defendants who fail to pay fines or costs may be imprisoned for civil contempt. RCW 10.01.180 ; RCW 3.50.300 ; Smith v. Whatcom County Dist. Court ,
II. Application of Law to Facts
A. Whatcom County Superior Court's Sentencing Orders
1. Fines and Costs in the Sentencing Orders
As discussed infra , the Supreme Court's decision in Kelly creates a broad exception to discharge for all financial obligations imposed by the sentencing judge. Pursuant to Kelly 's holding, it appears that all LFOs imposed in the Superior Court Sentencing Orders are nondischargeable in that § 523(a)(7)"preserves from discharge any condition a state court imposes as part of the criminal sentence." Kelly ,
The Ninth Circuit does not appear to have clarified whether under Kelly all financial obligations imposed in a criminal judgment are inherently nondischargeable or whether courts must also analyze the statutory scheme under which the financial obligations arise. However, even if Kelly and its progeny require courts to analyze the statutory scheme, the LFOs imposed in the Superior Court Sentencing Orders are nonetheless nondischargeable. The Washington State criminal statutory scheme permits courts to employ punitive repercussions on a criminal defendant following nonpayment of LFOs, including imprisonment, imposition of the suspended sentence, and modification of the original sentence. Furthermore, the legislative history pertaining to the collection of LFOs indicates an intent that the imposition of LFOs perform a penal purpose. During the 2011 amendments to the Washington statutes that allow the collection of LFOs, the legislature explained its general approach: "[T]he legislature believes that payment of legal financial obligations is an important part of taking personal responsibility for one's actions. The legislature therefore, supports the efforts of county clerks in taking collection action against those who do not make a good faith effort to pay." Laws of 2011, ch. 106, § 1.
The fact that court costs imposed in the Superior Court Sentencing Orders do not function like ordinary civil debt is also indicative of a punitive purpose and leads to a conclusion that courts costs are not "compensation for pecuniary loss" within the meaning of § 523(a)(7). See, e.g. Thompson,
Therefore, I conclude that all financial obligations imposed in the Superior Court Sentencing Orders - including the Victim Assessment, the Criminal Filing Fee, the DNA Collection Fee, Court Appointed Attorney Fees, Collection Costs and Interest - are nondischargeable under § 523(a)(7).
2. Restitution
There appears to be a factual dispute as to whether AllianceOne is seeking to collect any debts for restitution. The dispute originates in the Superior Court Accounting Summaries, some of which appear to impose charges for restitution. It is unclear why the Accounting Summaries reflect these charges while the Sentencing Orders do not. If restitution was in fact charged to Sanders, by either later court order or under a statutory basis, AllianceOne has not provided such information to me, and therefore has not carried its burden on summary judgment of proving those charges are either owed by Sanders or nondischargeable.
3. Offender Supervision Intake Fees
Similarly, it remains unclear to what extent the Proofs of Claim include charges for Offender Supervision Intake Fees, which AllianceOne cites under RCW 9.94A.780. The statute provides:
(7) If a county clerk assumes responsibility for collection of unpaid legal financial obligations under RCW 9.94A.760, or under any agreement with the department under that section, whether before or after the completion of any period of community custody, the clerk may impose a monthly or annual assessment for the cost of collections. The amount of the assessment shall not exceed the actual cost of collections. The county clerk may exempt or defer payment of all or part of the assessment based upon any of the factors listed in subsection (1) of this section. The offender shall pay the assessment under this subsection to the county clerk who shall apply it to the cost of collecting legal financial obligations under RCW 9.94A.760 .
RCW 9.94A.780 (emphasis added). Although Offender Supervision Intake Fees are imposed by the county clerk and not the court, the purpose of such fees is to pass the cost of collecting LFOs on the criminal defendant. Because each Superior Court Sentencing Order provides that "[t]he defendant shall pay the cost of services to collect unpaid legal financial obligations, which include monitoring fees for *885a monthly time payment plan and/or collection agency fees," I conclude that all fees imposed under RCW 9.94A.780(7) were imposed by the sentencing judge as part of the criminal sentence. Therefore, under the Kelly framework, any charges incurred by RCW 9.94A.780 as to the Superior Court debts are nondischargeable pursuant to § 523(a)(7).
B. Bellingham Municipal Court's Sentencing Orders
1. Fines and Costs in the Sentencing Orders
Like the Superior Court Sentencing Orders, the Municipal Court Sentencing Orders impose various costs on Sanders, some of which appear to be mandatory LFOs and others discretionary LFOs. For the same reasons I conclude that the LFOs imposed under the Superior Court Sentencing Orders are nondischargeable, I also conclude that all LFOs imposed by the Municipal Court Sentencing Orders are nondischargeable, including the Penalty/Fine, Warrant Fee, Attorney Fee, Conviction Fee, and Book/Jail/Tour Fee.
2. Interest
Interest charged on Sanders' Municipal Court debt is statutorily imposed and not explicitly imposed by the sentencing judge.
The only notable difference between the statute at issue in Cunningham and the statute at issue here is the date on which the interest begins to accrue. In Cunningham , which analyzed a statute applying only to superior courts, interest automatically accrued from the date of judgment. Conversely, the statute at issue here, RCW 35.20.220, applies only to municipal courts, and imposes interest on the date the debt is assigned to collection. Despite the difference, the Cunningham analysis applies to the present case because interest imposed on municipal court debts, like interest imposed on superior court debts, automatically accrues and is a statutory result of a criminal conviction. The fact that the triggering event differs is irrelevant to the analysis. I agree with the Cunningham analysis and therefore I conclude that the interest imposed on the Municipal *886Court LFOs are nondischargeable pursuant to § 523(a)(7).
3. Collection Fees
AllianceOne seeks to recover collection fees assessed under RCW 3.02.045, which provides that "[c]ourts of limited jurisdiction may use collection agencies" and that "[t]he court may assess as court costs the moneys paid for remuneration for services." RCW 3.02.045 (emphasis added). Based on a plain reading of the statute, it appears to grant municipal courts the discretion to impose collection costs as a "court cost" owed by the criminal defendant. However, as the Sentencing Orders do not reflect any such imposition, I am unable to determine how those charges were in fact imposed on Sanders and whether those charges would in turn be nondischargeable.
Although AllianceOne has provided Collection Referrals for each Municipal Court conviction and the Collection Referrals do provide for collection costs under RCW 3.02.045, AllianceOne does not present any evidence that these documents should be construed as orders imposed by the sentencing court and not merely potentially inaccurate summaries of outstanding debt by the court clerk. AllianceOne therefore has not met its burden, on summary judgment, of proving the costs under RCW 3.02.045 were imposed by the sentencing court as part of the punishment or that they should otherwise be nondischargeable under the statutory scheme.
C. Whatcom County District Court's Sentencing Orders
AllianceOne asserts that because it did not file a proof of claim seeking recovery of District Court debts and because it no longer has authorization to collect District Court debts, Sanders' erred by bringing District Court related claims against it. However, this argument fails to address the alleged collection activity that occurred following the discharge in the Initial Bankruptcy Case. Neither party provided documentation of the judgments rendered in District Court, therefore I am unable to determine whether those debts were in fact excepted from discharge. Furthermore, it appears from the offers of proof submitted by Sanders that AllianceOne did engage in some collection activity by sending a collection letter post-discharge. However, even if AllianceOne did violate the discharge injunction, it is unclear what damages, if any, Sanders' would be entitled. Since I am unable to determine the dischargeability of the District Court debts, I deny AllianceOne's request, on summary judgment, to dismiss those claims.
CONCLUSION
In sum, I deny Sanders' motion for summary judgment and grant AllianceOne's motion for summary judgment in part. AllianceOne is granted summary judgment only to the extent that I have determined the following items to be nondischargeable:
Superior Court LFOs
1) Victim Assessment ("PCV")
2) Criminal Filing Fee ("FRC")
*8873) DNA Collection Fee ("DNA")
4) Court Appointed Attorney Fee ("PUB")
5) VUCSA Fine ("LDI")
6) Collection Costs under RCW 36.18.190
7) Interest under RCW 10.82.090
8) Offender Supervision Intake Fees under RCW 9.94A.780
Municipal Court LFOs
1) Penalty/Fine
2) Warrant Fee
3) Attorney Fee
4) Conviction Fee
5) Book/Jail/Tour Fee
6) Interest under RCW 35.20.220
There still exists an issue of material fact as to the accuracy of AllianceOne's accounting due to the discrepancies between the Sentencing Orders, the Collection Referrals, the Accounting Summaries and the Proofs of Claim. Notwithstanding that AllianceOne has shown that much of the debt imposed by the Sentencing Orders is nondischargeable, it still bears the ultimate burden of persuasion in proving the accuracy of the amounts claimed. See Lundell v. Anchor Constr. Specialists, Inc. (In re Lundell) ,
Counsel for AllianceOne should submit appropriate forms of order (a) granting its summary judgment in part, and (b) denying the Sanders' motion for summary judgment.
AllianceOne's motion for summary judgment seeks only dismissal of the Amended Complaint. However, because the Amended Complaint also requests declaratory relief as to the amounts owed, AllianceOne's motion for summary judgment could not be granted in full even if otherwise completely meritorious. Sanders' motion for summary judgment appears to assert that all costs at issue and accrued interest are dischargeable but does not adequately state what relief is being requested.
I will use the defined term to also reference the ten Municipal Court judgments.
I will use the defined term to also reference a similar document assigning the Municipal Court and District Court debts entitled "Abstract of Judgment and Collection Referral."
Although AllianceOne filed the Proofs of Claim, it is merely a collection agent and the debts are still owned by the respective governmental entities as provided in the collection contracts (Dkt. No. 57, Exs. A and B), the Collection Referrals and Washington State law. See RCW 36.18.190 and RCW 3.02.045. The parties do not raise the issue of whether the debts are "payable to and for the benefit of a governmental unit" even though AllianceOne is seeking to collect the debt. Because the debts are still owned by the governmental entities and because any collected funds would in part be remitted back to those entities, I conclude that this requirement has been met. See e.g. , Stevens v. Commercial Collection Serv. (In re Stevens) ,
Notably, the Taggart court acknowledged that other circuits have held that, under Kelly , costs imposed as part of a criminal sentence are nondischargeable and expressly reserved judgment on the issue. Taggart , 249 F.3d at 993 n.9.
Although the statutory provisions governing LFOs define the term as applying only to superior court, it appears that the term and significant parts of the associated statutory scheme also apply to courts of limited jurisdiction, including both district courts and municipal courts. See generally City of Richland v. Wakefield ,
Although the cited amendments occurred after Sanders' convictions, the legislative intent is still generally relevant to understanding Washington State's basis for imposing LFOs.
In general, interest on prior nondischargeable debts is also nondischargeable. See Oregon v. Egbo (In re Egbo) ,
Although AllianceOne has the burden of proof in the determination of dischargeability, I note that Sanders' has the burden to establish a violation of the discharge injunction. See Espinosa v. United Student Aid Funds, Inc. ,
I am not addressing the applicability of RCW § 19.86 or RCW § 19.16 to collection of LFOs by collection agencies as it was not briefed in connection with these motions for summary judgment.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN RE: Randy Paul SANDERS, Debtor. Randy Paul Sanders v. AllianceOne Receivables Management, Inc.
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published