ROBERT A. GORDON, Bankruptcy Judge.
Pending before the Court is the Debtors' Motion for Stay Pending Appeal (Motion for Stay) (Dkt. No. 132) filed on December 3, 2012.
The Motion for Stay seeks to bring the underlying bankruptcy proceeding to a full stop while the Debtors' appeal three orders. Each order was issued after this Court's October 24, 2012 oral ruling that (a) denied approval `with prejudice' of the Amended Disclosure Statement, (b) decided that the Third Amended Plan of Reorganization of D & M Realty, LLC and Monica D. Harenberg (Amended Plan) (Dkt. No. 110) could not be confirmed and (c) held that a trustee should be appointed to administer this estate.
Monica Harenberg owns and manages a real estate enterprise that includes several valuable income producing properties. For the past two and a half years, she has proven herself incapable of prosecuting this case in good faith and it is elementary that a plan proponent's lack of good faith is fatal to the confirmation process. Her single-minded effort to protect her own (and her parents') economic interests to the complete exclusion of the interests of her substantial body of general unsecured creditors bears this out in compelling fashion. The Amended Plan and Amended Disclosure Statement confirm the worst by (a) proposing to pay no more than a total of $9,500 over a period of five years to an unsecured class of creditors holding claims of well over one million dollars, (b) granting Juanita Harenberg (Ms. Harenberg's mother) a fee simple co-interest in real estate held free and clear and worth approximately $140,000, in addition to a junior `priming' lien against the rest of the Debtor's real estate, and (c) proposing to keep for Ms. Harenberg all residual equity (and future upside potential) in her income producing assets, most, if not all, of which she stubbornly persists in claiming to be "exempt" from creditor claims contrary to governing law.
These outrageous proposals exemplify Ms. Harenberg's approach to the administration of her case, an approach at cross purposes with her fiduciary responsibilities. With that in mind, this Court found that the Amended Plan does not comply "with the applicable provisions of" the Bankruptcy Code and has not been "proposed in good faith" as required by 11 U.S.C. § 1129(a)(1) and (3).
The Court summarized Ms. Harenberg's lack of good faith in its October 24, 2012 oral ruling. Her stark track record — culminating in the Amended Disclosure Statement and Amended Plan — is this case's singular problem. That problem first manifested in her original Statement of Financial Affairs and Schedules (SOFA and Schedules) and it was underscored by her outrageous attempt to exempt from the estate over one million eighty thousand dollars in asset value.
Ms. Harenberg filed her Voluntary Petition on June 11, 2010.
Mem. Op. 16-19 (emphasis added).
Honesty is the consideration that a debtor must pay in exchange for the immense protection afforded by the Code. In keeping with that policy, the purpose of the statement of financial affairs and schedules is to provide a transparent view of the Debtor's assets, liabilities and financial affairs at the time bankruptcy is filed. The degree to which any bankruptcy case can be properly and efficiently administered is directly proportional to the level of honesty imbued in those documents and the responsibility to provide the necessary candor falls squarely on the debtor's shoulders.
Ms. Harenberg filed an Amended Schedule C on November 16, 2011
(Am. Sch. C, Ex. C-1 (emphasis added).)
Thus, the Debtor still intended to try and exempt all available equity and her quagmire of a case quickly tumbled back to square one. The UST objected to Amended Schedule C and properly sought to "limit the debtor to those exemptions allowed by law" (Dkt. No. 272; Case No. 10-23221).
(Hr'g Tr. 24, Feb. 14, 2012.)
On February 28, 2012 the Debtor filed her third Schedule C with the offensive footnote deleted. On its face, this iteration of Schedule C did not attempt to exempt all of Ms. Harenberg's equity. However, when considered in combination with the
The Amended Disclosure Statement indicates that the Debtor owns, free and clear of liens and encumbrances, a fifty per cent (50%) interest in Baltimore City real estate known as 2823 St. Paul Street (2823 St. Paul).
To be blunt, this Court is of the opinion that the Amended Disclosure Statement's verbiage on this topic is hogwash pure and simple, conjured up to deceive creditors. Section 363(h) is intended to manage this precise circumstance by allowing a trustee to sell a parcel of real estate that is co-owned by a non-debtor if certain conditions are met. There is no apparent obstacle to the application of Section 363(h) to 2823 St. Paul and there is little doubt that a competent trustee could quickly and efficiently employ the statute to administer and liquidate the real property for the benefit of the estate. Notwithstanding Section 363(h)'s obvious impact and the benefit its utilization would bring to general creditors, the Amended Disclosure Statement does not mention that subsection. Instead, the Amended Plan proposes to deed the Debtor's fifty per cent interest to her mother in exchange for "past consideration" (alleged unsecured loans) and an alleged agreement to subsidize the Debtor's performance under the Amended Plan. Over and above that largesse, the Amended Plan also proposes to grant the Debtor's mother a "priming" lien to be secured by the rest of the Debtor's real estate which lien would rise in value with each new loan.
Ms. Harenberg's mother is at best an average creditor who may have made unsecured loans before the bankruptcy filing. The exalted status proposed for her under the Amended Plan has no rational basis and, as will be explained below, amounts to a prima facie violation of Section 1123(a)(4)'s anti-discrimination provisions. Accordingly, this Court concluded that the treatment afforded her mother was nothing more than additional confirmation of the Debtor's bad faith.
The Debtor's Amended Plan proposes to pay her general unsecured creditors, with claims totaling over one million dollars, a grand total of nine thousand five hundred dollars ($9,500), payable in installments, over five years. In contrast to this proposal, the Debtor's Amended Schedule B — Personal Property (Dkt. No. 263, Case No. 10-23221) assigns a total value of $57,719 to her non-real estate assets. Of this, the Debtor has exempted a total of $27,973 leaving approximately $29,746 of non-exempt equity.
(Am. Disclosure Statement 11.)
The Debtor comes full circle with that representation to bring us right back to the original and inherent problem of bad faith. She is simply not entitled to exempt all of her assets from the claims of her general creditors and to state otherwise is a gross misrepresentation of fact and law.
An appellant who seeks a stay pending appeal must show that:
Blackwelder Furniture Co. of Statesville v. Seilig Mfg. Co., 550 F.2d 189, 193 (4th Cir.1977) rev'd on other grounds, Real Truth About Obama, Inc. v. FEC, 575 F.3d 342 (4th Cir.2009); Long v. Robinson, 432 F.2d 977, 979 (4th Cir.1970); Ohio Valley Envtl. Coalition, Inc. v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 890 F.Supp.2d 688, 690 (S.D.W.Va.2012).
In order to achieve plan confirmation, a debtor must satisfy the applicable elements of 11 U.S.C. § 1129(a). In this case, the relevant provisions provide:
11 U.S.C. § 1129(a). Supplementing the foregoing, Section 1123(a) specifies certain rules that a Chapter 11 plan must follow. Subsection (a)(4) provides that, "a plan shall — (4) provide the same treatment for each claim or interest of a particular class, unless the holder of a particular claim or interest agrees to a less favorable treatment of such particular claim or interest". 11 U.S.C. § 1123(a).
While it is true that the October 24, 2012 hearing was a disclosure statement (and not a confirmation) hearing, the Amended Disclosure Statement and the Amended Plan are woven of the same fabric and together are fatally defective. The Amended Disclosure Statement was found wanting because of the material, deceptive inaccuracies described in Section III above but even more so because of the scheme (constructed upon those deceptions and memorialized in the Amended Plan) that on its face violates Sections 1129(a)(1) and (3). Applicable law bars Ms. Harenberg from exempting all of her property yet that is exactly what the Amended Plan proposes to do. Likewise, her effort to perfect those exemptions — an effort that has spanned the entire case — in the face of objections and adverse court rulings, and under cover of obfuscation and deception, is a textbook example of bad faith. Furthermore as regards the general unsecured creditor class's treatment, it is plain that (a) the exalted treatment afforded the Debtor's mother is grossly discriminatory in violation of Section 1123(a)(4) and (b) they will receive vastly more upon liquidation than they would per Ms. Harenberg's proposal, a circumstance that places the Amended Plan squarely at odds with 1129(a)(7).
A disclosure statement that describes a plan that cannot be confirmed — one that is incapable of satisfying Section 1129(a) — cannot be approved. In re 266 Washington Associates, 141 B.R. 275, 288 (Bankr.E.D.N.Y.1992), aff'd, In re Washington Associates, 147 B.R. 827 (E.D.N.Y. 1992); In re Pecht, 53 B.R. 768, 772 (Bankr.E.D.Va.1985); In re Eastern Maine Elec. Co-op., Inc., 125 B.R. 329, 333 (Bankr.D.Me.1991); In re Kehn Ranch, Inc., 41 B.R. 832, 833 (Bankr.D.S.D.1984). There is no sound reason to approve a disclosure statement, and permit voting on an underlying plan, when the plan is fundamentally defective. In re Valrico Square Ltd. Partnership, 113 B.R. 794, 796 (Bankr.S.D.Fla.1990) ("[S]oliciting votes and seeking court approval on a clearly fruitless venture is a waste of the time of the Court and the parties."); In re Eastern Maine Elec. Co-op., Inc., 125 B.R. at 333 ("[T]he disclosure statement should be disapproved at the threshold only where the plan it describes displays fatal
The Debtors offer no legal authority that undercuts this Court's finding of bad faith and it is upon that fact finding that the Court's decision rests. This boils down to the Debtor having convinced the Court beyond repair that she will use any means necessary to try and keep the estate's substantial equity for herself (and her parents) and will not provide a fair distribution to general creditors. Any credibility she may have had has evaporated long ago. Notwithstanding the events that preceded the Memorandum Opinion and its clear message that she was bound to conduct herself as a fiduciary, Ms. Harenberg has continued to be ruled by avarice. She cannot lawfully exempt the vast bulk of her assets, she cannot treat her mother to an exalted status over other general creditors, and she cannot pay those general creditors less than 1% of their claims over five years while she continues to reap the benefits of her extensive real estate portfolio. To conclude otherwise would be tantamount to replacing Section 1129(a) with the epitaph, "Laissez les bons temps rouler."
The Motion for Stay does not address the Court's finding of fact as to a lack of good faith and the Debtor's failure to comply with applicable law.
As regards subheadings (a), (c) and (f), the Debtor's own documents belie the Debtor's contention. The property analyses and values relied upon were derived from either the Amended Disclosure Statement or the SOFA and Schedules. The relative values show there is a wealth of equity and therefore creditors will do substantially better in liquidation than they would waiting five years to be paid only 1% of their claims. Moreover, the trustee appointed — Lori Simpson, Esquire — is more than capable of managing, administering and liquidating the estate's assets. This case is neither the easiest nor the hardest ever before this Court. Plainly, there is nothing to indicate that creditors will not be paid within a reasonable time assuming competent administration. This Court doubts that "all creditor classes" would have been in favor of the Amended Plan. But even if by some strange turn of events the Debtor received votes in favor of the Amended Plan from general creditors, for the reasons explained above, the Court would not have confirmed the Amended Plan due to the Debtor's bad faith, the violation of applicable law and the Amended Disclosure Statement's deceptive nature. The rest of the Debtor's contentions are rebutted by the settled legal principles regarding fatally flawed plans outlined above and Section 1129(a)(3)'s mandate that good faith must be found in order to confirm a plan.
The requested stay is denied with the Court's clear understanding (and hope) that liquidation will begin immediately. Ms. Harenberg complains that this will "prejudice" her interests.
432 F.2d at 981.
It is Ms. Harenberg's stubborn wrongheadedness that has resulted in the adverse rulings now on appeal. Creditors have been held at bay long enough. This Court finds no prejudice whatsoever in the imposition of justice long delayed.
Ms. Harenberg's creditors will be substantially injured by the entry of a stay. In sum, they have waited for two and a half years while Ms. Harenberg and her counsel have wasted time and money with misdirection and deception. The time has come for this case to move toward its ultimate conclusion and for creditors to be paid.
The public interest in this instance falls squarely on the side of honesty and forthrightness in judicial proceedings. Ms. Harenberg has shown neither. In bankruptcy, no crime is worse. Accordingly, the public interest is against the grant of the stay.
Ms. Harenberg has dictated her own fate in this case. Her actions eliminate the possibility of a finding of good faith under Section 1129(a)(3). Accordingly, a separate order denying the Motion for Stay shall be entered.
Monica D. Harenberg, debtor in possession (the "Debtor"), hereby submits her Schedules of Assets and Liabilities, Statements of Financial Affairs, and Chapter 11 Statement Of Current Monthly Income (collectively, the "Schedules") pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 521 and Fed. R. Bankr.P. 1007. The notes, statements, and disclaimers made herein (the "Global Notes") are fully incorporated by reference in, and comprise an integral part of, the Schedules and should be referred to and reviewed in connection with any review of the Schedules.
1. Description of the Case and "As Of" Information Date. On June 11, 2010 (the "Petition Date"), the Debtor filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code (the "Petition"). Since the Petition Date, the Debtor has operated her business and managed her property as a debtor in possession pursuant to §§ 1107(a) and 1108 of the Bankruptcy Code. For purposes of the Schedules, which are intended to relate to facts or events occurring before the filing of the Petition, the Debtor disclosed all facts or events through and including June 11, 2010. The Debtor also attempted to include facts and events that occurred on the Petition Date but prior to the actual filing of the Petition, but to the extent that any such facts or events were inadvertently omitted, the Debtor reserves the right to amend the Schedules to correct any such
2. Unaudited Financial Information. While the Debtor has sought to ensure that the Schedules are accurate and complete based upon information that was available at the time of preparation, the subsequent receipt of information or any audit may result in material changes to financial data and other information contained in the Schedules. Except as otherwise certified, all of the data set forth herein is unaudited. The Schedules do not purport to represent financial statements prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"), nor are they intended to correspond to any financial statements otherwise prepared and/or distributed by the Debtor. The amounts set forth in the Schedules may differ in some respects from financial statements or other financial documents prepared by, for, or on behalf of the Debtor and those differences may be material.
3. Accuracy. While the Debtor has sought to file complete and accurate Schedules, inadvertent errors and omissions may exist. Accordingly, the Debtor reserves the right to amend the Schedules as necessary or appropriate.
4. Book Value of Property Interests. It would be prohibitively expensive and unduly burdensome to obtain current market valuation of the Debtor's property interests and other significant assets. Accordingly, unless otherwise noted, the value of assets reflected on the Schedules are merely the Debtor's best guess as to their value, rather than current market value or other valuation methodologies. In Schedule C and its exhibits, the Debtor has asserted an exemption on 100% of the Debtor's right, title, and interest in each and every asset listed on that schedule, except as otherwise expressly provided. Stated values are not intended to act as a limitation of the amount or proportion of value in which the Debtor asserts an exemption. To the extent that any exemption exceeds the maximum value of exemptions by law, the Debtor asserts that the cushion created by undervaluation of some assets will permit the excess but reserves the right to amend Schedule C to apply the exemptions differently.
5. Liabilities. In preparing the Schedules, the Debtor sought to allocate liabilities between prepetition and postpetition periods based on ongoing information and research. As additional information becomes available and further research is conducted, the allocation of liabilities between prepetition and postpetition periods may change and the Schedules may be amended accordingly.
6. Claim Description. Any failure to designate a claim on the Schedules as "contingent," "unliquidated," or "disputed" does not constitute an admission by the Debtor that such claim is not "contingent," "unliquidated," or "disputed." The Debtor expressly reserves the right, on her own behalf or on behalf of the estate, to dispute, or to assert offsets or defenses, to any claim reflected on the Schedules as to existence, validity, amount, classification, priority, or security, or to amend the Schedules to designate any claim as "contingent," "unliquidated," or "disputed." The Debtor has attempted to reconcile each of the claims against her own records and to dispute those with which its records disagree, but in the event the Debtor subsequently determines that any claims listed on the Schedules as "undisputed" are
7. Executory Contracts and Unexpired Leases. In the ordinary course of her business, the Debtor may have leased real property and/or various articles of personal property from third-party lessors. Such leases are described in the Schedules, but the leased property may not be reflected in the Schedules as assets of the Debtor or property or assets of third parties within the control of the Debtor. On or before the Petition Date, any such contracts or leases listed on Schedule G may have been terminated, may have expired, or may have been modified, amended, or supplemented from time to time by various amendments, restatements, waivers, estoppel certificates, letter and other documents, instruments and agreements which may not be listed therein. Certain of the contracts or leases listed on Schedule G may contain renewal options, guarantees or payments, options to purchase, rights of first refusal, rights to lease additional space and other miscellaneous rights, which may or may not be set forth on Schedule G. Certain executory contracts may not have been memorialized and could be subject to dispute. Executory contracts that are oral in nature, if any, have been scheduled to the best of the Debtor's knowledge. Additionally, the Debtor may be party to various other agreements concerning real property, such as easements, rights of way, purchase options, subordination, non-disturbance, supplemental agreements, amendments/letter agreements, title documents, consents, site plans, maps and other miscellaneous agreements, and such agreements, if any, may not be set forth in Schedule G.
Moreover, certain of the agreements listed on Schedule G may be in the nature of conditional sales agreements or secured financings. Nothing in the Schedules should be construed as an admission or determination as to the legal status of any lease or contract, including but not limited to: (i) whether the Debtor intends to assume, assume and assign, or reject any unexpired lease or executory contract; (ii) whether any interest described (or identified on the face of the controlling documents) as a lease constitutes a true lease or a financing arrangement; (iii) whether any lease was unexpired on the Petition Date; and (iv) whether any contract was executory on the Petition Date. The Debtor reserves all of her rights, claims and causes of action with respect to the contracts and leases listed on, or omitted from, the Schedules.
8. Secured Claims. Listing of a claim on Schedule D as a secured claim does not constitute an admission by the Debtor that such claim is secured. Any descriptions of claims, security, collateral, or value provided in Schedule D are intended only as a summary. Reference to the applicable loan agreements and related documents is necessary for a complete description of the collateral and the nature, extent and priority of any liens securing each claim listed on Schedule D. The Debtor reserves the right to dispute any claim listed on Schedule D as to amount, liability, or its classification as a secured claim. Moreover, the listing of a claim on Schedule D as a secured claim does not constitute an admission by the Debtor that to the extent such claim is secured, such claim is perfected or otherwise enforceable against
9. Claim Amounts. The amount of claims of individual creditors for, among other things, merchandise, goods, services, or taxes are scheduled in accordance with the amounts invoiced by the creditors as entered on the Debtor's books and records and may not reflect credits or allowances due from such creditors to the Debtor. The Debtor reserves all rights with respect to any such credits and allowances including without limitation the right to assert claims objections and/or setoffs with respect to same. The dollar amounts of claims listed may be exclusive of contingent and unliquidated amounts.
10. Causes of Action. The Debtor has set forth all known causes of action against third parties as assets in the Schedules. Due to the timing of the filing of the Schedules and the fact that not all causes of action may have been clearly identified, the Debtor reserves all rights with respect to any causes of action that she may have, regardless of whether and how disclosed. Neither these Global Notes nor the Schedules shall be deemed a waiver or limitation of any such causes of action. Moreover, the inadvertent failure to list a particular cause of action in the Schedules is not an admission that such cause of action does not exist and the Debtor reserves the right, at any time, to amend the Schedules to include any cause of action that was omitted.
11. Satisfied Claims. The Debtor may have satisfied, and may in the future satisfy (to the extent permitted by law), certain debts that may have constituted claims as of the Petition Date. For example and not by way of limitation, the Bankruptcy Court may enter orders authorizing the Debtor to pay certain claims incurred prior to the Petition Date, some of which may be entitled to priority treatment under 11 U.S.C. § 507. To the extent that the Debtor made payments on or after the Petition Date as permitted under the applicable orders, the recipients may not be listed in the Schedules. The inclusion of any claim on the Schedules or Statements should not be construed as an admission that such claim was not satisfied on or after the Petition Date, and the inclusion or exclusion of certain claims that were satisfied on the Petition Date shall not constitute an admission that all such claims were included or excluded. Furthermore, payment by the Debtor of any prepetition claim does not constitute an admission or estoppel that such payment was authorized by the Court or the Bankruptcy Code, and the rights of the Debtor's estate to avoid and recover such payments is expressly preserved regardless of how such claim may appear on the Schedules.
12. Insiders. At certain points, the Schedules require the disclosure of information pertaining to insiders of the Debtor. Because it is often unclear who might constitute insiders of the Debtor as that term is defined by 11 U.S.C. § 101(31), the Debtor has attempted to be over-inclusive in the Schedules in disclosing information about (i) entities that may ultimately be deemed insiders by the Court, and (ii) the Debtor's transactions with, and relationships to, such entities. Nothing in the Schedules should be construed as an admission
13. Co-Defendants. Schedule H contains a list of the parties that may be co-debtors on account of claims or obligations of the Debtor. Parties listed on this schedule may not have consented to their inclusion on this schedule and no estoppel has been thereby created, including but not limited to the individual(s) that signed and/or verified the Schedules. When it was uncertain whether a party was a co-debtor, the Debtor erred on the side of including it and reserves the right to amend the schedules in this regard. The Debtor did not include any party that is merely a co-defendant in litigation with the Debtor unless such party has agreed to assume the Debtor's liability arising therefrom.
14. Specific Notes. These Global Notes are in addition to any specific notes set forth in the Schedules.
15. Submission of Counsel. The execution below of counsel is for submission of these Global Notes only and does not constitute a statement under oath of the validity of the matters set forth in the Schedules.
some of the attorney's fees incurred in this Chapter 11 case. Those funds are currently held in the attorney trust account of D & M's prior law firm, Pinckney, Harris & Weidinger, LLC.
As explained herein, Ms. Harenberg owns numerous parcels of rental real estate throughout Maryland and North Carolina (collectively, the "Harenberg Properties"). In addition to owning the Harenberg Properties, she manages them, as well as properties of other unrelated parties, through a non-debtor management company that she owns and operates called Star Management. She is also a 50% member of D & M, but because that entity has only nominal cash and $451,478.02 in deficiency claims, she asserts that that interest has no value.
In providing the values for the Harenberg Properties, Ms. Harenberg relied
The following are the Harenberg Properties as of the Petition Date:
1. 2743 St. Paul St., Baltimore, Maryland. This property is residential rental real property, in which Ms. Harenberg has a 100% interest. Due to recent renovations, this property has 5 leasable units. As set forth on the chart attached hereto as
Because the amount of Midstate's claim exceeds the current estimated value of this property, Ms. Harenberg believes that there is presently no equity in this property. Therefore, she has included this property on her schedule of exemptions as being completely exempt from being property of the estate.
Midstate appeared in this case and filed a motion for relief from the automatic stay in connection with this property. Ms. Harenberg and Midstate entered into a stipulation and consent order with Midstate, which is more fully described below and incorporated into the terms of the Plan.
2. 2918-20 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, Maryland. This property is residential rental real property, in which Ms. Harenberg has a 100% interest. This property has 10 leasable units. As set forth on the chart attached hereto as
Because the aggregate amount of Midstate's claim and the CFG Judgment lien exceeds the current estimated value of this property, Ms. Harenberg believes that there is presently no equity in this property. Therefore, she has included this property on her schedule of exemptions as being completely exempt from being property of the estate.
The stipulation and consent order between Ms. Harenberg and Midstate described above will also govern the Plan's treatment of Midstate's claims in connection with this property.
As described below, Bank of Granite appeared in this case and aggressively sought relief from the automatic stay to exercise its non-bankruptcy rights and remedies against this property, as well as to restrict Ms. Harenberg's use of rents received from that property. To resolve those disputes, Ms. Harenberg and the guarantors entered into a settlement agreement with Bank of Granite during this case, which is more fully described below and incorporated into the terms of the Plan.
Because the aggregate amount of Bank of Granite's claim exceeds the current estimated value of this property, Ms. Harenberg is taking the position that there is presently no equity in this property. Moreover, because this property is owned as tenancy by the entireties and her husband is not a debtor in bankruptcy, Ms. Harenberg has taken the position that it would be exempt from property of the estate except to pay joint creditors of herself and her husband. Therefore, she has included this property on her schedule of exemptions as being completely exempt from being property of the estate.
4. 2822 St. Paul St., Baltimore, Maryland. This property is a single-family home serving as Ms. Harenberg's principal residence with her non-debtor spouse. An updated appraisal, performed by the same appraiser used by Midstate and attached hereto as
Because the aggregate amount of claims exceeds the current estimated value of this property, Ms. Harenberg is taking the position that there is presently no equity in this property. Therefore, she has included this property on her schedule of exemptions as being completely exempt from being property of the estate.
5. 2900 S. Laurel Fork, Laurel Springs, North Carolina. This property is a parcel of rental real property containing three rental cabins, in which Ms. Harenberg has a 50% interest as tenancy by the entireties with her non-debtor spouse.
Because the aggregate amount of Highlands Union's claims are almost equal to the current estimated value of this property, Ms. Harenberg is taking the position that there is presently only nominal equity in this property. Moreover, because this property is owned as tenancy by the entireties and her husband is not a debtor in bankruptcy, Ms. Harenberg has taken the position that it would be exempt from property of the estate except to pay joint creditors of herself and her husband. Therefore, she has included this property on her schedule of exemptions as being completely exempt from being property of the estate.
6. 2313 S. Laurel Fork, Laurel Springs, North Carolina. This property is a parcel of real property located in an extremely rural area, in which Ms. Harenberg has a 100% interest. Ms. Harenberg believes that she could rent out this property but estimates that the monthly income that could be generated from this property is no more than $600.00 per month due to its location. Attached as
Because the aggregate amount of Highlands Union's claims are almost equal to the current estimated value of this property, Ms. Harenberg is taking the position that there is presently only nominal equity in this property. Therefore, she has included this property on her schedule of exemptions as being completely exempt from being property of the estate.
7. 2823 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, Maryland. This property is residential rental real property with 3 leasable units, in which Ms. Harenberg has a 50% interest given to her by her father, with an understanding that she would hold the property for his benefit as a convenience until his death (he remains alive). An appraisal of a 100% undivided interest in this property, updated on September 1, 2011, and attached as
Ms. Harenberg agrees with the appraiser's view on the value of this fractional asset for a number of reasons. Ms. Harenberg is not in possession of this property, and it was deeded to her as an estate planning accommodation by her father who remains alive. Conventional purchasers would not be interested in purchasing a partial interest in real property from a co-owner that does not have physical possession. She does not expect to receive any income or other value from this property while her father is alive. Moreover, if such interest were sold, neither the hypothetical purchaser of Ms. Harenberg's 50% interest nor Juanita Harenberg
Because the value of this property interest is $0.00, Ms. Harenberg has included this property on her schedule of exemptions as being completely exempt from being property of the estate. As described below, however, if this property interest does have value, there is a possibility that a Chapter 7 trustee could realize value from it.
Since the Petition Date, Ms. Harenberg has continued to use her properties as investments to generate rental income, with the exception of the properties located at 2822 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, Maryland and the one located at 2313 S. Laurel Fork Road, Laurel Springs, North Carolina. With the assistance of her accountant and counsel, Ms. Harenberg has generated profit and loss statements for each of the properties set forth above, with the exception of her residence. Moreover, Ms. Harenberg is providing summaries for each property (with the exception of her residence) and for herself personally concerning the average net income generated before and after the Petition Date. These spreadsheets are collectively attached hereto as
With respect to
(i) The average postpetition income of the 2743 St. Paul St, Baltimore, Maryland property has declined, while the other properties set forth have increased in income since the Petition Date.
Mem. Op. 21.
260 S.Ct. at 1380. Justice Thomas further indicated in footnote 14 that Section 1325(a), "does more than codify this principle: it requires bankruptcy courts to address and correct a defect in a debtor's proposed plan even if no creditor raises the issue." Id. at 1381, n. 14. The relevant language of Section 1129(a)(1) is virtually identical to that of Section 1325(a)(1). In short, this Court offered Ms. Harenberg multiple opportunities to conform her reorganization efforts to the Code's express boundaries but each offer has been rejected by her terminal overreaching.