Totality of the Circumstances under 707(b)(3)
Around Thanksgiving, The UST and I tried two 707(b) cases in front of Judge Mott. He took them under advisement and announced his rulings on December 22. He made lengthy recitations of findings of fact and conclusions of law on the record, but apparently will not be publishing these as opinions. If you are going to try one of these cases, you might want to get a transcript as it will provide valuable insight into how he approaches these issues.
The first case was:
Hufstedler 10-11769
In this case the debtors are in their mid-50s with one dependent child. They both work for the state and have for several years so income is fairly secure. Their combined gross income is $109,000 per annum. Just prior to filing, Mr. Hufstedler purchased a term life policy with a death benefit of $100,000 with a monthly premium of $151. Mr. Hufstedler already had term life coverage of approximately $300,000. (Mrs. Hufstedler has approximately $500,000 in term coverage, but it has been in place for several years and the UST did not object to that expense.) He and his wife also purchased long term care insurance with a monthly premium of $431. Although both of the debtors have some medical issues (they both take blood pressure medicine and he takes cholesterol medicine and is a diabetic), their conditions have not materially changed recently and are manageable with medication. The stated reason for these purchases was looking forward and trying to provide for the family in the event one of their medical conditions grew worse.
Judge Mott initially held that long term care insurance is not “health insurance” as contemplated by 707(b)(2)(A)(ii)(I) so it would not be an allowable expense on line 34 of the means test.
He went on to conclude that the long term care insurance was not a “reasonably necessary expense at this time”, because there was no apparent immediate need and the insurance could be purchased 5 years later (at the end of a hypothetical Chapter 13) for only an additional $91 per month.
Finally, he concluded that the long term care was not a “special circumstance” under 707(b)(2)(B)(i). He recited several cases which opine that special circumstances require something “unforeseeable or beyond the control of the debtor” or “out of the ordinary or exceptional in some way” or for which “there is no reasonable alternative” or disallowing the expense would “result in demonstrable economic unfairness prejudicial to the debtors.”
On the debtors’ side, he did hold that homeowners insurance required under a deed of trust was allowable as a reasonable and necessary expense on line 42 of the means test. (Payments on secured claims.) Although the insurance expense is not really a payment on a secured claim, if the debtor fails to provide the insurance, the lender can purchase single interest coverage insurance and charge the expense to the debtors. (HOA dues were not an issue in this case, but the same analysis should apply.)
He also concluded that the debtors’ cell phone expense was “not particularly excessive.” The UST objected to this expense largely (it seems) because just prior to filing the debtors upgraded their phones when they renewed their service contracts. (Most of us have nicer phones than the debtors.)
The UST also objected (somewhat vaguely) to the debtors’ out of pocket medical expenses which are much higher than normal. I’m not faulting the UST – this is always an issue because medical expenses fluctuate significantly and are not fixed like a house or car payment. Deciding on a specific monthly dollar amount is an imprecise exercise, at best. Although Judge Mott expressed some concern that the expenses might be overstated by some amount, he concluded that the UST had not met its burden in proving the actual amount so the amount listed in Schedule J was allowed.
The second case was:
Babb 10-11551
Mr. Babb is a commercial property manager/developer with Lincoln Properties. Between 2006 and 2010, his income decreased from over $400,000 to approximately $115,000. He is $47,000 over median. He qualifies for Chapter 7 under 707(b)(2). The issue in this case was whether allowing him to obtain a discharge was an abuse under the “totality of the circumstances” under 707(b)(3).
The problem in this case was the house payment. PITI totaled $7600 per month which was roughly equal to his current monthly net income and, although he was optimistic that some deals which had been on hold were moving forward, he could not say with any certainty that his income would increase in the near term. The house payment was 5.5 times the IRS standard. A modification on the first lien is in process, but neither the first or second liens was current. The liens total $1,020,000 and the house is valued at $950,000 (which might be optimistic given current market realities.)
Although Judge Mott accepted the fact the housing expense was not an issue when the home was purchased in 2006, he concluded the expense is “unreasonable and excessive in light of their current circumstances.”
FYI, in both cases he gave the debtors 30 says to convert to another chapter or the cases will be dismissed.
Michael Baumer