In re Mingueta, RS 06-10012 PC.
Decision Date | 13 February 2006 |
Docket Number | No. RS 06-10012 PC.,RS 06-10012 PC. |
Citation | 338 B.R. 833 |
Court | U.S. Bankruptcy Court — Central District of California |
Parties | In re Juan MINGUETA, Debtor. |
Juan Mingueta, Hesperia, CA, pro se.
AMENDED MEMORANDUM DECISION
The court, having considered its Order to Show Cause Re: Dismissal entered on January 6, 2006, in conjunction with the ex parte request of Debtor, Juan Mingueta ("Mingueta") for a waiver of the requirement to obtain pre-bankruptcy budget and credit counseling, makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law.1
On January 4, 2006, Mingueta filed his voluntary petition under chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code.2 None of the documents required by either § 521(a)(1)3 or Rule 3015(b)4 accompanied the petition. On the face of the petition,5 Mingueta checked certain boxes indicating that he had assets on date of bankruptcy valued between $100,001 and $500,000 and up to 49 creditors holding claims of between $100,001 and $500,000. Only two creditors, Ocwen Loan Servicing and Alliance Default Services, Trustee, were listed in Mingueta's creditor matrix, suggesting that the bankruptcy was commenced primarily to halt a pending foreclosure sale of property owned or occupied by Mingueta.
On page 2 of the petition, Mingueta made the following representation under penalty of perjury by checking a box under a section of the petition entitled "Certification Concerning Debt Counseling by Individual/Joint Debtor(s)":
No "certification" or other document containing facts supporting Mingueta's claim of exigent circumstances was either attached to nor filed contemporaneously with the petition.
On January 6, 2006, the court entered an Order to Show Cause Re: Dismissal ("OSC") directing Mingueta to appear at 10:30 a.m. on February 1, 2006, to show cause why the case should not be dismissed due, in pertinent part, to his failure to file either a Certificate of Credit Counseling or Certificate of "Exigent Circumstances" in compliance with 11 U.S.C. § 109(h). Although properly served with the OSC and notice of hearing, Mingueta neither responded to the OSC, appeared at the February 1st hearing, nor corrected the deficiencies set forth in the OSC.
The court has jurisdiction over this case pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 157(b) and 1334(b), and this matter is a core proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(A) and (0). Venue is appropriate in this court. 28 U.S.C. § 1409(a).
Section 521(b), added by the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005,6 now requires individual debtors to file with the court:
(1) a certificate from the approved nonprofit budget and credit counseling agency that provided the debtor services under section 109(h) describing the services provided to the debtor; and
(2) a copy of the debt repayment plan, if any, developed under section 109(h) through the approved nonprofit budget and credit counseling agency ....
11 U.S.C. § 521(b). Section 109(h)(1) further states, in pertinent part:
... notwithstanding any other provision of this section, an individual may not be a debtor under this title unless such individual has, during the 180-day period preceding the date of filing of the petition by such individual, received from an approved nonprofit budget and credit counseling agency described in section 111(a) an individual or group briefing (including a briefing conducted by telephone or on the Internet) that outlined the opportunities for available credit counseling and assisted such individual in performing a related budget analysis.
11 U.S.C. § 109(h)(1).
Debtors residing in districts for which the United States trustee has determined that the approved agencies are not reasonably able to provide adequate credit counseling services are exempt from the requirements of § 109(h)(1). 11 U.S.C. § 109(h)(2)(A). However, Mingueta's compliance is not excused by § 109(h)(2)(A) because the United States trustee has made no such determination for the Central District of California.7
Section 109(h)(3) authorizes a temporary exemption from § 109(h)(1)'s credit counseling requirement if the debtor submits a certification to the court. 11 U.S.C. § 109(h)(3)(A). An unsubstantiated request is not a certification.8 See In re Hubbard, 333 B.R. 373, 376 (Bankr. S.D.Tex.2005) ( ). But see In re Cleaver, 333 B.R. 430, 434-35 (Bankr.S.D.Ohio 2005) ( ). Furthermore, the certification must satisfy § 109(h)(3)(A)'s three-part test. See, e.g., In re Davenport, 335 B.R. 218, 221 (Bankr.M.D.Fla.2005) ( ); In re Watson, 332 B.R. 740, 745 (Bankr.E.D.Va.2005) ( ); In re Hubbard, 332 B.R. 285, 289 (Bankr.S.D.Tex.2005) ( ); In re Gee, 332 B.R. 602, 604 (Bankr.W.D.Mo. 2005) ( ).
First, a debtor's certification must describe exigent circumstances meriting a waiver of the credit counseling requirement. 11 U.S.C. § 109(h)(3)(A)(i). Second, the certification must state that the debtor requested credit counseling services from an approved nonprofit budget and credit counseling agency, but was unable to obtain the services required by § 109(h)(1) during the 5-day period beginning on the date on which the debtor made the request. 11 U.S.C. § 109(h)(3)(A)(ii). Finally, the certification must otherwise be satisfactory to the court. 11 U.S.C. § 109(h)(3)(A)(iii).
Any temporary exemption granted under § 109(h)(3)(A) terminates on the date the debtor satisfies the requirements of § 109(h)(1) or 30 days after the petition date, whichever is sooner, unless the court, for cause, extends the exemption an additional 15 days. 11 U.S.C. § 109(h)(3)(B).
Section 109(h)'s credit counseling requirement has been labeled "[o]ne of the more absurd provisions of the new Act." In re Sosa, 336 B.R. 113, 114 (Bankr. W.D.Tex.2005). Courts construing § 109(h) universally question the wisdom of Congress in linking bankruptcy eligibility to pre-petition credit counseling, but agree that § 109(h)'s mandate is unambiguous and must be strictly enforced. See, e.g., Sosa, 336 B.R. at 114 ( ); Davenport, 335 B.R. at 221 ( ); Cleaver, 333 B.R. at 433 ( ); In re Wallert, 332 B.R. 884, 890 (Bankr.D.Minn.2005) ( ); In re LaPorta, 332 B.R. 879, 883 (Bankr.D.Minn.2005) ( ); Watson, 332 at 745 ( ); Hubbard, 332 B.R. at 288 ( ).
Eligibility to be a chapter 13 debtor is determined as of the petition date. See, e.g., Scovis v. Henrichsen (In re Scovis), 249 F.3d 975, 982 (9th Cir.2001) ( ); Ho v. Dowell (In re Ho), 274 B.R. 867, 872 n. 5 (9th Cir. BAP 2002) ( ). Absent strict compliance with § 109(h), individual debtors are ineligible for bankruptcy relief. See Wallert, 332 B.R. at 891 ( ); LaPorta, 332 B.R. at 883 ( ).
In this case, Mingueta's request for relief from § 109(h)(1)'s credit counseling requirement does not satisfy § 109(h)(3)(A). The request is not supported by a certification, declaration or other competent evidence establishing either exigent circumstances or that Mingueta sought, but was unable to obtain, credit counseling services from an approved nonprofit budget and credit counseling agency prior to the commencement of the case.9 Nor is there evidence that Mingueta is unable to comply with § 109(h)(1) due to incapacity, disability, or active duty in a military combat zone.10
Having neither obtained credit counseling nor established grounds...
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