In re: Richard James Swintek ( 2015 )


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  •                                                                 FILED
    DEC 18 2015
    1
    SUSAN M. SPRAUL, CLERK
    U.S. BKCY. APP. PANEL
    2                                                             OF THE NINTH CIRCUIT
    3                  UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY APPELLATE PANEL
    4                            OF THE NINTH CIRCUIT
    5   In re:                        )     BAP No.     CC-14-1569-KiTaKu
    )
    6   RICHARD JAMES SWINTEK,        )     Adv. No.    8:13-01106-TA
    )
    7                  Debtor.        )     Bk. No.     8:10-22458-TA
    )
    8                                 )
    )
    9   KAREN M. GOOD,                )
    )
    10                  Appellant,     )
    )
    11   v.                            )          O P I N I O N
    )
    12   CHARLES W. DAFF, Chapter 7    )
    Trustee,                      )
    13                                 )
    Appellee.      )
    14   ______________________________)
    15              Argued and Submitted on November 19, 2015,
    at Pasadena, California
    16
    Filed - December 18, 2015
    17
    Appeal from the United States Bankruptcy Court
    18                 for the Central District of California
    19        Honorable Theodor C. Albert, Bankruptcy Judge, Presiding
    20
    21
    22   Appearances:    Roya Rohani argued for appellant Karen M. Good;
    Arjun Sivakumar of Brown Rudnick LLP argued for
    23                   appellee Charles W. Daff, Chapter 7 Trustee.
    24
    25   Before:         KIRSCHER, TAYLOR and KURTZ, Bankruptcy Judges.
    26
    27
    28
    1   KIRSCHER, Bankruptcy Judge:
    2
    3        Appellant and judgment creditor Karen Good appeals an order
    4   wherein the bankruptcy court determined that § 108(c)1 did not
    5   toll or extend the one-year expiration period for Good's lien
    6   under CAL. CODE CIV. P. ("CCP") § 708.110(d).   This precise question
    7   of law is a matter of first impression before the Panel.    We hold
    8   that § 108(c) tolled the one-year expiration period imposed under
    9   CCP § 708.110.   Therefore, we VACATE AND REMAND.
    10              I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
    11   A.   Prepetition events
    12        In 2001, two law firms obtained money judgments totaling
    13   approximately $300,000 against Richard J. Swintek, a former
    14   certified public accountant, for unpaid legal fees.    In 2009, Good
    15   acquired the money judgments by assignment.     She renewed the
    16   judgments in 2010 and began collection efforts.
    17        On June 30, 2010, the state court issued an Application and
    18   Order for Appearance and Examination ("ORAP") to Swintek pursuant
    19   to CCP § 708.110.   Good claims she personally served Swintek with
    20   the ORAP on that same date.   Swintek was ordered to appear for
    21   examination on August 19, 2010.
    22        In July 2010, Good instructed the Orange County Sheriff to
    23   levy upon several deposit accounts and certificates of deposit
    24   held in the name of Swintek and/or his wife.    The sheriff took
    25   custody of approximately $67,000.
    26
    27        1
    Unless specified otherwise, all chapter, code and rule
    references are to the Bankruptcy Code, 
    11 U.S.C. §§ 101-1532
    , and
    28   the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, Rules 1001-9037.
    -2-
    1           Swintek failed to appear for the ordered examination,
    2   resulting in the state court continuing it until October 14 and
    3   issuing a bench warrant for his arrest.    Good claims she served
    4   Swintek with the new notice.
    5   B.      Postpetition events
    6           Swintek filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy case on September 2,
    7   2010.    He identified Good as a secured creditor with an execution
    8   lien valued at $2,900, and he identified her as an unsecured
    9   creditor holding a claim for $310,000 for "attorney's fees."
    10   Notably, Good is Swintek's only creditor.       Trustee Charles W. Daff
    11   was appointed to Swintek's case.
    12           Trustee eventually acquired the $67,000 in levied funds.
    13   Good claimed all rights to them in her filed proof of claim.
    14   Thereafter, upon Swintek's motion under § 522(f), the bankruptcy
    15   court avoided Good's execution lien to the extent it impaired
    16   Swintek's allowed exemption of $21,725.    Trustee was to hold the
    17   balance of the levied funds, $45,274.79 plus any accrued interest.
    18           1.   Good's first adversary complaint
    19           In 2013, Good filed an adversary complaint against Trustee
    20   seeking a determination on the priority of her lien and
    21   declaratory relief.    Good alleged that upon serving Swintek with
    22   the ORAP, she obtained a lien (the "ORAP Lien") on all of his
    23   personal property assets for one year under CCP § 708.110.      Good
    24   alleged that all funds held by Trustee were subject to her ORAP
    25   Lien, yet he was refusing to distribute them to her.
    26           In his motion to dismiss, Trustee argued that Good's ORAP
    27   Lien, issued on June 30, 2010, expired one year after the date of
    28   the order; thus, any lien created by service of the ORAP expired
    -3-
    1   on June 30, 2011.   Trustee contended the one-year durational
    2   period in CCP § 708.110(d) was not extended or tolled by § 108(c),
    3   citing In re Gbadebo, 
    431 B.R. 222
    , 226 n.4 (Bankr. N.D. Cal.
    4   2010).
    5        Rejecting the "dictum" in Gbadebo that § 108(c) did not apply
    6   to ORAP liens and relying on Kipperman v. Proulx (In re Burns),
    7   
    291 B.R. 846
    , 849 n.4 (9th Cir. BAP 2003), the bankruptcy court
    8   ruled that § 108(c) applied to Good's ORAP Lien.   Therefore,
    9   because Good had stated a claim for declaratory relief, Trustee's
    10   motion to dismiss was denied.
    11        2.   Good's amended adversary complaint and the motions for
    summary judgment
    12
    13        Good filed an amended complaint against Trustee and the
    14   parties filed multiple motions for summary judgment.   Good
    15   contended her ORAP Lien constituted an "enforcement" lien under
    16   California law and remained stayed by § 362 until the levied funds
    17   were no longer property of the estate.   Because she was not
    18   allowed to continue with her enforcement efforts once Swintek
    19   filed bankruptcy, Good argued that § 108(c) tolled the one-year
    20   enforcement period of her ORAP Lien, citing Miner Corp. v. Hunters
    21   Run Ltd. P'ship (In re Hunters Run Ltd. P'ship), 
    875 F.2d 1425
    22   (9th Cir. 1989), In re Burns, 
    291 B.R. at 849
    , and S. Cal. Bank v.
    23   Zimmerman (In re Hilde), 
    120 F.3d 950
     (9th Cir. 1997).
    24        Trustee contended that Good's ORAP Lien expired by its own
    25   terms on June 30, 2011, before her adversary complaint was filed,
    26   and that § 108(c) did not toll the one-year period.    Trustee
    27   argued that § 108(c) did not apply to an ORAP lien because it is
    28   created by service and does not involve a "commencement" or a
    -4-
    1   "continuation" of a civil action, as § 108(c) requires.     In
    2   support of his position, Trustee noted a recent case, Wolfe v.
    3   Palladino (In re Harris), Adv. No. 8:13-01125 (Bankr. C.D. Cal.
    4   Apr. 29, 2014), wherein the same bankruptcy court determined that
    5   an ORAP lien is not a "commencement" or "continuation" of a civil
    6   action, but rather is an "anomalous lien" arising after judgment
    7   has been entered and an ORAP properly served; thus, § 108(c) did
    8   not toll an ORAP lien's one-year expiration period.
    9        In ruling for Trustee, the bankruptcy court acknowledged that
    10   no appellate court within the Ninth Circuit has addressed the
    11   issue of whether § 108(c) tolls the one-year expiration period of
    12   an ORAP lien.   A split in persuasive authority also exists among
    13   bankruptcy courts.   Ultimately, the bankruptcy court decided to
    14   adopt its prior ruling in Harris:      § 108(c) does not toll the one-
    15   year expiration period of an ORAP lien.     Accordingly, because Good
    16   had not renewed her ORAP Lien prior to the expiration date in June
    17   2011, it had expired.   Therefore, she had no claim against the
    18   levied funds; summary judgment for Trustee was appropriate.
    19        Good timely appealed.
    20                              II. JURISDICTION
    21        The bankruptcy court had jurisdiction under 
    28 U.S.C. §§ 1334
    22   and 157(a)(2)(K).    We have jurisdiction under 
    28 U.S.C. § 158
    .
    23                                 III. ISSUE
    24        Did the bankruptcy court err in determining that § 108(c) did
    25   not toll the one-year expiration period for an ORAP lien under CCP
    26   § 708.110(d)?
    27                           IV. STANDARD OF REVIEW
    28        We review the bankruptcy court's legal conclusions, including
    -5-
    1   its interpretation of the Code, de novo.     Sachan v. Huh (In re
    2   Huh), 
    506 B.R. 257
    , 262 (9th Cir. BAP 2014)(en banc).      Likewise,
    3   we review the bankruptcy court's order granting summary judgment
    4   de novo.   Centre Ins. Co. v. SNTL Corp. (In re SNTL Corp.), 380
    
    5 B.R. 204
    , 211 (9th Cir. BAP 2007).
    6                               V. DISCUSSION
    7        Trustee disputes and Good contends she held a valid ORAP lien
    8   against Swintek at the time he filed his bankruptcy case.     This
    9   contention may involve a factual matter the bankruptcy court will
    10   have to determine on remand.      If valid, then it is undisputed the
    11   one-year expiration period under CCP § 708.110(d) had not yet run
    12   when Swintek filed his bankruptcy case, just two months after Good
    13   allegedly served him with the ORAP.      Therefore, the question
    14   before us is whether § 108(c) tolled the running of the one-year
    15   durational period.   We conclude it did.
    16   A.   CCP § 708.110 and 708.120
    17        In 1982, California enacted a comprehensive Enforcement of
    18   Judgments Law governing the enforcement of all civil judgments in
    19   California.   CCP § 680.010-709.030.     It reflects the legislative
    20   intent to allow judgment creditors a "'speedy and inexpensive
    21   means . . . to obtain priority over other creditors . . . .'"        In
    22   re Hilde, 
    120 F.3d at 954
     (citation omitted)(emphasis in
    23   original); In re Burns, 
    291 B.R. at 850
    .
    24        Under CCP § 708.110, a judgment creditor may apply to the
    25   court for an order requiring the judgment debtor to appear for an
    26   examination "to aid [the creditor's] enforcement of the money
    27   judgment."    CCP § 708.110(a).   Service of the ORAP on the judgment
    28   debtor creates an enforceable lien on the debtor's personal
    -6-
    1   property.   CCP § 708.110(d).2
    2        An ORAP lien exists from the date the order to appear is
    3   served and is effective for one year unless extended or sooner
    4   terminated by the court.   CCP § 708.110(d).    In other words, an
    5   ORAP lien will expire by its own terms if it is not renewed before
    6   the expiration of one year.      Service of the ORAP is all that is
    7   required to create and establish the priority of the ORAP lien.
    8   In re Hilde, 
    120 F.3d at 953
    ; In re Burns, 
    291 B.R. at 850
    .      An
    9   ORAP lien is allowed to be a "secret" or "hidden" lien; it is not
    10   recorded or published.   "'Other creditors are able to discover the
    11   lien only if they know about the creditor's judgment and review
    12   the court file.'" Morgan Creek Prods. v. Franchise Pictures LLC
    13   (In re Franchise Pictures LLC), 
    389 B.R. 131
    , 141 (Bankr. C.D.
    
    14 Cal. 2008
    ) (quoting Hon. Alan M. Ahart, Cal. Prac. Guide:
    15   Enforcing Judgments & Debts § 6:1306 (The Rutter Group 2007)).
    16   See In re Hilde, 
    120 F.3d at 956
     (public policy issues trustee has
    17   with an ORAP lien being a "secret" lien is something for the
    18   California Legislature to solve).
    19   B.   Section 108(c)
    20        Section 108(c) provides that "if applicable nonbankruptcy law
    21   . . . fixes a period for commencing or continuing a civil action
    22   in a court other than a bankruptcy court on a claim against the
    23
    2
    Specifically, CCP § 708.110(d) provides:
    24
    The judgment creditor shall personally serve a copy of the
    25        order on the judgment debtor not less than 10 days before the
    date set for the examination. Service shall be made in the
    26        manner specified in Section 415.10. Service of the order
    creates a lien on the personal property of the judgment
    27        debtor for a period of one year from the date of the order
    unless extended or sooner terminated by the court.
    28
    -7-
    1   debtor, . . . and such period has not expired before the date of
    2   the filing of the petition, then such period does not expire until
    3   . . . 30 days after notice of the termination or expiration of the
    4   stay under section 362 . . . ."     The "applicable nonbankruptcy
    5   law" at issue here is CCP § 708.110(d).
    6   C.   The bankruptcy court erred in determining that the one-year
    expiration period for an ORAP lien is not tolled by § 108(c).
    7
    8        1.     Preliminary matters
    9        Before we begin our analysis, we make two preliminary
    10   observations.   We conclude that CCP § 708.110(d) is a statute of
    11   duration as opposed to a statute of limitations.     See Spirtos v.
    12   Moreno (In re Spirtos), 
    221 F.3d 1079
    , 1080 (9th Cir. 2000)(ten-
    13   year expiration period for renewing a judgment lien under CCP
    14   § 683.110 is a statute of duration); In re Hunter's Run Ltd.
    15   P'ship, 
    875 F.2d at 1426
     (eight-month enforcement period in
    16   Washington state mechanic's lien statute is a statute of
    17   duration); see also Commission Comments to CCP § 708.110 which
    18   states:   "Subdivision (d) of Section 708.110 is amended to
    19   prescribe a one-year duration for the lien created under this
    20   section."   (Emphasis added).     Nonetheless, whether something is a
    21   statute of limitations or a durational period matters not;
    22   § 108(c) applies to either.     In re Hunter's Run Ltd. P'ship, 875
    23   F.2d at 1427; United States v. Valley Nat'l Bank (In re Decker),
    24   
    199 B.R. 684
    , 688 (9th Cir. BAP 1996).
    25        Second, the appeal is not moot based on Swintek's discharge.
    26   Even though Swintek received a discharge in October 2012, which
    27   effectively terminated the automatic stay as to him, the stay is
    28   still in effect here because funds remain in the bankruptcy
    -8-
    1   estate, which Trustee has not abandoned.      § 362(a)(3), (c)(1); In
    2   re Spirtos, 
    221 F.3d at 1081
     (so long as assets remain in the
    3   estate the stay as to property of the estate remains in effect).
    4          2.      The bankruptcy court cases addressing this issue are
    split; the Ninth Circuit and BAP cases cited by the
    5                  parties do not resolve it.
    6          Two California bankruptcy courts have addressed the precise
    7   issue before us, but unfortunately neither court provided an
    8   extensive analysis.      They also reached different conclusions.     In
    9   Franchise Pictures LLC, the creditor obtained an ORAP lien in
    10   March 2004; the debtor filed its bankruptcy case in August 2004,
    11   before the lien had expired.      
    389 B.R. at 137
    .   The debtor argued
    12   that the creditor's ORAP lien had expired in March 2005, while the
    13   bankruptcy case was pending, and was therefore invalid.      
    Id.
     at
    14   140.       The issue involved whether the one-year duration of the ORAP
    15   lien was tolled or extended under § 108(c) in order to avoid the
    16   March 2005 expiration.      Id.   In determining that § 108(c) tolled
    17   the one-year period and that the ORAP lien was still in force, the
    18   bankruptcy court noted:
    19          This section generally applies "to time periods within
    which a creditor must bring an action to enforce a lien
    20          before the lien expires.     It also applies to the time
    period   to   renew   a    judgment   to   maintain  its
    21          enforceability." Collier on Bankr., ¶ 108.04[2] (Alan N.
    Resnick & Henry J. Sommer, eds.-in-chief, 15th ed. rev.
    22          2007)(footnotes omitted).3
    23   Id.
    24          The bankruptcy court in Gbadebo provided far less analysis on
    25   the issue.      There, a creditor had objected to the debtor's chapter
    26   11 plan which classified the creditor's claim as unsecured.       431
    27
    3
    The bankruptcy court also cited to In re Burns, 
    supra,
    28   which we discuss below.
    -9-
    1   B.R. at 225.    The creditor argued he held a secured claim against
    2   the debtor's personal property by virtue of an ORAP lien obtained
    3   prior to the bankruptcy filing.    Id.    The bankruptcy court held
    4   that the creditor's objection may have had merit when it was first
    5   asserted, but the one-year ORAP lien had since expired.     Id. at
    6   226.   To support its decision, the Gbadebo court stated in a
    7   footnote:   "The Court does not read 
    11 U.S.C. § 108
     as extending
    8   this period."   
    Id.
     at 226 n.4.
    9          Good argues that Burns and Hilde, while not addressing the
    10   precise issue before us, have implicitly and necessarily held that
    11   an ORAP lien is tolled by § 108(c).      In Burns, the issue before
    12   the Panel was whether service of an ORAP on the debtor only was
    13   sufficient to create an ORAP lien in qui tam settlement monies
    14   being held by the United States.    
    291 B.R. at 848-53
    .   Tolling
    15   under § 108(c) was not at issue on appeal, nor was it examined.
    16   The only mention of tolling was in a footnote, where the Panel
    17   stated:   "The [bankruptcy] court also ruled that the one-year
    18   duration of the ORAP Lien had been tolled by Burns' bankruptcy
    19   filing, which occurred nine months after service of the ORAP."
    20   Id. at 849 n.3.    The Franchise Pictures LLC court relied upon the
    21   Panel's statement in this footnote for its decision as well.     389
    22   B.R. at 141.    While one could view this as an "implicit" ruling by
    23   the Panel that the tolling provision of § 108(c) applies to an
    24   ORAP lien, we do not wish to speculate.     We believe the Panel's
    25   statement there was merely informational.
    26          In Hilde, the issue was whether or not an ORAP lien requires
    27   perfection.    The Ninth Circuit, in reversing the Panel's decision,
    28   held that it does not.   
    120 F.3d at 953-54
    .    In the Panel's
    -10-
    1   reversed decision, the issue of tolling under § 108(c) was briefly
    2   discussed in a footnote, which stated:         "If the ORAP lien was
    3   perfected, then its duration time would have been tolled by
    4   § 108(c) . . . ."        Zimmerman v. S. Cal. Bank (In re Hilde), 189
    
    5 B.R. 776
    , 779 n.3 (9th Cir. BAP 1995), rev'd, 
    120 F.3d 950
     (9th
    6   Cir. 1997).      However, the Panel conceded the lien's termination
    7   was not at issue and it declined to raise the issue sua sponte.
    8   
    Id.
       This footnote, which was not addressed by the Ninth Circuit,
    9   appears to be only dicta.       Moreover, the Ninth Circuit did not
    10   discuss the issue of tolling, focusing entirely on the question of
    11   perfection.
    12         3.    Spirtos controls this issue.
    13         We conclude that Spirtos, a 2000 Ninth Circuit decision not
    14   raised by the parties, resolves the issue before us.           There, the
    15   wife of the deceased debtor argued that the creditor's judgment
    16   lien was void under the California statute of duration in CCP
    17   § 683.020, which provides that a judgment lien becomes
    18   unenforceable after ten years.        
    221 F.3d at 1080
    .     The creditor
    19   obtained the judgment in 1983, the debtor's bankruptcy case was
    20   filed in 1987 and he received a discharge in 1996.           
    Id.
        Thus, the
    21   ten-year period to renew the judgment expired in 1993, after the
    22   debtor filed for bankruptcy, but before he received his discharge.
    23   Because the creditor failed to renew her judgment under CCP
    24   § 683.110, the wife contended the claim should be disallowed.             Id.
    25         After reviewing the statutory language of § 108(c), the Ninth
    26   Circuit held that the ten-year period during which the creditor
    27   had to renew her judgment lien had not expired:
    28         On   its   face,    section   108(c)   appears   to   cover   our
    -11-
    1           situation.   The California statute of duration is a
    nonbankruptcy law that applies to the Moreno judgment.
    2           The statute fixes a ten-year period during which Moreno
    had to keep the judgment from expiring by filing for
    3           renewal.   Under section 108(c), then, the limitations
    period does not expire until 30 days after the end of the
    4           automatic stay.
    5   Id. at 1080-81.     See also Morton v. Nat'l Bank of N.Y.C. (In re
    6   Morton), 
    866 F.2d 561
    , 566 (2d. Cir. 1989)(holding same regarding
    7   ten-year duration period to renew judgment liens in New York).
    8           The Spirtos court also rejected the wife's argument that the
    9   creditor could not avail herself of § 108(c) unless she was barred
    10   by the automatic stay from renewing her judgment.      
    221 F.3d at
    11   1081.     "It is the creditor's inability to enforce the judgment for
    12   a portion of the ten-year period that keeps the period of duration
    13   open under section 108(c)."     
    Id.
    14           Although Spirtos did not specifically address an ORAP lien
    15   under CCP § 708.110, we believe its holding controls by analogy.
    16   We too are faced with a state statute of duration that fixes a
    17   certain time period during which a creditor's ORAP lien is
    18   effective but after which it will expire if not renewed by the
    19   court.     Similar to a judgment lien, an ORAP lien is an "other
    20   lien[] created by [the] enforcement process," which attaches to
    21   the judgment debtor's personal property.     See CCP Art. 5 of Part
    22   2, Title 9 Enforcement of Judgments, Div. 2, Ch. 2; CCP § 697.910.
    23   Whether Good was unable to renew her ORAP Lien because of the
    24   automatic stay is of no consequence.     In re Spirtos, 
    221 F.3d at
    25   1081.     The fact remains that she was prohibited from enforcing the
    26   ORAP Lien attaching Swintek's nonexempt personal property which
    27   became, and remains, property of the estate.      See id.;
    28   § 362(a)(4).
    -12-
    1        In reaching its decision, the bankruptcy court focused on the
    2   phrase in § 108(c) "commencing or continuing a civil action."
    3   Relying on a California Bankruptcy Journal article, the bankruptcy
    4   court reasoned that an ORAP lien is neither a "commencement" nor a
    5   "continuation" of a civil action, but rather is an "anomalous
    6   lien" arising after a judgment has been entered and an ORAP
    7   properly served.   In the aforementioned article, the authors
    8   opined:
    9        [T]o find that 
    11 U.S.C. § 108
    (c) tolls the time a
    judgment creditor has to renew an ORAP lien seems to
    10        require that a mere request to "extend" (as expressly
    stated in CCP § 708.110) the life of an ORAP lien be
    11        deemed   the  equivalent   to   the  "commencement"   or
    "continuation" of a civil action, an analogy which some
    12        may find conceptually hard to swallow, particularly when
    one considers that it is the service of the ORAP is what
    13        creates the initial lien.
    14   
    32 Cal. Bankr. J. 473
    , 476 (2013)(emphasis in original).    Not
    15   surprisingly, Trustee focuses on the same phrase in § 108(c) to
    16   argue that it does not apply to an ORAP lien.    We disagree.
    17        The Spirtos court did not analyze whether renewing a judgment
    18   lien under CCP § 683.110 was a "commencement" or a "continuation"
    19   of a civil action; it merely opined that § 108(c) applied.      The
    20   words "commencing" or "continuing" are not defined in the Code.
    21   Arguably, the Ninth Circuit must have considered such lien
    22   renewals a "continuation" of a civil action.    We see nothing
    23   different here.    Good held money judgments that were obtained
    24   through civil actions in the California state court.    She then
    25   took the steps necessary to obtain the ORAP from that same court,
    26   which gave her the right to examine Swintek about his assets
    27   available to satisfy the judgments.     She then, as she alleges,
    28   properly served Swintek with the ORAP thereby creating the ORAP
    -13-
    1   Lien on his nonexempt personal property.
    2        Trustee contends that because only service is needed to
    3   create an ORAP lien, it is not a "commencement" or a
    4   "continuation" of a civil action.    Trustee overlooks the fact that
    5   while an ORAP lien is created by proper service, obtaining an ORAP
    6   itself is not just some random, unconnected act.
    7        An ORAP is a means by which a judgment creditor can examine
    8   the judgment debtor to discover property and apply it toward the
    9   satisfaction of the original money judgment.   Imperial Bank v. Pim
    10   Elec., Inc., 
    33 Cal. App. 4th 540
    , 546-47 (1995).    A judgment
    11   debtor's examination is a "supplemental proceeding attendant to
    12   the [original] case."   United States v. Feldman, 
    324 F. Supp.2d 13
       1112, 1117 (C.D. Cal. 2004).   Even though the initial civil action
    14   may be complete, an application for an ORAP is generally filed in
    15   the same court where the original money judgment was entered.     CCP
    16   § 708.160(a).   The order is docketed in the same civil action.    We
    17   fail to see how an ORAP and the attendant lien to enforce the
    18   money judgment is not a "continuation" of the initial civil
    19   action.   See In re Lobherr, 
    282 B.R. 912
    , 916 (Bankr. C.D. Cal.
    20   2002)(renewal of a judgment, which is a judicially noticed process
    21   and not merely a procedural act, constitutes a "continuation" of a
    22   proceeding as contemplated by § 362(a)(1) and violated the
    23   automatic stay).
    24        Moreover, although proper service is all that is necessary to
    25   obtain an ORAP lien initially, court intervention is required to
    26   extend it.   A party generally files a noticed motion in the
    27   initial civil action requesting the extension, which the judge
    28   considers and grants or denies.    See Bank of Montreal v. SK Foods,
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    1   LLC, Case No. 11-80133, Dkt. Nos. 84 & 89 (N.D. Cal. 2013)(Notice
    2   of Motion and Motion to Extend Duration of ORAP Lien and Order).
    3   Thus, the renewal of an ORAP lien is clearly a "continuation" of
    4   the initial civil action, if not a "commencement" of an action
    5   within the initial civil action.
    6        Accordingly, we hold that § 108(c) tolls the one-year
    7   expiration period imposed by CCP § 708.110(d).   To hold otherwise
    8   "not only would create a substantial inequity, but also would give
    9   the debtor the power to eliminate certain secured claims simply by
    10   filing for bankruptcy at the appropriate time and then allowing
    11   the limitation period to run while it remained under the
    12   protection of the automatic stay.   Exactly this type of inequity
    13   congress [sic] sought to remedy by enacting § 108(c)[.]"   In re
    14   Morton, 
    866 F.2d at 567
    .   Therefore, Good's ORAP Lien, assuming
    15   the bankruptcy court finds it is valid upon remand, will not
    16   expire until 30 days after she receives notice of the termination
    17   of the automatic stay.   As a result of our holding, we also
    18   conclude the bankruptcy court erred in granting Trustee's renewed
    19   motion for summary judgment on the basis that Good's ORAP Lien had
    20   expired and so she had no claim to the levied funds.
    21                              VI. CONCLUSION
    22        For the foregoing reasons, we VACATE and REMAND.
    23
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    27
    28
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