Covington Capital Corp. v. Campbell , 36 F. App'x 388 ( 2002 )

F I L E D
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
JUN 3 2002
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT
PATRICK FISHER
Clerk
In re:
JAMES EDWARD CAMPBELL,
Debtor. No. 00-4195
(D.C. No. 00-CV-543)
(D. Utah)
COVINGTON CAPITAL
CORPORATION,
Appellant,
v.
JAMES EDWARD CAMPBELL,
Debtor,
Appellee.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before EBEL , HOLLOWAY , and MURPHY , Circuit Judges.
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the
doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. The court
generally disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order
and judgment may be cited under the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3.
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously to grant the parties’ request for a decision on the briefs without oral
argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(f); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore
ordered submitted without oral argument.
Appellant Covington Capital Corporation challenges an order of the district
court affirming the decision of the bankruptcy judge regarding the appropriate
interest rate to be applied to a secured claim in a Chapter 13 proceeding.
Subsequent to the filing of this appeal, appellee James Edward Campbell
exercised his statutory right to convert his Chapter 13 proceeding to a Chapter 7
proceeding. See 11 U.S.C. § 1307(a) (providing absolute right of Chapter 13
debtor to convert case). Accordingly, Campbell filed a motion to dismiss the
appeal, arguing that the issue raised by Covington was moot in light of his
conversion of the underlying action.
Generally an appeal should be dismissed as moot when events occur
that prevent the appellate court from granting any effective relief.
The central question in determining whether a case has become moot
is whether the issues presented are no longer live or the parties lack
a legally cognizable interest in the outcome.
Phelps v. Hamilton, 122 F.3d 885, 891 (10th Cir. 1997) (quotations omitted).
Here, the only effective relief that could theoretically be granted to
Covington would be a remand ordering the bankruptcy court to apply the proper
interest rate in the Chapter 13 proceeding. This relief is no longer available,
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however, as the proceedings have been converted to a petition under Chapter 7.
For this reason, courts have recognized that a debtor’s conversion of a bankruptcy
proceeding from one chapter of the Bankruptcy Code to another generally
obviates the need to further litigate the issues in the original proceeding, thereby
mooting an appeal from the original proceeding. See In re J.B. Lovell Corp.,
876 F.2d 96, 98-99 (11th Cir. 1989); see also In re Roller, 999 F.2d 346, 347
(8th Cir. 1993) (appeal from Chapter 12 petition dismissed as moot where case
was converted from Chapter 12 to Chapter 7 and conversion was not stayed);
In re Cook, 730 F.2d 1324, 1326 (9th Cir. 1984) (appeal from bankruptcy court
order in Chapter 11 proceeding mooted when case had been dismissed and
a discharge obtained in separate Chapter 7 case).
Covington concedes that the funds in the possession of the Chapter 13
trustee are now delivered to the Chapter 7 trustee for distribution under the
statutory scheme applicable to Chapter 7 proceedings, and further concedes that
“this Court may not be able to grant effective relief to the specific parties in this
appeal.” Aplt. Resp. to Mot. to Dismiss at 7. Covington argues, however, that
Campbell cannot assert mootness when the alleged mootness was brought about
by his own actions. In support of this contention, Covington cites Mills v. Green,
159 U.S. 651, 653 (1895), which permits dismissal of an appeal when mootness
results “without any fault of the defendant.” Thus, Covington contends, Mills
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prohibits Campbell from “self-dealing” a dismissal of the appeal by creating
a mootness problem through his own actions. There is no support for the
contention that Campbell’s exercise of an absolute statutory right to convert his
case to Chapter 7 constitutes “fault of the defendant” as that concept is used in
Mills. Further, when mootness is based on “the inability of the court to grant
effective relief, the conduct of the parties is irrelevant in determining whether the
claim is moot.” In re Nat’l Mass Media Telecomm. Sys., Inc., 152 F.3d 1178,
1180 (9th Cir. 1998).
Covington also argues that this appeal falls under a public interest
exception to the mootness doctrine, citing Southern Pacific Co. v. Interstate
Commerce Commission, 219 U.S. 433 (1911). Covington asserts that the issue
it presents in this appeal may arise repeatedly, yet evade review in light of the
ability of Chapter 13 debtors to convert the underlying bankruptcy proceeding,
citing In re Commerce Oil Co., 847 F.2d 291, 293 (6th Cir. 1988) (“If the
underlying dispute between the parties is one ‘capable of repetition yet evading
review’ we may hear the case although it is technically moot.”) (quotation
omitted). Covington contends it will be subject to the same controversy in the
future, and the nature and timing of a Chapter 13 case may repeatedly preclude
effective review.
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To meet the “capable of repetition yet evading review” exception to
mootness, two conditions must be satisfied: (1) the challenged action must be in
its duration too short to be fully litigated prior to its cessation or expiration, and
(2) there must be a reasonable expectation that the same complaining party will be
subjected to the action again. Fischbach v. N.M. Activities Ass’n, 38 F.3d 1159,
1161 (10th Cir. 1994). The application of a particular rate in Chapter 13
proceedings is not an event of inherently limited duration such that it will always
evade review. See McAlpine v. Thompson, 187 F.3d 1213, 1217 (10th Cir. 1999)
(exception does not apply where party cannot demonstrate that future occurrences
will be so short in duration that they will evade review).
In light of the conversion of the underlying proceeding, we are unable to
grant any effective relief. Accordingly, the appeal is DISMISSED as moot.
Entered for the Court
Michael R. Murphy
Circuit Judge
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