Mantiply v. Horne et al

Filing 73

ORDER denying 69 Motion for Attorney Fees; terminating 71 Motion. Signed by Senior Judge Charles R. Butler, Jr on 4/8/2014. (adk)

IN
 THE
 UNITED
 STATES
 DISTRICT
 COURT
 FOR
 THE

SOUTHERN
 DISTRICT
 OF
 ALABAMA

SOUTHERN
 DIVISION

In
 Re:

)

)

RICHARD
 D.
 HORNE
 and

)

PATRICIA
 NELSON
 HORNE,

)

)

Debtors,

)

)

MARY
 BETH
 MANTIPLY,

)

)

CIVIL
 ACTION
 NO.
 13-­‐00258-­‐CB-­‐B

Plaintiff/Appellant,

)

)

v.

)

)

RICHARD
 D.
 HORNE
 and

)

PATRICIA
 NELSON
 HORNE,

)

)

Defendants/Appellees.

)

ORDER

Appellees
 have
 filed
 a
 motion
 for
 award
 of
 additional
 attorneys’
 fees
 in

connection
 with
 the
 second
 of
 two
 appeals.
 (Doc.
 69.)

 Appellant
 has
 filed
 an

objection
 to
 the
 motion.

 By
 separate
 opinion
 entered
 this
 date,
 this
 Court
 has
 once

again
 affirmed
 the
 decision
 of
 the
 bankruptcy
 court.

 However,
 Appellees
 are
 not

entitled
 to
 recover
 attorneys’
 fees
 incurred
 in
 the
 second
 appeal.

In
 support
 of
 their
 motion,
 Appellees
 argue
 that
 “[a]ppellate
 attorneys’
 fees

and
 costs
 are
 recoverable
 herein
 under
 this
 Court’s
 order
 of
 October
 28,
 2013
 (Doc.

36),
 adopting
 the
 holding
 of
 Parker
 v.
 Pioneer
 Credit
 Co.
 of
 Ala.
 (In
 re
 Parker),
 419

B.R.
 474,
 476
 (M.D.
 Ala.
 2009),
 that
 appellate
 attorneys’
 fees
 constitute
 continuing

mandatory
 damages
 in
 the
 appeal
 of
 the
 Bankruptcy
 Court
 herein.”

 (Appellees’
 Mot.

¶
 1.)

 To
 be
 clear,
 that
 order
 held
 that
 attorneys’
 fees
 were
 mandatory
 and

recoverable
 on
 appeal
 under
 11
 U.S.C.
 §
 362(k)
 and
 Parker
 for
 violation
 of
 the

automatic
 stay.1
 The
 second
 appeal
 (for
 which
 Appellees
 now
 seek
 additional

attorneys’
 fees)
 involves
 violation
 of
 the
 discharge
 injunction.2

 Neither
 Parker
 nor

the
 Court’s
 prior
 order
 authorizes
 recovery
 of
 attorneys’
 fees
 incurred
 on
 appeal
 of

sanctions
 for
 violation
 of
 the
 discharge
 injunction.

The
 motion
 is,
 therefore,
 DENIED.

DONE
 and
 ORDERED
 this
 the
 8th
 day
 of
 April,
 2014.

s/Charles
 R.
 Butler,
 Jr.

Senior
 United
 States
 District
 Judge

1
 The
 first
 appeal
 involved
 violations
 of
 both
 the
 automatic
 stay
 and
 the

discharge
 injunction.

2
 See
 Opinion
 of
 April
 8,
 2014,
 at
 13.