In Re Pladson

35 F.3d 462 Bankr. L. Rep. P 76,094 In re William H. PLADSON and Barbara J.P. Snethen, Debtors. John T. KENDALL, Trustee, Appellee, v. William H. PLADSON and Barbara J.P. Snethen, Debtors-Appellants. No. 93-15939. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted Feb. 11, 1994. Decided Sept. 13, 1994. 1 Anthony P. Fritz, Fritz & Myers, San Francisco, CA, for debtors. 2 Jeffrey C. Wurms, Wendel, Rosen, Black, Dean & Levitan, Oakland, CA, for appellee. 3 Gary S. Garfinkle for amicus curiae National Assn. of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, Inc. 4 Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. 5 Before: ALARCON and FERNANDEZ, Circuit Judges, and HILL, District Judge. * 6 Opinion by Judge HILL. IRVING HILL, District Judge: 7 In this opinion we hold that bankruptcy debtors may claim the California homestead exemption. We reverse a district court decision which held to the contrary. FACTS 8 William H. Pladson and Barbara J.P. Snethen, a married couple residing together, filed a joint Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition which claimed a homestead exemption of $52,000 in their residence. John Kendall, the court-appointed bankruptcy…