George Arthur Maxfield and Betsy Joy Maxfield

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND
at Greenbelt
IN RE: 	:
:
GEORGE ARTHUR MAXFIELD 	: 	Case No. 04-27599PM
BETSY JOY MAXFIELD 	: 	Chapter 7
:
Debtors 	:
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BETSY JOY MAXFIELD 	:
GEORGE ARTHUR MAXFIELD 	:
Movants 	:
vs. 	:
:
DISCOVER CARD 	:
DISTRICT COURT OF MARYLAND 	:
Respondents 	:
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MEMORANDUM OF DECISION
The Debtors’ Motion for Contempt charges that Discover Card and its representatives are
in contempt of the discharge injunction of 11 U.S.C. § 524(a) on account of their failure to
remove various judgment liens from the Land Records of Calvert County, Maryland. These
liens appear to have been recorded prior to the filing on July 26, 2004, of Debtors’ bankruptcy
case under Chapter 7.
The Motion will be denied. An unchallenged lien survives the bankruptcy discharge of a
debtor. While the underlying debt is discharged as a personal obligation of the debtors, the lien
may be enforced by a proceeding in rem. Cen-Pen Corporation v. Hanson, 58 F.3d 89, 93-94
Signed: February 11, 2008
SO ORDERED
Entered: February 11, 2008 Case 04-27599 Doc 19 Filed 02/11/08 Page 1 of 2

(CA4 1995). Unless a lien is avoided by a specific provision of the Bankruptcy Code or an order
of the Bankruptcy Court, the lien is said to “ride through” the case and remain impressed upon
the property after its conclusion. In re Drazenovich, 292 B.R. 101, 108 (BC Md. 2003).
cc:
George/Betsy Maxfield, 3950 Dalrymple Road, Chesapeake Beach, MD 20732
Discover Card
(1) c/o Robert J. Burstein, Esq., 702 King Farm Blvd, Rockville, MD 20850
(2) c/o Stephen Peroutka, Esq., 8028 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 300, Pasadena, MD 21122
Clerk, District Court of Calvert County, 300 Duke Street, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
Case 04-27599 Doc 19 Filed 02/11/08 Page 2 of 2