Ex- exec at Turner seeks end to delays

Dale Bartlett, a former Turner Grain Merchandising executive, has objected to requests that the discharge of his $ 48 million in personal unsecured debts be delayed.

In two court filings, Bartlett said that Richard Cox, the trustee in Turner Grain Merchandising’s separate bankruptcy case, and Southern Rice & Cotton LLC, a creditor of both Bartlett and Turner, should not be given until March 15 to decide whether they want to oppose his petition to have his unsecured debts forgiven.

The deadline for objections was Jan. 15, Bartlett said. On that date, Cox and Southern Rice asked Bankruptcy Judge Richard Taylor to give them an additional month.

Turner Grain Merchandising of Brinkley was shut down in August 2014 when federal inspectors found no grain in the company’s

elevators despite certificates on the premises saying otherwise. The company filed for bankruptcy in October 2014, listing liabilities of $ 24.8 million and assets of $ 13.8 million.

Numerous lawsuits were filed against Turner Grain Merchandising. The farmers who sued say they were never paid for millions of dollars worth of grain.

Bartlett, who has testified that he was fired before Turner failed, filed for personal bankruptcy in September 2014, initially listing about $ 5.5 million in debts and and about $ 1.2 million in assets. In April 2015, his case was converted to Chapter 7, under which a trustee is named to sell assets that are exempt from protection under bankruptcy law and most unsecured debts are forgiven.

Since then, creditors have filed 34 unsecured claims against his estate totaling

$ 48.2 million, according to court records. Creditors also filed secured claims totaling $ 409,207 and priority claims totaling $ 2.2 million, the records show.

In his latest court filings, Bartlett asserted that neither Cox nor Southern Rice has a legitimate need for more time to decide whether to make a claim against his estate.

Bartlett noted that Cox’s attorney, Kevin Keech, was originally the court- appointed receiver for Turner and said he has “extensive knowledge”

of Bartlett’s case.

In addition, Bartlett said that accountants hired by Turner’s estate have been on the job since the summer of 2015 and have had “sufficient opportunity” to investigate any potential claims against him.

Similarly, Bartlett denied allegations by Lyndsey Dilks, Southern Rice’s attorney, that she needed more time because he had frequently revised his list of assets and given contradictory testimony.