More than four decades after the Bankruptcy Code was enacted, we are still tripping over the lingering conundrums of Chapter 13. Four decades, and appeals courts haven’t brought clarity and predictability to what should be a simple, well understood process for individuals to reorganize their financial lives. I speak of course about the mysteries of […] The post Still Crazy After All These Years appeared first on Bankruptcy Mastery.
Contributions to an employer-sponsored retirement plan going forward are excluded from disposable income in Chapter 13, says the 9th Circuit in Sadana, 19 years after BAPCPA became law. What took so long? Words in the statute matter Congress, in its BAPCPA-typical awkward fashion, said right there, in 541(b)(7)’s hanging paragraph, that amounts withheld for voluntary […] The post Voluntary Retirement Contributions Not Disposable Income in the 9th appeared first on Bankruptcy Mastery.
Every extra dollar deduction you can wring out on bankruptcy’s means test is important. A dollar doesn’t sound like a lot, but an extra dollar less in DMI saves a Chapter 13 debtor $60 over the life of a 60 month plan. Every $100 saves $6000. You get the picture. Besides lowering the cost of […] The post How to Wring Out Every Last Means Test Deduction appeared first on Bankruptcy Mastery.
Law Review: Laura B. Bartell, The Continuing Problem of Continuing Concealment – Ignoring the Language and Policy of § 727(a)(2)(A), 98 AM. BANKR. L J. 50 (2024). Ed Boltz Wed, 12/18/2024 - 16:33 Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1605&context=lawfrp Abstract: Individual debtors who file for bankruptcy protection under chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code1 are entitled to receive a discharge unless one of the grounds for denying a discharge set forth in § 727(a) is established. Section 727(a)(2) of the Code directs the court to deny a discharge if: (2) the debtor, with intent to hinder, delay, or defraud a creditor or an officer of the estate charged with custody of property under this title, has transferred. removed, destroyed, mutilated, or concealed, or has permitted to be transferred, removed, destroyed, mutilated, or concealed – (A) property of the debtor, within one year before the date of the filing of the petition; or (B) property of the estate, after the date of the filing of the petition.2 For many years courts have applied the doctrine of “continuing concealment” to deny discharges to chapter 7 debtors who took an act to conceal property more than one year before the filing date and continued to reap the rewards of that concealment during the one-year period.3 In this article I suggest that the doctrine of “continuing concealment” is not justified by the language of § 727(a)(2) (or its predecessor provision in the Bankruptcy Act of 18984) and should be rejected. I will first set out the statutory history of § 727(a)(2), followed by a description of the case law interpreting the term “concealed,” and the development of the concept of “continuing concealment.” I will then discuss what I think is wrong with the doctrine of continuing concealment as applied to the discharge provision. There are four parts to this argument. First, I maintain that the definition of “conceal” does not include the types of transactions described as supporting continuing concealment. Second, the statute permits denial of discharge only if the debtor has concealed property of the debtor, yet the cases dealing with continuing concealment often do not involve concealment of property of the debtor. Third, the statutory limit on the time within which the debtor must have concealed property is not a statute of limitations, but an element of the act that bars discharge, and Congress never made the act a continuing one. Fourth, the inclusion of the word “concealed” in the context of the other prohibited acts in section 727(a)(2) makes clear that it refers to the debtor’s act of concealing property, not the property’s state of being concealed. This interpretation is bolstered by the inclusion of the one-year period applicable to those acts. Therefore, I conclude that the continuing concealment doctrine has no basis in the language or policy of the discharge provisions of the Code and should be jettisoned by the courts. Commentary: It is a nice piece of legal jujitsu how this article turns the requirement by the Supreme Court In City of Chicago v. Fulton for there to be an affirmative act by the creditor for a finding that it violated the automatic stay to also argue that "concealment" under 11 USC 727 also requires an affirmative act. Whether any courts will hold their nose over the stink of past behavoirs and grant discharges, seems unlikely. With proper attribution, please share this post. To read a copy of the transcript, please see: Blog comments Attachment Document the_continuing_problem_of_continuing_concealment_ignoring_the_l.pdf (580.75 KB) Category Law Reviews & Studies
E.D.N.C.: Williams v. Burnett- Denial of Interlocutory Appeal Ed Boltz Mon, 12/16/2024 - 19:18 Summary: In a case where confirmation appears to have denied because the Debtor sought to maintain direct payments of $1,227.16/month on an automobile, the debtor sought an interlocutory appeal to the district court as denial of confirmation of a Chapter 13 plan is not a final order appealable as of right. Bullard v. Blue Hills Bank, 575 U.S. 496, 503 (2015). Following In re Biltmore Invs., Ltd., 538 B.R. 706, 713 (W.D.N.C. 2015), the district court denied leave to maintain interlocutory appeal as, even if the order involved a controlling question of law on which substantial ground for difference exists, the Debtor failed to meet his burden to show exceptional circumstances, or that an immediate appeal would advance the litigation Commentary: The Debtor can also attempt to advance an appeal by proposing a plan that would be acceptable to the court and trustee and then object to that confirmation himself. Whether that would require the surrender of the vehicle (risking the further denial of a stay pending appeal) or a substantially higher dividend, is unclear. The Debtor testified that he is working 120+ hours a week at multiple jobs, but that likely unsustainable level of work does not appear to have been persuasive, perhaps because the Debtor may still be providing substantial support to multiple family members, has large tax claims and used much of the debt incurred to repair and improve his house. While certainly not required, the Debtor in this case proposed, contrary to the custom of the court, to pay both this vehicle claim and the mortgage directly. Whether the Debtor would have fared better if these were paid through the Chapter 13 plan, giving the Trustee an additional dividend, a dirty question that no one likes to ask. Additionally, the Debtor has nearly $600,000 in general unsecured claims and more than $100,000 in priority claims (even though there was less than $270,000 total scheduled.) Unmentioned in this case seems to be that the Debtor is substantially above the current Chapter 13 debt limit. With proper attribution, please share this post. To read a copy of the transcript, please see: Blog comments Attachment Document williams_v._burnett.pdf (576.78 KB) Category Eastern District
Bankruptcy Timing & The Holidays With Thanksgiving 2024 already come and gone, the winter holidays are just around the corner. These are times of joy with family, food, and celebration, but making the holiday season special can be difficult if you’re on a tight budget or struggle with debt. Bankruptcy provides protection from creditors in an instant and eventually allows the debtor to clear or pay off their debts while under court supervision. This could be just what you and your family need to stabilize your finances, especially during a hectic time like the holidays. On the flip side, preparing for and celebrating the holidays could draw your focus away from key aspects in your case or trigger certain limitations that would make it better to wait to file your case, if possible. If you are unsure after reading this article, you can have your debt evaluated by one of our experienced Phoenix and Tucson bankruptcy lawyers. Schedule your free consultation today by calling 480-470-1504. Holiday Case Delays Some debtors have the goal of discharging their cases as expediently as possible. If this is a bankruptcy debtor’s primary objective, the holidays might not be the right time to file. The court sometimes has shortened hours around the holidays, and is closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. You might find that a case filed around the holidays takes slightly longer to complete. However, the difference might not be drastic, and activating protection from the automatic stay might be more important to you than achieving a rapid discharge. And just like the courts, your attorney could be backlogged by holiday filings. They could have travel and time with family in their schedule during the holidays, just like you. Last-minute filings might be more difficult to pull off during the holiday season, but they are manageable with careful planning. To schedule your free consultation with a member of our Arizona bankruptcy team, call 480-470-1504. Credit Card Spending Limits Before Bankruptcy If you’re considering bankruptcy, you might be tempted to max out your credit cards on extravagant gifts for your loved ones, since they will be discharged soon anyway. But bankruptcy is not meant to discharge debts that you never had any intention to repay. The bankruptcy trustee will be on the lookout for these types of abuses of the bankruptcy system, namely by reviewing your credit card statements prior to filing for bankruptcy. You will need to watch your credit card spending for 90 days or more prior to filing your petition. You shouldn’t exceed $850 in luxury purchases on your credit cards during that time. You also need to avoid cash advances of $1,100 or more 75 days before filing your bankruptcy petition. These expenditures also create the risk that you are keeping non-exempt funds on your person in an attempt to conceal them from the bankruptcy trustee. During the holidays, you probably buy more gifts and spend more on festive meals than you do throughout the rest of the year. This can make it tricky to differentiate what is reasonable spending, and what is considered luxury spending. Before filing for bankruptcy, your purchases should be limited to those that are reasonably necessary for your maintenance and support. Picking up a meal from Subway or some clothes from your kids from Target should pass the trustee’s review without much pushback. But if the trustee reviews your credit card statements and sees you’ve been eating out at restaurants every night and shopping at Nordstrom, this could trigger further review. Most travel expenses, like flights, taxis, etc., are considered luxury purchases unless incurred for matters like business or a family funeral. Don’t go to pricier grocery stores like Whole Foods while shopping for your holiday meals. If you are ever unsure about whether a purchase you wish to make is a luxury or reasonably necessary, you should run it by your bankruptcy attorney first. For your free consultation with one of Arizona’s top choices for Zero Down bankruptcy representation, call 480-470-1504. How Long Will My Case Last? Your credit cards and other lines of credit will be frozen and lost upon filing for bankruptcy. If this is how you are planning on paying your expenses during the holiday season, you should hold off on filing your bankruptcy until the new year. But if it can’t wait, it’s important to understand how long you are signing up to be in an active bankruptcy case. Chapter 13 bankruptcy has set time frames, while chapter 7 bankruptcy finishes faster but is more variable. Chapter 13 bankruptcy reorganizes debts into a payment plan. The payment plan’s length depends on the debtor’s income level. If the debtor earns less than the state median income for their household size or passes the means test- in other words, qualifies for chapter 7 bankruptcy- their chapter 13 payment plan will last three years. If the debtor’s income exceeds both of these tests, their chapter 13 payment plan will last five years. A chapter 13 bankruptcy debtor needs to be prepared for both the benefits and limitations provided by the automatic stay for multiple years. Chapter 7 bankruptcy takes months to complete rather than years. We generally tell clients to expect their cases to take three to six months, although extenuating factors could always affect a case’s lifespan. A chapter 7 debtor who wants to complete their case quickly should be sure to stay current on all communications with their attorney and trustee. Another common reason that chapter 7 cases are delayed is because the debtor fails to appear at their 341 Meeting of Creditors or has insufficient identification with them at the hearing. Make sure you are fully prepared for this hearing by having your forms of identification available when you file your petition, and if your hearing is remote, test your software and microphone before the hearing. Holiday Gifts & Bonuses With a bankruptcy filed around the holidays, it’s important to remember how filing can affect gifts and bonuses you receive from others. Gifts and bonuses received shortly before or after filing might not be protected by Arizona’s bankruptcy exemptions. For example, Arizona’s bankruptcy exemption for cash on hand is $300 for an individual debtor. Gifts higher than this amount could be considered part of the bankruptcy estate. Here, the money would be used to pay back creditors rather than remain in the debtor’s wallet. If you expect to receive a large gift or bonus during the holiday season, you should discuss the potential impact this could have on your case with your bankruptcy attorney. Looking For A Budget-Friendly Way To Declare Bankruptcy Around The Holidays? If you’re unfamiliar with the bankruptcy process, you should have a professional review your situation to determine when the best time is to file your case. Your budget might be especially tight during the holidays, making it difficult to pay your bankruptcy expenses in full before filing, like most firms require. However, our Arizona bankruptcy team offers Zero Down payment plan options for eligible clients. This allows you to enjoy all the benefits of bankruptcy while paying for it in affordable monthly installments. Clear your debts and start the new year with a clean slate by filing for chapter 7 or chapter 13 bankruptcy in Arizona. Get started with your free consultation with our firm today at 480-470-1504. MY AZ LAWYERS Email: [email protected] Website: www.myazlawyers.com Mesa Location 1731 West Baseline Rd., Suite #100 Mesa, AZ 85202 Office: 480-448-9800 Phoenix Location 343 West Roosevelt, Suite #100 Phoenix, AZ 85003 Office: 602-609-7000 Glendale Location 20325 N 51st Avenue Suite #134, Building 5 Glendale, AZ 85308 Office: 602-509-0955 Tucson Location 2 East Congress St., Suite #900-6A Tucson, AZ 85701 Office: 520-441-1450 Avondale Location 12725 W. Indian School Rd., Ste E, #101 Avondale, AZ 85392 Office: 623-469-6603 The post Bankruptcy Timing & The Holidays appeared first on My AZ Lawyers.
Bankruptcy Timing & The Holidays With Thanksgiving 2024 already come and gone, the winter holidays are just around the corner. These are times of joy with family, food, and celebration, but making the holiday season special can be difficult if you’re on a tight budget or struggle with debt. Bankruptcy provides protection from creditors in an instant and eventually allows the debtor to clear or pay off their debts while under court supervision. This could be just what you and your family need to stabilize your finances, especially during a hectic time like the holidays. On the flip side, preparing for and celebrating the holidays could draw your focus away from key aspects in your case or trigger certain limitations that would make it better to wait to file your case, if possible. If you are unsure after reading this article, you can have your debt evaluated by one of our experienced Phoenix and Tucson bankruptcy lawyers. Schedule your free consultation today by calling 480-470-1504. Holiday Case Delays Some debtors have the goal of discharging their cases as expediently as possible. If this is a bankruptcy debtor’s primary objective, the holidays might not be the right time to file. The court sometimes has shortened hours around the holidays, and is closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. You might find that a case filed around the holidays takes slightly longer to complete. However, the difference might not be drastic, and activating protection from the automatic stay might be more important to you than achieving a rapid discharge. And just like the courts, your attorney could be backlogged by holiday filings. They could have travel and time with family in their schedule during the holidays, just like you. Last-minute filings might be more difficult to pull off during the holiday season, but they are manageable with careful planning. To schedule your free consultation with a member of our Arizona bankruptcy team, call 480-470-1504. Credit Card Spending Limits Before Bankruptcy If you’re considering bankruptcy, you might be tempted to max out your credit cards on extravagant gifts for your loved ones, since they will be discharged soon anyway. But bankruptcy is not meant to discharge debts that you never had any intention to repay. The bankruptcy trustee will be on the lookout for these types of abuses of the bankruptcy system, namely by reviewing your credit card statements prior to filing for bankruptcy. You will need to watch your credit card spending for 90 days or more prior to filing your petition. You shouldn’t exceed $850 in luxury purchases on your credit cards during that time. You also need to avoid cash advances of $1,100 or more 75 days before filing your bankruptcy petition. These expenditures also create the risk that you are keeping non-exempt funds on your person in an attempt to conceal them from the bankruptcy trustee. During the holidays, you probably buy more gifts and spend more on festive meals than you do throughout the rest of the year. This can make it tricky to differentiate what is reasonable spending, and what is considered luxury spending. Before filing for bankruptcy, your purchases should be limited to those that are reasonably necessary for your maintenance and support. Picking up a meal from Subway or some clothes from your kids from Target should pass the trustee’s review without much pushback. But if the trustee reviews your credit card statements and sees you’ve been eating out at restaurants every night and shopping at Nordstrom, this could trigger further review. Most travel expenses, like flights, taxis, etc., are considered luxury purchases unless incurred for matters like business or a family funeral. Don’t go to pricier grocery stores like Whole Foods while shopping for your holiday meals. If you are ever unsure about whether a purchase you wish to make is a luxury or reasonably necessary, you should run it by your bankruptcy attorney first. For your free consultation with one of Arizona’s top choices for Zero Down bankruptcy representation, call 480-470-1504. How Long Will My Case Last? Your credit cards and other lines of credit will be frozen and lost upon filing for bankruptcy. If this is how you are planning on paying your expenses during the holiday season, you should hold off on filing your bankruptcy until the new year. But if it can’t wait, it’s important to understand how long you are signing up to be in an active bankruptcy case. Chapter 13 bankruptcy has set time frames, while chapter 7 bankruptcy finishes faster but is more variable. Chapter 13 bankruptcy reorganizes debts into a payment plan. The payment plan’s length depends on the debtor’s income level. If the debtor earns less than the state median income for their household size or passes the means test- in other words, qualifies for chapter 7 bankruptcy- their chapter 13 payment plan will last three years. If the debtor’s income exceeds both of these tests, their chapter 13 payment plan will last five years. A chapter 13 bankruptcy debtor needs to be prepared for both the benefits and limitations provided by the automatic stay for multiple years. Chapter 7 bankruptcy takes months to complete rather than years. We generally tell clients to expect their cases to take three to six months, although extenuating factors could always affect a case’s lifespan. A chapter 7 debtor who wants to complete their case quickly should be sure to stay current on all communications with their attorney and trustee. Another common reason that chapter 7 cases are delayed is because the debtor fails to appear at their 341 Meeting of Creditors or has insufficient identification with them at the hearing. Make sure you are fully prepared for this hearing by having your forms of identification available when you file your petition, and if your hearing is remote, test your software and microphone before the hearing. Holiday Gifts & Bonuses With a bankruptcy filed around the holidays, it’s important to remember how filing can affect gifts and bonuses you receive from others. Gifts and bonuses received shortly before or after filing might not be protected by Arizona’s bankruptcy exemptions. For example, Arizona’s bankruptcy exemption for cash on hand is $300 for an individual debtor. Gifts higher than this amount could be considered part of the bankruptcy estate. Here, the money would be used to pay back creditors rather than remain in the debtor’s wallet. If you expect to receive a large gift or bonus during the holiday season, you should discuss the potential impact this could have on your case with your bankruptcy attorney. Looking For A Budget-Friendly Way To Declare Bankruptcy Around The Holidays? If you’re unfamiliar with the bankruptcy process, you should have a professional review your situation to determine when the best time is to file your case. Your budget might be especially tight during the holidays, making it difficult to pay your bankruptcy expenses in full before filing, like most firms require. However, our Arizona bankruptcy team offers Zero Down payment plan options for eligible clients. This allows you to enjoy all the benefits of bankruptcy while paying for it in affordable monthly installments. Clear your debts and start the new year with a clean slate by filing for chapter 7 or chapter 13 bankruptcy in Arizona. Get started with your free consultation with our firm today at 480-470-1504. MY AZ LAWYERS Email: [email protected] Website: www.myazlawyers.com Mesa Location 1731 West Baseline Rd., Suite #100 Mesa, AZ 85202 Office: 480-448-9800 Phoenix Location 343 West Roosevelt, Suite #100 Phoenix, AZ 85003 Office: 602-609-7000 Glendale Location 20325 N 51st Avenue Suite #134, Building 5 Glendale, AZ 85308 Office: 602-509-0955 Tucson Location 2 East Congress St., Suite #900-6A Tucson, AZ 85701 Office: 520-441-1450 Avondale Location 12725 W. Indian School Rd., Ste E, #101 Avondale, AZ 85392 Office: 623-469-6603 The post Bankruptcy Timing & The Holidays appeared first on My AZ Lawyers.
In re Randolph- No Common Law Exemption for Firearms Ed Boltz Tue, 12/03/2024 - 16:33 Summary: The bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina sustained the Chapter 13 trustee’s objection to the debtors' attempt to exempt two firearms under the "arms for muster" exemption, based on North Carolina common law. The Randolphs argued that this exemption, which they believed to have originated from as far back pre-colonial common law, was still valid under N.C.G.S § 1C-1601(f). The trustee objected, contending that no common law "arms for muster" exemption existed or, if it had existed, was no longer valid due to subsequent statutory codifications. The court reviewed historical statutes and common law and concluded that while an exemption for "arms for muster" may have existed in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was later codified into statutory law and eventually removed in the early 1900s. The court found that the statutory "arms for muster" exemption was obsolete as it had been supplanted and later eliminated, and thus, no current exemption under North Carolina law allows the debtors to specifically claim their firearms as exempt on this basis, although wildcard or household goods exemptions were still available for firearms. Commentary: While a minor loss for debtors (as this had no impact on their plan), this opinion is still valuable both in being perhaps the first to recognize that there is a depth of legislative history in North Carolina regarding exemptions (that is also chaotic and seriously problematic to the point of being repugnant) but also in pointing the North Carolina legislature in the direction of exemption reform. With N.C.G.S § 1C-1601(f) still explicitly providing that "[t]he exemptions provided by common law of this State shall apply for purposes of The Bankruptcy Code" the hunt to find what such exemptions are continues (because surely the North Carolina legislature did not go off half-cocked and include superfluous language), even without any explicitly protected arms for muster with which to do such hunting. With proper attribution, please share this post. To read a copy of the transcript, please see: Blog comments Attachment Document in_re_randolph.pdf (307.16 KB) Category Eastern District
SBA EIDL Fraud & How It Is DiscoveredEvery day, and often multiple times a day, we read stories about people or businesses being indicted for PPP or SBA EIDL loan fraud.I have always wondered how these cases are discovered.First, the SBA Inspector General has an online portal to submit loan fraud reports. The portal can be found at https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/oversight-advocacy/office-inspector-general/office-inspector-general-hotline#submit-a-complaint.Second, the FBI has special agents and field offices throughout the country investigating SBA EIDL loan fraud andThird, The New York Times recently published an article titled "They Investigated Pandemic Fraud, Then Earned Thousands," available at https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/23/us/politics/pandemic-fraud-lawsuits.html. The article explains that under the False Claims Act, private citizens can file lawsuits on behalf of the federal government against those who may have defrauded the United States. If the government recovers funds, these citizens can typically earn between 15 and 30 percent of that amount. These lawsuits are known as "qui tam," or whistle-blower cases, and citizens have recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars by bringing these cases.This story brings to mind the old adage that one person's misfortune is another person's fortune!Jim Shenwick, [email protected] click the link to schedule a telephone call with mehttps://calendly.com/james-shenwick/15minWe help individuals and businesses with too much debt!
Bankr. E.D.N.C.: Raynor v. ECMC- Student Loans Adversary Proceeding failed to satisfy 3rd Prong of Brunner Ed Boltz Mon, 11/25/2024 - 22:23 Summary: Leigh Raynor filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy on April 11, 2019, and, after receiving a general discharge of debts on July 30, 2024, commenced a Student Loan Adversary Proceeding to discharge her student loan debts, totaling $80,408.84 as an "undue hardship" under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(8). The student loans were incurred between 1999 and 2002 for undergraduate and graduate education, but Raynor did not enter the professional field associated with her graduate degree. The bankruptcy court evaluated Raynor's claim using the Brunner Test, a three-pronged standard for determining "undue hardship": Minimal Standard of Living: Ms. Raynor proved that, given her limited Social Security income and lack of other financial resources, she could not maintain a minimal standard of living while repaying the loans. Persisting Hardship: At age 76, with ailing health and caregiving responsibilities for her husband, the court found Ms. Raynor's financial hardship would persist, making future repayment unlikely. Good Faith Efforts to Repay: The court ruled Ms. Raynor failed this prong, citing insufficient attempts to maximize income or repay the loans, finding that: Limited effort to secure higher-paying work in her field. Diversion of resources, such as $54,000 paid toward a family loan secured by property benefiting her husband. Lack of evidence supporting diligent efforts to negotiate or consolidate the debt. Conclusion: While Raynor met the first two prongs of the Brunner Test, the court found that her failure to satisfy the third prong of the Brunner Test rendered her student loan debts nondischargeable. Commentary: Even though this student loan is guaranteed by the NC Education Assistance Authority and accordingly was not directly subject to the 2022 Student Loan Adversary Proceeding (SLAP) guidance from the Department of Judgment, the motion for a consent judgment between Ms. Raynor and ECMC finding a undue hardship (presumably with the full consent of the review and consent of the NCEAA) was rejected by the bankruptcy court. Perhaps the parties could have stipulated more clearly that the attempted settlement was agreed to with consideration of not only avoiding the costs of litigation, including discovery as mentioned below, or the expenses and futility of continued collection efforts (which creditors are often required to make or unable to stop) from a 72-year old borrower with income, which being insufficient to meet a minimal standard of living almost certainly would be below any amounts subject to garnishment. Nondischargeable does not equal paid. Having not listened to the recording of the trial, it is not clear what evidence Ms. Raynor may have presented regarding her good faith efforts to repay. Speculating, Ms. Raynor might have been able to present evidence, including obtained through discovery and requests for admissions from ECMC and the NCEAA, that might have shown more of her diligent efforts to repay, especially to the extent that her student loan servicers may have improperly diverted her from repayment plans to forbearances. Further, it appears that Ms. Raynor's more than 60 months in Chapter 13, which through her good faith efforts (a requirement of the confirmation of her plan) she did pay ECMC nearly $2,500, were either not raised or considered by the court regarding her diligent efforts. With proper attribution, please share this post. To read a copy of the transcript, please see: Blog comments Category Eastern District