Joining the Tenth Circuit, the Ninth Circuit also has held that chapter 13 trustees are not paid their fees when cases are dismissed before confirmation. The identical issue was argued on February 15 before the Second Circuit.
In short order, we’ll have either unanimity or a split of circuits. A split will give rise to an issue worthy of a grant of certiorari by the Supreme Court.
Notably, the Ninth Circuit’s opinion on June 12 adopted reasoning in an amicus brief filed in support of the debtor by the National Consumer Bankruptcy Rights Center and National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys.
In a state that allows a couple to hold personal property as tenants by the entireties, a tax refund is not estate property if only one spouse is in bankruptcy, even when all income was earned by the.....
Sending anonymous text messages and emails alleging that the debtor engaged in “numerous extramarital affairs” does not violate the automatic stay, even if the sender is a creditor, according to.....
For an individual debtor who misbehaves badly, the bankruptcy court may both deny discharge and dismiss immediately thereafter, according to the First Circuit. Consequently, the sanction of denial of.....
A debtor who is not a U.S. citizen is not entitled to a Florida homestead exemption unless the debtor holds a so-called green card entitling the debtor to permanent residence in the U.S.
The debtor was.....
Bankruptcy Judge Roberta A. Colton of Tampa, Fla., socked a law firm with $10,500 in sanctions for violating the discharge injunction.
The lesson to be learned: When confronted with a discharge.....
A chapter 13 debtor is stuck with the homestead declaration made on filing, even if the case is later converted to chapter 7, according to District Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr. of Miami, who upheld.....
On an issue where the circuits are divided, the First Circuit upheld the two lower courts by ruling that a homestead exemption, valid on the chapter 13 filing date, is not lost if the debtor sells the.....
Believing that Supreme Court authority on preferences didn’t govern, the First Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel ruled that funds allegedly withdrawn from a retirement account before the filing date.....
In Taggart, the Supreme Court raised the bar on holding a creditor in contempt for violating the automatic stay. Some might say that the high court defanged the discharge. See Taggart v. Lorenzen, 139.....
Ordinarily, there is a clear winner and a clear loser when a circuit court decides an appeal. In a dischargeability case involving allegedly false representations and pretenses, the First Circuit.....