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.
The commission of a serious crime doesn’t necessarily give rise to a nondischargeable debt, as Bankruptcy Judge Robert L. Jones of Lubbock, Texas, explained in an opinion on July 7. The opinion shows.....
If a chapter 7 trustee succeeds with a clever argument in the Fifth Circuit, whole life policies will not be exempt in Texas. The trustee’s argument failed to convince Bankruptcy Judge Craig A.....
Bankruptcy Judge Timothy A. Barnes of Chicago certified a question for the Seventh Circuit to decide on direct appeal: May a chapter 13 trustee be paid her fee if the case is dismissed before.....
The Seventh Circuit wrote an opinion to explain why the “clear and convincing” standard of proof for a turnover action that prevailed under the former Bankruptcy Act was replaced by a “preponderance.....
What happens in chapter 13 if a secured creditor doesn’t file a claim, and the debtor doesn’t file a claim for the creditor? There are two schools of thought.
Here’s the situation. The debtor owns a.....
Courts are split three ways on whether chapter 13 debtors can make contributions to 401(k) plans. Some courts permit none whatsoever, while others permit contributions no larger than what the debtor.....
The Supreme Court has yet to say whether enforcement of an arbitration agreement can bring a bankruptcy case to a grinding halt. More specifically, the Court has not said whether (or to what extent).....
While the courts are split, the majority permit a trustee using the so-called strong-arm power under Section 544(b) to extend the statute of limitations to six or 10 years by stepping into the shoes.....
Two bankruptcy judges in Texas have now rejected clever arguments that would have effectively overruled the Texas legislature and terminated the state exemption for owners and beneficiaries of life.....
The settlement of a lawsuit where the debtor does not expressly admit liability may nevertheless result in automatic nondischargeability under Section 523(a)(19) if the complaint was properly drafted.....