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.
Joining what he called the “slight minority of courts,” Chief Bankruptcy Judge Brian T. Fenimore of Kansas City, Mo., decided that the appreciation in the value of a homestead during a chapter 13 case.....
Writing an opinion that reads like a law review article, Bankruptcy Judge Michelle V. Larson of Dallas decided that the so-called economic unit approach is the best method for deciding the size of a.....
Ruling in favor of the debtor on an issue similar to the question before the Supreme Court this coming term in Bartenwerfer, Bankruptcy Judge Joshua P. Searcy of Tyler, Texas, held that a debt is.....
For a preference, the transfer occurs when property is placed in escrow or is delivered to the court to be held in custodia legis, according to Bankruptcy Judge William J. Fisher of St. Paul, Minn.
The.....
A district court decision from Houston is required reading for plaintiffs’ tort lawyers to understand how they must write jury instructions and special verdict forms to ensure that judgments for.....
The estate of a chapter 13 debtor who dies before completing plan payments may still be granted a discharge despite the decedent’s inability to complete the required financial management course.....
Nine days apart, bankruptcy judges in Colorado and Minnesota disallowed so-called bifurcated fee arrangements where chapter 7 debtors paid nothing before filing. The two judges found multiple.....
The successful outcome of a chapter 7 case that pays creditors in full does not justify compensating the trustee’s attorney for performing duties imposed on the trustee, the Fifth Circuit said in a.....
The Supreme Court’s Espinosa decision enabled Bankruptcy Judge Robert L. Jones of Lubbock, Tex., to present the debtors with a sizeable and unexpected gift alongside their chapter 13 discharges.
The.....
On an issue where the circuits are split, Bankruptcy Judge Kathleen H. Sanberg of Minneapolis sided with the majority and held that “only a debt traceable to a securities law violation committed by a.....