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.
Student loans consolidated after filing cannot be discharged even on a showing of “undue hardship,” for reasons explained by Bankruptcy Judge Shad M. Robinson of Austin, Texas.
The debtor filed a.....
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.....
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).....
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.....
Drawing on Harris v. Viegelahn, Bankruptcy Judge LaShonda L. Hunt of Chicago held that a chapter 13 debtor’s attorney cannot be paid allowed compensation from funds in the hands of the chapter 13.....
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.....