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.
Regarding the right of a chapter 13 debtor to dismiss a case filed in bad faith, Bankruptcy Judge Stacey L. Meisel of Newark, N.J., said it all in the second paragraph of her opinion:
A Chapter 13.....
If a chapter 13 debtor dies before confirmation, it stands to reason that the case should be dismissed because the debtor can’t file a plan, has no regular income and can’t be examined by creditors.
Th.....
A chapter 13 debtor who sustained a personal injury after filing was not required to pay the settlement proceeds to creditors, thanks to a decision by Bankruptcy Judge Henry A. Callaway of Mobile, Ala.....
Chapter 13 debtors often live hand to mouth for the duration of their plans. Any bump in the road can bust the plan.
In a recent case, Bankruptcy Judge Rebecca B. Connelly of Harrisonburg, Va.....
Unlike the majority of courts, the Sixth Circuit doesn’t permit a chapter 13 debtor to surrender collateral, modify a confirmed plan and classify the deficiency as an unsecured claim.
Bound by Sixth.....
If a debtor’s income falls below the median after filing and before confirmation, the chapter 13 debtor is entitled to lower the monthly payments and shorten the term of the plan to 36 months, for.....
Avoiding a split of circuits, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel by holding that the exception in Section 1322(c)(2) permits a chapter 13 debtor to bifurcate a home mortgage.....
Bankruptcy Judge Donald R. Cassling of Chicago overruled a confirmation objection that would have driven lawyers away from the chapter 13 practice if sustained. He rejected an unsecured creditor’s.....
In a split decision, the majority on the Fifth Circuit panel are requiring chapter 13 debtors to accelerate the repayment of nondischargeable student loans when there is available disposable income.....
Even though a couple were married only one month before the husband filed a chapter 13 petition, Chicago’s Bankruptcy Judge Michael B. Slade decided that the husband was entitled to claim a house of.....