Illinois

Bankruptcy judge had tricks up his sleeve to help a debtor who couldn’t afford a lawyer to defend a dischargeability suit.

Car owners lost in Fulton but won when a Chicago district judge affirmed and ruled that debtors may avoid judicial liens on impounded cars.

Courts are split over the effect on claims discharged in chapter 7 if the debtor converts the case to chapter 13.

Unemployed for 16 months, surviving on food stamps, and living rent-free enabled a debtor to discharge student loans.

A PACA trust lacks the hallmarks of a trust, so a failure to pay a produce supplier doesn’t give rise to a nondischargeable debt for defalcation while acting in a fiduciary capacity, Judge Goldgar says.

Someone forced into bankruptcy on account of medical bills will also be forced into chapter 13.

A judicial lien impairing a homestead exemption is avoidable in some states under Section 522(f), but not in others.

Judge Perkins in Illinois says the ‘sufficiently rooted’ test from Segal v. Rochelle did not survive Butner and the adoption of the Bankruptcy Code.

Judge Hunt in Chicago tells debtors’ counsel to oppose inclusion of unjustifiable provisions in chapter 13 plans, even if it means contested confirmation hearings.

Bankruptcy judge reluctantly follows precedent where the Seventh Circuit is in the minority on the new value defense.