Consumer Bankruptcy

Benchnotes January 2025

Benchnotes By Bradley D. Pack, Aaron M. Kaufman and Christina Sanfelippo 1 Constitutional Challenge to Chapter 13 Trustee Compensation Scheme Rejected The salaries of chapter 13 trustees are paid by the trustees’ collection of a percentage fee from every plan payment

9th Circuit Nov 12, 2024

BAP Rejects Due Process Attack for Denial of ‘13’ Trustee Fees on Dismissal

Ninth Circuit BAP says there is no due process problem with denial of chapter 13 trustee fees if dismissal precedes confirmation.

Cultivating Clarity: Resolving the Circuit Split on Ch. 12 Conversions

Cultivating Clarity: Resolving the Circuit Split on Ch. 12 Conversions By Christianna Cathcart Section 1208 of the Bankruptcy Code, governing the dismissal and conversion of chapter 12 cases, has been a persistent source of judicial division since its inception in the

Giving Debtors Their Fair Shake: What Happens to Nonexempt Equity Increases in Debtors’ Homes in Converted Chapter 7 Cases

Giving Debtors Their Fair Shake: What Happens to Nonexempt Equity Increases in Debtors’ Homes in Converted Chapter 7 Cases By Andrew Bates 1 Following decisions from the Eighth and Ninth Circuits, chapter 13 filers could find themselves in a difficult predicament

The HAVEN Act Goes to Kindergarten: Lessons and Opportunities Five Years In

The HAVEN Act Goes to Kindergarten:Lessons and Opportunities Five Years In By Katherine Everett Iskin On Aug. 23, 2019, Public Law No. 116-52, 133 Stat. 1076, titled “Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need” (HAVEN) Act, became law. Its legislative history reflects

Sub V Trustee in Chapter 11 Can’t Be Enlisted to Pursue Avoidance Actions

District judge decides that an individual debtor has standing to appeal conversion from Subchapter V of chapter 11 to chapter 7.
4th Circuit Maryland Oct 30, 2024

Barring Use of an Online Payment Platform Was an Automatic Stay Violation

Bankruptcy Judge Michelle Harner decided that a mortgage servicer must allow a chapter 13 debtor’s continued use of an online payment platform.
11th Circuit Nov 5, 2024

Judicial Immunity Can Protect a Trustee when Barton Doesn’t Apply, Circuit Says

When a trustee mistakenly seizes a nondebtor’s property, the Barton doctrine by itself doesn’t protect the trustee, but judicial immunity does.