Govt. Claims/Sovereign Immunity

5th Circuit Aug 15, 2023

Government Bar Date Applies to DOE Loans Even When the Servicer Is Private

As long as the student loan is owing to the government, the Fifth Circuit holds that the government bar date applies even when the servicer is a private company.
Supreme Court Jun 15, 2023

Supreme Court: The Bankruptcy Code Waived Tribes’ Sovereign Immunity

The Supreme Court resolved a split of circuits in an opinion that could give support to the notion that arbitration agreements are not enforceable in bankruptcy.
Supreme Court May 25, 2023

Supreme Court Holds that Real Estate Tax Foreclosures Can Violate the Takings Clause

The high court’s ruling on the Takings Clause also seems to mean that real estate tax foreclosures can be avoided as constructively fraudulent transfers.

Disagreement on Bankruptcy Court’s Jurisdiction to Give ‘Innocent Spouse’ Relief

Bankruptcy Judges Marvin Isgur and Gregory Taddonio disagree on whether the bankruptcy court has subject matter jurisdiction to grant ‘innocent spouse’ relief to a debtor.
Supreme Court Apr 26, 2023

Supreme Court Argument: Can Real Estate Tax Foreclosure Violate the Takings Clause?

Eighteenth century ‘history and tradition’ might govern the constitutionality of real estate tax foreclosures where the government retains sale proceeds in excess of unpaid taxes.
Supreme Court Apr 25, 2023

Supreme Court Hears Oral Argument on Tribal Sovereign Immunity

It appears as though the Supreme Court will decide Lac du Flambeau based entirely on textual analysis of Section 106(a), which does not explicitly abrogate sovereign immunity as to Native American tribes.

Judge Klein Charts the Path for Discharging Student Loans and Not Being Reversed

Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Klein provides authority for student loan debtors who win in bankruptcy court but face an appeal aimed at the trial court’s fact-findings.

Another Court Won’t Permit a Structured Sale to Eradicate a Homestead Exemption

Subordinated lenders can’t take a ‘haircut,’ give a ‘tip’ to the trustee, sell a home and eradicate the debtor’s homestead exemption.
4th Circuit Jan 19, 2023

Fourth and Third Circuits Give Priority to Obamacare’s Individual Mandate Penalty

The Fourth Circuit sides with the Third on the Affordable Care Act’s ‘individual mandate.’ Majority says it was a tax measured by income, thus giving the IRS a priority tax claim.

When Federal Law Collides: Application of the Equal Access to Justice Act in Bankruptcy

When Federal Law Collides: Application of the Equal Access to Justice Act in Bankruptcy By Steven J. Boyajian and Andrew A. DePeau The Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) provides litigants with the right to recover attorneys’ fees and costs after prevailing on claims