Govt. Claims/Sovereign Immunity

Supreme Court Jan 13, 2023

Supreme Court to Hear Two More Bankruptcy Cases This Term

The high court will decide whether a real estate tax foreclosure can violate the Takings Clause and whether Section 106 abrogates sovereign immunity as to Native American tribes.
9th Circuit Nov 18, 2022

Ninth Circuit Splits on Avoiding and Preserving a Lien on Exempt Property

The Ninth Circuit dissenter interpreted the statute to mean that the debtor must pay a tax lien twice if the lien was avoided and preserved.
1st Circuit Jul 29, 2022

First Circuit BAP Limits the Student Loan ‘Borrower Defense’

The First Circuit BAP suggests that invocation of the borrower defense with regard to dischargeability of student loans requires exhaustion of administrative remedies in the Department of Education.

Sometimes, a Federal Tax Lien Will Never Be Enforceable in Bankruptcy

Congress left a gap in the statute for perfecting a tax lien on personal property against someone who has no ascertainable residence.
3rd Circuit May 11, 2022

Two Circuits Now Give Priority Status to Obamacare’s Individual Mandate Penalty

The Affordable Care Act’s ‘individual mandate’ was a tax measured by income, thus giving the IRS a priority tax claim.
1st Circuit May 6, 2022

Circuits More Deeply Split on Waiver of Sovereign Immunity for Native American Tribes

Over a vigorous dissent, the First Circuit Joins the Ninth Circuit by holding that Section 106(a) waives tribes’ sovereign immunity.
7th Circuit Apr 21, 2022

Liens on Impounded Cars Are Judicial Liens that May Be Avoided, Seventh Circuit Says

The City of Chicago argued unsuccessfully that liens on cars are statutory because they arise automatically when the car is impounded.