Practice and Procedure

9th Circuit Aug 31, 2022

Does Mootness Arising on Appeal Strip the Lower Court Decision of Precedential Value?

Not reaching the merits, the Ninth Circuit nonetheless vacated a BAP decision because the case became moot during the appeal.
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.
10th Circuit Kansas Jun 2, 2022

Courts Disagree on a Trustee’s Ability to Use the IRS’s Longer Statute of Limitations

Two or three years from now, the Tenth Circuit may have a chance to agree or disagree with the Fifth Circuit on an important question under Section 544(b).

A Judgment for Punitive Damages Might Not Support Nondischargeability Automatically

Jury instructions and a special verdict form can determine whether issue preclusion automatically results in nondischargeability.
7th Circuit Jul 12, 2022

Change in Decisional Law Requires Plan Amendment in One Year, Seventh Circuit Says

To take advantage of a change in decisional law, a plan must be modified within the time limits imposed by Federal Rule 60(c), the Seventh Circuit says.