From the Editor – Chapter 7 Issues • NACTT Academy

From the Editor – Chapter 7 Issues

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired)

Abuse Dismissal

Spouse’s income considered for abuse purposes. Under § 707(b)(3)(B)’s totality of circumstances inquiry, the nondebtor husband’s income contributed to debtor’s household expenses could be considered in abuse determination. Husband was wealthy and parties had been married for twenty-one years, pooling income and expenses. Credit card debt incurred by debtor benefitted household and husband. The specific provisions of § 707(b)(2) did not subsume broader § 707(b)(3). Kulakowski v. United States Trustee (In re Kulakowski), 735 . . .

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Personal Injury Attorney’s Duty of Reasonable Inquiry of a Client’s Bankruptcy

Michael B. Joseph

August 28, 2022

An attorney meets with a potential client about a recent auto accident personal injury claim. The client suffered severe injuries and may be entitled to a large award. The client fails to mention that he is a debtor in an active bankruptcy. The client also has failed to advise his bankruptcy attorney about the personal injury claim. The debtor/client does...

Ask Ms. Ps and Qs

March 15, 2020

By Professor Nancy Rapoport, University of Nevada Dear Readers: The marvelous, indefatigable Regina Logsdon just forwarded me this hypothetical: Post-confirmation, debtor/client gets upset with attorney. Let’s assume for this scenario that the attorney hasn’t done anything wrong – perhaps just a difference of opinion on a plan modification (or not). Debtor/client says ugly things to attorney – name-calling, etc. THEN...

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The Hunt for Deductible Interest – Money Too Often Left on the Table

February 16, 2020

By Cathy Moran, Esq. (Redwood City, CA) One of the mysteries of Chapter 13 is why mortgage lenders don’t send an IRS 1098 for mortgage payments made through a Chapter 13 plan. And without that reminder piece of paper, our clients don’t realize that much of what the trustee pays to mortgage creditors is deductible interest. Miss that deduction and...

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2022 Bankruptcy Procedure Year in Review: Revised Statute and Rules and Selected Cases Part 5 – Supreme Court Activity

Lawrence R. Ahern, III

February 5, 2023

Introduction This series reviews developments in bankruptcy procedure during 2022. Amendments to 16 rules and one new rule took effect December 1, 2022. Many reflected changes necessitated by the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA),1 and have been in place in the same or similar form on an interim basis since that legislation took effect.

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Fourth Circuit: Brittner v. Beach Anesthesia

Edward C. Boltz

June 25, 2023

Summary: Brittner filed an adversary proceeding against Beach Anesthesia alleging violations of the automatic stay, but the bankruptcy court (affirmed by the district court) held that she had either failed to establish actual damages or to mitigate damages. The Court of Appeals held that that Brittner needed to satisfy a five-part test to establish a violation of the automatic stay: (1) that a bankruptcy...

Negotiating Plan Confirmation with Secured Creditors – Issues Involving Balloon Payments and Other Mortgage Loans Subject to Modification Under § 1322(c) – Part 2 of 3

November 15, 2020

By David Cox,1 Cox Law Group, PLLC (Lynchburg, VA) Click here for Part 1 II. Dealing With Balloon, Short Term and Related Mortgage Secured Claims Under §§ 1322(c)(2) And 1325(a)(5). § 1322(c)(2) provides that: “Notwithstanding subsection (b)(2) and applicable nonbankruptcy law . . . It looks like you are not signed in or registered! This content is only available to...

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Two More Things Trustees Should Know About the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019

October 27, 2019

By Lawrence R. Ahern, III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Part IV Two More Things Trustees Should Know About the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 Introduction Four bankruptcy-related bills were enacted during the 116th Congress and signed into law on August 23, 2019.1 The legislation affected both business and consumer cases. One bill, the Small Business Reorganization Act of...

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Escrow 101 – Part 2 of 3

September 12, 2021

By Michael J. McCormick, Esq., McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC (Roswell, GA) Escrow 101 – Part 1 Escrow 101 – Part 3 Escrow 102 – Part 1 Escrow 102 – Part 2

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From the Editor – Discharge

June 7, 2020

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Hardship discharge denied. Section 1328(b)’s requirements for hardship discharge are conjunctive and failure to satisfy any one of three conditions results in denial. Reviewing judicial decisions on requirements of the statute, the court considered “the extent of a debtor’s accountability and degree of control; the substantiality and foreseeability of the changed circumstances at...

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From the Editor – Lien Issues

September 15, 2019

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Legal rate of interest applies after foreclosure judgment. Applying New Jersey common law on merger, the mortgage was merged into a final order of judgment of foreclosure; therefore, the mortgage was no longer the basis for determining post- judgment interest. The debtor obtained a sale from which the mortgage creditor would be paid,...

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