“The Truth, Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth”: Identifying Liars and Encouraging Truth Through Verbal Cues

By Andrea Orwoll, 2d Yr, William S. Boyd School of Law

Most of us, attorneys included, are inept lie-detectors. But this hardly differentiates us from the devices invented and used by humanity for centuries.1 Liars do not always show stereotypical signs: increased blood pressure, uncomfortable shifting, averted eyes.2 Thus, deceit researchers and psychologists have learned to temper their trust in polygraphs and functional MRIs.

Not that such machines would be useful in a meeting of creditors or in a client interview. Even for clients and creditors with . . .

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Ask Ms. Ps and Qs

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Nicole P. Novak

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A New Jersey attorney is the subject of a legal malpractice complaint for allegedly failing to properly preserve a marital tort claim as an exception to discharge. Asma J. Warsi v. Adrian J. Johnson (Case No. MID-L-001023-22, Super. Ct. of N.J., Middlesex County); In re Chaundry, 569 B.R. 372 (Bankr. D. N.J. 2017). In Chaundry, Creditor Wife had a marital...

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By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Disputed claim included in calculation of eligibility. The debtor’s case was dismissed for exceeding § 109(e)’s unsecured debt limit, when the debtor had signed $1,092,000 mortgage note but the mortgage was never recorded. The lender filed an unsecured claim for $1.7 million, and the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel agreed with the bankruptcy court that...

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