Critical Case Comment

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Trustee for the Middle District of Tennessee (Nashville)

There is nothing inherently wrong or in bad faith for a poor but struggling debtor to file a Chapter 13 plan where the results pay only the filing fee, the attorney’s fee, and the Trustee commission; whether a particular case is filed in good faith or is feasible is determined on a case by case basis. In re Wark, 2015 WL 927216 (Bk.D. Kans. December 17, 2015) (Karlin)

Case Summary

The United States Trustee contested the confirmation . . .

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ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy – Judicial Estoppel

June 30, 2019

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee (Nashville, TN) Over the past twenty years, the judicial estoppel doctrine has had a significant impact on people who file bankruptcy. Judicial estoppel has grown to be a significant issue within the consumer bankruptcy system. The Commission was asked to address it. Judicial estoppel is a doctrine created to protect the...

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Rebecca Rogers Garcia

February 10, 2019

Rebecca Rogers Garcia was a staff attorney for Mary B. Grossman, the Chapter 13 Trustee in Milwaukee from 2002 until November 2014. Prior to her employment with the Chapter 13 Trustee; she represented debtors in consumer cases. Ms. Garcia is on the board of the Bankruptcy, Insolvency and Creditors Rights Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin and a member...

New Trustee Named

The Academy

September 3, 2023

Tracy Updike of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has been named as a Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Northern District of Indiana. Updike will be filling the trusteeship vacated by Debra Miller when she accepted a trusteeship in the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Judicial Year in Review 2021: Revised Rules and Selected Cases – Part 1 Amended Rules

November 7, 2021

By Lawrence R. Ahern III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Introduction This year's changes in the Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure are summarized below. They will be followed, in Part 2, by a digest of selected judicial decisions in the past year of interest for their procedural implications. December 1, 2021, Amendments to Bankruptcy Rules 2005, 3007, 7007.1 and 9036 On...

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While Chapter 7 Filings Continue to Decline, Chapter 13 Filings are Trending Slightly Upward

Kevin R. Anderson

April 24, 2022

Recent headlines noted that March 2022 saw a 33.5% increase in bankruptcy filings over February. This could suggest the coming swell in bankruptcy cases anticipated since the start of the COVID pandemic. However, bankruptcy professionals recognize that consumer filings always spike in March (see chart). This phenomenon is usually attributed to the tendency to avoid filing in January and February...

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Arbitration in Bankruptcy: Reading Opinions & Tea Leaves in Recent Supreme Court & Lower Court Actions Part IV

March 24, 2019

By Lawrence R. Ahern III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) PART IV: What's an Attorney to Do? Considerations for Counsel on all Sides of the Arbitration Question Click here for Part I Click here for Part II

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The Unintended Filing Bar – Don’t Ignore MFR on Surrendered Property

Molly Simons

June 26, 2022

Consider if you will that your client has just filed a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. They have intelligently chosen to surrender a luxury item - a boat or 4-wheeler or even that extra vehicle they don’t need. Because the creditor would like to preserve the value of the collateral by obtaining possession quickly, they file a Motion for Relief shortly after...

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New Trustee Named

The Academy

September 10, 2023

Andrew B. Finberg has been appointed as a Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the District of New Jersey. Finberg is picking up the mantle left by happily retiring Isabel Balboa.

Representing Elderly Clients in Bankruptcy – Part 1 of 3

January 5, 2020

By David Cox,1 Cox Law Group, PLLC (Lynchburg, VA) Overview Filing considerations. Perfect Storm! Pensions going down. Healthcare costs going up. Home Equity high. Medical debts increasing. Limited income. Common considerations. Embarrassment. Many of the elderly are from a generation which regards bankruptcy as an indication of moral failure and shame. Confidentiality. May not want family members, including a spouse,...

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From the Editor – Discharge

March 14, 2021

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Failure to pay postpetition fees under Rule 3002.1 did not prevent discharge. The debtor had completed payments to the trustee and postpetition mortgage payments to the creditor, but she had not paid $1,370 in postpetition fees that had been asserted by the mortgage creditor and noticed to the debtor under Rule 3002.1. That...

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