Did You Really Rely Upon That?

The Mississippi Bankruptcy Court in The Huntington National Bank vs. Ashley Mosby, case #21-11614, adversary case #21-1028, on September 1, 2022, denied the bank’s request to declare a debt non-dischargeable because the bank did not rely upon the debtor’s false statement. In this case the Debtor purchased a 2020 Dodge Challenger, financed by the bank, without disclosing she intended to rent the vehicle to others. The Court found that “the bank has failed to prove the necessary element of reliance, and the debt is therefore dischargeable.”

First, the debtor signed . . .

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Angela M. Scolforo

Staff Attorney for Chapter 13 Standing Trustee Herbert L. Beskin (Charlottsville, VA)

Angela M. Scolforo is the Standing Chapter 13 Trustee for the Western District of Virginia. She was appointed in 2023, after serving as Herb Beskin’s Staff Attorney for 18 years. She has spoken on seminar panels in Virginia and nationally and enjoys learning from and interacting with her peers. Before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals she successfully briefed and argued Virginia v. Webb, 908 F.3d 941 (4^th Cir. 2018)(denying the ability for creditors to garnish funds held by the trustee). For 20 years she served as the Town Attorney for Gordonsville, Virginia. The mother of seven children and fifteen grandchildren, she is called Mom, Miss Angela, Grams, and Grandma Chocolate. She graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1998, and received a B.A. in English from the College of the Holy Cross in 1987. A past Chairman of the Bankruptcy Section of the Virginia State Bar, she served on the Bankruptcy Section Board from 2009 through 2016.

Is Voluntary Dismissal of a Chapter 13 Case an Absolute Right?

July 12, 2020

By Daryl J. Smith, Senior Staff Attorney to Sylvia Ford Brown, Chapter 13 Trustee (Memphis, TN) and Katherine L. Rea, Staff Attorney to Pamela Simmons-Beasley, Chapter 13 Trustee (Columbia, SC) Is there ever a reason to oppose a voluntary dismissal of a chapter 13 that has not been converted from a chapter 7? Maybe. But will you be successful? Probably...

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Critical Case Comment – Punitive Damages? Yep.

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

March 10, 2024

Punitive damages can be awarded for a violation of Rule 3002.1 even where there are no compensatory damages, other than attorney’s fees.

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When The Marital Community Doesn’t Get a Bankruptcy Discharge

Cathy Moran

November 13, 2022

Community property works differently in bankruptcy. I probably don’t have to tell you that. On the issue of assets and debts, community property is pretty straightforward. All of the community property comes into the estate upon the commencement of a bankruptcy case, even when only one spouse files. §541(a)(2). Every creditor with a right to be paid from the community...

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Chapter 13 Trustee Duties, Powers, And Limitations – Part 6

November 8, 2020

By James J. Robinson, Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge, Northern District of Alabama When do the trustee’s duties end, and who gets the money? Harris v. Viegelahn, 135 S. Ct. 1829 (2015). This opinion of the unanimous Court requires the trustee to return to the debtor undistributed plan payments—originating from wages earned postpetition—on hand at a good-faith, post-confirmation conversion rather...

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“How Long, O Lord?”

November 29, 2020

By Angela M. Scolforo, Staff Attorney to Herbert L. Beskin, Chapter 13 Trustee for the Western District of Virginia “How long?” is a common plea. When my children were young and we travelled they would ask, “how long before we get there?” In scripture we find David, Habakkuk and Zechariah (none of whom were Debtors’ attorneys) all crying out, “how...

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Meet an AO Trustee

February 24, 2019

On June 26, 2017, Bradford W. Caraway was appointed as the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division. He replaced D. Sims Crawford who had been appointed as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Alabama. Trustee Caraway maintains his office in Birmingham. At the time of his appointment as Standing Trustee,...

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Is This Corporation Really Separate from Its Owners: A Checklist

Cathy Moran

October 1, 2023

In a perfectly executed world, clients who do business via an entity like a corporation or LLC would arrive with their business lives neatly separated from their personal lives. However, that’s not the world I practice in. It’s probably not yours, either. Instead, I have to sleuth out the facts, and compare them to the individual’s version. I see prospective...

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Who Is the Person Sitting at That Workstation? Contractor? Employee? Exempt?

Merideth Akers

January 22, 2023

Who is the person sitting at that workstation? Is it Noah Non-exempt? Is it Emma Exempt? Or, is it Connie Contractor? It is vital that I know who the person is sitting at that workstation. Do I have to pay the person sitting at that workstation overtime pay? Can I reduce the person’s pay for leaving an hour early? Do...

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All Taxpayers Should Plan Ahead for Natural Disasters

June 9, 2019

Floods, wildfires, hurricanes, tornados and other natural disasters happen quickly and often with little warning. No one can prevent these disasters from happening, but people can prepare for them. Here are some things taxpayers can do to help protect their financial safety should a disaster occur. Taxpayers should: Update emergency plans. A disaster can strike any time. Personal and business...

Kristina Stanger and Jessica Hopton Youngberg

November 3, 2019

Kristina Stanger is an attorney and shareholder at Iowa’s Nyemaster Goode, P.C. She is also a combat-experienced Lieutenant Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard. She is currently one of Iowa’s highest ranking females and is the Chief of Plans and Operations for the Iowa Army National Guard. Jessica Hopton Youngberg is Senior Staff Attorney for Veterans Legal Services in...