A Defense of Student Loan Nondischargeability

By Phil Lamos, Chief Legal Counsel of the Chapter 13 Trustee, Craig Shopneck, Cleveland, OH

Much has been made lately of the high amounts of student loan debt carried in this country. Commentators have called the high levels of student loan debt a “crisis,” “the next housing bubble,” and a “debt bomb.” Many of these same commentators have called for §523 of the Bankruptcy Code to be rewritten so that student loans can be discharged in bankruptcy. This would, the commentators say, bring student loans in line with other kinds of debts and would give financially-distressed student . . .

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Assessable Yet Not Assessed Taxes Could Cost You a Malpractice Claim

August 1, 2021

By Cathy Moran, Esq., (Redwood City, CA) Eighteen years elapsed between the close of the 2003 tax year and the Tax Court’s 2021 decision Barnes v. Comm'r, T.C. Memo. 2021-49 (U.S.T.C. May 4, 2021) regarding the debtors’ 2003 tax liability. While the most recent decision in the debtors’ battle with the IRS challenged the discretion of a tax officer in...

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From the Editor – Debtor’s Attorney

May 17, 2020

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Sanctions for including foreclosed property in petition. On creditor’s motion, sanctions for attorney fees and costs were awarded against Chapter 13 debtor’s attorney for scheduling as property of estate real property that had been foreclosed and on which debtor’s redemption period had expired. Under Rule 9011(c), a safe harbor letter from the creditor...

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Claim Preclusion and the Opportunities for Mischief

Cathy Moran

March 27, 2022

I’ve been having nightmares about the 9th Circuit’s decision in Siegel for 20 years. Broad strokes, Siegel (143 F.3d 525 (9th Cir. 1998) holds that a filed claim in a no asset bankruptcy case to which no one objects is entitled to preclusive effect in subsequent litigation by . . . It looks like you are not signed in or...

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Critical Case Comment – But It’s a GOLF CART!

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

November 20, 2022

A golf cart is a motor vehicle and may be exempted by a Chapter 7 debtor under state law. (Loyd) In re Smith, 2022 WL 3023209 (Bankr. W.D. Okla. July 28, 2022) Case Summary Bobby Smith filed a Chapter 7 petition and listed his golf cart as an exempt asset under Oklahoma law because it was a “motor vehicle.” The...

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Chapter 13 Trustee Duties, Powers, And Limitations – Part 4

October 25, 2020

By James J. Robinson, Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge, Northern District of Alabama Exactly whose interests does the trustee represent, and when should the trustee object or move to modify? Hope v. Acorn Financial, Inc., 731 F.3d 1189 (11th Cir. 2013). The Eleventh Circuit held that a chapter 13 trustee who was aware of defects with a secured claim before...

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What A Bankruptcy Lawyer Is Thankful For

Cathy Moran

November 19, 2023

On Thanksgiving, I’m mindful of how precious the American approach to insolvency is.

Critical Case Comment – 10th Circuit Says No Default Cures After Month 60

October 24, 2021

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee (Nashville, TN) Chapter 13 debtor cannot submit missed payments to the trustee after the 60-month term of the plan has ended in an effort to cure defaults in the plan. (Bacharach) Kinney v. HSBC Bank USA, N.A., 5 F.4th 1136 (10th Cir. July 23, 2021) Case Summary Margaret Kinney filed a...

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Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks: New Ideas for Treatment of Student Loans in Bankruptcy

May 12, 2019

By Robert B. Branson and Tammy Branson, Branson Law PLLC (Orlando, FL) Congress’ goal of bankruptcy is for the honest debtor to get a fresh start. Since most federally guaranteed student loans are nondischargeable, the current outcome is a “false start” instead of a fresh start. Resolving a $1.5 trillion student loan crisis is problematic in that the caselaw was...

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Thoughts on the Law: “None of My Business” Or “CU Later”? – Does Refusing to Do Business with a Debtor Violate the Automatic Stay?

February 9, 2020

By The Honorable John P. Gustafson Can a creditor refuse to do business with a debtor, or is such refusal a violation of the automatic stay? The case of Brown v. Penn State Employees Credit Union, 851 F.2d 81 (3rd Cir. 1988) held that a credit union’s refusal to continue to do business with a debtor who caused a loss...

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From the Editor – Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

February 2, 2020

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Punitive damages reduced for FDCPA and RESPA violations. The mortgage servicer violated FDCPA, RESPA and the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act by treating account as delinquent after Chapter 13 debtor had cured arrears, brought account current and obtained discharge. The servicer mistakenly marked the Chapter 13 case as dismissed rather...

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