Ethical Issues in Bankruptcy Cases – Part II • NACTT Academy

Ethical Issues in Bankruptcy Cases – Part II

By Paul W. Bonapfel, United States Bankruptcy Judge, Northern District of Georgia1

Conflicts of Interest**

Because of the duty of loyalty that a lawyer owes the client, a lawyer is not permitted to represent a client if representation of the client conflicts with the lawyer’s own interests, the interests of other clients, or the lawyer’s responsibilities to third parties, unless the affected client’s . . .

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In re Evans: Disgorging Chapter 13 Trustee Fees in Cases Dismissed Prior to Confirmation

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By Jen Grondahl Lee, Jen Lee Law, Inc. (San Ramon, CA) When is a collected fee not a collected fee? When the statutes authorizing payment to the standing Chapter 13 trustee do not provide clear guidance on when that fee is paid and/or earned. The most recent case on this issue is In re Evans (Bankr. Idaho 2020).1 In a...

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ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy – Judicial Estoppel

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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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Critical Case Comment–Should’a Returned the Car

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

January 8, 2023

Post-petition repossession of debtor’s automobile, deliberate indifference to debtor’s request for return and ignoring hearings before the Court merit not only award of damages for violation of the stay but substantial punitive damages. (Bonapfel) In re Hamby, 2022 WL 17428947 (Bankr. N.D. Ga. November 29, 2022) Case Summary Cole Hamby purchased a 2012 GMC Sierra from Everybody Rides Auto Sales....

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The NCBJ Is Turning 100

The Honorable Deborah L. Thorne, The Honorable Kathy A. Surratt-States

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Tiaon Michele Lynch

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“Although exemptions are meant to be interpreted liberally; this issue may become increasingly complex with the rise of remote work such as traveling nurses.”

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Of Grace Periods and Mortgage Payments

Cathy Moran

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The no man's land between the mortgage due date and late payment is a persistent trouble spot for Chapter 13 practitioners. Are there arrears when the case is filed during the grace period and the payment made before it was late? In Borre, Judge Ronald Sargis of ED CA said no. He held that the payment was not in default...

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Critical Case Comment – Objection to Entire Housing Allowance Overruled

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

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This is a potential BIGGIE . . . Where a Chapter 13 debtor incurs one relatively small expense covered by the IRS Local Standards, the debtor is entitled to deduct from CMI the entire allowance to calculate Projected Disposable Income.

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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...

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Tara Trevorrow

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This article looks at Rule 12(b)(1) by presenting a three-question test synthesizing decades of Eleventh Circuit case law.

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Bifurcated Fees Under Examination

The Honorable William Houston Brown

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Bankruptcy and appellate courts in increasing numbers are considering whether it is appropriate for debtors filing for Chapter 7 relief and attorneys representing them to enter into bifurcated fee agreements. It has been recognized that one of the reasons that debtors may decide to file Chapter 13 rather than Chapter 7 is that attorneys require payment of the Chapter 7...

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