In re Zeigafuse, No. 11-20854, 2012 WL 1155680, at *5 (Bankr. D. Wyo. Apr. 5, 2012) (McNiff)

Separate classification of continuing payment of long-term student loan “outside” plan unfairly discriminates when student loan creditor will receive 21% and general unsecured creditors only 1.2%; level payment plan would pay all unsecured creditors 19%. “This court . . . joins the majority view holding that §§ 1322(b)(1) and 1322(b)(5) must be read in conjunction with one another.” Applying the “four step test,” the “balancing test” and the “baseline test,” debtors failed to show a reasonable basis for the discrimination, debtors presented no evidence whether they could carry out their plan without the discrimination, Congress provided no priority of payment to student loans in Chapter 13 cases and debtors proposed no voluntary contributions to “square up” the disproportionate distribution.

No Author Biography has been linked to this Article.

Related Articles

Academy Circle Logo Final
January 16, 2022
There is no special language/verbiage. Keep is simple. Stick to one issue per NOE. Pertinent loan/debtor information – “name, rank, and serial number” Called bank twice. Tried to get borrower reviewed for FHA Recovery Mod. Both times I was essentially told that the loan was “too many months delinquent” to be reviewed for FHA Recovery Mod. I was also told...
JamesDavis
February 25, 2024
“Over the years courts have struggled to apply the lien-avoidance provisions under § 522(f) to jointly owned property. . . .Things get even more confusing when the debtor owns property as a tenancy by the entireties. That antiquated form of ownership has odd characteristics that do not fit well into the § 522(f) calculation.”
Members
chiefjusticemarshall
March 31, 2024
Launching a new feature - Supreme Court Corner - Jon Hayes will periodically share a look at a historical bankruptcy case. As the title indicates, Sturges v. Crowninshield looks at state bankruptcy law in the absence of federal law.
Members
October 20, 2019
By Herb Beskin, Chapter 13 Trustee and Edward M. Wayland, Esq. (Charlottesville, VA) Trustees are not privy to the struggles of Debtors as they emerge from Chapter 13 and work to re-establish (establish?) their credit worthiness. A crucial factor in this process is the Debtor’s credit report. In this article, we discuss the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), the rules...
Members
joseph 12-2024
March 10, 2024
“ . . . practice and procedure accomplishing the lien strip have been slow to evolve since 2017. . . . in the jurisdictions that opted out of usage of the Form 113 Plan, multiple iterations for lien stripping and release are found.”
Members
image004
April 2, 2023
Consumer law attorney, mentor and educator, Oliver Max Gardner III recently announced that he is retiring. His passion, diligent research and unmatched expertise has served as a north star in consumer law for so many of us. From building a community of like-minded enthusiasts through the renowned Bankruptcy Boot Camp and cultivating an army of consumer litigators to fiercely defending...
hoffman
February 18, 2024
Retirement of the Honorable John E. Hoffman, Jr., Chief Judge
August 18, 2019
By Regina Logsdon, Executive Director, The Academy d/b/a ConsiderChapter13.org Robert (“Bob”) G. Drummond has been the only standing Chapter 13 Trustee for the District of Montana since 1992. Originally from Montana, Mr. Drummond graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Business, and received a Juris Doctorate in Law with Honors from the University of...
DeCarlo01
June 25, 2023
Courts continue to wrestle with the issue of trustee fees in pre-confirmation dismissals. The Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois has now weighed in in In re Johnson, 2023 WL 3406597 (Bankr. N.D. Il. 2023).  The facts are pretty typical.  Debtor filed for Chapter 13. After 8 months and 8 confirmation hearings, the Court granted Trustee’s request for...
Members
June 16, 2019
On 6/14/19, the CFPB (Bureau) announced a settlement with Student CU Connect CUSO, LLC (CUSO), a company set up to hold and manage private loans for students at ITT Technical Institute. The Bureau filed a complaint and a proposed stipulated judgment in federal district court for the Southern District of Indiana alleging that CUSO provided substantial assistance to ITT Educational...

Looking to Become a Member?

ConsiderChapter13.org offers a forum to advance continuing education of consumer bankruptcy via access to insightful articles, informative webinars, and the latest industry news. Join now to benefit from expert resources and stay informed.

Webinars

These informative sessions are led by industry experts and cover a range of consumer bankruptcy topics.

Member Articles

Written by industry experts, these articles provide in-depth analysis and practical guidance on consumer bankruptcy topics.

Industry News

The Academy is the go-to source for the latest news and analysis in the Chapter 13 bankruptcy industry.

To get started, please let us know which of these best fits your current position: