Weeding Out Marijuana From Bankruptcy Proceedings: The Intersection Between State Laws Legalizing Marijuana and Federal Bankruptcy Law

By Brian T. Cumings, Graves, Dougherty, Hearon and Moody (Austin, TX)

Until relatively recently, using or selling or even possessing marijuana was subject to criminal charges in all 50 states. Colorado and Washington have now made it permissible under state law to use marijuana recreationally. Numerous states have made provisions in state law for permitting medicinal marijuana.1

However, cannabis remains a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act, making it a federal crime to use, sell, or possess marijuana.

Among other things, this means that financial institutions must either refuse . . .

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Recent Cases Navigate Retirement Account Exemptions

Karen Jolley

February 11, 2024

“Several recent bankruptcy cases have considered the circumstances under which funds held in, derived from, or contributed to a retirement account may be exempt from the bankruptcy estate.”

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Is This Corporation Really Separate from Its Owners: A Checklist

Cathy Moran

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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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The First Thing a Chapter 13 Debtor’s Attorney Should Know About the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019

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By Lawrence R. Ahern, III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Click here for Part I, Introduction to the 2019 Legislation Click here for Part II, Five Things a Trustee Should Know About SBRA Part III The Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA)1 is of interest to attorneys whose clients in troubled . . . It looks like you are...

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The Continuing Saga of Chapter 13 Trustee Fees in Pre-Confirmation Dismissals

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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...

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From the Editor – Plan Modification

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By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) For modification purposes, best interests test remains at petition date. In an examination of post-confirmation sale of the debtor’s home that yielded excess of homestead exemption, the Court concluded that the best-interests of creditors’ calculation was performed as of the petition date, rather than time of modification. Section 1329 does not provide a...

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Lawrence R. Ahern, III

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George Stevenson

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My life in 1982 was in a bit of turmoil. I had recently gotten married and was working as in-house counsel for a regional furniture retailer. My position included a lot of collection work – beating up on debtors in state and bankruptcy courts. I was not unhappy but I was not comfortable with my work – it was clear...

Critical Case Comment

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By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Standing Chapter 13 Trustee for the Middle District of TN (Nashville) A creditor may request an extension of time to file a claim under Rule 3002, F.R.B.P. only where the conditions of that rule have been fully satisfied; the filing of a defective list of creditors does not permit an extension of the time for...

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Fulton’s Aftermath – What Do Chapter 13 Practitioners Need To Know?

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By Nathan E. Curtis and Peter Francis Geraci, Geraci Law L.L.C. Debtors who are not current on mortgage or vehicle payments may file for Chapter 13 relief and propose to cure arrears, and force creditors to accept future payments. Mortgage creditors must give multiple notices before taking real estate away from a debtor, but vehicle creditors are allowed to repossess...

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Can a Secured Claim Still “Ride-Through” Bankruptcy Despite BAPCPA? – Part 1 In re Rhodes Says, “Let Me Count the Ways”

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Background A recent Chapter 7 case out of the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California, In re Rhodes,1 addresses reaffirmation in a context that is very significant and should be of interest to all debtor's attorneys. It points out that the "ride-through" of a debtor's secured debt in Chapter 7—which Congress tried to eliminate in 2005—still exists. In...

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