From the Editor’s Desk – Eligibility

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired)

Mortgage servicer had standing to contest eligibility. Status as a mortgage servicer gave the servicer a pecuniary interest and standing to move to dismiss the case and present proof on eligibility. The debtor contended that the debt on his real property was disputed and unliquidated, but the court held that the debtor’s obligations were sufficiently determinable to constitute liquidated debt. The court cited In re Adams, 373 B.R. 116 (BAP 10th Cir. 2007), for the key factor in determining whether a debt is liquidated or . . .

It looks like you are not signed in or registered! This content is only available to members.

Or Sign In Below:

No Author Biography has been linked to this Article.

Critical Case Comment – No Mulligans for Gardners

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

October 30, 2022

In order for a debtor to succeed in setting aside a dismissal in a motion filed under Rule 9024, F.R.B.P., the debtor must prove specific grounds as outlined in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b). (Oxholm) In re Gardner, 2022 WL 654410 (Bankr. E.D. Mich. May 24, 2022) Case Summary Carl and Taisha Gardner filed Chapter 13 in September of...

Members

Is an Unemployment Compensation Payment Exempt?

May 17, 2020

By Lawrence R. Ahern, III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Introduction As of April 16, 2020, more than 22,000,000 people in the United States were reported to have filed for unemployment aid, "a staggering loss of jobs that has wiped out a decade of employment gains and pushed families to line up at food banks as they await government help."1...

Members

How to Manage Unprofessional and Discourteous Attorneys

The NACTT Emeritus Trustees

December 4, 2022

Many have had the unpleasant experience of coping with an ill-mannered and disrespectful opposing counsel. Unnecessary motions are filed and unfounded allegations are asserted. Relief requested has no basis in fact or law. Temperatures rise. The volume of argument is loud. Your staff and you are upset. What to do?We asked the Emeritus Trustees and here are some recommendations: First,...

Members

Ask Ms. Ps & Qs

December 8, 2019

By Professor Nancy Rapoport Dear Readers: I know, I know—I’ve been absent from this column for a while,1 but I’ve found a set of cases that intrigued me, so here goes. In several cases, bankruptcy courts here in Nevada have made it clear that lawyers should do a better job of proving up their fees (and proofreading them), especially when...

Members

Critical Case Comment – The Plan Rules

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

December 4, 2022

Chapter 13 plan which provided a specific amount to be cured on a reverse mortgage under § 1322(b)(5) would be controlled by the specific term of the plan provision and not by the larger proof of claim filed by the creditor. (Baer) In re Edelstein, 2022 WL 16730027 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. November 7, 2022) Case Summary The Edelsteins filed Chapter...

Members

Keep Calm and Carry On – Observations Regarding CBRA

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

October 9, 2022

First, breathe deep and try to relax. The Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative House Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, with minimal notice, set an oversight hearing for September 29, 2022. The subcommittee is charged to deal with matters relating to bankruptcy. The subject of the hearing was to be the “Oversight of the Bankruptcy Code, Part 2: Ensuring a Fresh...

From the Editor – Plan Modification

March 21, 2021

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...

Members

Critical Case Comment

June 14, 2020

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Trustee (Nashville, TN) Chapter 13 debtor may exclude from disposable income amounts projected to be paid to an employer sponsored 401(k) where such payments are consistent with pre-filing contributions made to the retirement account. Davis v. Helbling, 2020 WL 2831172 (6th Cir. June 1, 2020) (Larsen) Case Summary In 2017, Camille Davis filed...

Members

Mortgage Loan Modification Does Not Alter Lien Priority

December 6, 2020

By Scott F. Waterman, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Reading) Modifying a first mortgage is one of the most common loss mitigation tools available to bring a loan current to prevent foreclosure. In this case the first mortgage was modified twice by capitalizing the unpaid interest, reducing the interest rate, and reducing the monthly payments...

From the Editor – Discharge

June 7, 2020

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Hardship discharge denied. Section 1328(b)’s requirements for hardship discharge are conjunctive and failure to satisfy any one of three conditions results in denial. Reviewing judicial decisions on requirements of the statute, the court considered “the extent of a debtor’s accountability and degree of control; the substantiality and foreseeability of the changed circumstances at...

Members