I Can Explain

By Helen M. Morris, Standing Chapter 13 Trustee for the Northern and Southern Districts of
West Virginia

The perfect t-shirt for Chapter 13 trustees is now available. It says: “I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.” It only comes in one color. Too bad ‘cause I need a week’s worth and think different colors would be nice.

Let me share some of my recent experiences which have made this shirt so desirable.

At a recent bar meeting, my systems manager made a presentation on using an Excel based worksheet . . .

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When is Enough, Enough? Pro Se Dismissed with Extended Prejudice (and Violates Bar)

Jeff LeForce

January 16, 2022

When do the facts justify a long bar to refiling over the 180-day period in § 109(g)? Sometimes it is Justice Stewart’s infamous words from Jacobellis v. Ohio, 378 U.S. 187 (1964)–“I know it when I see it.” Even so, a Trustee must provide evidence and authority to the Court for a long prejudice period. In In re Parson 2021...

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The Complex World of Interspousal Claims in Bankruptcy

Cathy Moran

May 1, 2022

Traps and grey areas abound when one spouse files bankruptcy during or after a divorce. Inattention by the non-filing spouse can result in the bankruptcy discharge of spousal claims that might actually be nondischargeable. One of those traps involves the differing treatment in bankruptcy of debts to a former spouse incurred in the course of a divorce (Bankruptcy Code §523(a)15))...

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Annulment of the Automatic Stay: A Concept Whose Time Has Come – And Gone

June 21, 2020

By Academy Staff The Automatic Stay is one of the most fundamental aspects of the Bankruptcy Code, providing a Chapter 7 Trustee “breathing room” to investigate Debtor’s financial affairs; and providing Debtors in Chapter 13 time to formulate and confirm a Chapter 13 Plan without facing the imminent loss of assets. Equally important, most Courts have concluded that actions in...

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To Conduit, Or Not To Conduit? That Is The Question. Or Less Shakespearean: “Conduit Mortgage Case Law”

The Honorable John P. Gustafson

January 15, 2023

Conduit vs. Direct Mortgage Payments – The Case Law To Consider1 The requirement that debtors pay their mortgage payments to their Chapter 13 Trustee as a “conduit” has advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is the fact that the Chapter 13 Trustee’s records are readily accepted by both the court and creditors in the event of a payment dispute. This advantage...

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Conflicting Interpretations: A Chapter 13 Trustee’s Compensation After Pre-Confirmation Dismissal or Conversion*Part 1 of 3

Brittani Bushman

January 30, 2022

(Used with expressed permission from the MI Bankruptcy Journal and the Steven W. Rhodes Consumer Bankruptcy Conference) I. Introduction Although the Bankruptcy Code has been around for decades, bankruptcy courts continue to be faced with significant disputes regarding the interpretation of its provisions. An emerging issue that has gained traction in recent years involves the compensation of a chapter 13...

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Three Last Things Trustees Should Know About the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 – Part V

November 17, 2019

By Lawrence R. Ahern, III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Introduction This series focuses on four bankruptcy-related bills that were enacted during the 116th Congress and signed into law on August 23, 2019.1 One bill, the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA),2 appears in its entirety in Appendix B to this series and was summarized in

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Avoidance Powers in Chapter 13 – Part 4 of 6

January 20, 2019

By John P. Gustafson, United States Bankruptcy Judge, Northern District of Ohio, Western Division (Toledo, OH) Click here for Part 1 of 6 Click here for Part 2 of 6 Click here for Part 3 of 6

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Yet Another Reason Why the Means Test is “Broken”

Thomas D. DeCarlo

December 18, 2022

The Bankruptcy Code produces some difficult results. Sometimes those results pass difficult and extend into problematic. The Bankruptcy Court for the District of Idaho crossed well over difficult in In re Clifford, 2022 WL 16727279 (Bankr. D. Id. 2022). The question addressed in Clifford is one that comes up in every Chapter 13 case – how do we calculate “Current...

Claims Secured by Personal Property

Pamela Simmons-Beasley

June 18, 2023

Chapter 13 in the Bankruptcy Code (1978 as amended) marks the first time that virtually all secured debts can be somewhat altered in a bankruptcy without getting the specific agreement of security holders. Real benefit is provided to the debtors who have personal property with secured loans due. Concepts including the automatic stay preventing enforcement or perfection of a security...

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Critical Case Comment – Time is of the Essence

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

May 21, 2023

Chapter 13 plan cannot be modified to treat a priority claim as general unsecured after the time for reconsideration of the order has passed. (Easterbrook) Matter of Terrell, 39 F.4th 888 (7th Cir. July 12, 2022) Case Summary The Terrells’ Chapter 13 plan proposed a classification to pay the State of Wisconsin in full as a priority claim because, they...

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Related Articles

When is Enough, Enough? Pro Se Dismissed with Extended Prejudice (and Violates Bar)

The Complex World of Interspousal Claims in Bankruptcy

Annulment of the Automatic Stay: A Concept Whose Time Has Come – And Gone

To Conduit, Or Not To Conduit? That Is The Question. Or Less Shakespearean: “Conduit Mortgage Case Law”

Conflicting Interpretations: A Chapter 13 Trustee’s Compensation After Pre-Confirmation Dismissal or Conversion*Part 1 of 3

Three Last Things Trustees Should Know About the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 – Part V

Avoidance Powers in Chapter 13 – Part 4 of 6

Yet Another Reason Why the Means Test is “Broken”

Claims Secured by Personal Property

Critical Case Comment – Time is of the Essence

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