If A Purpose Would Be Served: The Trustee’s Role In Objecting To Claims

By Phil Lamos, Chief Legal Counsel, Office of the Chapter 13 Trustee, Craig Shopneck, Cleveland, Ohio

Section 1302 of the Bankruptcy Code says that the Trustee shall object to “improper” proofs of claim, “if a purpose would be served.” But how can the Trustee make the determination that a proof of claim is improper? And when would objecting to a proof of claim serve a purpose? The answers to these questions go hand in hand when deciding whether or not to object to a proof of claim.

Absent the cooperation of the debtor, the Trustee can only determine . . .

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 – Debtor’s Counsel’s Fee Reduced to $48k

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

February 4, 2022

Chapter 13 debtor’s counsel’s fee award was reduced to $48,116 from the requested $95,480 due to pre-petition payments, confusing and “lumped” time entries, and excessive hourly rates for some services performed, even though the debtor’s Chapter 13 plan was never even proposed much less confirmed. The debtor never attended a meeting of creditors, but the debtor managed to recover his...

Members

Rule 3002.1, Contempt and Sanctions – How a Lender Can Create a Mess

Thomas D. DeCarlo

October 16, 2022

The facts in In re DeWitt, 2022 WL 4588320 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2022), are a bit “unusual”. Debtor filed Chapter 13 to reinstate her mortgage. The mortgage was “non-escrowed” and Debtor was required to pay property taxes directly. Surprisingly, she did not pay her property taxes. The first time, the Lender paid the property taxes but decided not to pursue...

Members

From the Editor

April 7, 2019

By Wm. Houston Brown, United States Bankruptcy Judge (Retired) Confirmation - Debtors could not deduct ownership costs for vehicle secured by non-purchase money lien. The above-median debtors claimed ownership deduction of $497 from projected disposable income, when the title loan payments on the vehicle were only $66.67. The difference in these amounts meant unsecured creditors could receive $25,819.80 over the...

Members

Evidentiary Issues Arising from Attempts to Prove Alleged “Facts” Stated in The Monster Mash

October 27, 2019

By Alexander Schmidt1, Law Clerk, and The Honorable John P. Gustafson, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio (Toledo) You have never heard – or seen – the Monster Mash. What have you heard, is a song ABOUT the Monster Mash. Let that sink in for a minute. Inevitably, that leads to the obvious question: What facts...

Members

Who Is Stupid Here?

Cathy Moran

February 25, 2024

“The headline was ‘Are your clients really stupid?’ . . .The answer isn’t what you’re tempted to respond.” The second in a 3-part series on treating clients as we would want to be treated. More on this topic: Why Listening Is a Bankruptcy Lawyer’s Superpower

Members

The Long Reach of R. 3002.1

Cathy Moran

August 20, 2023

What are the consequences of a secured lender’s failure to comply with R. 3002.1 in a prior case when the debtor files again? Significant, it seems. . . . since their attorney said he “didn’t see the need” to do so. [Can you guess, now, how this comes out?]

Members

From the Editor – Claims

June 21, 2020

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Recordation of divorce judgment created secured claim. In Chapter 13 case, the debtor objected to former spouse’s secured claim, with pre-bankruptcy divorce judgment awarding former marital home to the husband but ordering equalization payments to the wife. No security was mentioned in the judgment, but its recordation created a lien under Wisconsin law....

Members

Critical Case Comment – In the Windfalls Category

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

August 28, 2022

Unanticipated post-petition acquisitions, constituting property of the estate, can be captured for the purpose of repaying creditors. In re Powell, 2022 WL 1043502 (Bankr. C.D. Ill. April 7, 2022)(Perkins) Case Summary Clarence and Betty Powell filed a Chapter 13 petition in February of 2020 and their plan was confirmed that October. The plan required the Powells to make monthly payments...

Members

Undersecured Short-Term Mortgages May be Crammed Down

September 8, 2019

By Angela M. Scolforo, Staff Attorney to Herbert L. Beskin, Chapter 13 Trustee (Charlottesville, VA) In Hurlburt v. Black,1 the en banc Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned its prior decision in Witt,2 and held that Bankruptcy Code § 1322(c)(2) authorizes modification of some home mortgage loans through bifurcation and cram down. This enables debtors to cram down home mortgage...

Members

Don’t Be Dismissive – Rule 41

Cathy Moran

August 6, 2023

I was the third attorney on this lien avoidance matter. Instead of it being “third time’s the charm”, it came close to being “three strikes and you’re out.” All because of FRBP 7041. This was the set up: debtor’s original counsel filed a number of lien avoidance actions, including the one against a landlord with a large default judgment. The...

Members