From the Editor – Property of Estate and Exemptions

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired)

Spendthrift trust was invalid under state law. Analyzing § 541(c)(2), the Chapter 7 debtor’s interest in a spendthrift trust was property of the estate and could be administered by the trustee. The provisions of the trust were found to be unenforceable as a violation of public policy under Michigan law. Kohut v. Lewiston Living Trust (In re Lewiston), B.R., 2015 WL 3894609 (Bankr. E.D. Mich. June 24, 2015).

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The Honorable William Houston Brown retired in 2006 as a United States Bankruptcy Judge . . .

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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...

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2022 Bankruptcy Procedure Year in Review: Revised Statute and Rules and Selected Cases Part 8 Selected Decisions Under Part III of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure

Lawrence R. Ahern, III

April 30, 2023

Introduction One new rule and amendments to 16 rules took effect December 1, 2022. Many reflected changes necessitated by the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA), and had been in place in the same or similar form on an interim basis since that legislation took effect. Part 1 of this series summarized . . . It looks like you...

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Student Loans Debacle-Part II: Failure to Forgive – The Ticking Time-Bomb

R. Michael Smith

October 23, 2022

The recent push for student loan forgiveness has been met with increasing opposition. The rationales for not providing a generally applicable path for student loan forgiveness or cancellation have included arguments based upon imagined unfairness to those previously able to pay off their loans, which seems to be both short-sighted, as well as a “red herring” argument. It does not...

ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy – Recommendations Related to Exemptions

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By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee (Nashville, TN) Exemptions in consumer cases have always presented difficult problems for practitioners and trustees. In a bow to states’ rights, the Bankruptcy Act of 1898 deferred to exemptions created by state law. When BAPCPA was enacted in 2005, Congress continued the practice of allowing each state to “opt out” of...

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

October 13, 2019

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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Ordinary Heroes Deliver Second Chances with Bankruptcy

July 28, 2019

By Robert (Bob) Schuman, Owner/Managing Broker, Network Financial Group I’m a mortgage broker. In that role, I see close up the immense relief that a homeowner feels when they file Chapter 13. They are no longer forced to deal with collection calls and a multitude of letters that are aggressive and intimidating, threatening to take their car, foreclose on their...

Critical Case Comment

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By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Trustee for the Middle District of TN (Nashville) Where a Chapter 13 plan provides that a mortgage payment will be paid “outside the plan,” the plan does not “provide for” the mortgage payment and, accordingly, the discharge under § 1328 is not applicable to the mortgage obligation. Dukes v. Suncoast Credit Union, 909...

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From the IRS – Using Strong Password Is a Strong Defense Against Identity Thieves

December 15, 2019

Two things taxpayers can do to protect themselves from identity theft is to use strong passwords and keep those passwords secure. While many people use fingerprint or facial recognition technology to protect their devices, sometimes it’s still necessary to use a password. In recent years, cybersecurity experts’ recommendations on what constitutes a strong password has changed. With that in mind,...

Diaz: Is it Really a Tax Refund?

December 20, 2020

By Cathy Moran, Esq., Moran Law Group (Redwood City, CA) On its face, Diaz (Diaz v. Viegelahn, No. 19-50982 (5th Cir. Aug. 26, 2020)) is a pretty straightforward decision that struck down a local form plan as violating a below-median income debtor's right to use her tax refund to finance necessary expenses for maintenance and support. On a deeper level,...

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Kristina Stanger and Jessica Hopton Youngberg

November 3, 2019

Kristina Stanger is an attorney and shareholder at Iowa’s Nyemaster Goode, P.C. She is also a combat-experienced Lieutenant Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard. She is currently one of Iowa’s highest ranking females and is the Chief of Plans and Operations for the Iowa Army National Guard. Jessica Hopton Youngberg is Senior Staff Attorney for Veterans Legal Services in...