The Brunner Student Loan Hardship Test: Alive and Well in The Big Apple

By Herbert L. Beskin, Chapter 13 Trustee for the Western District of Virginia (Charlottesville)

Let’s take the following set of facts and see how it plays out in the labyrinthian world of hardship discharge of student loan debt. The case is In re Lozada (Lozada v. Educational Credit Management Corporation), 594 B.R. 212 (Bankr. S.D. N.Y. 2018).

Years ago (30 to be exact) you received a law degree, but you failed the bar exam the first time and weren’t willing to go through that ordeal again. So you pursued a career in the . . .

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Honorable Kevin R. Anderson, U.S. Bankruptcy Court District of Utah

April 7, 2019

Prior to his appointment as a bankruptcy judge for the District of Utah in September of 2015, Judge Anderson served for seventeen years as the Standing Chapter 13 Trustee for the District of Utah. During this time, he administered over 70,000 Chapter 13 cases. Judge Anderson was elected president of the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (NACTT), and he...

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Dear Readers: Want to know why your 1L Civ Pro course is your best friend when it comes to “undue hardship” cases? Because burdens of proof matter. (They matter in other cases, too, but I’m in love with the case of Love v. U.S. Dept. of Education (In re Love), Case No. 19-20532-C-7, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern...

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Critical Case Comment

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By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Trustee (Nashville, TN) There is no requirement to show a change in circumstance in order to modify a Chapter 13 plan pursuant to § 1329. Whaley v. Guillen (In re Guillen), 2020 WL 5015287 (11th Cir. Aug. 25, 2020) (Marcus) Case Summary Rachel Guillen filed a Chapter 13 petition in August of 2015....

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On October 1, 2019, John G. Jansing was appointed Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Southern District of Ohio at Dayton. John took over from Jeff Kellner, who retired and moved to New Hampshire. John had some great mentors: Herb Beskin in Charlottesville, Marge Burks in Cincinnati and Faye English in Columbus. John toured Herb’s office in January 2020 and...

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Michael B. Joseph

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“It is once again time to reexamine debtors who elect to retain and pay for luxury items in Chapter 13.”

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Critical Case Comment – Debtor Refuses to Give Location of Surrendered Mercedes; Pleads the Fifth

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

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Where a Chapter 7 debtor fails to disclose the location of his Mercedes which he intended to surrender, fails to produce documents relating to the ownership of his property, and invokes his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, the Court appropriately denied the debtor a discharge. (Preston) In re Appleby, 2021 WL 5121854 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio, Nov. 3, 2021) Case Summary...

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The Hanging Paragraph – Hanging on Every Word Part 3 of 4

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By Anthony J. Gomez, CPA, former extern to the Honorable John P. Gustafson, Northern District of Ohio at Toledo Click here for Part 1 Click here for Part 2 IV. The Hanging Paragraph’s effect on Interest Rates When the hanging paragraph is applicable, creditors are entitled to the full value of their secured claims as . . . It looks...

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Whose Plan is it Anyway?

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

November 24, 2024

This case is more than meets the eye at first glance. Chapter 13 debtor cannot be compelled to propose a plan that delays vesting.

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The Brunner Student Loan Hardship Test: Alive and Well in The Big Apple

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Honorable Kevin R. Anderson, U.S. Bankruptcy Court District of Utah

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