What IS a Principal Residence?

By Phil Lamos, Chief Legal Counsel, Office of the Chapter 13 Trustee Lauren A. Helbling (Cleveland, OH)

Section 1322(b)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code states that a Chapter 13 plan may not modify a claim that is “secured only by a security interest in real property that is the debtor’s principal residence.” But the inverse of this statute is true; if a debtor can prove that a claim is secured by something other than “the debtor’s principal residence” then the claim can be modified in a Chapter 13 plan. A debtor can bifurcate or even . . .

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Supreme Court Corner: Does Equitable Estoppel Apply in a Fraudulent Conveyance Action?

M. Jonathan Hayes

July 7, 2024

Bailey v. Glover 1874 - When the trustee is required to bring an action to avoid a fraudulent conveyance within two years of the bankruptcy filing, does the active concealment of the transfer by the debtor and the transferees toll the running of the two-year statute of limitations to bring the action?

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From the Editor – Debtor’s Attorney

May 17, 2020

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Sanctions for including foreclosed property in petition. On creditor’s motion, sanctions for attorney fees and costs were awarded against Chapter 13 debtor’s attorney for scheduling as property of estate real property that had been foreclosed and on which debtor’s redemption period had expired. Under Rule 9011(c), a safe harbor letter from the creditor...

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Report of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy

April 28, 2019

By William Houston Brown, Co-chair of the Commission and Adviser to the Academy for Consumer Bankruptcy Education The Report of the Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy for improvements to the consumer bankruptcy system was made public on April 11, 2019. The full report is available free by download from the American Bankruptcy Institute’s website, www.abi.org. The following Foreward to the Report...

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Critical Case Comment– Reverse Mortgage May be Modified

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

May 22, 2022

A reverse mortgage, having fallen due as a result of the death of the borrower, is not protected from modification by the borrower’s heirs by virtue of § 1322(c)(2). (Halfenger) In re Sandoval, 2022 WL 982182 (Bankr. E.D. Wis. March 31, 2022) Case Summary Juan Sandoval filed Chapter 13 and proposed a plan which dealt with his principal asset, a...

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Ask Ms. Ps & Qs

Nancy B. Rapoport

February 18, 2024

This month, Prof. Rapoport looks at the question: What should happen when the Rule 2016 statement on compensation conflicts with the SOFA #16?

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Objections to Claims: Two of These Creditors Are Not Like the Others [1]

June 13, 2021

By Daniel M. Tavera, Law Clerk to the Honorable John P. Gustafson, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio (Toledo) Objections to claims may generally be served on the claimant by first-class mail to the person designated to receive notices on the most recent proof of claim for the creditor. This simplifies the service for claim objections for...

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Expectations for the 341 Meeting of Creditors

Martha G. Bronitsky

October 6, 2024

This week Trustee Bronitsky brings subscribers an excellent checklist on conducting 341’s – yes, we know, unless you are new to consumer bankruptcy practice you’ve been doing them for years but chances are you too need this reminder!!

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Property of the Estate or Appeal Rights for Sale?

M. Jonathan Hayes

January 19, 2025

Atty Hayes takes a look at a very interesting aspect of law we probably don’t think about on a regular basis. Are appeals for sale? “. . . maybe the answer is that the right to appeal is always property of the estate and may be sold to the opposing party.”

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Ask Ms. Ps & Qs

September 27, 2020

By Professor Nancy Rapoport Dear Readers: The Academy staff has raised an important issue: Given the mental health issues associated with the pandemic, what should someone do when he or she sees a colleague lawyer in distress? Before we get to the ethics implications, let’s talk about the mental health issue itself. When people are under great stress, they try...

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Bankruptcy Court Finds Jurisdiction to Hear Discharge-Injunction Violation Class Action

May 9, 2021

By Lawrence R. Ahern, III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Introduction The Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York ruled last month, in a case styled In re Ajasa,1 that bankruptcy courts have subject matter jurisdiction to consider nationwide class actions that allege contempt of discharge injunctions. The broader effect of the opinion is that a discharge injunction...

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