CARES Act Financial Hardship ‘Laundry List’

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee (Nashville, TN)

During the free Academy webinar The CARES Act – Impacts on Chapter 13 on April 2, 2020, the panel – Judge Wm. Houston Brown (Retired), Amanda DeBerry and I – referred to the importance of detailing the reasons for modifications or suspensions to be related to financial hardship stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The bankruptcy section of the CARES Act does not detail what would constitute a coronavirus related financial hardship. The statute only says: “the debtor is experiencing or has experienced a material financial hardship due, directly or . . .

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From the Editor – Discharge Injunction

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By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Application of Taggart to lien avoidance. When the Chapter 13 confirmed plan bifurcated the secured creditor’s claim and the secured portion had been paid in full with interest, the completion of payments voided any lien, and the creditor violated the discharge injunction by commencing foreclosure. The Panel found the plan’s language, although “inartful,”...

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Queneshia Fleming

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“The ambiguity of § 302 raises the question:are jointly administered cases two separate estates? If jointly administered cases are two separate estates, are trustees doing it wrong?”

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Angela M. Scolforo

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The Mississippi Bankruptcy Court in The Huntington National Bank vs. Ashley Mosby, case #21-11614, adversary case #21-1028, on September 1, 2022, denied the bank’s request to declare a debt non-dischargeable because the bank did not rely upon the debtor’s false statement. In this case the Debtor purchased a 2020 Dodge Challenger, financed by the bank, without disclosing she intended to...

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Lawrence R. Ahern, III

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From the Editor

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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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Sua Sponte Sanctions Held to Higher Standard

Cathy Moran

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9th Cir. BAP erected high bar for sanctions. And, interestingly, at the heart of the BAP’s decision was the very fact that BAP decisions are not binding.

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May 12, 2019

By Judge Michael A. Fagone & Career Law Clerk Ciera S. Dye III. Policy Considerations Where the statute does not provide definitive guidance, courts often turn to policy considerations. How do those considerations weigh out here? One answer is that policy considerations cut against imposing any sort of requirement of preapproval for postpetition borrowing by a consumer debtor. Several reasons...

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Kara K. Gendron

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“Perhaps the most obvious problem with this instructional language is that it refers to outdated services.”

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Small Business Reorganization Act…(“SBRA”) H.R. 3311 – PART ONE

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