For Whom Does the Bell Toll?

By Angela M. Scolforo, Staff Attorney to Herbert L. Beskin, Chapter 13 Trustee for the Western District of Virginia

Since January 2019 alone there have been about 250 student loan discharge cases decided in the federal courts.1 One site reports that student loan debt in the United States totals $1.73 trillion, across 43.2 million borrowers, and the debt is growing6 times faster than the nation’s economy. As the student loan crisis grows, bankruptcy courts have a . . .

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.

Federal Payments for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance in Bankruptcy

April 11, 2021

By Kara K. Gendron, Esquire, Mott & Gendron Law (Harrisburg, PA) If a Chapter 13 Debtor has adopted a child who is eligible for assistance under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, should those funds which were received in the six months prior to filing the petition be included in the Official Form 122C–1 Chapter 13 Statement of Current...

Members

Finding the Flaws in IRS Tax Liens

Cathy Moran

March 12, 2023

Lien perfection follows state law The secret tax lien attaches to all of a taxpayer’s property of any kind, wherever located. However, a tax lien is perfected against other creditors only by compliance with state laws on perfection of liens. AND during the pendency of a bankruptcy case, counsel only has to deal with the properly perfected tax lien. State...

Members

Be Sure Your Sins Will Find You Out

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

September 15, 2024

Failure of a Chapter 13 debtor to disclose the existence of a cause of action which accrued prior to or shortly after the filing of the petition merits dismissal of the case with a one-year bar against a subsequent bankruptcy filing.

Members

Critical Case Comment – But It’s a GOLF CART!

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

November 20, 2022

A golf cart is a motor vehicle and may be exempted by a Chapter 7 debtor under state law. (Loyd) In re Smith, 2022 WL 3023209 (Bankr. W.D. Okla. July 28, 2022) Case Summary Bobby Smith filed a Chapter 7 petition and listed his golf cart as an exempt asset under Oklahoma law because it was a “motor vehicle.” The...

Members

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

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

December 26, 2021

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...

Members

I Feel A Change Coming On (Song by Bob Dylan, 1964)

January 24, 2021

By Merideth Akers, CPA, PHR, Comptroller for Bradford W. Caraway (Birmingham, AL) The Covid-19 pandemic postponed the 2020 Masters Golf Tournament, originally scheduled for early spring. It was eventually held November 12th through 15th. The winner was Dustin Johnson. Additionally, the 2020 Wimbledon Tennis Tournament was cancelled for the first time since 1945 (due to World War II). For the...

Members

2 Million ITINs Set to Expire in 2019; To Avoid Refund Delays Apply Soon

October 13, 2019

Taxpayers with expiring Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) can get their ITINs renewed more quickly and avoid refund delays next year by submitting their renewal application soon, the Internal Revenue Service said 10/10/19. An ITIN is a tax ID number used by taxpayers who don’t qualify to get a Social Security number. Any ITIN with middle digits 83, 84 ....

Members

Critical Case Comment – Creditor Not Required to Dismiss Prepetition Nonbankruptcy Action

November 14, 2021

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Middle District of TN (Nashville) The automatic stay does not require a creditor pursuing a prepetition nonbankruptcy court action to dismiss that action once a bankruptcy case is filed; requesting continuances and attending status conferences do not constitute “continuation” of the prepetition action for purposes of the automatic stay....

Members

Ask Ms. Ps & Qs

Nancy B. Rapoport

November 26, 2023

“ . . . how can I not write about an opinion that begins, “This is a case of sue first and ask questions later”? We all know that Judge Christopher Klein has a way with words and a precise and methodical way of approaching statutory analysis.”

Members

ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy – Statement of Intention: Deadlines and Consequences

June 23, 2019

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III and Sloan Hastings Section 521(a)(7) requires a chapter 7 debtor to file a statement of intention for “debts secured by the property of the estate.” The debtor must choose to (1) reaffirm the debt, (2) surrender the collateral, or (3) redeem the collateral. Reaffirming the debt contractually binds the debtor to pay the debt even...

Members