Critical Case Comment – Siegel v. Fitzgerald • NACTT Academy

Critical Case Comment – Siegel v. Fitzgerald

Congress’ enactment of differing fees for U.S. Trustee states and Bankruptcy Administrator states violated the uniformity provision of the Bankruptcy Clause of Article I of the Constitution. (Sotomayer) Siegel v. Fitzgerald, 2022 WL 1914098 (S.Ct. June 6, 2022)

Case Summary

In 2008, the retail chain, Circuit City Stores, filed a Chapter 11 petition. In 2010, Circuit City’sliquidating plan was confirmed with Alfred Siegel as the liquidating trustee. During the term of the plan, the assets of Circuit City Stores were sold and proceeds distributed. The Chapter 11 case had been . . .

It looks like you are not signed in or registered! This content is only available to members.

Or Sign In Below:

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Middle District of Tennessee (Nashville)

Henry E. Hildebrand, III has served as Standing Trustee for Chapter 13 matters in the Middle District of Tennessee since 1982 and as Standing Chapter 12 Trustee for that district since 1986. He also is of counsel to the Nashville law firm of Belcher Sykes Harrington, PLLC. Mr. Hildebrand graduated from Vanderbilt University and received his J.D. from the National Law Center of George Washington University. He is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and the Nashville Bar Foundation. He is Board Certified in consumer bankruptcy law by the American Board of Certification and serves on its faculty committee. He is Chairman of the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee for the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (NACTT). He is on the Board of Directors for the NACTT Academy for Consumer Bankruptcy Education, Inc. and is an adjunct faculty member for the Nashville School of Law and St. Johns University School of Law. In addition, he served as a commissioner to the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy.

Pay Down Debt or Save – Which Should Come First?

Cathy Moran

August 25, 2024

Pay off debt first or start saving now? A question you, as a debtor attorney, are often asked. It’s a debate almost as convoluted as which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Members

Critical Case Comment – Objection to Entire Housing Allowance Overruled

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

March 3, 2024

This is a potential BIGGIE . . . Where a Chapter 13 debtor incurs one relatively small expense covered by the IRS Local Standards, the debtor is entitled to deduct from CMI the entire allowance to calculate Projected Disposable Income.

Members

Tribute to Barbara P. Foley, Esq.

Hon. Scott W. Dales

September 15, 2024

“ . . . Barb quickly put my concerns to rest . . . . She was respectful but firm, of course, and I could also detect a nurturing side. We talked about, of all things, my relationship with my mother (let's not go there!) and I foresaw that Barb would be making her mark on our district.” We will miss you, Barb!!!

The Effect of “Success” (or the Lack of It) on Attorneys’ Fees Part 2: In re Village Apothecary, Inc.

Lawrence R. Ahern, III

October 2, 2022

Introduction In In re Village Apothecary, Inc.,1 the Sixth Circuit recently cut an attorney's fee by half, where the services were not successful. The panel held that the results obtained (or, actually, the lack of results) justified the dramatic reduction of the fees of attorneys for a Chapter 7 trustee. In Part 1, we looked at . . . It...

Members

Mortgage Matters in Times of COVID-19

April 5, 2020

By Robert (Bob) Schuman, Owner/Managing Broker, Network Financial Group Is it 2008 again? For us in the mortgage industry, we woke up this week feeling as if during the night, we were transported back to 2008 when the mortgage industry basically collapsed. Then, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the FHA were the exceptions. As of March 25, 2020, like everything...

Members

How to Pay for Bankruptcy When You’re Flat Broke

June 14, 2020

By Cathy Moran, Esq. (Redwood City, CA) One of the cosmic ironies of our legal system is that it costs money to file bankruptcy. Bankruptcy gets you out of debt only if you have the money to file. The costs of bankruptcy include the filing fee collected by the court; the required credit counseling; and, if you’re smart, an experienced...

Critical Case Comment – What About a Zero Value Junior Lien?

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

November 5, 2023

Bankruptcy Court has authority to compel implementation of a confirmed Chapter 13 plan which, at its end required the release of a junior lien which had been given no value; attorney’s fees would be awarded to debtors’ counsel for pursuing the release.

Members

4 Reasons to Keep Time Records No One Discusses

Cathy Moran

July 17, 2022

Mention keeping time records to a bankruptcy lawyer and you’re likely met with expressions of utter revulsion. All too many assert that the major appeal of being a bankruptcy lawyer is precisely that they don’t have to keep time. Between flat fee deals with clients, and no look fees in Chapter 13, they feel liberated from the clock and the...

Members

Meet Another New Trustee

January 20, 2019

On October 1, 2018, Dynele L. Schinker-Kuharich was appointed as a Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Northern District of Ohio. She maintains her offices in Canton. Ms. Schinker-Kuharich replaces retiring Toby Rosen who served in this position for 30 years. Prior to her appointment as a Standing Chapter 13, Schinker-Kuharich was on the panel of Chapter 7 Trustees for...

Members

From the Editor – Dismissal

August 2, 2020

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Marijuana connection required case dismissal. The Chapter 13 debtors owned interests in an entity that was engaged in litigation to recover damages for breach of contract related to growing and selling marijuana, and this connection required dismissal of the case. Continuing administration of the case “would likely require the trustee or the court...

Members