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

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

Or sign in below:

ahern_larry_regular
Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN)

Larry Ahern is a partner in Brown & Ahern and is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University (teaching Secured Transactions) and St. John’s University (Bankruptcy Procedure). He is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and the American College of Mortgage Attorneys and a Director of the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors. A Rule 31 Certified Mediator in Tennessee, he also holds national certification as a Business Bankruptcy Specialist by the American Board of Certification. Larry practiced bankruptcy and commercial law after his 1972 graduation from Vanderbilt until 2013, when he limited his practice to mediation and other alternate dispute resolution, consulting engagements by legal and financial professionals on legal issues involving bankruptcy, real estate and commercial law, expert testimony, writing, teaching, and speaking. In addition to his current teaching positions, he serves on the Advisory Board of the St. John’s Law School Bankruptcy LL.M. program and, in 2002, was Visiting Professor at Cumberland School of Law (Secured Transactions and Banking). He also chaired the American Board of Certification and the Tennessee Commission on CLE & Specialization and continues serving the ABC as Director Emeritus. Larry’s other professional affiliations include the American Bankruptcy Institute (former Director) and the Mid-South Commercial Law Institute (former Director and President). He is the author or co-author of 19 books and articles on bankruptcy and commercial law, with other articles pending, and he is a frequent speaker and writer.

Related Articles

NBR cropped 2
May 15, 2022
Dear Readers: There are some basic truths. One is that when someone says, “hey, watch this!,” the result is likely to involve blood or stitches. Another is that, when an author describes something with the leadoff word, “interestingly,” it often isn’t. And a third is that one shouldn’t mislead bankruptcy judges. In two wonderfully written cases, bankruptcy judges made this...
Members
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...
June 16, 2019
On 6/14/19, the CFPB (Bureau) announced a settlement with Student CU Connect CUSO, LLC (CUSO), a company set up to hold and manage private loans for students at ITT Technical Institute. The Bureau filed a complaint and a proposed stipulated judgment in federal district court for the Southern District of Indiana alleging that CUSO provided substantial assistance to ITT Educational...
gendron2
April 2, 2023
Section in 109(g)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code bars a debtor from filing a new case for 180 days if the Debtor voluntarily dismisses a case “following” a motion for relief. Not surprisingly, courts are split on how they interpret the word “following” as used in § 109(g)(2). After all, the word “following” is not limited to one definition, or even...
Members
moran_cathy
March 27, 2022
I’ve been having nightmares about the 9th Circuit’s decision in Siegel for 20 years. Broad strokes, Siegel (143 F.3d 525 (9th Cir. 1998) holds that a filed claim in a no asset bankruptcy case to which no one objects is entitled to preclusive effect in subsequent litigation by . . . It looks like you are not signed in or...
Members
regina26
July 20, 2025
On Tuesday, July 15, 2025, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing entitled Bankruptcy Law: Overview and Legislative Reforms Correa Introduces Legislation to Support Student Borrower Bankruptcy Relief Following strong support from all of the witnesses at the recent House Judiciary hearing on bankruptcy for "hitting reset" on student loan discharges in bankruptcy, Rep. Correa has introduced H.R. 4444, the Student Loan Bankruptcy Improvement Act of 2025,  which would delete the word "undue"  from 11 USC 523(a)(8).
Copy of Hildebrand-2016
April 30, 2023
A secured creditor would not be granted relief from the stay because the motion was based on the creditor’s failure to file a timely proof of claim.  (Grant) In re Flores, 2023 WL 2787514 (Bankr. N.D. Ind. March 8, 2023) Case Summary Mr. Flores filed a petition under Chapter 13 proposing to pay Gaeta Auto Sales in full, with interest,via...
Members
Copy of Hildebrand-2016
November 16, 2025
Creditor holding a reverse mortgage with a lien against property in which the debtor/heir resides holds a claim allowable in the debtor’s Chapter 13 case notwithstanding a lack of any personal liability.
Members
July 5, 2020
By Anthony J. Gomez, CPA, former extern to the Honorable John P. Gustafson, Northern District of Ohio at Toledo V. The Good Faith Requirement The hanging paragraph was enacted to protect creditors. It accomplishes this by prohibiting the bifurcation of certain secured debts that were acquired shortly before the time of filing. Despite a Chapter 13 debtor’s inability to bifurcate...
Members
podcast logo
March 23, 2025
The Academy dropped two new podcast episodes – Do Not Engage Parts 1 & 2. Host Jody Bledsoe interviews Trustee Ed Maney and Attorney Ross Mumme regarding the Cestui Que Vie of Arizona. Entertaining for everyone but particularly educational for trustees who may run into this particularly difficult type of debtor. Wherever you listen to podcasts, search “Fixing Broke: Consumer Bankruptcy Diary.” And while there, leave a positive review!!

Looking to Become a Member?

ConsiderChapter13.org offers a forum to advance continuing education of consumer bankruptcy via access to insightful articles, informative webinars, and the latest industry news. Join now to benefit from expert resources and stay informed.

Webinars

These informative sessions are led by industry experts and cover a range of consumer bankruptcy topics.

Member Articles

Written by industry experts, these articles provide in-depth analysis and practical guidance on consumer bankruptcy topics.

Industry News

The Academy is the go-to source for the latest news and analysis in the Chapter 13 bankruptcy industry.

To get started, please let us know which of these best fits your current position: