2022 Bankruptcy Procedure Year in Review: Revised Statute and Rules and Selected Cases Part 6 Finality Versus a Residential Mortgagee: Espinosa and Nobelman Clash in the Eleventh Circuit

This Part 6 continues1 an analysis of judicial developments with a significant decision on finality of a Chapter 13 confirmation order.

In re Bozeman

Section 1327 of the Bankruptcy Code provides that a confirmed Chapter 13 plan binds the debtor and creditors to its terms.2 In In re Bozeman,3 the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit looked at a motion by an Alabama residential mortgagee, Mortgage Corporation of the South (MCS), for stay . . .

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

March 24, 2019
By Wm. Houston Brown, United States Bankruptcy Judge (Retired) Discharge - Direct mortgage payments unpaid by debtor were not “provided for” in plan. The confirmed plan stated that the debtor would directly pay two home mortgages to the credit union, but there was no specification of payment terms or other treatment of those mortgages. At the time of confirmation, the...
Members
Copy of Hildebrand-2016
February 4, 2022
Chapter 13 debtor’s counsel’s fee award was reduced to $48,116 from the requested $95,480 due to pre-petition payments, confusing and “lumped” time entries, and excessive hourly rates for some services performed, even though the debtor’s Chapter 13 plan was never even proposed much less confirmed. The debtor never attended a meeting of creditors, but the debtor managed to recover his...
Members
October 17, 2021
By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Middle District of Tennessee (Nashville) While in personam liability of a junior mortgage on the debtor’s residence is discharged by a Chapter 7, the lien survives and constitutes an allowed unsecured claim in the debtor’s subsequent Chapter 13 case. In re Hopper, 2021 WL 3435445 (Bankr. E.D. N.Y. Aug....
Members
EAV2010
July 31, 2022
Helen Morris, the Standing Chapter 13 and 12 Trustee for West Virginia is retiring at the end of this fiscal year. I first met Helen over lunch at NACTT, where we chatted about a non-legal interest we both share, writing fiction. I was delighted to discover, then as now, a friend with a razor wit, a wicked sense of humor...
lynch
March 17, 2024
“The problem in the past for student loan borrowers in bankruptcy has been that hardship discharge litigation has been complex, expensive and arbitrary. . . . The new guidance has simplified the process.”
Members
January 13, 2019
Jason Wilson-Aguilar was appointed as the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for Western District of Washington, Seattle Division, effective on October 2, 2018. He replaces retiring K. Michael (Mike) Fitzgerald who served as the Standing Trustee for nearly twenty years. During the ten years prior to his appointment as Trustee, Jason was the Senior Staff Attorney and Legal Department Manager in...
Members
Copy of Hildebrand-2016
Chapter 13 plan cannot be modified to treat a priority claim as general unsecured after the time for reconsideration of the order has passed. (Easterbrook) Matter of Terrell, 39 F.4th 888 (7th Cir. July 12, 2022) Case Summary The Terrells’ Chapter 13 plan proposed a classification to pay the State of Wisconsin in full as a priority claim because, they...
Members
Copy of Hildebrand-2016
July 30, 2023
By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Middle District of Tennessee (Nashville) Post-petition, pre-conversion equity that accrues in a debtor’s residence during the pendency of a Chapter 13 plan is property of the estate in the Chapter 7 estate following conversion.  (Hastings) Goetz v. Weber (In re Goetz), 651 B.R. 292 (8th Cir. BAP, June 1,...
Members
March 17, 2019
By Wm. Houston Brown, United States Bankruptcy Judge (Retired) Confirmation - Bankruptcy court could not sua sponte object to confirmation. Distinguishing between “self-executing” provisions of the Code and those sections that were not “self-executing,” and discussing Espinosa’s impact on that distinction, District Court held that the bankruptcy court could not sua sponte object to confirmation based on the above- median...
Members
October 20, 2019
By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Claim allowed after reopening of no-asset case. The Chapter 7 case filed as no-asset was reopened after discovery of assets for distribution, and debtors objected to a claim on basis of statute of limitations. Affirming, the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel held that the time to commence action on the claim had been tolled under...
Members

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: