Division of Marital Property During a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

“The focus of this article is to review some of the issues faced in cases with pending state court marital property division proceedings.”

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Michael B. Joseph

Former Chapter 13 Trustee

Michael B. Joseph was the Chapter 13 Trustee for the District of Delaware (appointed in 1987) and has served as a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustee (appointed in 1981) and a Chapter 12 Case Trustee. He also is a founding Director of the Wilmington, Delaware law firm of Ferry, Joseph, P.A. Mr. Joseph received his B.A. from Rutgers University (1972) and his J.D. from Widener University (1975). He is admitted to practice in Delaware (1976), New Jersey (1977), United States District Court for the District of Delaware (1977) and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals (1990). Mr. Joseph is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. Mr. Joseph is a Past President of the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees (2010-2011) He also has served as a member of the Liaison Committee to the U.S. Department of Justice Executive Office for United States Trustees in Washington, D.C. (2006-2011). He is a member of the Bankruptcy Section of the Delaware State Bar Association, and the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Student Loans Debacle-Part II: Failure to Forgive – The Ticking Time-Bomb

R. Michael Smith

October 23, 2022

The recent push for student loan forgiveness has been met with increasing opposition. The rationales for not providing a generally applicable path for student loan forgiveness or cancellation have included arguments based upon imagined unfairness to those previously able to pay off their loans, which seems to be both short-sighted, as well as a “red herring” argument. It does not...

From the Editor – Lien Issues

September 15, 2019

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Manufactured home did not become accession to real property. The creditor holding security interest in a manufactured home objected to confirmation, on the basis that § 1322(b)(2)’s anti-modification provision prevented bifurcation of its claim into secured and unsecured parts. The Eighth Circuit noted that the Bankruptcy Code does not resolve the issue of...

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SBRA – The Sequel: Leases in Bankruptcy Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (“CAA”)

February 21, 2021

Lawrence R. Ahern, III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Appendix 11 U.S.C. § 365(d)(3) and (4), Showing Changes Made by Consolidated Appropriation Act, 2021 ("CAA"), Pub. L. 116-260, 134 Stat. 1182 (eff. Dec. 27, 2020) (Sunset December 27, 2022. Changes continue to apply in cases commenced before sunset under subchapter V of Chapter 11.) 11 U.S.C. § 365(d)(3) Pre-CAA Post-CAA...

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Lawyers are People Too: An Interview with Jenny Doling

M. Jonathan Hayes

March 17, 2024

IT’S NACTT REGISTRATION TIME!! Boston on the 4th of July PLUS a Phenomenal Consumer Bankruptcy Conference. We're excited to welcome Jenny Doling as a new addition to our lineup of skilled speakers for this year. She'll be teaming up with Chapter 13 Trustee John Jansing and The Honorable Selene D. Maddox for a session titled "Evaluating Tax Returns and Other Financial Documents." Together, they'll delve into a comprehensive exploration of the complexities surrounding the scrutiny of debtors' tax returns and financial records.

Critical Case Comment – Bad Faith to Not Pay Both Tests?

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

February 27, 2022

Chapter 13 debtor is not obligated to pay both the disposable income pool and the best interest of creditors test pool to achieve confirmation, only the larger of the two; it is not a manifestation of bad faith that the debtor does not pay both the disposable income pool and the best interest of creditors test amounts. (Altenberger) In re...

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Retirement of the Honorable John E. Hoffman, Jr., Chief Judge

The Academy

February 18, 2024

Retirement of the Honorable John E. Hoffman, Jr., Chief Judge

Who Is the Person Sitting at That Workstation? Contractor? Employee? Exempt?

Merideth Akers

January 22, 2023

Who is the person sitting at that workstation? Is it Noah Non-exempt? Is it Emma Exempt? Or, is it Connie Contractor? It is vital that I know who the person is sitting at that workstation. Do I have to pay the person sitting at that workstation overtime pay? Can I reduce the person’s pay for leaving an hour early? Do...

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Critical Case Comment

July 25, 2021

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee (Nashville, TN) Are private educational student loans automatically excepted from discharge by § 523(a)(8). (Jacobs) Homaidan v. Sallie Mae, Inc., Navient Solutions, LLC, 2021 WL 2964217 (2nd Cir. July 15, 2021) Case Summary Hilal Homaidan received a number of educational loans to attend College. Shortly after graduation, he filed a Chapter...

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2022 Bankruptcy Procedure Year in Review: Revised Statute and Rules and Selected Cases Part 10 Once Again: The Supreme Court Hands Down a Procedure Rule in Dupree v. Younger

Lawrence R. Ahern, III

June 11, 2023

Introduction This series reviews developments in bankruptcy procedure during the past year. One new rule and amendments to 16 rules took effect December 1, 2022. Many reflected changes necessitated by the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA), and had been in place in the same or similar form on an interim basis since that legislation took effect.

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Stop and Smell the . . . Well, Corn

August 4, 2019

By Jan Hamilton, Standing Chapter 13 Trustee (Topeka, KS) I just got back from RAGBRAI, which is a bicycle ride across Iowa. This year, it was 468 miles, with lots and lots of hills. (Biking Across Kansas was over 500 miles this year.) Such beautiful country. Estimates vary on actual number of riders, but anywhere from 16,000 to 20,000. Iowa...