SCOTUS Rules Insurer Is Party in Interest, Reversing Fourth Circuit

Party in interest construed. In a Chapter 11 case, the Supreme Court held that an insurer for gypsum manufacturers and sellers was a party in interest under section 1109(b) for purposes of objecting to a proposed plan. The insurer had financial responsibility for asbestos claims filed in the bankruptcy, and the insurer could be directly and adversely affected by the proposed plan. The term “party in interest” is applied broadly to cover the insurer. The holding has no direct application to Chapter 13 but could have implications for an insurer in consumer cases. Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Gypsum Co., Inc., et al., 2024 WL 2853106 (June 6, 2024).

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Consumer Bankruptcy Education

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Critical Case Comment – Post-Petition/Pre-Conversion Equity

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

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,...

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Division of Marital Property During a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Michael B. Joseph

November 5, 2023

“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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2019 Legislation Affecting Bankruptcy Practice – Part VI

December 8, 2019

By Lawrence R. Ahern, III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Part VI Two Things Debtors Should Know About the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA), Including a Primer on Chapter 11 Confirmation Introduction This series focuses on four bankruptcy-related bills that were enacted during the 116th Congress and signed into law on August 23, 2019.1 One bill, the Small...

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From the Editor

March 31, 2019

By Wm. Houston Brown, United States Bankruptcy Judge (Retired) Lien Modification - Modification of mortgage on mixed-use property. Reviewing the split of authority on whether a Chapter 13 debtor may modify a mortgage on property used for both business and residential purposes and when the use determination is made, the bankruptcy court adopted the filing date as the appropriate time...

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In the Greatest Hits Department . . .

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May 26, 2024

Staff Attorney Jeff Leforce brought us this case back in January of 2022 . . . When is Enough, Enough? Pro Se Dismissed with Extended Prejudice (and Violates Bar)

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The VA Loan Trap: Broken Promises and New Hurdles for Veterans

Roberto Rivera

November 17, 2024

“The VA created a program to capture missed payments and "put them to the end of the loan," but they eliminated it. . . . Many Veterans were forced to accept loan modifications that increased their payments. Those who didn't accept or were denied modifications were promised a new program, VASP.”

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Happy Thanksgiving

November 19, 2023

As our ‘thank you’ to our loyal readers, we bring you a completely non-password protected issue! ENJOY.

Courts are Expanding the Protections of Bankruptcy Rule 3002.1

Debbie Langehennig, Cameron Kelly

October 9, 2022

As a prerequisite to a claim’s payment, Rule 3002.1 requires certain secured creditors to provide to the trustee and the debtor notice of the full value of the secured creditor’s claim, including any “fees, expenses, and charges” related to the claim. Two bankruptcy courts have demonstrated a willingness to expand the reach of Rule 3002.1’s noticing requirements. These courts generally...

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The Complex World of Interspousal Claims in Bankruptcy

Cathy Moran

May 1, 2022

Traps and grey areas abound when one spouse files bankruptcy during or after a divorce. Inattention by the non-filing spouse can result in the bankruptcy discharge of spousal claims that might actually be nondischargeable. One of those traps involves the differing treatment in bankruptcy of debts to a former spouse incurred in the course of a divorce (Bankruptcy Code §523(a)15))...

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Deconstructing the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: Obduskey Says Lawyers Conducting Nonjudicial Foreclosure Are Not “Debt Collectors”

April 7, 2019

By Lawrence R. Ahern III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Introduction On March 20, 2019, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Obduskey v. McCarthy & Holthus LLP1 that actions required by state law in a nonjudicial foreclosure are not regulated by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).2 The decision resolved a split in the circuits. In addition to the...

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