Motions to Recuse the Bankruptcy Judge

Although few are filed, and rarely granted, motions for the recusal of a bankruptcy judge are quite serious. We asked our Emeritus Trustee Committee for their opinion and comments on recusal motions.

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The NACTT Emeritus Trustees

Former Chapter 13 Standing Trustees

The NACTT Emeritus Trustee Committee is made up of former Chapter 13 Standing Trustees from all over the country: Michael Joseph, Isabel Balboa, Carl Bekofske, Herb Beskin, Chuck DeHart, Pete Fessenden, Mike Fitzgerald, Barb Foley, Nancy Grigsby, Mary Grossman, Jan Hamilton, James Henley, Howard Hu, Jan Johnson, Jeff Kellner, Tom King, John Logan, Judge Brian Lynch (retired), Mike Meyer, Bill Miller, Denise Pappalardo, Frank Pees, George Stevenson, and Robert Wilson.

Chapter 13 No-Look Fees – Additional Thoughts

The NACTT Emeritus Trustees

January 7, 2024

As a follow-up to The Academy’s December 3, 2023, issue, three Emeritus Trustees weighed in. The 12/3/23 issue included Cathy Moran’s Chapter 13 NoLook Fees: The Horns of a Dilemma and Trustee Hildebrand’s Critical Case Comment, You Gotta Fix Your Own Screw-ups, On Your Own Dime. You may also want to take note of comments on each article and add your own. Today, we offer the thoughts of two additional Emeritus Trustees. Thus a follow-up to our follow-up. 😊

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Conflicting Interpretations: A Chapter 13 Trustee’s Compensation After Pre-Confirmation Dismissal or Conversion – Part 2 of 3

Brittani Bushman

February 6, 2022

(Used with expressed permission from the MI Bankruptcy Journal and the Steven W. Rhodes Consumer Bankruptcy Conference) III. Contrasting the Majority and Minority Interpretations The majority and minority approaches differ as to (1) the interpretation of the use of "collect" in § 586(e); (2) the operative effect of parallel provisions in chapters 11 and 12 on the interpretation of §...

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR . . . NOW!!!

The Academy

July 14, 2024

MARK YOUR CALENDAR . . . NOW!!! NACTT 2025 - July 9-12 - Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile

Who Files the Tax Returns Under SBRA

June 7, 2020

By Steven L. Walker, Esq. (San Jose, CA) Subchapter V of the newly amended Bankruptcy Code is silent on the question as to whether the debtor-in-possession, or the court appointed trustee, must file the entity’s income tax returns on Form 1065, Form 1120, or Form 1120S. Although the IRS also has not issued any formal guidance, answers can be found...

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Still Crazy After All These Years

Cathy Moran

December 22, 2024

“ . . . , as far as I can find, no court has approved a modification that reduced the liquidation dividend when assets have lost value, such as falling stock values, catastrophic events, or business failure.”

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From the Editor

March 31, 2019

By Wm. Houston Brown, United States Bankruptcy Judge (Retired) Debtor’s Attorney - Suspension of firm upheld. The District court affirmed the 90-day suspension of Law Solutions Chicago, LLC (d/b/a UpRight Law, LLC), with the record supporting the bankruptcy court’s findings that the firm failed to adequately represent the debtor in a “simple” consumer case. Disgorgement of fees was appropriate under...

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Why Creditors Should Get Less in Chapter 13

Cathy Moran

October 30, 2022

Spending every dollar they make, and then some, is often how our Chapter 13 clients got into financial trouble. Yet Chapter 13, as practiced, validates the practice of continuing to spend 100% of each month’s income during the life of the plan. In doing so, we, as a society, squander the chance to use Chapter 13 to teach new budgeting...

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Critical Case Comment – Pre to Pre and Post to Post

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

March 5, 2023

Mortgage loan servicer violated mortgage agreement with debtor, the automatic stay, the confirmation order and Rule 3002.1 by applying debtor’s post-petition monthly mortgage payments pursuant to the contractual terms of the loan, thereby applying post-petition payments to the debtor’s pre-petition mortgage arrearage. (Cary) In re Pope, 647 B.R. 597 (Bankr. D. N.H. August 15, 2022) Case Summary In November of...

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“Lien Stripping” Based on Claim Disallowance by Default: Ninth Circuit Clarifies its Rule

June 7, 2020

By Lawrence R. Ahern III, Brown & Ahern (Nashville, TN) Introduction Chapter 13 practitioners certainly do not need to be told that a lender with a mortgage1 on the debtor's principal residence has a special position in a Chapter 13 case. A chapter 13 plan may "modify the rights of holders of secured claims, other than a claim secured only...

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LLC’s and Chapter 13

The NACTT Emeritus Trustees

August 25, 2024

As a follow up to No Gracie, LLCs May Not File Chapter 13, we posed some questions to the NACTT Emeritus Trustees group. We think you will find their answers interesting and thought provoking.

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