SCOTUS Cases Every Bankruptcy Lawyer Should Know – Part 3 of 8 • NACTT Academy

SCOTUS Cases Every Bankruptcy Lawyer Should Know – Part 3 of 8

In the continually evolving field of consumer bankruptcy law, a series of Supreme Court decisions shape how cases are administered nationwide. Over the coming weeks, we will highlight key decisions that every bankruptcy practitioner should recognize—both by name and by the issues they resolve. This week’s ‘memory work’ is: Mullane v. Central Hanover Bank & Trust; US v. Whiting Pools; BFP v. Resolution Trust; and Nobleman

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The Honorable John P. Gustafson

United States Bankruptcy Judge, Northern District of Ohio

John P. Gustafson was appointed United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Ohio in April 2014. In his former life, he was a bankruptcy law clerk, an associate and partner in a law firm representing both debtors and creditors, a solo bankruptcy practitioner representing debtors, banks and trustees, the staff attorney to a Chapter 13 trustee, and from October 2007 to April 2014 he was the Standing Chapter 13 Trustee for the Northern District of Ohio, Western Division. Judge Gustafson regularly writes and speaks on a variety of bankruptcy issues.

Supreme Court Denies Cert

The Honorable William Houston Brown

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The Supreme Court denied certiorari in Bronitsky v. Saldana, leaving divided authority on deduction of retirement contributions from disposable income.

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Ms. Ps & Qs

August 15, 2021

By Nancy B. Rapoport, Garman Turner Gordon Professor of Law, Boyd School of Law, and Affiliate Professor of Business Law & Ethics, Lee Business School, William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Dear Readers: My guardian angel, Regina Logsdon has asked a great question:what should you do when your “Spidey sense” tells you that your client...

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The Power of a Checklist

Jay S. Jump

March 12, 2023

Recently, I had the pleasure of a great conversation with Chapter 13 Trustee, Thomas McDonald, from the EDMI. As it turns out, we have both been pilots for a long time. Once we came to this realization, our conversation quickly devolved from the issues confronting the bankruptcy industry to talk of density altitude, mountain flying, and the importance of using...

Fourth Circuit Overrules Own Precedent, Holds Certain Primary Residence Claims Can be Crammed Down in Chapter 13 Bankruptcies

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(First published here on August 19, 2019. Used with permission.) By Daniel Cohn, Esq., Legal Department, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. General Rule: No Primary Residence Mortgage Changes The general rule in bankruptcy is that debtors cannot cram down loans secured only by mortgages on their primary residences. But wait, “what’s a cram down?” you ask. For non-bankruptcy folks, a cram...

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Escrow 102 – Part 3 of 4

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By Michael J. McCormick, Esq., McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC (Roswell, GA) Escrow 101 – Part 1 Escrow 101 – Part 2 Escrow 101 – Part 3 Escrow 102 – Part 1

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When the Bankruptcy Attorney Resembles the Client

Jen Lee

August 10, 2025

We tell clients delay is costly—then ignore that advice ourselves.

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Proactive Client Communication Strategy: Flood the Zone

Cathy Moran

January 26, 2025

Jen Lee is spot-on highlighting poor client communication as the source of both individual client anguish and with discontent with the legal profession as a whole. Failure to return calls is the most frequent complaint to the state bar where I practice. See also: -Stop the Chaos and Fix Client Communication with Smart Tech -Spitballing Chapter 13’s Image Makeover -Ditch the Bankruptcy Jargon—Marketing Chapter 13 as the Ultimate Solution (Note that there are a few comments on this article.) Thoughts on a Chapter 13 image makeover? Let us hear from you.

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Is This Corporation Really Separate from Its Owners: A Checklist

Cathy Moran

June 1, 2025

This article from Moran in 2023 is a perfect prelude to the Academy’s next free webinar . . . REGISTER NOW: Primer on Options for Distressed Businesses

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From the Editor – Claims

October 20, 2019

By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) Debtor’s objection to tax claim for being “too low” was rejected. Noting that the debtor could not benefit prior to distribution to creditors, in event trustee found assets for distribution, debtor’s objection to claim filed by tax creditor on basis that claim was “too low” was rejected. “The debtor comes last, not first,...

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Senior Moments

December 1, 2019

By Peter Fessenden, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee, Retired September 30, 2017 (Portland, ME) To everything there is a season. There was a time to discover how little I knew about being a Chapter 13 trustee. There was a time to make mistakes. There was a time to address those mistakes. There was a time to solve problems. There was a...

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