ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy - Statement of Intention: Deadlines and Consequences • NACTT Academy

ABI Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy – Statement of Intention: Deadlines and Consequences

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III and Sloan Hastings

Section 521(a)(7) requires a chapter 7 debtor to file a statement of intention for “debts secured by the property of the estate.” The debtor must choose to (1) reaffirm the debt, (2) surrender the collateral, or (3) redeem the collateral. Reaffirming the debt contractually binds the debtor to pay the debt even after a bankruptcy discharge. Section 524 imposes procedural guidelines before a reaffirmation agreement can become effective because reaffirmation excludes a debt from discharge and exposes the debtor to the loss of all protections that a discharge . . .

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Critical Case Comment – Debtor Refuses to Give Location of Surrendered Mercedes; Pleads the Fifth

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

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Where a Chapter 7 debtor fails to disclose the location of his Mercedes which he intended to surrender, fails to produce documents relating to the ownership of his property, and invokes his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, the Court appropriately denied the debtor a discharge. (Preston) In re Appleby, 2021 WL 5121854 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio, Nov. 3, 2021) Case Summary...

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Kara K. Gendron

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Section in 109(g)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code bars a debtor from filing a new case for 180 days if the Debtor voluntarily dismisses a case “following” a motion for relief. Not surprisingly, courts are split on how they interpret the word “following” as used in § 109(g)(2). After all, the word “following” is not limited to one definition, or even...

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From the Editor – Debtor’s Attorney

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By The Honorable William Houston Brown (Retired) No attorney fees for Chapter 7 work in converted case. In a case that began as Chapter 7 and converted to Chapter 13, the debtor’s attorney sought fees for work in the Chapter 7 phase under § 330(a)(4)(B) rather than § 330(a)(1). The Court found the better interpretation of § 330(a)(4)(B)’s language “in...

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Henry E. Hildebrand, III

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Critical Case Comment – Sec. 328 vs. Sec. 327 Not Exactly a Smack Down

Henry E. Hildebrand, III

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The Academy

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Krista M. Preuss was appointed as the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Southern District of New York on February 1, 2018. She succeeded Jeffrey Sapir after his retirement. On October 1, 2021, she was appointed as the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Eastern District of New York, succeeding Marianne DeRosa upon her retirement. Yep, two trusteeships. Can you...

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Henry E. Hildebrand, III

December 3, 2023

Debtor’s counsel should not be compensated for work undertaken on behalf of a debtor in order to correct errors.

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One Woman’s Opinion

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By Margaret A. Burks, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee for the Southern District of Ohio (Cincinnati) Chapter 13 works. Some people wish to continually criticize Chapter 13. They criticize the success rate. They criticize racial bias. They criticize how Chapter 13 works. They also criticize the fact that Chapter 13 appears less voluntary than it was before access to Chapter 7...

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