Sahni v. Tajima (In re Tajima) 2022 WL 3354006 (9th Cir. BAP Aug 15, 2022)(unpublished) S.Klein J ISSUE Did the Bankruptcy Court err when confirming Chapter 13 plan? RULING Yes. FACTS This case involves the tension of litigation in bankruptcy causing delay, and the need to get a Chapter 13 plan confirmed quickly. Here, there was a dispute between debtors...

Memorial Day 2023 Honoring the Sacrifices of All Who Served

By Michael McCormick, Senior Partner, McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC (Roswell, GA) H.R. 748, also known as the CARES Act (herein, “the Act”), was enacted into law on March 27, 2020. The Act is meant to address the economic fallout of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Act contains numerous consumer protections, including several pertaining to residential mortgages. Relief from Foreclosure Section...

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Trustee (Nashville, TN) One of the principle goals of a consumer that chooses to file bankruptcy is to obtain a discharge under § 524. Despite its importance, however, there is much more legal discussion on the logistics and the process of automatic stay under § 362 that is in existence during the pendency...

11/14/19, the IRS issued guidance for taxpayers with certain deductible expenses to reflect changes resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). Revenue Procedure 2019-46, posted today on IRS.gov, updates the rules for using the optional standard mileage rates in computing the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving expense purposes. The guidance also...

Kristina Stanger is an attorney and shareholder at Iowa’s Nyemaster Goode, P.C. She is also a combat-experienced Lieutenant Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard. She is currently one of Iowa’s highest ranking females and is the Chief of Plans and Operations for the Iowa Army National Guard. Jessica Hopton Youngberg is Senior Staff Attorney for Veterans Legal Services in...

By Henry E. Hildebrand, III, Chapter 13 Standing Trustee (Nashville, TN) Exemptions in consumer cases have always presented difficult problems for practitioners and trustees. In a bow to states’ rights, the Bankruptcy Act of 1898 deferred to exemptions created by state law. When BAPCPA was enacted in 2005, Congress continued the practice of allowing each state to “opt out” of...

By James J. Robinson, Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge, Northern District of Alabama Under what circumstances should the trustee object to claims (assuming a purpose would be served under § 707(a)(5))? Midland Funding, LLC v. Johnson, 137 S. Ct. 1407 (2017). This case centered around the debtor’s argument that a creditor violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act when it...