Bankruptcy court clarifies trustee's ability to liquidate LLC property in sole member's Chapter 7 case

In re Hopkins, Bankr. W.D. Mich., Case No. 10-13592, Hon. Scott W. Dales (Feb. 2, 2012). 

When the sole member of a limited liability company files Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the membership interest is property of the bankruptcy estate that the trustee may liquidate, subject to claimed exemptions and liens.  But if the LLC owns property, can the trustee also liquidate that property for the benefit of the sole member's creditors? Read More ›

Funds must be in tax exempt retirement account – not merely traceable to a retirement account – on filing date to qualify for § 522(d)(12) exemption.

In re Pellegrini, Bankr. W.D. Mich., Case No. 09-90464, Hon. James D. Gregg (Jan. 17, 2012). 

When Congress adopted BAPCPA, it added an exemption for "[r]etirement funds to the extent that those funds are in a fund or account that is exempt from taxation" under certain provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.  11 U.S.C. § 522(d)(12).  Although broader than the exemption previously available for retirement funds, § 522(d)(12) is not limitless – as the Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Michigan recently emphasized. Read More ›

Changes to the Proof of Claim Form as of December 1, 2011

Effective December 1, 2011, the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (FRBP) that govern filing a proof of claim will change dramatically. 

FRBP 3001 will be amended to increase the types of information required to be attached to a proof of claim.  While Rule 3001 has always required a claimant to produce a writing to support its claim, now a claimant must also attach information relative to the principal, interest, fees, and any other expenses incurred pre-petition - including arrearages.  Read More ›

BAP: Chapter 7 trustee cannot avoid erroneously discharged mortgage if discharge is rescinded pre-petition

Richardson v. Citimortgage, Inc. (In re Emerson), unpublished opinion, BAP No. 11-8015 (Oct. 7, 2011).

The Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Sixth Circuit ("BAP") has rejected a trustee's efforts to avoid a mortgage that was mistakenly discharged because the discharge was rescinded before the debtor's bankruptcy filing. Read More ›

District Court Affirms In Re Rahim: Chapter 7 Business Debtors' Case May Be Dismissed Under § 707(a)

In re Rahim, E.D. Mich., May 23, 2011 (Case No. 10-15123, Hon. Sean F. Cox).

Previously on this blog, we discussed In re Rahim, a case in which Judge Rhodes dismissed the Chapter 7 case of debtors with primarily non-consumer debts "for cause" under 11 U.S.C. § 707(a) because the case was not filed in good faith. The debtors, both practicing physicians, brought home an annual income of more than $500,000 and had multiple homes and luxury vehicles. Read More ›

Pre-petition tax refund garnishment avoidable under 522(h), but not 522(f).

Johnson v CACH, LLC (In re Johnson), E.D. Mich., December 20, 2010 (Case No. 10-12873, Hon. Robert H. Cleland)

When a creditor has a state court judgment, garnishing the judgment debtor's state income tax refund is a common collection method.  If the judgment debtor files bankruptcy, issues often arise as to whether the creditor can keep the refund or whether the debtor is entitled to recover and exempt the refund. Read More ›

Did You Know? | Creditors have affirmative duty to release garnishments following bankruptcy filing.

In the "Did You Know?" section of the Michigan Bankruptcy Blog, we feature opinions that are not newly issued but that may be helpful for Michigan bankruptcy practitioners. 

When a person files bankruptcy, most collection actions are automatically stayed.  Subject to certain exceptions, Section 362 of the Bankruptcy Code prohibits the commencement or continuation of an action to recover a pre-petition claim, the enforcement of a pre-petition judgment, and any act to collect a pre-petition claim against the debtor, among other things.  Read More ›

Bankruptcy Court Clarifies Scope of Exemptions for Life Insurance Policies

In re Zerbi, Bankr. W.D. Mich., Jan. 6, 2011 (Case No. 09-14649, Hon. Scott W. Dales)

A recent decision from the Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Michigan provides some practical guidance for debtors and their attorneys about exempting unmatured life insurance policies.

In In re Zerbi, the debtor owned and was the insured under a life insurance policy. The policy had both a "cash value" or investment component and an insurance component. When the debtor filed his Chapter 7 case, the insurance policy had a cash surrender value of approximately $19,248.02. The debtor claimed exemptions in the policy under sections 522(d)(5) (the "wildcard" exemption), 522(d)(7), and 522(d)(8): Read More ›

New Opinion Creates Split in Western District as to Whether Debtors Can Exempt Undisclosed Tax Refund That is Spent Post-petition.

In re O'Brien, Bankr. W.D. Mich., Jan. 4, 2011 (Case No. 09-00426, Hon. James D. Gregg).

As previously discussed on this blog, debtors should include a good-faith estimate of an anticipated tax refund in their bankruptcy schedules. In prior cases, the Hon. Jeffrey R. Hughes and the Hon. Scott W. Dales suggested that debtors may not be able to amend their schedules to exempt tax refunds that have already been spent at the time of the amendment. But in a recent opinion, the Hon. James D. Gregg disagreed with those cases and held that, depending on the circumstances, debtors may be able to exempt a tax refund that was not originally disclosed, even if the tax refund has been spent. Read More ›

Eastern District: Business Debtors in Chapter 7 Must Tighten Their Belts, Too

In re Rahim, Bankr. E.D. Mich., Dec. 16, 2010 (Case No. 10-57577-R, Hon. Steven Rhodes).

When one thinks of Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases, the low-income consumer debtor who is overwhelmed by debt often comes to mind. But individuals whose debts are primarily "non-consumer" debts – usually business debts – may also qualify for Chapter 7 relief, even if they cannot pass the "means test" required for consumer debtors under BAPCPA. Because business debtors do not have to pass the means test, their incomes may be significantly higher than what one might expect to see in a Chapter 7 case. However, at least one Michigan bankruptcy court is requiring high-income business debtors to tighten their belts when they seek Chapter 7 relief.

In In re Rahim, the married debtors, both practicing physicians, earned a startlingly high income. Despite having filed Chapter 7, the debtors' annual income exceeded $500,000, and their expenses included sizeable mortgage payments on their home, vacation home, and rental home, plus payments on three luxury vehicles. Their debts included numerous mortgages and personal guaranty liability arising out of failed real estate ventures. Read More ›