The Debtor, not the Trustee, is Entitled to Funds Being Held by a Trustee Following Dismissal of a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Case
Filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy as a consumer is a voluntary decision. Once a Chapter 13 case has been filed, it is also up to the debtors to dismiss the case if they so choose. Read More ›
Categories: Chapter 13, Did you Know?
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Significant Changes to Bankruptcy Rules Effective December 1, 2017
Numerous changes to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (the “Rules”) take effect on December 1, 2017. The changes significantly impact the administration of consumer bankruptcy cases, and Chapter 13 cases in particular. Read More ›
Categories: Chapter 13, Chapter 7
Trustee’s Avoidance of Transfer by Chapter 7 Debtors Does Not Necessarily Preclude Debtors from Claiming an Amended Exemption
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Michigan recently issued an opinion in a bankruptcy case involving a husband and wife who filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. Read More ›
Categories: Chapter 7, Collections
Michigan House Considers Bills Proposing Adoption of the Uniform Commercial Real Estate Receivership Act
Two proposed bills are working their way through the Michigan Legislature that would significantly impact state law pertaining to commercial real estate receiverships. Read More ›
Can Same-Sex Couples Own Real Property as Tenants by the Entirety in Michigan?
Two years have passed since the United States Supreme Court passed down a 5-4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges which held that same-sex couples have a fundamental right to marry under both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. Read More ›
Categories: U.S. Supreme Court, Zoning & Land Use
Supreme Court to Address Circuit Split Regarding Debt Re-Characterization Claims
On June 26, 2017, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in PEM Entities v. Levin to decide whether bankruptcy courts should apply a federal multi-factor test or an underlying state law when deciding whether to re-characterize a debt claim as equity. The Court’s decision to grant cert in this case should resolve a circuit split and clarify the law as it relates to re-characterizing corporate debt as equity. Read More ›
Categories: 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, Chapter 11, U.S. Supreme Court
Bankruptcy Court Denies Creditors Request for Relief from Automatic Stay to Arbitrate its Claims and Progress Setoff and Recoupment Rights
One of the primary reasons that most debtors seek bankruptcy relief is the automatic stay, which prevents creditors from pursuing collection efforts outside of the bankruptcy proceedings. Creditors can, however, seek relief from the automatic stay from the bankruptcy court under certain circumstances. Read More ›
Categories: Chapter 11, Western District of Michigan
Supreme Court Rules that Debt Collector’s Attempt to Collect Time Barred Claim in Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Case Does not Violate Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
What happens in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy case when a creditor files a proof of claim involving a debt for which the statute of limitations to collect the debt has run? More specifically, does the filing of such a claim violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (the “Act”)? That’s the issue considered by the U.S. Supreme Court in its recent decision in the case of Midland Funding, LLC v. Johnson. 1 Read More ›
Categories: Chapter 13, U.S. Supreme Court
Reserve it or Lose it: Sixth Circuit BAP Reverses Bankruptcy Court on Issue of Whether Trustee Abandoned Asset in Chapter 7 Case
In a recent decision, the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Sixth Circuit (the “Court”) considered the issue of asset “abandonment” in a Chapter 7 case[1]. The Court reversed the bankruptcy court’s decision to allow the Chapter 7 trustee to compromise a claim that the debtor argued the trustee had abandoned.
[1] In re: Wayne L. Wright, Docket No. 16-8019 (6th Cir. BAP, April 17, 2017). Read More ›
Categories: 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, Chapter 7
Sixth Circuit Affirms Decision to Deny Chapter 7 Debtor’s Proposed Exemption Because She Lacked Equity in Property After a Sale
In the case of Susan G. Brown v. Douglas Ellmann [1], the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (the “Sixth Circuit”) recently affirmed a bankruptcy court’s decision to deny a Chapter 7 debtor’s proposed exemptions for the value of redemption rights she enjoyed under Michigan law related to the sale of a property she surrendered to the bankruptcy estate.
[1] Case No. 16-1967 (6th Cir., March 20, 2017). Read More ›
Categories: 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, Chapter 7