Showing 24 posts in Chapter 13.
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
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District Court Affirms that Civil Fraud Penalties are Nondischargeable in Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Cases
Many bankruptcy cases involve adversary proceedings in which creditors seek to have certain debts deemed nondischargeable. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (the “District Court”) recently considered, on appeal, whether the Bankruptcy Court properly held that a debt owed by a debtor (the “Debtor”) to the State of Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (the “Agency”) is dischargeable in a Chapter 13 case.1 Read More ›
Categories: Chapter 13, Eastern District of Michigan
Chapter 7 Debtor’s Case Dismissed After Court Finds that She is Judicially Estopped from Arguing that Student Loan Debts are Non-Consumer in Nature
While bankruptcy relief is available as a tool for individuals to discharge debts, it is not available to everyone, under all circumstances. Before a debtor can, for example, discharge debts in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, he or she must prove that debts and income are within certain statutory thresholds. When determining whether an individual is eligible for relief, the nature of the debts at issue is also relevant. Read More ›
Categories: Chapter 13, Chapter 7, Eastern District of Michigan
Chapter 13 Trustee Must Return Funds to Debtor Following Dismissal of Case
What happens to funds held by a Chapter 13 trustee (the “Trustee”) in the event that a Chapter 13 debtor dismisses her case voluntarily? That’s the question that was addressed by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (the “Court”) in a recent opinion.[i] Read More ›
Categories: Chapter 13
Bankruptcy Court Decision to Allow Late-Filed Claim in Chapter 13 Case Reversed on Appeal
Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows debtors to confirm plans that provide for the payment of their debts through future earnings while, at the same time, retaining their assets. If a creditor wishes to receive payments pursuant to a debtor’s plan, the creditor must file a proof of claim. And it must do so timely. Read More ›
Categories: 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, Chapter 13
Confirmation of Chapter 13 Plan that Favors Debtor's Attorney Over Homestead Mortgage Reversed on Appeal
Bankruptcy is all about the debtor’s assets, specifically how many and who gets them. The reason that many bankruptcy cases are contentious is that the parties often disagree about the amount of assets available for distribution to creditors, as well as how the assets should be divvied up. Read More ›
Categories: Chapter 13, Eastern District of Michigan
Collect Your Money in Bankruptcy: Chapter 13
All is not lost when a debtor files Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. In addition to teaching the ins and outs of how to collect money and assets in a Chapter 13, the video below discusses the basics of a Chapter 13, motions for relief from stay, co-debtor stay, non-dischargeable claims, and other topics to efficiently and effectively obtain what is rightfully yours in a bankruptcy. View the video below to learn more about Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Categories: Chapter 13
Penalty Owed to a Governmental Unit is Dischargeable in Chapter 13 - But Not Chapter 7 - Bankruptcy, Even if it Arises from Fraud
The scope and extent of debts that may be discharged is an often litigated issue in bankruptcy. In a recent Chapter 13 case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the bankruptcy court considered whether an otherwise dischargeable government penalty debt is nondischargeable if the debt arises from fraud.[1] Read More ›
Categories: Chapter 13, Chapter 7, Eastern District of Michigan
Do People Owe You Money?
Upcoming Webinar Series: Collect Your Money in Bankruptcy
Attorneys Scott Chernich and Patricia Scott will be presenting a FREE webinar series this fall titled “Collect Your Money in Bankruptcy.” This three-part series will cover what to do as a creditor if you receive a bankruptcy notice in a Chapter 7, Chapter 11 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Read More ›
Categories: Chapter 11, Chapter 13, Chapter 7
Can Filing a Claim in a Debtor’s Bankruptcy be a Violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act? Maybe, But in this Case the Bankruptcy Court Rules in Creditor’s Favor
The Bankruptcy Code is federal law. It affords debtors protections - including the automatic stay and debt discharge injunction - that hold creditors at bay.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) is also federal law. It contains limitations on what a debt collector can do when attempting to collect a debt.
Because debts - and more particularly attempts to collect those debts - drive people into bankruptcy, bankruptcy courts are sometimes forced to grapple with questions of how the Bankruptcy Code and FDCPA interact and impact each other. Read More ›
Categories: Chapter 13, Western District of Michigan