January 24, 2020
Incorporating AAA Rules by Reference Won’t Work with Consumers
Courts are split on the question of whether the incorporation of AAA rules by reference allows arbitrators to decide threshold questions of arbitrability and validity of an agreement to arbitrate.
4th Circuit, South CarolinaDecember 20, 2019
Treasury Offset Program Can’t Be Used After Bankruptcy, District Judge Says
Now on the district court bench, then-Bankruptcy Judge Frank Volk was upheld in a tricky case involving the government’s right of setoff.
4th Circuit, West Virginia, West Virginia Southern DistrictDecember 19, 2019
Supreme Court Grants ‘Cert’ to Decide Whether Inaction Violates the Automatic Stay
Virginia case highlights the damage that will be done to debtor protections if affirmative action is required for a stay violation.
4th Circuit, Virginia, Virginia Eastern DistrictNovember 27, 2019
Support for Indigent Extended Family Cut Off in Chapter 13, but Life Insurance Wasn’t
Chapter 13 forces judges to micromanage the lives of debtors.
4th Circuit, Virginia, Virginia Eastern DistrictNovember 07, 2019
One Owner May Strip a Lien Off Property Owned JTWROS, Judge Huennekens Says
Courts disagree on lien stripping by one owner of entireties property and jointly owned property.
4th Circuit, Virginia, Virginia Eastern DistrictOctober 30, 2019
Another Appellate Court Bars Arbitration of ‘Core’ Claims
State attorney general was allowed to intervene in a class suit alleging that a lender violated usury laws.
4th Circuit, Virginia, Virginia Eastern DistrictOctober 17, 2019
In Chapters 7 and 13, ‘Excusable Neglect’ Won’t Always Justify Filing a Late Claim
A creditor without knowledge of bankruptcy isn’t always entitled to file a late claim in chapters 7, 12, and 13, Judge Harner says.
4th Circuit, MarylandOctober 04, 2019
Separate Classification of a Child’s Student Loan Barred in a Chapter 13 Plan
Factors in permitting separate classification of debts include moral obligation and tangible benefit.
4th Circuit, North Carolina, North Carolina Eastern DistrictMay 31, 2019
One Preference Won’t Prevent Another from Being a Preference
A joint check agreement signed in the preference window is a preference, two Virginia judges say.
4th Circuit, Virginia, Virginia Eastern DistrictMay 29, 2019
Fourth Circuit Eliminates a Split on Modifying Short Term Mortgages in Chapter 13
Joining two other circuits, the Fourth Circuit now permits a chapter 13 debtor to strip down a short term home mortgage to the value of the property.
4th Circuit