July 07, 2025

Proven Fraud Won’t Always Cut Down the Amount of a Homestead Exemption, BAP Says

To limit the amount of a homestead exemption under Section 522(q)(1)(B)(ii), the fraud must have occurred after the debtor became a fiduciary.

9th Circuit

July 02, 2025

A Promise Not to Enforce a Judgment Meant There Was No Discharge Violation

The inability to modify a Section 524(a) discharge put the Ninth Circuit BAP in a bind.

9th Circuit

June 30, 2025

Sixth Circuit Restricts Ability to Surrender Collateral and Modify a Chapter 13 Plan

Once a chapter 13 plan is confirmed, a debtor in the Sixth Circuit may not surrender collateral and treat the deficiency as an unsecured claim.

6th Circuit, Tennessee, Tennessee Middle District

June 26, 2025

There’s Reciprocal Fee-Shifting in California When a Contract Has Unilateral Fee-Shifting

In California, bringing litigation with a marginal possibility of success could be a bad bet whenever a contract permits one side to recover attorneys’ fees.

9th Circuit, California, California Eastern District

June 25, 2025

Comparative Fault Doesn’t Require Reduced Attorneys’ Fees for Discharge Violations

Seventh Circuit holds that comparative fault requires a reduction in compensatory damages for a discharge violation but not for a debtor’s attorneys’ fees.

7th Circuit

June 18, 2025

State Bar Disciplinary Proceedings Aren’t Barred by the Automatic Stay or Discharge

A BAP decision raises the question of whether Ninth Circuit authority has been implicitly overruled by Supreme Court decisions.

9th Circuit

June 17, 2025

Sale of a Debtor’s Claim Was Champertous and Void, Fifth Circuit Says

Selling a debtor’s claims must be structured to avoid champerty under state law.

5th Circuit

June 13, 2025

When an Objection Is Required for an Exemption Covering ‘100% of FMV’

Judge Hoffman explains when objections are or aren’t required for exemptions covering ‘100% of FMV’ under the current form 106C.

6th Circuit, Ohio, Ohio Southern District

June 09, 2025

In Setting Aside a Tax-Lien Foreclosure, a Hypothetical Gave Standing to the Debtor

If state law prohibits assertion of the homestead exemption in tax foreclosure and the debtor can’t take federal exemptions, does the debtor lack standing to set aside a fraudulent transfer?

2nd Circuit, New York, New York Eastern District

June 04, 2025

How to Liquidate a Secured Lender’s Collateral and Still Get Paid

To liquidate an underwater lender’s collateral, there must be a carveout giving unsecured creditors a ‘meaningful distribution.’

9th Circuit