August 23, 2024

Chapter 13 Debtors Keep Property that Was Unintentionally Undisclosed

Revesting allowed chapter 13 debtors to retain property that was innocently undisclosed.

1st Circuit, Massachusetts

August 19, 2024

Revesting on Discharge in Chapter 13 Can’t Be Mandated, Fourth Circuit Says

Local rules and local standard plans cannot force a chapter 13 debtor to disregard one of the options in Section 1327 and require revesting of estate assets on discharge.

4th Circuit

August 13, 2024

Denial of a Debtor’s Motion to Dismiss a Petition Isn’t Appealable, Second Circuit Says

In practical effect, the Second Circuit’s opinion means that a chapter 7 debtor may never appeal denial of a motion to dismiss a petition.

2nd Circuit

August 12, 2024

Supreme Court’s Jarkesy Opinion Clarifies Granfinanciera on Jury Trial Rights

A Supreme Court nonbankruptcy decision means there is no right to a jury trial in the claims-allowance process in bankruptcy.

Supreme Court

August 08, 2024

Circuit Says Retaining Jurisdiction Not Required to Impose Fees Under Section 303(i)

Motions for fees must be made within 14 days of the entry of judgment.

1st Circuit

August 02, 2024

Split Fourth Circuit Panel Bars Use of Equity to Correct an Oversight in Retention

The majority in the Fourth Circuit based a bright-line rule on the presence of the word ‘the’ in Section 327(a).

4th Circuit

August 01, 2024

Ninth Circuit Employs Equity to Avoid Following the Supreme Court’s Taylor and Schwab

Claiming 100% of FMV didn’t enable debtors to exempt more than the statutory cap when there had been no objection to the exemption claim.

9th Circuit

July 31, 2024

Tyler Applied Retroactively to Set Aside a Judgment of Tax Foreclosure

Tyler was applied retroactively because the debtor’s efforts to set aside a tax foreclosure judgment were ‘in the pipeline’ when bankruptcy began.

3rd Circuit, New Jersey

July 29, 2024

BAP Holds that Nondischargeability for Actual Fraud Requires Justifiable Reliance

The Tenth Circuit BAP inferred a requirement of justifiable reliance on nondischargeability for actual fraud.

10th Circuit

July 24, 2024

Arbitration Nixed on a Lender’s Claims for Violation of the Automatic Stay

Bankruptcy Judge Paul Black denied a motion to compel arbitration but didn’t decide whether he would certify a class.

4th Circuit, Virginia, Virginia Western District