When the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments today in Bullock v. BankChampaign NA, a case over what constitutes defalcation by a bankruptcy trustee, it will have the students of Emory University School of Law to thank, Reuters reported today. The Emory Law School Supreme Court Advocacy Project, which may be the only student-run group aimed at seeking out appealable cases to the nation's highest court, is responsible for connecting appellant Randy Curtis Bullock with Thomas Byrne, the Sutherland Asbill & Brennan lawyer who will argue the case. Bullock filed for bankruptcy in 2009, hoping to discharge a $250,000 penalty imposed when a court found that he had committed self-dealing stemming from his role as trustee of his father's life insurance trust. Bullock had made—and eventually paid back—three loans under the trust, including to help his mother pay off debt. BankChampaign, which became trustee after Bullock's resignation, objected to the discharge, contending that Bullock's missteps constituted defalcation, a misappropriation that results in a debt not being dischargeable in bankruptcy. Bullock argued his case pro se in bankruptcy court, then used lawyers from Thigpen Behel Engelthaler & Scott on appeal. The Emory group stepped in because Bullock was unable to finance an appeal to the Supreme Court, Byrne said in an interview.
