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Connecticut Man Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy Fraud

Submitted by jhartgen@abi.org on

John H. Durham, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Darryll Harmon of Stratford, Conn., waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to one count of bankruptcy fraud, according to a DOJ press release. According to court documents and statements made in court, Harmon was in default on his HUD-insured mortgage, which was held by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (“CHFA”). In January 2009, CHFA commenced foreclosure proceedings in Connecticut Superior Court. Between January 2009 and October 2013, HARMON filed seven petitions for bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut, which caused the foreclosure proceedings to be automatically stayed until the bankruptcy proceedings were resolved. The bankruptcy court dismissed all but one of the bankruptcy petitions because Harmon failed to pay filing fees or to file required information. On July 25, 2014, the bankruptcy court dismissed Harmon’s seventh bankruptcy petition and issued an order barring Harmon from filing for bankruptcy for the two-year period from July 17, 2014 through July 17, 2016. On July 1, 2016, Harmon filed another bankruptcy petition, this time in the name of another individual who lived in Texas.

November Commercial Chapter 11 Filings Up 12 Percent over Previous Year, Total Bankruptcy Filings Increase Slightly

Submitted by jhartgen@abi.org on

Alexandria, Va. Commercial chapter 11 filings increased 12 percent in November 2017 over November of last year, according to data provided by Epiq Systems, Inc. Commercial chapter 11s totaled 433 in November 2017, up from the 386 commercial chapter 11s in November 2016. Total bankruptcy filings registered a slight increase as the 60,287 reported filings in November 2017 were up 2 percent from the November 2016 total of 59,349. Consumer bankruptcies also increased slightly in November 2017, as the 57,302 reported filings were 2 percent more than the 56,394 consumer filings registered in November 2016. Commercial bankruptcy filings totaled 2,985 in November 2017, a 1 percent increase from the 2,955 commercial filings in November 2016.

“Distressed consumers and businesses seeking the financial relief of bankruptcy are deterred by high filing costs,” said ABI Executive Director Samuel J. Gerdano. “Recommendations by ABI’s Chapter 11 Commission and the ongoing efforts of the Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy are focused on removing barriers to filing for struggling businesses and families.”

To review the final recommendations of the ABI Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11, please click here. To view the ongoing work and upcoming meetings of ABI’s Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy, please click here.

Commercial chapter 11 filings for November increased 37 percent compared to the 316 chapter 11s in October 2017. However, total bankruptcy filings for November decreased 7 percent from the previous month’s total of 64,601 filings. Noncommercial filings also fell 7 percent from the previous month’s noncommercial filing total of 61,591. November’s commercial filing total represented a 1 percent decrease from the October 2017 commercial filing total of 3,010. 

The average nationwide per capita bankruptcy filing rate for the first 11 calendar months of 2017 (Jan. 1-Nov. 30) fell slightly to 2.51 (total filings per 1,000 population) from the rate registered during the first 10 months of the year. The average daily filing total in November 2017 was 3,014, a 2 percent increase from the 2,967 total daily filings registered in November 2016. States with the highest per capita filing rates (total filings per 1,000 population) through the first 11 months of 2017 were:

1. Alabama (5.77)

2. Tennessee (5.60)

3. Georgia (4.72)

4. Mississippi (4.20)

5. Utah (4.06)

For further information about the statistics or additional requests, please contact ABI Public Affairs Manager John Hartgen at 703-894-5935 or jhartgen@abiworld.org.

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ABI is the largest multi-disciplinary, nonpartisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency. ABI was founded in 1982 to provide Congress and the public with unbiased analysis of bankruptcy issues. The ABI membership includes more than 11,000 attorneys, accountants, bankers, judges, professors, lenders, turnaround specialists and other bankruptcy professionals, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. For additional information on ABI, visit www.abi.org. For additional conference information, visit http://www.abi.org/calendar-of-events.

Epiq Systems is a leading provider of managed technology for the global legal profession.  Epiq Systems offers innovative technology solutions for electronic discovery, document review, legal notification, claims administration and controlled disbursement of funds.  Epiq System’s clients include leading law firms, corporate legal departments, bankruptcy trustees, government agencies, mortgage processors, financial institutions, and other professional advisors who require innovative technology, responsive service and deep subject-matter expertise. For more information on Epiq Systems, Inc., please visit http://www.epiqsystems.com

Rosa Parks’ Lawyer Surrenders Items Amid Treasure Hunt

Submitted by jhartgen@abi.org on

Rosa Parks’ lawyer has turned over pieces from a missing treasure trove of civil rights, Motown and African American history but several items remain missing ahead of a deadline today, the Detroit News reported. Items lawyer Gregory Reed surrendered last month include a signed first-edition copy of educator Booker T. Washington’s 1901 autobiography “Up From Slavery,” a Parks print and artwork, according to a federal court filing Monday. But Reed said he no longer had Parks’ key to the city, framed gold records and iron slave shackles. The court filing Monday is the latest development in a bankruptcy case of a prominent Detroit attorney that featured claims about missing treasure, a mansion with secret rooms and crates stuffed with historical objects. Reed became Parks’ legal adviser in the 1990s and said his client list included singers Aretha Franklin and Anita Baker. Reed faced a deadline Tuesday to surrender more than 100 items or face a possible jail sentence. Bankruptcy Judge Marci McIvor last month delayed deciding whether to send Reed to jail for failing to turn over the items and gave him until 9 a.m. today to produce the pieces.