Law Off of D.L. Drain P.A., Arizona Bankruptcy Lawyer | "Helping You Get Your Life Back on Track"
Law Off of D.L. Drain P.A., Arizona Bankruptcy Lawyer | "Helping You Get Your Life Back on Track"

Bankruptcy Case Law & Notes

Resources available about laws established
by the outcome of prior cases

Bankruptcy Case Law & NotesSite Producer2024-03-09T18:28:52-07:00

Resources & Notes

Included below are resources, along with Judge Novak’s research binder (Northern District of California)

Resources for the bankruptcy practitioner:

IMPORTANT: This firm practices exclusively in Arizona, therefore most of these cases and notes are either Arizona or Ninth Circuit. Do your own homework.

Supreme Court Bankruptcy Cases

Below are bankruptcy case laws established by former cases. If you are interested in Supreme Court bankruptcy cases visit the following link.

The Practice of Law

The “practice of law” is the application of legal principles and judgment to a person’s circumstances or objectives that necessitate the knowledge and skill of a lawyer. To read more about the “practice of law” visit the following link.

Resources for Lawyers

If you are looking for more information and additional resources, visit this section that offers a sampling of basic and generic legal information for lawyers, not for the general public

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Practice Tips, Including Drafting

Looking for tips from our practice? We have included a section where we provide tips for lawyers. This section also includes drafting.

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Summary of Bankruptcy Case Law

Use this page as a way to quickly reference bankruptcy case laws. When the court interprets portions of the guidelines that are ambiguous or makes a determination about how the guidelines should be applied to a case with a specific set of facts, case law contributes to our understanding of the rules.

A-I

Terms of the loan: max $2 million, term 30 years, 4% max, collateral required for loans over $25,000. Loans of $200,000 or less did not require owners to use a primary residence as collateral if they had other assets worth at least the amount of the loan. There is no prepayment penalty or fee.

The Small Business Administration parameters for the use of EIDL loans are:

Working capital to make regular payments for operating expenses, including payroll, rent/mortgage, utilities, and other ordinary business expenses, and to pay business debt incurred at any time (past, present, or future).

  • The term “working capital” is often defined as a formula subtracting current liabilities from current assets, as listed on the company’s balance sheet.  Current assets include cash, accounts receivable, and inventory.  Current liabilities include accounts payable, taxes, wages, and interest owed.
  • EIDL Loans are not forgivable and must be repaid
  • EIDL Grants do not need to be repaid

Consequences of Default:

  • Any collateral (property) you pledged for the loan is at risk. Depending on the applicable state law, the lender has the right to take the property and sell those assets to repay the loan.
  • Any parties or entities that guaranteed the loan can be required or sued to repay the loan balance.
  • The SBA will send a demand letter, demanding that the loan be repaid.
  • The SBA can sue the borrower or guarantor of the EIDL loans.
  • The business and personal credit reports will show the default, and the credit report will decline.
  • The SBA can lien and levy on federally held assets, such as tax refunds.
  • The loan default will be reported to the IRS and the borrower may have to recognize income equal to the amount of the loan default, which is not repaid to the lender.

Extended Statute of Limitations to pursue fraud charges: 10 years.

  • H.R. 7352, PPP and Bank Fraud Enforcement Harmonization Act of 2022.  This law applies to first- and second draw loans.
  • H.R. 7334, the “COVID-19 EIDL Fraud Statute of Limitations Act of 2022,” which gives prosecutors 10 years to file fraud charges (probably starts running from discovery of fraud??) connected to loan applications from the COVID-19 related EIDL program, including EIDL advances and Targest EIDL advances.

WHAT IS DISCHARGEABLE IN BANKRUPTCY?

EIDL loans are generally dischargeable in bankruptcy, absent any action to determine nondischargability under 523 (A)(2), (4) or (6).  Must determine how the funds used the loans (need business and accounting records).

  • A business can file for chapter 7 or 11 bankruptcy or 11, subV.
  • Personal liability for guaranteed EIDL loans can be discharged in a 7, 11 or 13, again assuming no fraud.

DRUGS, INCLUDING MARIJUANA (not just bankruptcy cases and notes)

WHAT IS AN EXECUTORY CONTRACT?

An executory contract is easily defined as one in which both parties have unfinished duties to perform toward the each other. In bankruptcy: an executory contract is a contract under which the obligation of both the bankrupt and the other party to the contract are so far unperformed that the failure of either to complete performance would constitute a material breach excusing performance of the other.

  1. In dealing with executory contracts in bankruptcy there are three terms: Assume, reject, and reaffirm. They each involve their own issues.
  2. The second issue is, are we talking about the debtor, or the trustee? The effect of failure to reject a contract may differ as between the estate and the debtor personally.

Bell v. Herrera (In re Bell) (Bankr. M.D. Pa. 2019)  HELD: REJECTION OF AN EXECUTORY CONTRACT DOES NOT NECESSARILY INVALIDATE IT

“Respondents, and others entered into an Agreement of Settlement and Mutual Release as to licensing rights regarding a band known as Fear Factory. The Agreement resolved a litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California (pre-bankruptcy litigation).

“Three months later, on July 12, 2011, Bell, along with the joint Movant, Amy L. Johnson, filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy in this Court. They obtained a discharge on November 14, 2011.  Chapter 7 Trustee never assumed or rejected the Agreement.

NOTE: the point in Bell and similar opinions is that in a chapter 7, the trustee representing the estate has an opportunity to assume or reject the agreement as to the estate. But the trustee’s failure to assume it, which automatically results in rejection per 11 U.S.C. § 365, affects only the estate, not necessarily the debtor personally. As to the debtor the contract is not automatically terminated.


HELD: DEBTOR DID NOT REAFFIRM PRE-PETITION CONTRACT – HENCE CONTRACT IS VOID

Behrens v. Woodhaven Ass’n, 87 BR 971 (Bankr. N.D. Ill., 1988)

“Woodhaven would like to enforce this contract obligation against the Debtors because, in its view, they failed to wriggle out from under the obligations of the contract after bankruptcy. The problem with this analysis is that it is contrary to the scheme of the Bankruptcy Code.

“The only method … by which the Debtors’ obligation on the contract could have survived bankruptcy was a reaffirmation. In this 1983 case, that reaffirmation would have had to be signed by the Debtors before discharge and not have been rescinded by them within 30 days after it became effective. 11 U.S.C. § 524(c) (1983). [cites] Of course, no such reaffirmation was obtained here.

“The scheme set up by 11 U.S.C. §§ 524(c) & (d) is exclusive. The legislative history makes it clear that no other method of reaffirming a dischargeable debt can cause a debtor’s obligation on a prepetition contract to be enforceable after the debtor is discharged in a Chapter 7 case.


In re Nguyen (Bankr. S.D. Tex., 2013)

“The movants argue that Nguyen’s failure to terminate the contract with Reliant meant that they were entitled to continue postpetition to supply electricity and continue to charge Nguyen until he actively terminated the contract.

“For two reasons, this argument fails. First, this statement implies that Reliant’s contract with Nguyen was not an executory contract automatically rejected under § 365(d)(1) after it was not assumed within 60 days of the order for relief.

“Second, any assumption would have been by the Estate, not by Nguyen. Perhaps Reliant is confusing Nguyen’s ability to reaffirm debt with the Estate’s ability to assume the contract.

“In any event, the contract was not reaffirmed and Nguyen has no liability under the contract. The absence of liability under the contract would not allow Nguyen to use Reliant’s postdischarge electricity for free, but the obligation would not arise under the discharged contract.”


Carruth v. Eutsler (In re Eutsler) 2017 WL 6607196 (9th Cir BAP 2017)  The Ninth Circuit defines executory contracts as agreements under which the obligations of both the debtor and other party are so far unperformed that the failure of either to complete performance would constitute a material breach excusing the performance of the other. Materiality, in turn, depends on whether, under applicable state law, one party’s nonperformance would excuse the other party’s obligation to perform. Courts will look at the outstanding obligations as of the petition date and ask whether both sides still have unperformed obligations.

J-Z

WHAT IS VENUE?

28 U.S.C. Section 1408: a. District in which the domicile, residence, principal place of business in the United States, or principal assets in the United States of the debtor have been located for the 180 days preceding the filing, or for a longer portion of such 180-day period. See Broady v. Harvey (In re Broady), 247 B.R. 470 (B.A.P. 8th Cir. 2000); In re Fishman, 205 B.R. 147 (Bankr. E.D. Ark. 1997); or

b. District in which a case under title 11 concerning such debtor’s affiliate, general partner, or partnership is pending.


“Venue” in bankruptcy refers to the proper district in which your bankruptcy should be filed. In most consumer cases proper venue is a simple matter of filing the bankruptcy petition in the district and division in which the debtor has his/her residence or business headquarters. For instance, if you live in Phoenix, then normally, you would file for bankruptcy in the Phoenix U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Arizona only has one district, unlike other states (e.g. California) that have more than one district.


WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DOMICILE AND RESIDENCE?

Domicile and residence are not the same thing.  A person can only have one domicile, but they can have multiple residences.

Residence: a person can have multiple residences – a primary home, a beach property and a cabin are all considered residences.  Where as, a Domicile refers to the primary place the individual lives (usually this is the address on their driver’s license and tax returns). For

For instance – John and Jane live in Minnesota (their drivers’ licenses are Minnesota).  During the winter they become “snow birds” and travel to Arizona for 6 months, returning to Minnesota when it starts to warm up.  They have residences in both Minnesota and Arizona, however their domicile is Minnesota.

The Arizona Supreme Court decided those living in motorized homes (such as RVs) cannot protect their homes.

The Arizona Supreme Court decided those living in motorized homes (such as motor homes and RVs) cannot protect their homes. The Arizona Supreme Court's [...]

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