Filing bankruptcy for one company may bring the assets of another company owned by the same family or group into the bankruptcy of the first. In a recent decision, In re Cameron Construction & Roofing Co., Adv. P. No. 15-1121, 2016 WL 7241337 (Bankr. D. Mass. December 14, 2016), the Bankruptcy Court made the assets […]
Please Note:
The information in this web site is not intended to constitute legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship. It is also important to note that the information contained in this article may be outdated.
It is very important that you obtain legal advice from an experienced bankruptcy attorney regarding your particular situation. Consultation before you take action will certainly cost you less than what it will cost to fix your unintentional errors.
I was fortunate enough to be invited for a short interview on a local radio station. The short discussion is about financial challenges and bankruptcy. This is just an audio program, but it is only 12 minutes long. I hope the information is informative.
About the Author:
Diane L. Drain is a well known and respected Arizona bankruptcy attorney. She is an expert in both consumer bankruptcy and real estate laws. Since 1985 she has been a dedicated advocate for her clients and spokesperson for Arizona citizens. Diane is a professor of law and has taught bankruptcy for more than 20 years. As a teacher she believes in offering everyone, not just her clients, advice about the Arizona bankruptcy laws. She is also a mentor to hundreds of Arizona attorneys.Read More →
Connect with Diane on google+ *This article is available for educational purposes only and does not provide specific legal advice. By using this information, you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and me, and that this information should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from an attorney familiar with your personal circumstances and licensed to practice law in your state.*
Please Note:
This area is intended for the exclusive use of attorneys. You know the drill – do your own due diligence. We make no representations as to the accuracy or current status of any information cited herein.
If you are NOT an attorney it is important to educate yourself, but this is not the place to do it. You must obtain legal advice from an experienced attorney familiar with your unique situation. Fixing unintentional errors will cost far more than doing it right the first time; if it can be fixed at all.
The information in this web site is not intended to constitute legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship.
IMPORTANT: This firm makes NO representations as to the accuracy or current status of any law, case, article or publication cited herein or linked to.
Warning – some of these references are pre-BAPCPA.
REOPENING BANKRUPTCY CASE
This Motion is filed on an Ex Parte basis in that JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (the “Defendant”) never filed a response to the Summons and Complaint or an appearance in the adversary matter. The request for relief herein is ministerial in nature Cusano v. Klein, 264 F.3d 936, 948 (9th Cir.2001) (“The mere reopening of a bankruptcy case is a ministerial act that ‘lacks independent legal significance and determines nothing with respect to the merits of the case.”) (citation omitted). Cause exists to file this motion on an ex parte basis and to grant the relief requested by the Plaintiffs herein. The Debtors’ motion is as follows:
Also, check out section 350 of the Code.
Please Note:
The information in this web site is not intended to constitute legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship. It is also important to note that the information contained in this article may be outdated.
It is very important that you obtain legal advice from an experienced bankruptcy attorney regarding your particular situation. Consultation before you take action will certainly cost you less than what it will cost to fix your unintentional errors.
The following is an excellent article by another attorney. I like to give credit where credit is due – so I offer to you Mr. Blades insights. These also are true for Arizona residents.
Written by Rock Hill Bankruptcy Lawyer, Showell Blades
A client who has a good bankruptcy lawyer usually has a calm experience once the case is filed. The idea is to, as my mentor explained to me twenty years ago, disclose everything and fly under the radar. You do not want to do anything which draws unnecessary attention to your file or your fact situation so that your creditors or the United States Trustee’s office decides to take a closer look at the file. Even if nothing comes of that closer look, the process can be stressful for the clients.
Recently I had a woman storm out of my Rock Hill bankruptcy office after a free thirty-minute consultation which she ended by calling me an unpleasant orifice. My crime: I told her she had to wait four months to file bankruptcy and she wanted to file right then. She would best be served by remembering Ovid’s quote: “Bear patiently with a rival.”
The reason a client with a good bankruptcy attorney usually has a calm experience once the case is filed is because that attorney knows of the pitfalls that can come from taking simple actions, or by not taking them, before the case is filed. If all the bases are covered properly, there is nothing for anyone to scrutinize, or the client is at least prepared for those items which will come under closer scrutiny.
Be advised: the bankruptcy system can be a system where you encounter strong, well-funded and well-prepared rivals. Ovid’s advice can come in handy.
First, Debtors need to make sure that they do not have any deposits in any banks to which they owe money, whether in the form of CDs, checking or savings accounts, or other forms of deposits. This is because a bank has the right of setoff. If you file bankruptcy and owe a bank any money, then that bank has the right to administratively freeze the account and take the funds to pay the loan which you are not likely to pay in bankruptcy. For that reason, most good bankruptcy attorneys will make sure that you move your accounts to which you owe no funds so that you do not file bankruptcy and have your checking account frozen and all of the money that you would have going to pay bills that month disappear. You will not get it back. Also, keep in mind that many clients have automatic payroll deposits which need to be moved and drafts to pay important things like life and health insurance which need to be moved (both of which often take thirty days to change) .
Second, your attorney will ask you to whom you’ve paid payments on debts within the ninety days prior to filing bankruptcy and to whom you’ve paid payments on debts within the one year prior to filing bankruptcy if the lender was a family member. Take time to think about your answers. If you say “No one” and the bankruptcy trustee finds out that you have, then you have not told the truth which means you’ve committed at least three federal crimes. Additionally, any payment on a debt which qualifies as one of the above payment can be taken back by the trustee (preferential treatment) and given to the rest of your creditors. In other words, if you gave Aunt Zelda the $15,000 you owed her eight months ago and then you file bankruptcy, your bankruptcy trustee can sue Aunt Zelda to get all of the money back and will win causing her great concern because she probably doesn’t have it. Christmas will never be the same.
Also, if you paid the four mortgage payments you were behind all at once a month before you file bankruptcy and do not wait ninety-one days after that check clears, then the trustee may be able to get all of that money back from the mortgage company. You would find yourself in bankruptcy and still four mortgage payments behind which could put you in foreclosure. Tell your attorney about these things and expect to have to wait to file bankruptcy.
Third, if you are remotely thinking about filing bankruptcy or feel overwhelmed, but you have a 401(k) or IRA or a similar investment vehicle, and are thinking about solving your problems by cashing it in, DON’T. Go talk to a bankruptcy attorney and get some advice. This is for several reasons. Initially, you need to understand that your creditors cannot take that investment from you no matter how broke you are. It is exempt, protected from the reach of creditors or the bankruptcy trustee. So leave it alone. Don’t cave to the creditors’ threats and take what may be your last or only safe asset.
Another reason to consider disposing of this asset very carefully is this: I cannot tell you how many people I have seen who have cashed in their 401(k) and paid their credit cards down only to find themselves overwhelmed and now without their 401(k) still needing to file bankruptcy. Get advice before you try to pay off your debts with your 401(k). The only way I would advise that would be if you could pay off all of your debts in full, be able to handle any tax ramifications of cashing it in early, and be able to make it on your family budget after the debts are gone so that you do not find yourself upside down very soon so that cashing in the 401(k) was a waste.
Finally, if you cash in your 401(k) within the six months prior to filing bankruptcy, this could cause you to fail the Means Test. This is one of the things that the Court looks at to see if you qualify for bankruptcy and, if so, which type and what a payment would be if you filed a chapter 13. (This reason MAY have been negated by a Supreme Court decision that came out this week, but I wouldn’t want to be the first person to try to make sure of that). So talk to your attorney before you do it.
A fourth trap for the unwary is to renew loans or taking out loans prior to filing bankruptcy. You need to tell your attorney what you’ve done with your credit in the last six months or so. This is because creditors have the right to object to your discharging, or getting rid of, their debts. There are a number of reasons creditors can use to do this but one of them involves your borrowing money right before you file bankruptcy. What IS “right before filing bankruptcy” is not defined. I have had a creditor object to charges that were made four and a half months prior to my client filing bankruptcy. If this happens you have to pay me extra money to defend that lawsuit or you have to settle it by paying back the creditor. It can be avoided by figuring out when you last used credit, telling your attorney, and waiting to file. Renewals of loans before filing count also.
The fifth and final trap involves not making sure you know what your assets (your property) is worth. Your attorney is going to be asking you all kinds of questions. Many of them deal with the value of your house, your cars, your furniture, antiques, an other property. The Court expects you to know what they are worth. If you do not it could have bad results for you for several reasons.
Most of the reasons involve the trustee’s selling your stuff because he can make money by selling them, paying off the liens on them, paying you your share of the money (your exemption) and, if he still can make more money after all of that, it is his to use pay to your creditors. If you make sure that you have an accurate value for your assets, then it will be close to what a trustee could get by selling them and your attorney can claim the correct exemptions and protect your assets. Since sometimes you have to make choices about what you want to protect and what you don’t, knowing a good value is important.
Also, a recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion (“Schwab” exemption case) says that, if a debtor undervalued his assets when he claimed his exemptions and a trustee can sell them for more, the Debtor cannot get the money that the trustee made over the debtor’s exemption amount even if he could have claimed more but did not. Thus, you need to know the value so you can claim the full amount of protection.
Another reason value is important is that, in some cases, if your collateral is worth less than you owe, you can pay the value of the collateral to the creditor and not the larger amount that you owe. If you undervalue your stuff and file a motion to value and the property turns out to be worth close to what you owe, then you wasted everyone’s time and you and your attorney look stupid.
Finally, if you undervalue your assets and they turn out to be worth significantly more, not only could you lose them but you could find yourself being criminally prosecuted for bankruptcy fraud. This could happen even if you did not intentionally undervalue them; rather, you were too lazy or irresponsible to try to find out a good value. Debtors have the burden of investigating their affairs and reporting everything truthfully and completely to the Court.
In summary, there are many considerations which must be addressed before you file bankruptcy. Attorneys know that everyone who needs to file bankruptcy wants it done as soon as possible. However, it also is their job to help Debtors make the best decisions. Debtors must understand that sometimes they must fully apprise their attorneys of the facts and think about what they are telling their attorneys (and of what their attorneys are telling them). They also need to understand that, sometimes, they are going to have to be patient before they enter Bankruptcy World because the wolves are at the door.
Please Note:
This area is intended for the exclusive use of attorneys. You know the drill – do your own due diligence. We make no representations as to the accuracy or current status of any information cited herein.
If you are NOT an attorney it is important to educate yourself, but this is not the place to do it. You must obtain legal advice from an experienced attorney familiar with your unique situation. Fixing unintentional errors will cost far more than doing it right the first time; if it can be fixed at all.
The information in this web site is not intended to constitute legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship.
IMPORTANT: This firm makes NO representations as to the accuracy or current status of any law, case, article or publication cited herein or linked to.
Warning – some of these references are pre-BAPCPA.
DISCLAIMER OF INHERITANCE PRE-BANKRUPTCY
In re Costas, 06-16520, 555 F.3d 790 (2009) (BAP 9th Cir. 2008) Costas inherited $34,800, but refused to accept it and, on November 7, 2002, executed a disclaimer under Arizona law to relinquish her claims to the Trust property.
December 3, 2002, Costas filed a Chapter 7. Maureen Gaughan, trustee, sought to avoid Costas’ disclaimer of the Trust property under 11 U.S.C. § 548 as a fraudulent conveyance within a two year pre-petition. The question in this case is whether an Arizona disclaimer qualifies as a “transfer … of an interest of the debtor in property.” BAP decided “not a transfer”Arizona’s relation-back rule says that a disclaimant neither transfers nor possesses an interest in disclaimed property and thus creditors cannot reach the disclaimed interest. We hold that a disclaimer, properly executed under Arizona law, is not a “transfer … of an interest of the debtor in property” for purposes of § 548.
Please Note:
This area is intended for the exclusive use of attorneys. You know the drill – do your own due diligence. We make no representations as to the accuracy or current status of any information cited herein.
If you are NOT an attorney it is important to educate yourself, but this is not the place to do it. You must obtain legal advice from an experienced attorney familiar with your unique situation. Fixing unintentional errors will cost far more than doing it right the first time; if it can be fixed at all.
The information in this web site is not intended to constitute legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship.
IMPORTANT: This firm makes NO representations as to the accuracy or current status of any law, case, article or publication cited herein or linked to.
Warning – some of these references are pre-BAPCPA.
JUDGMENTS
Typically unsecured liens do not exist after bankruptcy because the liens did not attach to anything before bankruptcy. The judgments are void per 11 USC 524(a)(1). A void judgment cannot create a post-petition lien. Therefore the judgments do not attach as liens to property acquired post-petition.
It is true that pre-petition liens on nonexempt property survive bankruptcy, but that requires that the liens have attached pre-petition to property owned pre-petition.
524 (a) A discharge in a case under this title—
(1) voids any judgment at any time obtained, to the extent that such judgment is a determination of the personal liability of the debtor with respect to any debt discharged under section 727, 944, 1141, 1228, or 1328 of this title, whether or not discharge of such debt is waived;
LIEN AVOIDANCE
In re Charnock, 318 B.R. 720 (BAP 9th Cir, 2004) has the legislative history of 522(f)(2) and says that the debtor may avoid a judgment lien recorded before a consensual lien regardless of state law, because Congress wanted to favor consensual liens regardless of the priority of recording.
In many cases, filing for bankruptcy is your best financial option. However, that doesn’t mean your head, heart and wallet are in sync. Bankruptcy can be difficult to accept emotionally. When you’re facing bankruptcy, it is normal to be overwhelmed by feelings of loss and frustration. There are a few steps you can take to help relieve the emotional stress that accompanies your financial situation.
It can be very difficult not to focus on the negative aspects of declaring bankruptcy. You may be losing a business you’ve put an enormous amount of time and money into building or a home you’ve raised your family in. At the very least, you are admitting that, whether it was your fault or not, you ended up under water. The best way to tear your mind away from these negative feelings is to stay focused. Make a detailed calendar that includes the steps you need to take toward having your debts discharged, and focus on the process.
The process of filing for bankruptcy is complex and often frustrating. However, take some solace in knowing the Automatic Stay granted by filing for bankruptcy protection will get the harassing debt collectors off your back. Know that when your filing process is complete, you will have a clean slate and be back on the road to good financial health.
The most important thing you can do to avoid an unnecessarily painful emotional experience with bankruptcy is to surround yourself with people who want to help. This means being open with family members, and accepting their support.
In addition, choosing an experienced bankruptcy lawyer who has been through this before with other families can really be helpful legally and emotionally. No matter how you feel about bankruptcy, your attorney has seen the benefits of getting through the process. It’s good to have a knowledgeable advisor on your team.
