Archive for August, 2008

Chapter 13 discharge debts

The 4th Circuit has ruled that an intervening chapter 13 bankruptcy case does not toll the time period for discharge under 727(a)(8).

What is included in the bankruptcy lawyer fees?

Fort Worth lawyer advisory committee is on the “No Look” Chapter 13 fee arrangement. Specifically, looking at specifically what work should be included under the No Look fee agreement and what work can or should be excluded from the flat, no look, fee. Does anyone have a copy of the list, or contract or other document that your Bankruptcy Court has adopted relating to the work to be performed both within and outside of the confines of the “No Look” fee?

What will happen to my car?

Debtor is now in default, with nothing more. Does not specifically trigger any enforcement mechanism of default against the debtor if you literally read the provisions. Maybe this triggers remedies against a cosignor outside of Texas bankruptcy attorney, or default swap agreement, etc. The problem is that the statute talks about a contractual provision that operates to say default. This is much different than enforcement of the default. If they meant enforcement of a provision after default, it could have easily have been written “nothing in this title will prevent [the remedies under contract, state law, or repossession arising from] the operation of a provision to place a debtor in default…….”

The Funds are not Property of Debtor’s Estate

11 USC 541(b)(1) states that property of the state does not include “any power the debtor may exercise soley for the benefit of an entity other than the debtor.” Additionally, 541 (d) states that property in which debtor holds “. . . only legal title and not an equitable interest. . .” is not property of the bankruptcy estate. In this case, debtor opened a separate bank account for her son and placed the child’s future child support monies in that account. Debtor has no equitable right to that money other than to provide for the support of the child. She holds mere legal title to the account because her minor child cannot legally maintain the account.
Support payments to the debtor on behalf of a child are considered trust funds which are beyond the reach of the bankruptcy trustee. In re: Gardner, 243 F. Supp 258 (D. Or. 1965); see also, Boston v. Gardner, 365 F.2d 242 (9th Cir 1966). These trust fund monies are not property of the estate. 11 USC 541(b)(1) and (d). In Dallas, the lawyer bankruptcy trustee attempted to gain control of child support payments: both current obligations and arrears. Id. at 259. The Court held that the custodial parent lacked ownership of child support payments because she held the money for the care, maintenance, education and support of her child. Id. At 258.

wells fargo preemption claim against Cleveland’s nuisance based litigation

On January 10, 2008, Cleveland sued Plaintiffs’ parent, Wells Fargo & Company,together with twenty other defendants, alleging, in a public nuisance action under Ohio law, that“subprime lending abuses” have inflicted “damage” upon Cleveland. See Cleveland v. DeutscheBank Trust Company, et al., Case No. 1:08-cv-00139-DCN, ¶ 4. Among other things,Cleveland’s complaint in that case (“the Complaint” or “Cleveland’s Complaint”) alleges (¶ 32)that “[b]etween 2002 and 2006, [Wells Fargo] issued more than 30 billion in securities backed by sub-prime mortgages”; that “Wells Fargo itself also has originated tens of thousands of sub-prime mortgages”; and that “[o]ver the last four years, Wells Fargo has filed more than 4,000foreclosure actions in Cuyahoga County.” Cleveland’s Complaint seeks equitable relief and damages for “a foreclosure crisis as the inescapable consequence of” the defendants’, including Wells Fargo & Company’s, alleged conduct.23.Wells Fargo & Company does not originate, purchase, service, sell or securitize residential mortgage loans. However, Plaintiffs Wells Fargo Bank and WFASC do, and basedon the allegations in Cleveland’s Complaint, Plaintiffs face an imminent threat that Clevelandwill apply the state-law public nuisance theory in its Complaint to their real-estate mortgage loan origination, purchasing, servicing, sales and securitization activities. Cleveland’s nuisance action thereby threatens to impair and interfere with Plaintiffs’ federally authorized powers to originate real-estate mortgage loans and determine the interest rates for such mortgage loans, aswell as to purchase, service, sell and securitize such mortgage loans. Plaintiffs bring this suit to prevent Cleveland’s imminent threat to Plaintiffs’ federal rights.24.In Ohio, “a ‘public nuisance’ is ‘an unreasonable interference with a right common to the general public.’ 4 Restatement, Section 821B(1). ‘Unreasonable interference’includes those acts that significantly interfere with public health, safety, peace, comfort, o rconvenience, conduct that is contrary to a statute, ordinance, or regulation, or conduct that is of acontinuing nature or one which has produced a permanent or long-lasting effect upon the publicright, an effect of which the actor is aware or should be aware.” City of Cincinnati v. Beretta U.S.A. Corp., 768 N.E.2d 1136, 1142 (Ohio 2002).25.Because Cleveland’s action has purportedly been brought to enforce state law,and seeks to vindicate an alleged right common to the general public, its action constitutes“visitation” on Plaintiffs. 12 C.F.R. § 7.4000(a)(2). As such, Cleveland’s nuisance actionthreatens to interfere with the OCC’s exclusive visitorial authority over the Plaintiffs’ banking-related activities.

Secured Judgment Files Unsecured Claim in Ch 13 and Receives Distribution

A secured judgment holder files an unsecured claim (which was allowed) in a chapter 13 and receives a distribution and the case is discharged. The judgment remains of record on non-homstead property.