By Scott Riddle Posted in Eleventh Circuit CasesIn a case of first impression in the Eleventh Circuit, the Circuit Panel addressed the dischargeability of debts incurred by a produce buyer who is acting as a trustee under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (“PACA”). In re Forrest, 2022 WL 3908803 (11th Cir. August 31, 2022)(click here for .pdf). The court concluded that debts… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Eleventh Circuit Cases,Northern District CasesIn Auriga Polymers, Inc. v. PMCM2, LLC, as Liquidating Trustee, No. 20-14647, 2022 WL 2800195 (11th Cir. July 17, 2022) (click here for .pdf) the creditor, Auriga, received transfers of more than $2.2 million in the 90 days before the Debtor, Beaulieu Group, LLC, filed its Bankruptcy case on July 16, 2017. During the 90… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Consumer Bankruptcy Guide,Northern District CasesIn the case of In re Ruff, 2022 B.R. 1638964, Ch. 7 Case No. 20-68855-pwb (Bankr. N.D.Ga. March 31, 2022) (click here for .pdf) the issue was whether the educational loans owed by the Debtor were “consumer” debts as defined by 11 U.S.C. §101(8) of the Bankruptcy Code, and incorporated into 11 U.S.C. §707(b). If… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Eleventh Circuit Cases,Northern District CasesOnce again, a Bankruptcy case leads to a key opinion in Georgia real estate law and, as often the case, the Chapter 7 Trustee prevails. In In re Lindstrom, 2022 WL 1041192 (11th Cir. April 7, 2022) (click here for .pdf) the issue was the validity of a security deed, the interpretation of the Georgia… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Northern District Cases[Updated – The Trustee has filed a Motion for Rehearing (click here for .pdf of motion). That Motion was denied on July 12, 2022 (click here for Order]. In this lengthy post, we discuss Judge Paul Bonapfel’s 73-page Order in which he skewered the fee application of a Chapter 7 Trustee and effectively changed the… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Eleventh Circuit CasesIn a relatively brief opinion, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on the deadlines for appealing an order from the District Court (acting as an appellate court for a Bankruptcy Court Order) to the Court of Appeals. Appellants appealed a Bankruptcy Court Order to the District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. On… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Georgia State Cases,Middle District CasesIn Georgia, does a judgment lien attach to real property as of the date the judgment was entered or as of the date and time the writ of fieri facias on that judgment is properly recorded in the county records, as required under Georgia law? The Supreme Court of Georgia answered this question in Synovus… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Corporate & Fiduciary Litigation,Miscellaneous CasesIn Jay Alix, as assignee of AlixPartners, LLP v. McKinsey & Co., Inc., 2022 WL 163800 (2nd Cir., January 19, 2022) (click here for .pdf), two major competitors in the niche market of Bankruptcy advising to estates with a billion dollars or more of assets were in court against each other over lucrative consulting assignments.… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Eleventh Circuit Cases,Georgia State Cases,Northern District CasesIn In re Hoffman, 2022 WL 203415 (11th Cir. January 24, 2022) (click here for .pdf) the issue before the Court was whether Roth IRAs were exempt pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §541(c)(2) or O.C.G.A. § 44-13-100(a)(2)(E). This is a case of first impression in the Circuit, based upon recent amendments to the Georgia exemption statutes.… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Eleventh Circuit CasesIn SuVicMon Development, Inc. v. Morrison, __ F.3d __, 2021 WL 1136546 (11th Cir. March 25, 2021) (click here for .pdf), the plaintiffs are three corporations that sued the Debtor for fraud and securities violations in state court. Plaintiffs subsequently amended the complaint to include fraudulent transfer claims against Debtor and his two sons. Debtor… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Consumer Bankruptcy Guide,Miscellaneous CasesIn In re Tingling, __ F3d __, 2021 WL 922448 (2nd Cir. March 11, 2021) (click for .pdf), the Debtor filed an adversary proceeding seeking discharge of her student loans. The Bankruptcy Court determined that the debtor failed to meet the Brunner Test, and the District Court affirmed. The Debtor appealed to the Second Circuit,… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Eleventh Circuit CasesIn In re Breland, __ F.3d __ , 2021 WL 910657 (11th Cir., March 10, 2021) (click here for .pdf) the individual Debtor filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition. After it was determined that he was transferring assets and defrauding his creditors a Chapter 11 Trustee was appointed. [Debtor] protested that the trustee’s appointment violated… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Northern District CasesIn what certainly will be one of most important and talked-about orders to come out of the Northern District of Georgia in some time, Judge Paul Bonapfel eviscerated a fee application filed by a Chapter 7 Trustee and counsel. The case is In re McConnell, Case No. 19-67128-pwb, 2021 WL 203331 (Bankr. N.D.Ga. October 28,… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in News and Comments,Northern District Cases“It has been said that, in many bankruptcy cases, there are no good alternatives, only less bad ones. As financial realities in this case took hold, it became clear that, for most creditors, including the objectors, there were not even “less bad” alternatives. The Court is saddened that it can offer only an explanation for… Continue Reading
By Posted in Georgia State Cases,Miscellaneous Cases,News and CommentsIn a case of first impression, the Georgia Court of Appeals has held that a foreclosure notice must identify both the secured lender and the "individual or entity who shall have full authority to negotiate, amend, and modify all terms of the mortgage with the debtor." Reese v. Provident Funding Associates, LLP, 2012 Ga. App. LEXIS… Continue Reading
By Posted in Corporate & Fiduciary Litigation,Miscellaneous Cases,News and Comments,Small Business BankruptcyThe Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has issued the first published Circuit Court opinion on the question of whether trademarks are assignable in a Bankruptcy case. The opinion, authored by Judge Posner, is in the case of In re XMH Corp., Nos. 10-2596, 10-2597, 10-2598, 10-2599, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 15372 (7th Cir. July 26, 2011) (click… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Northern District CasesBy: Scott B. Riddle, Esq. In this February 29, 2008 post, I discussed the adversary complaint filed in the Northern District of Georgia against Countrywide by the Office of the United States Trustee. See Walton, United States Trustee v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., Adv No. 08-6092, filed in the Chapter 13 case of In re… Continue Reading
By Posted in News and CommentsFrom the Atlanta Journal Constitution – A record number of metro Atlanta properties are scheduled to be auctioned on the courthouse steps next month, according to numbers released Tuesday by Equity Depot, an Alpharetta company that tallies foreclosures. … In the 13-county metro area, 7,335 properties are scheduled for courthouse auctions, Equity Depot said. The… Continue Reading
By Posted in News and CommentsFrom Bloomberg – April 11 (Bloomberg) — They’re talking more about Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy in Jefferson County, Alabama, the home of the largest city in the state, Birmingham. Who can blame them? The county is now being whipsawed by an ill-thought-out debt policy and the collapse of the bond insurers. Credit-rating downgrades all around… Continue Reading
By Posted in News and CommentsAt least one investor believes Bankruptcy is a better option for Bear Stearns than the $2 per share offer by JP Morgan. From CNN Money – Here’s what Nye Lavalle, a private investor, investor and consumer advocate, in Atlanta, writes: My recommendation and our vote of our shares will be to turn down the proposal… Continue Reading
By Posted in News and CommentsFrom The Next Big Bankruptcy, By Martin Weiss PhD — As we warned you here in August … and as I explained on CNBC a few days later … America’s kingpin of mortgages is on a collision course with bankruptcy. Its name: Countrywide Financial. If it goes under, the impact on U.S. financial markets will… Continue Reading
By Posted in News and CommentsProfessor John Pottow of the University of Michigan Law School thinks so in his latest Credit Slips post. The Code section in question is Section 522(p), which provides as follows – (p)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection and sections 544 and 548, as a result of electing under subsection (b)(3)(A) to exempt… Continue Reading
By Posted in Miscellaneous CasesThis case comes courtesy of an email from Jennifer Gronwaldt of the Media Relations firm of Hellerman Baretz Communications LLC, apparently sent to other bankruptcy blogs as something of a press release (it apparently worked!). The case is In re Cygnus Oil and Gas Corp., f/k/a Coffee Exchange, Inc., f/k/a Touchstone Resources, LLC, Case No.… Continue Reading