Skip to main content

Page Banner(Taxonomy)

judge michael

Swinson v. Fritz (In re Lytle)

Ruling
Trustee could not set aside transfer of real estate where the transferee held only bare legal title subject to a resulting trust.
Procedural posture

Plaintiff trustee sought to set aside a deed conveying the debtors' interest in real estate to defendants as either a preference under 11 U.S.C.S. § 547 or a constructively fraudulent transfer under 11 U.S.C.S. § 548(a)(1)(B).

ABI Membership is required to access the full summary of Swinson v. Fritz (In re Lytle) Please sign in if you are already an ABI member, or otherwise you may Become an ABI Member

Consumer opinion summary, case decided on November 12, 2010 , LexisNexis #0111-059

Zeman v. Liehr (In re Liehr)

Ruling
Confirmation reversed and remanded due to projected disposable income deduction of payments on mortgage intended for surrender.
Procedural posture

Appellants, the Standing Chapter 13 trustee and a creditor, challenged a decision of the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado, which confirmed appellee debtors' chapter 13 plan.

ABI Membership is required to access the full summary of Zeman v. Liehr (In re Liehr) Please sign in if you are already an ABI member, or otherwise you may Become an ABI Member

Court :
Judge or Jurisdiction information not available
Consumer opinion summary, case decided on November 04, 2010 , LexisNexis #1210-029

In re Pardee

Ruling
Debtor could not claim exemption in retirement funds of which spouse was equitable owner.
Procedural posture

A bankruptcy debtor received funds derived from her husband's retirement account upon his death, which the debtor placed in her retirement account, and a former spouse of the husband obtained a state-court order enforcing a divorce decree which awarded the spouse half of the husband's retirement benefits. The debtor moved to avoid the spouse's lien on the debtor's account, and the spouse objected to the debtor's exemption of the account.

ABI Membership is required to access the full summary of In re Pardee Please sign in if you are already an ABI member, or otherwise you may Become an ABI Member

Consumer opinion summary, case decided on June 02, 2010 , LexisNexis #0810-085

Bryner v. Lebaron (In re Bryner)

Ruling
Bankruptcy court properly held that defendant in debtor's state court action did not violate stay by defending against debtor's garnishment attempts.
Procedural posture

Debtor appealed from an order of the bankruptcy court for the District of Utah, that dismissed the debtor's adversary complaint against defendants, who were also defendants in a state court action brought by the debtor, claiming the defendants' actions taken in the state court litigation violated the automatic stay provisions of 11 U.S.C. § 362. The bankruptcy court found the defendants' acts were not violations.

ABI Membership is required to access the full summary of Bryner v. Lebaron (In re Bryner) Please sign in if you are already an ABI member, or otherwise you may Become an ABI Member

Court :
Judge or Jurisdiction information not available
Consumer opinion summary, case decided on March 15, 2010 , LexisNexis #0510-005

Miller v. Dow (In re Lexington Oil & Gas Ltd. Co.)

Ruling
Payments by investors to debtor recharacterized as equity and repayments of investments avoided as fraudulent transfers.
Procedural posture

Chapter 7 trustee filed an adversary proceeding against defendant investors, seeking a judgment recharacterizing payments the investors made to a corporation as equity, and a judgment avoiding the repayment of those sums under 11 U.S.C.S. § 554 as a fraudulent transfer under the Oklahoma Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. 24, §§ 112-123. The trustee settled his claims against one of three investors he sued.

ABI Membership is required to access the full summary of Miller v. Dow (In re Lexington Oil & Gas Ltd. Co.) Please sign in if you are already an ABI member, or otherwise you may Become an ABI Member

Commercial opinion summary, case decided on January 27, 2010 , LexisNexis #0410-020

Bank of the Prairie v. Picht (In re Picht)

Ruling
Bankruptcy courts are required to explain legal and factual bases for plan confirmation.
Procedural posture

Appellant bank appealed from the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Kansas, which confirmed appellee debtors' plan over the bank's objection. On appeal, the appeal court answered a question raised by neither of the parties: may a bankruptcy court issue a ruling without explanation, and inform the parties that it will explain the legal and factual basis for its decision if, and only if, one of the parties appeals that decision?

ABI Membership is required to access the full summary of Bank of the Prairie v. Picht (In re Picht) Please sign in if you are already an ABI member, or otherwise you may Become an ABI Member

Court :
Judge or Jurisdiction information not available
Consumer opinion summary, case decided on April 14, 2009 , LexisNexis #0609-035

In re Reed

Ruling
Reaffirmation of real estate loan with substantial balloon payment would impose undue hardship on debtor.
Procedural posture

The debtors sought approval of a reaffirmation agreement under which they wanted to reaffirm both an automobile loan and a real estate loan. The real estate loan had a substantial balloon payment.

ABI Membership is required to access the full summary of In re Reed Please sign in if you are already an ABI member, or otherwise you may Become an ABI Member

Consumer opinion summary, case decided on April 01, 2009 , LexisNexis #0609-057

Ennis v. Green Tree Servicing LLC (In re Ennis)

Ruling
Claim secured by mobile home which was personal property rather than real property under state law was not protected from modification.
Procedural posture

Appellant debtors sought review of an order of the Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia sustaining appellee creditor's objection to the debtors' chapter 13 plan. The bankruptcy court held that the creditor's claim, which was secured by a lien on the debtors' mobile home, was protected under 11 U.S.C.S. § 1322(b)(2) from modification because the mobile home was real property that was the debtors' principal residence.

ABI Membership is required to access the full summary of Ennis v. Green Tree Servicing LLC (In re Ennis) Please sign in if you are already an ABI member, or otherwise you may Become an ABI Member

Court :
Judge or Jurisdiction information not available
Consumer opinion summary, case decided on February 25, 2009 , LexisNexis #0409-015

In re Minardi

Ruling
Reaffirmation agreement could not be approved absent counsel's required declaration regardless of liability concerns.
Procedural posture

The debtor moved for approval of a reaffirmation agreement. Debtor's counsel, however, refused to provide the declaration required by 11 U.S.C.S. § 524(c)(3).

ABI Membership is required to access the full summary of In re Minardi Please sign in if you are already an ABI member, or otherwise you may Become an ABI Member

Consumer opinion summary, case decided on January 23, 2009 , LexisNexis #0409-007

In re Cleveland

Ruling
Purchaser and servicer of unsecured bankruptcy receivables sufficiently established ownership of claims objected to by debtors.
Procedural posture

Claimants were engaged in the business of purchasing and servicing unsecured bankruptcy receivables through blanket assignments, and the claimants filed proofs of claim in debtors' bankruptcies. The debtors objected to the proofs of claim on the grounds that the claimants did not establish legal ownership of the debts and that the claims were unenforceable under state law.

ABI Membership is required to access the full summary of In re Cleveland Please sign in if you are already an ABI member, or otherwise you may Become an ABI Member

Consumer opinion summary, case decided on September 30, 2008 , LexisNexis #1108-006