Plan Discharge and Injunction Provisions: Creditors Beware

In re Orleans Homebuilders, Inc., 561 B.R. 46 (Bankr. D. Del. 2016) –

A reorganized debtor brought a motion in bankruptcy court to enforce a chapter 11 plan of reorganization injunction: It sought a court order directing a residential condominium association to discontinue litigation it brought in state court against the reorganized debtor and others relating to alleged construction defects. Continue reading →

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What It Means to Cure a Default: Never Take Anything for Granted, the Rules Can Always Change

Pacifica L 51 LLC v. New Investments Inc. (In re New Investments Inc.), 840 F.3d 1137 (9th Cir. 2016) –

The debtor proposed a chapter 11 plan that included curing defaults under a mortgage loan. The lender objected because the cure payments were calculated using the pre-default interest rate as opposed to the higher default rate. Continue reading →

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Bankruptcy Estate: Would the Automatic Stay Protect a Squatter?

In re Castle Service, 560 B.R. 587 (Bankr. D. Utah 2016) –

The debtor occupied but did not hold title to the real property where its business was located. A mortgagee seeking to foreclose on the property moved for a determination that the property was not an asset of the bankruptcy estate, and thus was not subject to the automatic stay. Continue reading →

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Property Surrender: Surrender Means Surrender – No If’s, And’s or But’s

Failla v. Citibank, N.A. (In re Failla), 838 F.3d 1170 (11th Cir. 2016) –

After chapter 7 debtors filed a statement of intention to surrender their house to their mortgagee, they continued to oppose the lender in a state court foreclosure action. The mortgagee argued that this breached their duty to surrender. Continue reading →

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Deeds: Not All “Freebies” Are Fraudulent

Rodriguez v. Nelabovige (In re Kirst), 559 B.R. 757 (Bankr. D. Colo. 2016) –

About a year before filing bankruptcy, a debtor conveyed his interest as a joint tenant in a residential property to his mother-in-law in consideration for $10. The chapter 7 trustee sought to avoid the conveyance as a fraudulent transfer. Continue reading →

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Broker Commissions: So You Want To Be Paid

Harris v. Scarcelli (In re Oak Knoll Assoc., L.P.), 835 F.3d 24 (1st Cir. 2016) –

A real estate broker asserted a claim for a commission in connection with a post-petition sale of property by the debtor. The bankruptcy court denied the claim, the district court affirmed, and the broker appealed to the First Circuit. Continue reading →

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