All posts in Appeals

Paying the mortgage in advance as prepetition exemption planning

I have asked bankruptcy attorneys many times over the years whether they think that it is okay to use non-exempt cash in the bank to prepay the mortgage before filing a petition.  It would only work of course if the mortgage payment created equity that was then exempt.  Every attorney I have ever asked has said something like, “Of course it’s okay.”  Some have looked at me strangely like “Why are you asking when the answer is obvious?” If you need to pay for debts quickly here you can learn What is a life settlement and how to work around it.

I don’t see it as obvious.  It is a transfer to delay, hinder or defraud creditors.  “But it is exchanging non-exempt assets for exempt assets which is okay,” is the usual response.  The answer to that is “sort of.”

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The BAP has recently affirmed Judge Robert Kwan in an unpublished opinion, In re Ellison, who denied this guy’s discharge based on a bunch of prepetition transfers, (“But it’s allowed exemption planning says the debtor’s atty.”)  The debtor paid six months worth of his first and second mortgages and he will be looking for more details about debt consolidation to decrease his total debt.  Why you ask?  The debtor’s words, “to assure that my wife and my daughter and myself had a home to live in through the end of the year . . . I did prepay [the mortgage in the past] but not to that degree, not six months, or four months, five months, whatever it was in advance, normally.”  According to Judge Kwan, “This out of the ordinary course transaction and Defendant’s admissions are additional evidence of his intent to hinder or delay his creditors by putting these funds out of their reach for his personal benefit.”   See In re Ellison, 2:15-ap-01001-RK.  Docket No. 30.

There were other transfers to be sure which had the effect of protecting about $250,000 of equity in the debtor’s home (after the homestead exemption).  Judge Kwan concluded that the debtor “crossed over the line’ of what is permissible behavior.  See In re Beverly, 374 B.R. at 244-246 (discussing the difficulty in drawing the line between legitimate bankruptcy planning and intent to hinder, delay or defraud creditors).”

SFVBA Program This Friday October 12, 2018

Email from Steve Fox:

Dear All:

The bankruptcy section is back for its 2018-2019 season.  The first program up is a really unique program.  It will exercise our brains and give us some good food for thought, and good stuff to use in our law practices.  Daniel J. Bussell of Klee, Tuchin (and a law professor at UCLA), Whitman Holt (a partner at Klee Tuchin) and Judge Barash will speak on a small number of selected appellate cases. Read more…

Nice Program with Judge Alex Kozinski – October 19, 2017

Judging the Judge: A Candid Conversation Between Judge Kozinski and Professors Ronald Collins and David Skover on Appellate Judging and the Politics of Law. Judge Kozinski will engage the authors in a spirited dialogue about partisan politics and the art of appellate judging, primarily at the Supreme Court level.
In their latest book, The Judge: 26 Machiavellian Lessons (Oxford University Press, 2017), Professors Collins and Skover raise a provocative question: What flows from the proposition that law is politics, or that Supreme Court decision-making in controversial cases is greatly influenced by partisan beliefs? That is, ever more people believe that judicial power is a form of political power. If so, what then? The answer: the maximization of judicial power, which is where Machiavelli comes in by way of the 26 power-maxims urged by the authors. It is against this conceptual backdrop that Judge Kozinski will engage the authors in a spirited dialogue about partisan politics and the art of appellate judging, primarily at the Supreme Court level.

Panelists:
Honorable Alex Kozinski, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal
Professor Ronald Collins, University of Washington School of Law
Professor David Skover , Seattle University School of Law Read more…

Big Win in the Ninth Circuit for Public Law Center

Hello All,

I wanted to share with you that just yesterday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel and held that a debt owed by a parent to the Orange County Probation Department as the result of the involuntary incarceration of the parent’s minor child is not in the nature of support, and therefore is a dischargeable debt.

The BAP had previously held that the debt was “in the nature of support” and therefore was a Domestic Support Obligation that was nondischargeable under 101(14A) and 523(a)(5). The Ninth Circuit reversed, saying, amont other things, that BAPCPA changed who could be creditors, not what type of debts were covered by 523(a)(5), and this debt does not fit within the state’s family support infrastructure. This is an incredible win for our client, but also a win for other debtors in Orange County who were being pursued by Probation for similar debts.

Read more…

Kozinski “fed up with verbose lawyers and their bloated briefs”

Nice article about Judge Alex Kozinski.  9th Circuit Appellate opening briefs are limited to 14,000 words.  I can’t imagine preparing a brief that is longer than that, and filing it the day it’s due along with a motion for permission to exceed the limits.  Apparently it happens a lot.  This is a nice little article in the LA Times today.  Kozinski says he won’t read the additional 14 pages.

Appealing to the BAP v District Court

I am told that bankruptcy appeals have been going 56% to the district court and 46% to the BAP.  Judge Jury thinks that one reason for that might be that the BAP is perceived to be more casual about granting extensions of time to file briefs than the district court.  I doubt that myself.  She also commented to me that district court rulings are appealed to the 9th Circuit more than BAP rulings.

My own guess re why the district court is higher is that non-bankruptcy lawyers think that the BAP will “hometown” them or “rubber-stamp” the ruling of their buddy.  But I have also heard people say that district court judges rubber-stamp the bankruptcy court since they don’t know anything about bankruptcy anyway.  Both of those views are silly.  I suppose that there is the lazy judge here or there that rubber-stamps stuff but my perception is that judges try to get it right.

Judge Laura Taylor made a great comment at a program I attended – that if the party is pretty sure that the case is going to go to the 9th Circuit no matter what, the appeal should go to the BAP.  She said, rightly so, that the BAP will understand the issue a little better and will “set it up” for the 9th Circuit.  “We will see where this is going and try to explain that to the 9th Circuit for the parties.” Good point.

Last Add – Sunnyslope Goof Up

There was some serious discussion at one of the programs at the 9th Circuit Judicial Conference about Sunnyslope, more in the area of equitable mootness than in property valuation issues.   Someone reminded us that a confirmed plan in a corporate chapter 11 cannot be modified after it has been substantially consummated.  In Sunnyslope, everyone involved in the case agreed that the plan was substantially consummated.  The opinion says, “the plan as approved by the bankruptcy court was substantially consummated, as all parties acknowledge.”  So it must be “unraveled,” – pitched out.   The court (the two person majority) concluded, “As a result, the plan of reorganization confirmed by the bankruptcy court and affirmed by the district court must be set aside.”  So I guess it will not be modified, the parties will simply start over four years later.     Read more…

Sometimes the State Court Gets it Right!

Instead of delving into the actual facts of In re Marriage of Walker, I will use similar facts as they will be easier to understand. You can find the actual case here.

House is worth $350,000 with a $150,000 1st priority lien. In a divorce proceeding,Výsledek obrázku pro divorce law aVýsledek obrázku pro divorce law judge will order the sale of the property with proceeds split evenly. Assuming no cost of sale, taxes, etc., this would mean husband is paid $100,000 and wife is paid $100,000. In divorce cases it is done with an specialist as it has many important things, not only property but if there is a child or more on the table, so if you’re thinking about getting a divorce, you should contact an attorney right away

Protect Your Rights with an Experienced Fort Worth Divorce Lawyers

Our Fort Worth divorce lawyers have been involved with this practice for over 20 years. The Law Office of William D. Pruett is a well-known law firm in the Fort Worth area, well-respected lawyer, practicing with integrity, compassion and competence. Our Fort Worth divorce attorney will help you make the decisions that are best for you and your family. If you need representation from an family law attorney who is an expert in their field.

The result should not be different if there was an intervening bankruptcy, or should it!? If you need help with your divorce case make sure you contact AEK Law firm.

Read more…

Charging Extra Fees to Credit Card Users in California Soon to Be Legal

I wrote a three part article here which explained California law as it applied to a retailer’s ability to surcharge for the use of credit cards. The second part discussed the loopholes embedded into the law and discussed why the law is actually bad for consumers and retailers alike. In the final part, I discussed the importance for consumers to always make sure a cash register with scanner is being used everytime they pay.  Read more…

Request for Admissions Are a Powerful Tool Which Should Not Be Taken Lightly

I found the following case very interesting because based on my limited experience, litigators tend to take a deny everything and admit nothing approach. But as the litigators here found out, this can be a dangerous game.

This is a quick summary based on the California Court of Appeals decision in TIMOTHY GRACE et al. vs. LEVIK MANSOURIAN et al. which was published on September 15, 2015. You can find the case here.

Defendants were served with requests for admissions seeking admissions on negligence, causation, and damages. Plaintiffs asked defendants to admit defendant failed to stop at the red light and that the failure was negligent, the actual and legal cause of the accident, etc. Read more…