Tag Archives: Automatic Stay

You Do Not Have To Immediately Dismiss A State Court Lawsuit If The Defendant Files Bankruptcy

By Ryan C. Wood

This issue comes up all the time.  What I always hope is the creditor or plaintiff just dismisses the state court lawsuit without prejudice upon the filing of the bankruptcy petition.  The automatic stay goes into effect stopping any and all collection activity including lawsuits.  It just saves time and money for all parties.  Of course it is not that simple and I will discuss this issue in more detail below.  The important part is continuing status conferences or just maintaining the status quo and not dismissing the state court lawsuit once the defendant files for bankruptcy protection is not a willful violation of the bankruptcy automatic stay.  A recent Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel decision addressed this issue.  See Jerome E. Perryman v. Karen Dal Pogetto, BAP No. NC-21-1036-BFS, Bk. No. 19-10253 (9th Cir. BAP 2021)

“Continuances like these keep the matter against the debtor ‘on hold’ consistent with the stay; they do not advance the matter in the creditor’s favor.”

See In re Welsch, 602 B.R. 682, 686 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2019) (holding that continuances in a prepetition domestic relations proceeding did not violate the automatic stay)

See In re Cobb, 88 B.R119, 120 (Bankr. W.D. Tex. 1988) (holding that a status hearing does not violate the automatic stay because it does not move the case forward to a judicial determination).

Just Maintaining The Status Quo In The State Court Lawsuit Not Willful Violation of The Automatic Stay

I really do not see the utility in continuing to have status conferences in a state court case that is dead or soon to be dead.  Each status conference requires a pre-conference statement be filed and then only thing to be communicated is the state court lawsuit is stayed until further notice.  It would make sense to then order the plaintiff to only schedule a status conference in the event there is no longer a stay in the bankruptcy case.  For some reason this does not always happen.  The only reason I can come up with is the plaintiff’s attorney wants to incur the time and bill their client.  The thing is more often not an attorney for the plaintiff has no interest in saving time and money.  The state court attorney that filed the lawsuit just got the rug pulled out from under them.  They may very well want to continue to appear for status conferences and have to file preconference statements before every conference.  They want to bill their client for that so …….

It Does Unnecessarily Increase Expenses

It is difficult enough for most bankruptcy attorneys to get paid for their time without complications.  So anything that increases the time I have to spend to get the job done is not good.  This is one of those issues.  I quote a client a fee for their case with the hope certain things play out as I plan and the amount I quoted is an amount I can make money on.  That is the deal.  When a creditor and/or their attorney choose to not dismiss the pre-bankruptcy state court lawsuit I have to spend additional time dealing with and explaining to my client what is going on and why, why a status conference statement continues to be filed in the state court case or why there continue to be status conferences.  It is just so much simpler and cheaper for the plaintiff to dismiss the state court lawsuit without prejudice.  If the defendant bankruptcy filer does not receive a discharge in their bankruptcy case the plaintiff/creditor can file the lawsuit again.  Or even better file a notice of stay of proceedings.  In California this is judicial council form CM-180.  If a defendant/debtor has made an appearance in the state court litigation under California law the defendant/debtor has the duty to file the notice of stay of proceeding.  Plaintiffs rarely if ever file a notice of stay of proceedings in the state court case. 

So in the Chapter 7 case upon entry of the order of discharge the state court lawsuit must be timely dismissed given the underlying claim is in fact legally discharged.

In a Chapter 13 case things get more complicated given a discharge is not received until after completion of the Chapter 13 Plan.  That could be as long as five years after the case is filed.  So in theory for five years a plaintiff could request the state court keep scheduling status conferences until the Chapter 13 Plan is complete and a discharged entered.  This is a common practice for foreclosure sale dates.  Upon the filing of a bankruptcy case a pending foreclosure sale of real property is stayed or stopped. 

Chapter 7 Case Versus Chapter 13 Case

As I began to discuss above there are differences whether the bankruptcy case filed is Chapter 7 or Chapter 13.  In Chapter 7 bankruptcy the debtor will most likely receive their discharge in 3 to 4 months after the petition is filed.  So the state court case can only be an issue for this short period of time even if not dismissed.  So one status conference is held or continued while the Chapter 7 case is still pending.  No big deal and this does not substantially increase bankruptcy attorneys time and expenses.  If the state court law is not dismissed upon entry of the debtor/defendant’s discharge then at some point it has to be a willful violation of the automatic stay.  In a Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing the Chapter 13 Plan is usually either 36 months or the maximum 60 months.  There can be five years for status conferences and status conference statements to deal with?  Potentially yes when the state court lawsuit is not dismissed.  Even of the notice of stay of proceeding is filed the state court could still choose to have periodic status conferences.  The entire point is to be ready to go in state court if for some reason the Chapter 13 case is dismissed.   Some Chapter 13 cases are filed to stop foreclosures or state court lawsuits temporarily with no intent to actually confirm a Chapter 13 Plan of Reorganization.  These case usually use the minimum documents, or a skeletal petition, to get the case started.  If a skeletal petition is filed then it is unclear whether the case will continue and the petition completed.  In this case it is perfectly reasonable to not dismiss the state court lawsuit unless the petition is completed and then a Chapter 13 Plan is confirmed or approved by the Court.  In a Chapter 13 case the end of the rode for creditors should be when a Chapter 13 Plan is confirmed or approved.  After that the debtor/defendant need only complete the plan to receive their discharge so why not dismiss the state court lawsuit at this point?  Well, the debtor/defendant has not completed the Chapter 13 Plan and received their discharge.  This is the, “So you say’ in I got a chance” syndrome.   At the off chance that the Chapter 13 case is dismissed the state court lawsuit is still there to be continued.

How Much Time Do I Get If I Am Being Evicted Then File Bankruptcy?

By

What a question. It depends upon many things and if you want a guarantee of time before you must leave the home or apartment for nonpayment of rent when you are behind on the rent or lease payments someone would have to lie to you. Since that will not happen around here the answer to this question requires asking a few questions to know what is possible or not when a bankruptcy petition is filed and staying in a rental unit. There are just too many moving parts to make some sort of blanket statement about how much time you will get before you have to move out. So I will do my best to answer the question, “What happens if I am being evicted then file bankruptcy? How much time will I get in my place?”

So some guy calls me and says, “I got this form here from the internet that says I get thirty days.” Okay, what form? Response: I do not know. Does your landlord have an unlawful detainer judgment against you already? Response: I do not know. Okay, well, that is almost nothing to go on so here is what is possible if you file for bankruptcy protection and your landlord is trying to get you evicted.

Filing Motion For Relief From Automatic Stay

Once a bankruptcy petition if filed the automatic stay takes effect, is self-executing, and stops/enjoins any and all collection activity against you including evictions. A creditor/landlord can ask the Bankruptcy Court for relief from the automatic stay to continue the eviction though. In the Northern District of California Bankruptcy Court the local rules provide a hearing can be scheduled by creditor/landlord for a motion for relief from the automatic stay on 14 day’s notice. A creditor/landlord could also file a motion for shortened notice and try and get a hearing scheduled on their motion for relief from the automatic stay on less than 14 day’s notice. The notice procedure for hearing is different in different jurisdictions though so this timing may or may not apply in your jurisdiction. Also, this is assuming the landlord/creditor filed the motion for relief from stay as soon as possible after the bankruptcy case is filed. Generally notice of any bankruptcy case takes 4 – 7 days given notice to creditors is mailed via United States First Class Mail by the Bankruptcy Noticing Center. So a landlord/creditor would not even find out about the bankruptcy case until days after your bankruptcy attorney files the bankruptcy petition unless notice was faxed to the landlord/creditor given you are worried about eviction …. FRBP 4001(a)(3) also stops the enforcement of an order grating relief from the automatic stay unless FRBP 4001(a)(3) is waived. So if this rule is not waived you get another 14 days to stay before the order granting relief from stay is signed/entered.

But again does the landlord/creditor already have a judgment in the unlawful detainer lawsuit or have they even filed an unlawful detainer lawsuit against you?

Your Landlord Already Obtained An Unlawful Detainer Judgment For Right of Possession

If your landlord has already obtained an unlawful detainer judgment for right of possession then there is no automatic stay pursuant to Bankruptcy Code Section 362(b)(22). Section 362(b)(22) provides the automatic stay pursuant to Bankruptcy Code Section 362(a)(3) does not apply if: subject to subsection (l), under subsection (a)(3), of the continuation of any eviction, unlawful detainer action, or similar proceeding by a lessor against a debtor involving residential property in which the debtor resides as a tenant under a lease or rental agreement and with respect to which the lessor has obtained before the date of the filing of the bankruptcy petition, a judgment for possession of such property against the debtor.

I will get to subsection (l) in a moment. For now our facts are your landlord sued you in an unlawful detainer action and has a judgment for possession before you filed your bankruptcy case. If so there is no automatic stay and as an experienced bankruptcy attorney I do know of attorneys out there that have had sheriff departments evict people within days of the filing of a bankruptcy case. The attorney for the landlord was good and knew what there were doing. Along with the other documents it takes to have someone evicted the landlord attorney also sent Section 362(b)(22) of the Bankruptcy Code and the sheriff followed the law. You get evicted in a matter of days of the filing for bankruptcy protection.

What Is This 30-Days I Get After Filing Bankruptcy If I Am Facing Eviction?

So finally we get to what this caller was actually talking about, Subsection (l) of 362 of the Bankruptcy Code. Subsection (l) provides: (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, subsection (b)(22) shall apply on the date that is 30 days after the date on which the bankruptcy petition is filed, IF the debtor files with the petition and serves upon the lessor a certification under penalty of perjury that— (A) under nonbankruptcy law applicable in the jurisdiction, there are circumstances under which the debtor would be permitted to cure the entire monetary default that gave rise to the judgment for possession, after that judgment for possession was entered; and (B) the debtor (or an adult dependent of the debtor) has deposited with the clerk of the court, any rent that would become due during the 30-day period after the filing of the bankruptcy petition. This is now Official Form 101A: “Initial Statement About an Eviction Judgment Against You.” You must also deposit with the Clerk of the Court the rent amount for that 30 day period. That 30 days you get is not free. For the automatic stay to continue after the 30 days you must also then pay the entire amount due in the unlawful detainer judgment against you and fill out and file Official Form 101B: Statement About Payment of an Eviction Judgment Against You.
Are there other circumstances that this article may not address the could change what I just wrote above? Yes. Generally speaking if facing eviction you either do not have an unlawful detainer judgment entered against you or you do.

If I Do Not Pay My Property Tax Will The County Take My Property?

By

If you do not pay your property taxes for quite a few years your county can conduct a tax lien sale to sell your house out from under you to pay back the unpaid property taxes. When does a property owners’ legal and equitable interests in their property terminate so that filing for bankruptcy protection cannot stop a tax lien sale in California? To ask the question a different way, when can a homeowner file bankruptcy and stop the tax lien sale of their home? This article will focus on California property tax law and how real property can be sold to pay unpaid property taxes.

California Property Tax Law

In California real property taxes (land) are secured by and serve as a lien on the real property for which they are assessed. Property taxes that are secured that remain not paid at the end of the fiscal year (June 30 of each year) are deemed to be in default. See California Revenue and Tax Code Section 3436. For residential properties if the property taxes are defaulted and not paid for five years then the county has the right to satisfy the outstanding defaulted taxes by selling the property at a tax lien sale. See California Revenue and Tax Code Section 3691. For a nonresidential commercial property only three years has to go by before the county and sell the real property. The real property will be sold at public auction, which now includes the internet, to the highest bidder.

Homeowners that are behind on their property taxes have a right to redeem the property by paying all prior defaulted taxes in full with penalties, costs and fees. When does the right to redeem terminate? California Tax and Revenue Code Section 3707 governs termination of the redemption period. Section 3707(a)(1) provides the right of redemption terminates at the close of business on the last business day prior to the date of the sale. After the tax lien sale is determined or deemed complete a homeowner’s right to redeem the tax defaulted real property cannot be revived under California Tax and Revenue code Section 3707. After the tax lien sale is completed the county tax collector will execute a deed to the purchaser. This tax deed will convey title to the purchaser free of all encumbrances (loans or other liens) of any kind existing before the sale.

What Is California Law Regarding Voluntary and Involuntary Foreclosure Sales?

This question can is answered by looking further at California law as it relates to the Bankruptcy Code. As soon as a bankruptcy petition is filed the automatic stay takes effect stopping any and all collection activity including tax liens sales if the bankruptcy filer still has the right to redeem the property. Section 541 of the Bankruptcy Code governs what is property of the bankruptcy estate upon the filing of a petition for relief. A bankruptcy filers right to redeem their real property is a distinct property right from the bankruptcy filers legal and equitable interests in the real property. See Harsh Inv. Corp. v. Bialac (In re Bialac), 712 F.2d 426, 431 (9th Cir. 1983). Section 541 provides the definition of property of the bankruptcy estate is very broad. The California Tax and Revenue Code says that legal title to a tax defaulted real property will transfer after the tax sale with the recording of a tax deed by the tax collector. California Tax and Revenue Code unfortunately does not provide when equitable title to the tax defaulted real property transfers to the purchaser during the tax lien sale process.

In an ordinary non-tax lien sale of a piece of real property to a third party under California law provides the transfer of legal title at the time of execution of the contract of sale, the grantee acquires an equitable title to the estate being sold and the person selling the property, the grantor, retains the legal title as security for the purchase price. The legal title passes to the purchaser, grantee, at the time of their completion of the conditions precedent…..

In an involuntary sale like a foreclosure sale equitable title under California law is transferred to the purchaser at the foreclosure auction with acceptance of the highest bid and at the time a trustee’s sale is completed. See In re Richter, 525 B.R. 735, 745 (Bankr. C.D. Cal. 2015) (citing Nguyen v. Calhoun, 105 Cal. App. 4th 428, 441 (Cal. Ct. App. 2003). These cases provide the trustee’s sales is completed upon acceptance of the highest bid. Legal title remains with the owner or debtor and if the owner/debtor files for bankruptcy protection after the foreclosure sale there are grounds to not allow the bankruptcy to stop or stay the foreclosure sale process to allow the equitable owner to obtain legal title to the foreclosed real property. Bankruptcy attorneys have to find out the exact sequence of events to determine the debtor’s legal rights at the time the bankruptcy case is filed.

At What Point Can A Homeowner File Bankruptcy But Not Stop the Tax Lien Sale?

So, at what point can a homeowner file bankruptcy but it will not stop the tax lien sale? The Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel on February 3, 2017, published an opinion, In re RW Meridian, LLC; BAP Case No. SC-16-1227-JuFY, that addresses this question. The bankruptcy petition has to be filed prior to the tax lien sale being completed.

The 9th Cir. BAP held that the bankruptcy filer was not divested (lost) of its legal or equitable interests in the underlying real property by operation of law upon the expiration of the bankruptcy filers right to redeem the real property under California law. The Court further held t6hat before a bankruptcy filer (debtor’s) equitable interests in the real property could transfer the tax lien sale process requires the taxing collector to hold an auction, and at the very least accept the highest bid, or at most, the tax collector receive the purchase price before the sale can be considered “complete.” California Tax and Revenue Code Section 3707(c) says that a tax sale is not complete until the purchase price has been paid in full which is a later point in time than in a foreclosure sale when it is acceptance of the highest bid which passes equitable title.

SO, if the auction or there is no acceptance of the highest bid before the bankruptcy petition is filed the tax lien sale was not completed and the bankruptcy filer can stop the tax lien sale. In the RW Meridian, LLC, bankruptcy case the Ninth Cir. BAP held neither the auction or acceptance of the highest bid took place prior to the property owner filing for bankruptcy protection. There was no transfer of the debtors/bankruptcy filers legal or equitable interests in the real property prior to filing the bankruptcy petition by the owners bankruptcy lawyer. The 9th Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel held that there are no provisions of the California Tax and Revenue Code about tax lien sales provides that the expiration of the right to redeem prevents a bankruptcy filer of their equitable or legal interests in the real property upon filing of bankruptcy protection.
The key to all of this is that the alleged tax lien sale took place after the real property owner filed for bankruptcy protection.

County Argued Ministerial Acts Exception to The Bankruptcy Automatic Stay

Given the 9th Cir. BAP concluded the bankruptcy filer had equitable and legal interests in the real property the tax collector county violated the automatic stay that took effect when the bankruptcy case was filed. The county tax collector argues the postpetition sale of the real property falls within the narrow ministerial exception to the automatic stay. The Ministerial Acts exception says the automatic stay does not prohibit ministerial acts or automatic occurrences that entail no deliberate, discretion or judicial involvement on the part of the actor. See McCarthy, Johnson & Miller v. N. Bay Plumbing, Inc. (In re Pettit), 217 F.3d 1072, 1080 (9th Cir. 2000). The Ministerial Acts exception can apply to the simple recording of a tax deed after a tax lien sale was completed after a bankruptcy petition is filed. Completing the actual tax lien sale process by accepting the highest bid is not a ministerial act.

If The Person or Company I Sued Filed Bankruptcy Can I Continue My State Court Lawsuit?

Leave a reply

By

The greatest grant of power to the bankruptcy court is the automatic stay stopping any and all collection activity including lawsuits. As soon as the petition for bankruptcy is filed the automatic stay takes effect. Section 362 of the Bankruptcy Code governs the automatic stay and relief from the automatic stay to continue collection activity with the bankruptcy court’s permission. So what circumstances need to exist to obtain relief from the automatic stay and continue prosecution of a state court lawsuit?

What Is The Automatic Stay?

The automatic stay among other things, prohibits creditors from continuing to prosecute prepetition litigation against the bankruptcy filer. § 362(a)(1); see also In re Conejo Enterprises, Inc., 96 F.3d at 351. This aspect of the automatic stay protects both the debtor and the debtor’s creditors. The entire point is to not allow one creditor to continue collection to the detriment of another creditor. The assets of the bankruptcy filer, once a case is filed, if any assets, are to be distributed equally to creditors at the time the case is filed.

Grounds For Relief From The Automatic Stay To Continue State Court Lawsuit

This issue arises quite a bit under many different circumstances. The most common lawsuit that exists at the time a bankruptcy case is filed is breach of contract lawsuits. Rarely will a breach of contract case satisfy the requirements for relief from stay to continue. Relief from the automatic stay can be obtained for “cause.” The Bankruptcy Code unfortunately does not define what “cause” is though. Courts have had to interpret circumstances and create factors to evaluate. The Ninth Circuit uses the Curtis factors. See In re Curtis, 40 B.R. 795, 799–800 (Bankr. D. Utah 1984).

The Curtis factors consist of the following twelve nonexclusive factors:

(1) Whether the relief will result in a partial or complete resolution of the issues;
(2) The lack of any connection with or interference with the bankruptcy case;
(3) Whether the foreign proceeding involves the debtor as a fiduciary;
(4) Whether a specialized tribunal has been established to hear the particular cause of action and whether that tribunal has the expertise to hear such cases;
(5) Whether the debtor’s insurance carrier has assumed full financial responsibility for defending the litigation;
(6) Whether the action essentially involves third parties, and the debtor functions only as a bailee or conduit for the goods or proceeds in question;
(7) Whether the litigation in another forum would prejudice the interests of other creditors, the creditors’ committee and other interested parties;
(8) Whether the judgment claim arising from the foreign action is subject to equitable subordination under Section 510(c);
(9) Whether movant’s success in the foreign proceeding would result in a judicial lien avoidable by the debtor under Section 522(f);
(10) The interests of judicial economy and the expeditious and economical determination of litigation for the parties;
(11) Whether the foreign proceedings have progressed to the point where the parties are prepared for trial, and
(12) The impact of the stay on the parties and the “balance of hurt.”

The burden of proof on a motion to modify or for relief from the automatic stay is a shifting one. To obtain relief from the automatic stay, the bankruptcy attorney and party seeking relief must first establish a prima facie case that “cause” exists for relief under § 362(d)(1). Once a prima facie case has been established, the burden shifts to the debtor to show that relief from the stay is unwarranted. If the\ movant fails to meet its initial burden to demonstrate cause, relief from the automatic stay should be denied.

Unfortunately there are not clear guidelines for what constitutes a prima facie case given the analysis is on a case by case basis. A party’s production of enough evidence to allow the fact-trier to infer the fact at issue and rule in the party’s favor. See Black’s Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014); see also In re Planned Sys., Inc., 78 B.R. 852, 860 n.7 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 1987).

Congress’ legislative comments provide their desire to permit an action to proceed to completion in another tribunal may provide . . . cause” for stay relief, and “it will often be more appropriate to permit proceedings to continue in their place of origin, when no great prejudice to the bankruptcy estate would result, in order to leave the parties to their chosen forum and to relieve the bankruptcy court from many duties that may be handled elsewhere.” H.R. Rep. 95-595, 341, as reprinted in 1978 U.S.C.C.A.N. 5963, 6297

The bottom line is bankruptcy attorneys need to be aware that the bankruptcy court’s focus on whether the continuation of the state court lawsuit screws up the administration of the bankruptcy estate. In some circumstances insurance is liable for any damages if the lawsuit is successful. Therefore, none of the assets of the bankruptcy estate are at risk either way. So why not let the lawsuit continue?

Why Continue With State Court Lawsuit?

To get a judgment and hopefully paid on the judgment. The most common lawsuit that exists at the time a bankruptcy case is filed is breach of contract lawsuits. Rarely will a breach of contract case satisfy the requirements for relief from stay to continue. There are other types of issues though that can continue and not disrupt the administration of the bankruptcy estate.

If You Are Having A Problem With Your Home Loan Payment Call a Bankruptcy Attorney

Leave a reply

By

One of the most frustrating parts of my job is over and over again talking to people that file Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases to stop a foreclosure or eviction without proper legal advice from an actual bankruptcy attorney. By the time they speak to me there is usually too much water under the bridge for me to get involved and actually obtain them relief under the Bankruptcy Code they are entitled to. I say entitled to because the Bankruptcy Code is the law. You just have to follow it and get relief. Most skeleton Chapter 13 bankruptcy petitions should never have been filed to begin with.

Five Steps To Help Prevent Getting Scammed

These five steps cannot guarantee you will not get scammed, but they will limit your risk to getting scammed, losing your house and paying too much for the services provided to you.

1. Never ever wait until the last minute to start getting information; the problem did not come up overnight, so the solution will not come overnight either….
2. Make sure the person helping you signs the documents filed with the court; not you;
3. Only do business with someone that is local in your area and not hundreds of miles away;
4. Only do business with someone you have actually met in person and they have an office you can walk into if you want;
5. Google the phone number, fax number, email address, name of person or business name you are dealing with … basically Google each and every bit of identifying information you are given . . . most likely someone has already complained about them and Google will find it for you.

The Automatic Stay is a Jewel to be Coveted, Not Abused

The automatic stay is the backbone of the bankruptcy process and is the single most important and precious jewel to be coveted, not abused. Section 362 of the Bankruptcy Code provides the very lengthy law of how the automatic stay is implemented. A general description is the automatic stay stops almost all collection activity by creditors to give the bankruptcy filer breathing room to figure things out and reorganize or discharge their debts according to the Bankruptcy Code. That includes lawsuits, repossession, foreclosure, wage garnishment, levies, phone calls, letter and on and on. The automatic stay is the most powerful tool for a Bankruptcy Attorney to help people or businesses in financial distress. There are many limits in the automatic stay and for purposes of this article I will focus on the people filing their own cases with advice from the wrong people. What I find is multiple bankruptcy petitions filed by people trying to save a house more often than not. The first petition filed for relief they receive an unlimited automatic stay. There are no timing restrictions as long as the case remains open and not dismissed. This is what everyone should want, the bankruptcy case, whether Chapter 13, Chapter 7 or some other chapter of the Bankruptcy Code, to progress properly and the bankruptcy filer is not in jeopardy of the automatic stay not being in place. The single best way to ensure this is retaining an experienced bankruptcy attorney to file your case. If your home is in jeopardy do not trust a realtor or some other non-bankruptcy professional to help you.

Danger of Multiple Bankruptcy Filings

What I see over and over again with bankruptcy filers getting bad information is there case is just dismissed for not filing the proper documents in the beginning or not timely filing the proper documents after the case is filed. What the unscrupulous realtor, attorney or company will do is tell you or give you the basic forms to file a skeleton bankruptcy petition to obtain the automatic stay. That includes the voluntary petition, statement of social security number, creditor matrix and most likely an application to pay the $310 court filing fee in payments. The really horrible people will not even tell you about the application to pay the court filing fee in payments and make you waste the entire $310 even though they know the case will just be dismissed. They know the case will be dismissed because the forms described above are all they are going to help you with. That is it. You will have 14 days from when the court enters an order for you to file the rest of the documents to actually complete the petition. So the bankruptcy filer is now representing themselves and has only filed the basic forms to get the case started and does not know what to do next…… The bankruptcy filer will have paid whatever the unscrupulous person charge, usually well over a thousand dollars or more, plus the court filing fee of $310 and the Chapter 13 bankruptcy case is dismissed usually within three weeks.

If your first case is dismissed for some reason and you file a second case within a year you only get a 30 days automatic stay unless the stay is extended within that 30 days. There is no guarantee the court will extend the automatic stay and if a creditor objects to the extension it is even less likely the automatic stay will be extended. The third case filed within a year gets absolutely no automatic stay unless the automatic stay is imposed. Again, there is no guarantee the court will impose the automatic stay.

Required Credit Counseling Course Completion Prior to Filing a Bankruptcy Case

Another trap that realtors and unscrupulous people do not tell the bankruptcy filer is that they must complete the credit counseling course prior to filing for bankruptcy. The credit counseling only takes a few hours to complete and should cost less than $10.00 to complete. Skeleton Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition after skeleton bankruptcy petition is filed without the bankruptcy filer completing the credit counseling course prior to the filing of the case. I am a Bankruptcy Attorney that has either filed or been involved in literally thousands of bankruptcy cases and I only know of one or two circumstances in which the court allowed someone to take the credit counseling course after the bankruptcy case was filed or waived the requirement entirely. Since 2005 BACPA changes to the Bankruptcy Code, Section 109(h)(1) requires the completion of credit counseling within the 180-day period prior to the filing of the petition. Section 109(h)(3) provides a temporary exemption from that requirement if the bankruptcy filer submits a certification that: (i) describes exigent circumstances that merit a waiver of the requirements of [section 109(h)(1)]; (ii) states that the bankruptcy filer requested credit counseling services from an approved nonprofit budget and credit counseling agency, but was unable to obtain the services referred to in [section 109(h)(1)] during the 7-day period beginning on the date on which the debtor made that request; and (iii) is satisfactory to the court. Section 109(h)(4) provides a total waiver if the Court determined, upon notice and hearing, that the debtor is unable to complete the credit counseling requirement due to incapacity, disability, or active military duty in a military combat zone. If you have in jeopardy of losing your home just complete the credit counseling course before filing the bankruptcy case and do not play around with attempting have the court give you more time or waive the requirement. It is just not worth it.

Do Not Fall For the Mortgage Litigation Scam

The mortgage litigation scam is only a ploy for criminals to get around the laws making it a criminal act to take money upfront to do a loan modification and a ploy to get around only charging you $150 as a bankruptcy petition preparer. I keep writing about this and it keeps happening. I do not know what the solution is. I try and educate people to enforce their rights and apparently they do not take my advice. Or there are just more and more of these unscrupulous people replacing the ones that go away. If you missed mortgage payments and owe thousands and thousands of dollars because you did not make the mortgage payments rarely are there issues for you to litigate. Especially if you are a consumer and this is regarding your home. We keep finding people in the Bay Area doing business with businesses in Southern California to litigate mortgage issues that appear to be purely scams. If you are litigating a mortgage problem that is legitimate you should not be directed to file a skeleton bankruptcy petition that you sign and file yourself. That makes no sense. When an attorney takes your money to do something they are supposed to sign and file the documents on your behalf because they are representing you and take on the liability for their work. That is how it is supposed to work. Also, why do business with someone that is hundreds of miles away that will most likely never give you your money back when you figure out it was a scam? Are you going to sue them for the $1,000 – $4,000 you gave them already? I seriously doubt it and I have yet to see it.