The debtor’s own conduct gave the lender reason to believe that the debt owed to him was not discharged, so the bankruptcy court did not err in finding that the lender’s continued collection efforts lacked the requisite scienter to support a contempt sanction for violation of the discharge injunction. Bernhard v. Kull (In re Bernhard), No. 22-854 (E.D. Pa. Feb. 3, 2023). Read More
Tag Archive: discharge injunction
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Debtor Misled Lender as to Discharge of Debt
Posted by NCBRC - April 17th, 2023
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Debt Collector Can’t Blame Debtor or FDCPA for Discharge Violation
Posted by NCBRC - March 3rd, 2023
A debt collector’s efforts to collect an unsecured judgment that had been discharged in bankruptcy violated the discharge injunction even though the debtor requested information about the debt. The statement sent to the debtor was explicitly designated an “attempt to collect a debt,” and the debt collector had sufficient information to alert it to the debtor’s bankruptcy discharge. Skaggs v. Gooch (In re Skaggs), No. 17-50941 (Bankr. W.D. Va. Jan. 19, 2023). Read More
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Servicer Sanctioned for Post-Foreclosure Dunning
Posted by NCBRC - September 28th, 2022
The bankruptcy court did not err in finding the mortgage servicer violated the discharge injunction or in awarding over $10,000 in sanctions where the servicer continued to dun the debtor for payment after the debtor had received her chapter 7 discharge and relinquished the home in a foreclosure sale. Berry v. Fay Servicing, LLC, No. 21-8005/8007 (B.A.P. 6th Cir. Sept. 9, 2022). Read More
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Bankruptcy Court Empowered to Award Appellate Attorney’s Fees
Posted by NCBRC - June 1st, 2022
A “bankruptcy court’s traditional power to impose contempt sanctions carries with it the authority to award damages and attorneys’ fees – including appellate attorneys’ fees.” Law Offices of Francis J. O’Reilly, Esq. v. Selene Finance L.P. (In re DiBattista), No. 20-4067 (2d Cir. May 17, 2022).
After the debtor received his chapter 7 discharge, his mortgagee, Selene, continued to hound him for mortgage payments. The debtor’s bankruptcy attorney, O’Reilly, moved to reopen the debtor’s bankruptcy in order to seek contempt sanctions against Selene for violation of the discharge injunction. The bankruptcy court granted the motions and sanctioned Selene in the amount of $9,046.60 in legal fees and expenses, and $17,500.00 in damages. Selene appealed to the district court which affirmed but noted discrepancies in the bankruptcy court’s description of the damage award. Read More
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Post-Discharge Litigation Violates Discharge Injunction
Posted by NCBRC - November 3rd, 2021
The appellants were liable for willful violation of the discharge injunction when they pursued post-discharge state litigation and garnishment based on pre-petition conduct even though the debtor could have but did not raise the discharge as a defense in the state litigation. Morgan v. Morgan, No. 20-291 (D. Utah Oct. 25, 2021). Read More
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Law Firm and Counsel Joint and Severally Liable for D/C Injunction Violation
Posted by NCBRC - June 15th, 2021
A creditor law firm and one of its individual attorneys may be held in contempt on a joint and several liability basis for violation of the discharge injunction when the lawyer fails to cease a garnishment action and return collected wages upon learning of the debtor’s discharge in bankruptcy. Ragone v. Stefanik & Christie, LLC, No. 20-8013 (B.A.P. 6th Cir. May 13, 2021). Read More
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Fraudulent Transfer Claim Precluded by Discharge Injunction
Posted by NCBRC - April 8th, 2021
Because an action for fraudulent transfer is not merely a collection action, the creditors were precluded by the discharge injunction from pursuing their state court appeal of that action even though the predicate debt was found to be nondischargeable in the debtor’s bankruptcy. SuVicMon Dev. Inc. v. Morrison, No. 20-11681 (11th Cir. March 25, 2021). Read More
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9th Circuit Limits Walls, Permits FDCPA Action for Post-D/C Collection
Posted by NCBRC - December 4th, 2020
Declining to extend its 2002 holding in Walls, the Ninth Circuit found that a chapter 13 debtor who fully paid the creditor’s claim prior to completion of his plan was not precluded from pursuing an FDCPA claim based on the creditor’s post-discharge collection efforts. Manikan v. Peters & Freedman, L.L.P., No. 19-55393 (9th Cir. Nov. 25, 2020).
The debtor entered chapter 13 bankruptcy after receiving a notice of foreclosure from Peters & Freedman, a debt collector, based on HOA arrears. Through P&F, the HOA filed a claim in his bankruptcy, and the debtor provided for the arrears in his plan. He fully paid off the debt approximately two years prior to completion of his plan. After the debtor received his discharge, P&F hired Advanced Attorney Services (AAS) to re-serve a Notice of Default based on the debt that the debtor had paid off in his bankruptcy. AAS served the notice by breaking through a gate, entering the debtor’s backyard and banging on his windows, causing the debtor to call the police. Read More
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Ninth Circuit Applies Scotus Standard in Discharge Injunction Case
Posted by NCBRC - December 2nd, 2020
On remand from the Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit found that, under the Supreme Court’s objective standard, the debtor’s active post-bankruptcy litigation in state court of the terms of his separation from his business partnership established sufficient cause for his business partner creditors to have a reasonable belief that he had “returned to the fray” and that their motion for attorney’s fees would not violate the discharge injunction. Lorenzen v. Taggart, No. 16-35402 (9th Cir. Nov. 24, 2020). Read More
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Lienholder May Seek Value for Post-Discharge Release of Lien
Posted by NCBRC - July 24th, 2020
The discharge injunction does not prohibit a lienholder from seeking value for release of its lien so long as, under the specific facts of the case, its conduct is not an improper attempt to coerce repayment of the discharged debt. Bentley v. OneMain Financial Group, No. 19-8026 (B.A.P. 6th Cir. July 8, 2020). Read More
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HAVEN Act Guide
The Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need Act of 2019 (“HAVEN Act”) excludes certain benefits paid to veterans or their family members from the definition of current monthly income (“CMI”) found in the Bankruptcy Code. The HAVEN Act amends § 101(10A) of the Bankruptcy Code and supplements the 2005 amendments to the Code that excluded other government benefits, such as social security income.
This Guide provides an overview of the HAVEN Act identifies benefits that are excluded, and answers frequently asked questions.
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