9th Circuit

Ninth Circuit BAP Applies Taggart to Violations of the Automatic Stay

Taggart left open the question of whether the ‘no objectively reasonable basis’ standard for discharge violations also applies to contempt of the automatic stay.
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Two Circuits Hold that a Debt Buyer Can Be a ‘Debt Collector’ Under the FDCPA

Even the dissenter in the Ninth Circuit would not let a debt buyer off the hook if the complaint were properly pleaded.
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Mortgage Servicer Hit with $300,000 in Actual and Punitive Damages for Stay Violation

The creditor was guilty of an automatic stay violation, but Taggart insulated the creditor from liability for a discharge violation for continuation of the same conduct.

Ninth Circuit Equivocates on ‘Collection Injunctions’ in Individual Chapter 11s

Dissenter in the Ninth Circuit says that utilizing provisions in the Bankruptcy Code is not bad faith barring confirmation.
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Ninth Circuit Takes a Hard Line Against Waiving Discharge Inadvertently

The Ninth Circuit may be backing off from Ybarra, a case that waives discharge for attorneys’ fees if the debtor ‘returns to the fray.’
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Silence in the Face of a Duty to Disclose Is Not a ‘Statement,’ 9th Cir. BAP Holds

The Ninth Circuit BAP closed a loophole that would have allowed a recipient of public assistance benefits to discharge a debt for overpayment.
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No Fees for a Chapter 13 Trustee in a Case Dismissed Before Confirmation

Trustees in chapter 12 fare better than chapter 13 trustees if a case is dismissed before confirmation.
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First Opinion on the SBRA Permits Conversion of an Existing Chapter 11 Case

Bankruptcy Judge Scott Clarkson of Santa Ana, Calif., issued the first reported decision on the new small business reorganization law that became effective on February 19.

Section 362(k)(1) Sanctions Apply to Automatic Stay Violation Continuing After Discharge

Almost $35,000 in actual and punitive damages was imposed on a judgment creditor and its collection law firm for failing to vacate a garnishment following notice of bankruptcy and discharge.

Chapter 13 Debtor Keeps Postpetition Appreciation in Nonexempt Property, BAP Says

Courts are split on whether creditors in chapter 13 are entitled to the postpetition appreciation in a debtor’s property.
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