On Bankruptcy and Mediation
By: Donald L. Swanson Whenever a court goes out of its way to say in an opinion, “We aren’t deciding issues X and Y,” it’s time to take notice. The omitted issues must be significant, in some way, to what’s being decided; otherwise, there’s no reason to mention them. And when the opinion is from the... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L Swanson A student loan cannot be discharged in bankruptcy, unless the loan “would impose an undue hardship on the debtor and the debtor’s dependents.” --11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(8) So, what qualifies as “undue hardship” under § 523(a)(8)? --You might think that an, “I can’t pay both rent and child care, let alone student... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson “[T]he Supreme Court has time and time again held: where parties have agreed to arbitration, . . . the agreement of the parties is to govern. There is no reason to think that, with time, the bankruptcy courts will not get there too.” --Collier on Bankruptcy, ¶ 9019-05 (15th Ed. 1998). Bankruptcy... Continue Reading →
By Donald L. Swanson On March 5, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court issues its latest bankruptcy opinion in the case of U.S. Bank v. Village at Lakeridge, LLC., Case no. 15-1509. The Facts Village at Lakeridge has a single owner: MBP Equity Partners. And it has two creditors: it owes “over $10 million” to U.S. Bank... Continue Reading →
By Donald L. Swanson On February 27, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an eagerly awaited bankruptcy opinion on the § 546(e) safe harbor defense against trustee avoidance actions. The new opinion is Merit Management Group, LP v. PTI Consulting, Inc., Case No. 16-784. The opinion, at first read, appears to dramatically narrow the reach and effect... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L Swanson Puerto Rico’s long-standing financial straits, rendered more dire by Hurricane Maria, create an issue of bankruptcy priority: should available funds be used to, (i) address hurricane devastation and daily citizen needs, or (ii) pay creditor claims when due? --The answer to this priority is simple and easy in Puerto Rico: citizen needs... Continue Reading →
By Donald L. Swanson Every now and then a battle shapes up between two heavyweights: --Think Muhammed Ali v. George Forman; Magic Johnson v. Larry Bird; Bart Starr v. Roger Stauback. It looks like such a battle is shaping up between two Federal court heavy-weights on bankruptcy issues: --It’s between the Second Circuit Court of Appeals... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L Swanson Ancient History Millenia ago, advanced civilizations flourish around the Mediterranean, across east Asia, and in portions of the Western Hemisphere. Mediterranean and east Asia civilizations communicate and trade, back then, across silk roads but remain isolated from the Western Hemisphere. That isolation continues for a very-long time: until 1492. In the... Continue Reading →
By Donald L. Swanson The U.S. Government continues to prop up a high-price model of higher education, forcing students to bear the brunt of such foolishness! News reports are filled these days with student loan crisis stories. We hear how: --"the number of Americans severely behind on payments on federal student loans reached roughly 4.6 million... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L Swanson On Friday, January 12, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in Lamar, Archer & Cofrin, LLP v. Appling (In re Appling), Case No. 16-1215, to resolve an indistinct legal standard. The case is about a statute of frauds for nondischargeability. Generally, a statute of frauds requires that certain promises be in... Continue Reading →
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