Dismissed and discharged. In a bankruptcy case, these two terms are at the opposite ends of the scale of results in bankruptcy. Yet they are often confused. A discharge is a win! The bankruptcy discharge order wipes out your personal legal liability to pay a debt. A dismissal is usually a loss. It means the […]
Search Results for: dismiss or discharge
No House, No Discharge When Chapter 13 Goes Off Script
Sound the alarm. Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases are getting dismissed right and left when debtors fail to make mortgage payments. What began as a trickle of Chapter 13 cases ending badly has become a torrent. More and more, bankruptcy judges are strictly enforcing the direct pay term of Chapter 13 plans. If your plan says […]
Bankruptcy Without A Discharge: Why Chapter 20 Works
What does a Chapter 13 bankruptcy get you if it doesn’t get you a discharge? Lots, actually. It’s complicated. Powerful, but complicated. Let’s see how all the parts interact when your Chapter 13 is filed before you’re eligible for a discharge. Law limits discharge The bankruptcy code doesn’t limit when you can file bankruptcy; it […]
Chapter 13 Dismissed After All Payments Are Made: Self Inflicted Wounds
There’s been a rash of bullet-ridden feet lately in Chapter 13 cases. Debtors seem to whip out their pistols and shoot themselves in the foot with increasing regularity. Just when their goal of keeping the house was within reach, had they paid attention, they lose it all. It happens when debtors don’t hold up their […]
Got Tax Trouble? Don’t File Bankruptcy In December
Bankruptcy can provide tax relief, if your timing is right. Tax troubles are at the heart of so many bankruptcy filings. It makes sense: bankruptcy is a powerful and predictable tool to get out of tax debt. But filing bankruptcy before the end of the year may fix only a part of your tax problems. […]
Who Gets To Skip Bankruptcy’s Means Test Entirely?
The couple in my office was despondent when another bankruptcy attorney told them that, despite $100,000 in old taxes, they couldn’t file Chapter 7. This fine fellow told them that the means test showed they had $3000 of disposable income per month. A Chapter 7 would be an abuse of bankruptcy under the law. Only […]
7 Keys To Keeping Your House: Chapter 13 After You File
You filed filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy to keep your house and stop the foreclosure. You’ve protected your home, for the moment. Bankruptcy gets you a sheltered legal environment to address the problems with your mortgage. You heave a sigh of relief. But the fight to keep your house isn’t over, just because there’s a stay. […]
Bankruptcy Schedules Are More Than Just Paperwork
Bankruptcy paperwork can make you feel like you are drowning in paper. There’s your paper; there’s the paper your lawyer needs. And there’s the paper the court insists on. Why bankruptcy schedules worth the work It’s easy to try to skate. To cut corners. To shut down. But that paper is critical. Nearly every question, […]
Who To Pay After Bankruptcy
You’ve filed bankruptcy. Your creditors are stayed. A bankruptcy discharge is ahead. You’re out from under unrelenting pressure to pay creditors. But don’t let your sense of relief keep you from planning: who should you pay after your case is filed? Paying creditors after filing bankruptcy Two legal realities drive who needs to be paid […]
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