Your Lawsuit Is an Asset: Why the Trustee Controls It After Chapter 7
Most people who file Chapter 7 understand they’ll have to disclose what they own and what they owe. What surprises them is this: if you have a legal claim against someone — even one you haven’t sued on yet — that claim becomes property of the bankruptcy estate, and the trustee, not you, decides what […]
Suing Your Government Lender in Bankruptcy Court: The Phillips Case
When your lender is the federal government, a bankruptcy case can feel lopsided. The agencies have lawyers, bureaucracies, and time. But a Middle District of Pennsylvania decision, Phillips v. USDA, shows the bankruptcy court functioning as a real forum for an individual borrower — one where the government’s early attempts to shrink the case mostly […]
Yes, the Court Reads Your Lawyer’s Bill: Two Chapter 13 Fee Decisions
Here’s something most Chapter 13 clients never see: after your lawyer does the work, the court reads the bill. Line by line. And sometimes the court cuts it — hard. Two Middle District of Pennsylvania decisions this year, In re Martir and In re Johannes, show the fee-review process in action, and they’re worth reading […]
A Creditor’s Hunch Isn’t Enough to Put Your Discharge on Hold
Waiting for your bankruptcy discharge is stressful enough. Now imagine a creditor asking the court to keep the discharge window open longer because it thinks you might have done something wrong — no proof, just a suspicion it wants time to chase. In a Middle District of Pennsylvania case decided this year, In re Iacovazzi, […]
