7th Circuit

Objections to Priority Claims May Follow Confirmation of a Chapter 13 Plan

Confirming a chapter 13 plan on the assumption that a claim was entitled to priority didn’t bar the debtors from later objecting to the priority of the claim.

Discharge Cuts Off Future Liability on a Guaranty, Some Courts Hold on a Split

The ‘conduct’ test in the Seventh Circuit, not the ‘accrual test,’ determines when a claim arose and whether it was discharged.

Courts Have Made the FDCPA a ‘Dead Letter,’ Chicago District Judge Says

The opinion tells plaintiffs what actions to take before filing suit to ensure constitutional standing to pursue a claim under the FDCPA.

Seventh Circuit Defines What It Means to Practice Law

The Seventh Circuit provided a useful guide for how much supervision a lawyer must provide when a nonlawyer is doing most of the work.
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Cap on Employee Benefit Claims Is Per Plan, Not Per Debtor, Seventh Circuit Says

The $13,650 cap on priority claims for each employee under an ‘employee benefit plan’ applies to each benefit plan, not to all of an employer’s benefit plans added together, the Seventh Circuit says.
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Holding Impounded Cars Still Might Violate the Automatic Stay, Seventh Circuit Says

Seventh Circuit says that Fulton left open the question of whether holding an impounded car violates Sections 362(a)(4) or (a)(6).
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Costs of a Disciplinary Proceeding Held Nondischargeable Under Section 523(a)(7)

Another court strains to explain why costs incurred by disciplinary authorities were not in compensation for “actual pecuniary loss.”

Statutory Basis for Permanent Injunctions in Chapter 15 Explained by Judge Barnes

The statutory basis for permanent relief under today’s chapter 15 was found in former Section 304, which chapter 15 superseded.

Seventh Circuit Primed to Take on a Circuit Split on Automatic Stay Termination

District judge in Indiana holds that the automatic stay only ends as to the debtor’s property after a repeat filing, not also as to estate property.

Bankruptcy Judge Helps a Debtor Who Couldn’t Defend a Dischargeability Suit

Bankruptcy judge had tricks up his sleeve to help a debtor who couldn’t afford a lawyer to defend a dischargeability suit.

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