Wisconsin Eastern District

When Inherited Property Becomes Property of the Debtor’s Bankruptcy Estate

Being an heir by itself doesn’t bring a decedent’s estate into the heir’s bankruptcy estate.

Plans Longer than 5 Years Can’t Be Amended Now Because Section 1329(d) Has Expired

A plan longer than five years must revert to a five-year plan now that Congress has allowed Section 1329(d) to expire, Judge Hanan says.

Courts Split on Whether Bankruptcy Discharges Future Liability on a Guarantee

Milwaukee district judge rules that bankruptcy does not cut off future liability on a personal guarantee issued before bankruptcy.

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 Are Split on Whether Counsel Fees Are Considered in the Chapter 13 Best Interests Test

Deferred payments to unsecured creditors in a chapter 13 plan must equal the present value of the distributions required by the best interests test, Judge Halfenger says.

Espinosa Doesn’t Forgive All Procedural Defects in Confirmation, Judge Ludwig Says

To sell free and clear, someone with an interest in the property must receive the notice required for service of a summons and complaint. Actual notice doesn’t suffice.

Farmers in Chapter 12 Don’t Qualify for PPP ‘Loans,’ Milwaukee Judge Rules

A PPP ‘loan’ under the Cares Act isn’t a ‘grant,’ thus the government isn’t barred from discriminating against a bankrupt under Section 525(a).

For Insufficient Notice, a Recorded Right of First Refusal Survived a Sale

Constructive notice deprived a purchaser of ‘bona fide’ status.

Veterans’ Benefits Are Included in Calculating ‘Disposable Income’ in Chapter 13

Congress must address unfairness to veterans, Judge Susan Kelley says.

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