In bankruptcy, certain specified types of debts are forgiven or “discharged”, releasing the debtor from personal liability for those debts. Debt discharges are permanent, and when granted, the debtor is no longer required to...more
On February 19, 2020, the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA) took effect after being signed into law in mid-2019. Among other things, the SBRA created a new subchapter (Subchapter V) to chapter 11 of title 11 of...more
On June 7, 2022, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously held that the exceptions to discharge found in section 523(a) of the Bankruptcy Code, which ordinarily exclusively apply to individual debtors, also apply to...more
For both debtors and creditors, the numbers are important in a bankruptcy proceeding. The Judicial Conference of the United States has announced that certain dollar amounts and dollar limitations in the U.S. Bankruptcy Code...more
My most recent post surveyed situations in which a debtor might lose assets, or see their value drop to zero, during a bankruptcy case. This article addresses the opposite circumstance: how might a debtor’s estate gain new...more
Somewhere in our rough memories of high school science, we should recall the general principle that a gas will always expand to fill a given void. Although the Bankruptcy Code diverges markedly from scientific principles,...more
In In re Rogers Morris, 2020 WL 1321894 (Bankr. N.D. Miss. Mar. 16, 2020), the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Mississippi contributed to an existing split among the courts by joining the majority view in...more
The United States Bankruptcy Code contains a special bankruptcy chapter for family farmers with regular income. Chapter 12 of the Bankruptcy Code allows family farmers to reorganize in a preferred way. For example, a family...more
There are many legal rules covering farms – rules that producers might not be aware of. A farm building may not be covered by standard insurance. Farm buildings are exempt from the state building code. And many standard...more
The Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 ("SBRA"), the Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need ("HAVEN") Act, and the Family Farmer Relief Act were enacted into law on August 23, 2019. This alert summarizes these...more
Agricultural bankruptcies present special and specific issues. The nature of the collateral and the seasonality of the business present a host of questions that need to get answered in order to preserve any value in the...more
Three important pieces of bankruptcy legislation were signed into law this summer. The legislation did not make substantial structural changes to the bankruptcy system, but the laws do meaningfully impact three important...more
Signing the Family Farmer Relief (FFR) Act of 2019 was like opening a pressure release valve. American farmers have suffered increasing financial stress this year from numerous sources, so a change in the law making Chapter...more
On August 23, 2019, President Trump signed into law four pieces of bankruptcy legislation designed to help financially distressed small businesses, disabled veterans, National Guard and reservists, and family farmers. Those...more
Running a family-owned farm is not easy work under the best of economic circumstances, and it can be nearly impossible when times are tough. More than 30 years ago, during the mid-1980s, John Cougar Mellencamp’s mournful song...more
On August 23, 2019, the President of the United States of America signed three new bankruptcy amendments into law. The first bill, H.R. 3311, ratifies The Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019, creating a new option for...more
On August 23, 2019, President Donald J. Trump signed into law two bills amending the Bankruptcy Code: (i) the Family Farmer Relief Act of 2019 (“FFRA”); and (ii) the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (“SBRA,” and with...more
On August 23, President Trump signed into law two new pieces of legislation—the Family Farmer Relief Act of 2019 and the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019—that will likely lead to an increase in bankruptcy filings...more
On Friday, August 23, 2019, the President signed into law the Family Farmer Relief Act of 2019. The Act increases the debt limit used to determine whether a family farmer is eligible for relief under Chapter 12 of the...more
A trio of bankruptcy bills are sitting on President Trump’s desk awaiting his signature. The three bankruptcy bills are the “Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019” (H.R. 3311), the “Honoring American Veterans in Extreme...more
The United States Senate passed the “Family Farmer Relief Act of 2019” (H.R. 2336), which substantially increases the debt limit for agricultural producers seeking to file for relief under Chapter 12 of the United States...more
The past few years haven’t been so kind to farmers. It appears that this year will continue the recent trend of subpar net farm income and increasing debt levels due to several years of various detrimental factors, including...more
On August 1, 2019 the U.S. Senate passed the Family Farmer Relief Act of 2019, which more than doubled the debt limit for “family farmers” qualifying for relief under Chapter 12 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code to $10,000,000. ...more
On July 26, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2336, the Family Farmer Relief Act of 2019. The primary purpose of the bill, sponsored by Rep. Anthony Delgado (D-NY), is to increase the debt limit for filing...more
A chart providing an overview and comparison of the major facets of an individual Chapter 11 reorganization case, a Chapter 12 adjustment of debts of a family farmer or fisherman with regular annual income, and a Chapter 13...more