Eleventh Circuit Cases

It is not uncommon for Bankruptcy lawyers to get requests from individuals to just help them fill out the Bankruptcy paperwork, or act as the occasional sounding board behind the scenes, without actually representing the debtor in the Bankruptcy Court.  This often happens when the client either does not have the money for fees or simply does not believe they need to pay the full fee for a lawyer.  Most reputable lawyers decline to act in this capacity.  In the Northern District of Georgia, which is one of the busiest districts in the country, scores of

The Georgia Supreme Court recently answered certified questions from the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals regarding whether a single premium annuity was exempt in a Chapter 7 case, where the annuity was purchased a year before filing with $220,000 in inherited funds.  A debtor’s transfer of $220,000 a year before filing Chapter 7 is certainly going to get the attention of a Trustee, and that was true of this case. However, in a significant win for the Debtor, the Georgia Supreme Court held that the annuity was exempt under Georgia law.  The case is Silliman v. Cassell, 2013 Ga.

On February 18, 2013, the Georgia Supreme Court issued its opinion in Wells Fargo Bank. N.A. v. Gordon, No. S12Q2067, 2013 Ga. LEXIS 158 (Feb 18, 2013).  The case was certified to the Georgia Supreme Court by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in In re Codrington, 691 F3d 1336 (11th Cir. 2012) (click here for order).

Alderwood Group, Inc., et al v. Garcia, et al., No. 10-14726 (11th Cir. May 30, 2012) (click here for .pdf of opinion). 

In Perkins v. Haines, et al, No. 10-10683 (11th Cir. October 27, 2011) (click here for .pdf of opinion), the 11th Circuit took a direct appeal of the Bankruptcy Court's order concerning the "value" defense in fraudulent transfer proceedings.