News Topic: Real life Stories

The Sheriff Came to My Home, Have I Committed a Crime? I received a call yesterday from a client who was concerned about a recent visit from the sheriff. After a Homeowners Association instituted foreclosure proceedings because of delinquent dues, the ... Read full article

Wells Fargo Freezing Accounts of Bankruptcy Debtors For years, Wells Fargo has taken an unusual and sometimes unpopular stance with regard to the bank account funds that bankruptcy filers have at their branches.  Every evening, Wells Fargo checks the ... Read full article

You probably are more familiar with that line in its original form, “Show me the moneyyyyyyyyyyy!” as screamed over the phone by “Jerry Maguire” the sports agent played by Tom Cruise in the movie of the same name.  Well, now the real life sports agent that ... Read full article

 In re: Moser, No. 09-11945 (Bankr. N.D. Calif., May 18, 2011). In your interactions with the bankruptcy court, it is important to be as kind and respectful, and honest as possible.  The bankruptcy court has a lot of discretion in making important ... Read full article

In September of 2011 I took an informal survey of National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorney (“NACBA”) members on professional burnout.  Through a post on the NACBA listserv discussion group I asked NACBA members to rate on a scale of 1 to 10 how ... Read full article

A fringe candidate for mayor of Tucson was arrested for bankruptcy fraud a few months ago.  The 81 year old Marshall Home after filing on March 16, 2011, in United States Bankruptcy Court in Tucson an Involuntary Petition in Bankruptcy, seeking to place ... Read full article

It is not unusual in my practice to see student loan debts well in excess of $100,000 and clients that have minimal prospects for ever paying back the debt. Since the standard for discharge of these debts in bankruptcy is so high (see article below), often ... Read full article

Today was a most interesting read of the newspaper. Financial stories abound each day, the news is filled with tales of the stock market crash and the double dip recession (was there ever a rise to double dip?). Here are a smattering of headlines that ... Read full article

This is the case study of Miss Wheeler.  Miss Wheeler has never filed a bankruptcy before.  She lives in Waukegan, Illinois, which is Lake County, Illinois.  She’s not a homeowner.  She’s renting on Glen Flora, and that’s a monthly lease.  She has no ... Read full article

Here’s the case of Mr. Wade.  Mr. Wade lives in Northbrook, Illinois.  He has not filed a bankruptcy before.  He is a homeowner, a single-family home worth $1.2 million, and he has a loan against it of $1 million.  So technically, he’s got $200,000.00 ... Read full article

Although bankruptcy filings by sports teams have been historically rare, a recent smattering of filings have turned into a trend.  The Los Angeles Dodgers have recently joined the Phoenix Coyotes, the Chicago Cubs, the Texas Rangers and several other ... Read full article

Qualifying for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy: The Story of Toni Braxton In October 2010, six-time Grammy Award winner Toni Braxton filed for bankruptcy a second time. In her Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition, Braxton claimed debts of between $10 million and $50 ... Read full article

A straw buyer is a fake buyer set up to defraud the mortgage company.  If an individual cannot qualify for a loan for a particular home, due to bad credit or some other reason, it may seem like a solution to ask a relative or friend to purchase the home ... Read full article

As reports surface that wealthy socialite Patricia Kluge has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, many have wondered:  how can you file for bankruptcy when you are a billionaire? When United State bankruptcy laws were drafted, the focus was ... Read full article

Recently in San Diego, two extreme examples of apparent financial woes have led to tragic ends. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jun/07/services-held-two-families-separate-murder-suicide/ ... Read full article

The Supreme Court issued a second opinion arising from the seemingly endless litigation over claims against the estate of the late Pierce Marshall (Anna Nicole’s elderly husband of one year before his death).  In this 5-4 split opinion released yesterday ... Read full article