Category Archives: Chapter 7
Supreme Court Hears Oral Argument on “Lien-Stripping” in Chapter 7 Cases
In 1992, the United States Supreme Court came down with a decision in Dewsnup v. Timm that has caused a stir in the Chapter 7 bankruptcy world ever since. The Court held that, under section 506(d) of the Bankruptcy Code, a Chapter 7 debtor could not “strip down” a lien to the current value of the collateral, thereby getting rid of a junior mortgage lien, when the senior debt owed exceeds the value of the collateral. In part, the Supreme Court went against lien-stripping because the Bankruptcy Act (the predecessor to the Code) provided that liens pass through bankruptcy unaffected […]
New York’s Highest Court Rules on Rent-Stabilized Leases in Bankruptcy
Mary Santiago-Monteverde lived in her apartment, which was rent-stabilized, for over forty years. When her husband died, she was unable to pay her credit card debts and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. She initially listed her apartment lease on Schedule G of her petition as a standard unexpired lease. Shortly thereafter, the owner of the apartment approached the Chapter 7 Trustee and offered to purchase the debtor’s interest in the lease. When the Trustee advised the debtor that he planned to accept the offer, she amended her filing to list the value of her lease on Schedule B as personal property exempt from […]
