Home

Recent Blog Entries

Are you too embarrassed to file bankruptcy?

by admin | Wed, 03/10/2010 - 08:44

Our good clients often tell us that they are embarrassed by the thought of filing for bankruptcy. I tell them that they don’t have to be.

First of all, people fear that their names are going to be published in the newspaper. Now that might happen in small towns. But nothing’s secret in a small town anyway. In larger communities, you won’t see a publication.

Toyota Owners Filing Bankruptcy Be Aware

by admin | Tue, 03/09/2010 - 18:15

Own a Toyota?  Are you filing bankruptcy or in a bankruptcy case already?  You should talk to your lawyer about the Toyota recalls.

You may have a claim against Toyota for defects in your product (or, worse, some physical injury you suffered).    There are already class action lawsuits on file related to these issues that you may be involved in, even if you don’t know it.

Why the “Lost Note Defense” Doesn’t Work That Well in Maryland

by admin | Tue, 03/09/2010 - 17:50

A number of clients facing foreclosure have asked me whether I could use the “lost note defense” to help them save their homes. They’d read about how successful it had been in states like Ohio and Florida, and wondered about whether it could help them here in Maryland. Sadly, the answer is that normally it can’t. Why not? The answer lies in Maryland’s somewhat unusual method of conducting foreclosures, and the explanation is a bit technical.

Employer’s Bankruptcy Could Hurt Your 401(k) Plan

by admin | Mon, 03/08/2010 - 23:47

If your employer goes into bankruptcy, there are a couple ways it could hurt your defined contribution plan (like a 401(k)).

One simple way is obvious:  If you owned the company’s stock in your 401(k), there’s a good chance it’ll be valueless in the long run.  It’s easy to accumulate employer stock if the employer matches your investment with its own stock.

Fired Because of Bankruptcy Filing, Court Denies Relief

by admin | Mon, 03/08/2010 - 01:36

A Texas bankruptcy court ruled on December 30, 2009, that an employee who was fired after filing bankruptcy was not protected the bankruptcy code’s non-discrimination provision, 11 U.S.C. section 525(b).  This section states as follows:

No private employer may terminate the employment of, or discriminate with respect to employment against, an individual who is or has been a debtor under this title … solely because such debtor … is or has been a debtor under this title….  11 U.S.C. sec. 525(b).