“Do I choose which debts I want to include in my bankruptcy or does the trustee do this? I have a bank loan for my truck which I pay on time and I want to keep my truck and keep making payments. Do I have to include this loan in my paperwork for a bankruptcy? What happens if I don’t include it?”

Answer: All debts must be listed in the bankruptcy petition. You can select to ‘reaffirm’ certain debts. Most chapter 7 consumers reaffirm financed items -cars, houses, jewelry, furniture and electronics. You can usually keep the asset by agreeing to keep paying for it. Now, your budget has to show that you can afford the payments, otherwise the judge could request that you prove how you can afford the payments if your budget shows you cannot.

Similarly, you must list all debts in a bankruptcy case, technically even small personal debts, such as the $10 you owe your Aunt Sue should be listed too! Otherwise, it would be bankruptcy fraud if you intentionally omit a creditor from a bankruptcy petition.

Amendments: if you find out that you inadvertently left a debt out of your bankruptcy filing, perhaps an old medical bill from 4 years ago, don’t fret. You can always amend to include that bill in your case. If you do not, it will not be discharged under the bankruptcy code under BAPCPA. The court charges a nominal fee to amend to add another debt if you case is still open.

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RECENT CASES: Feb. 6. 2007

Chapter 7 Debtor who fails to aggressively seek out work before the case is subject to dismissal based on the totality of the circumstances. ‘Substantial abuse’ is now just ‘abuse.’

The court noted: ” … this Court concludes that a debtor who lacks the ability to pay because she has not engaged in a broad employment search, does not wish to work outside her chosen field, does not wish to work within her chosen field outside of southeastern Wisconsin, and takes this position at the expense of her creditors, abuses the provisions of Chapter 7 …”

The court held, “The court concludes that it must look at the debtor’s ability to pay her creditors at the time of the hearing on the motion to dismiss.” ” . . . it must delve further and find out why the debtor does not have the ability to pay. Finally, the Court concludes that if the debtor’s inability to pay creditors is self-imposed, it may consider this fact … in terms of the totality of the circumstances …”

In re Richie, 353 B.R. 569 (Bankruptcy.E.D.Wis. 2006)

Therefore, as practitioners, this case is disturbing, as it takes out the element of bankruptcy case planning. What should a bankruptcy attorney advise their client? If a debtor’s attorney advises the debtor to stop working, so that the debtor’s income would allow them to pass the means test, it sounds like that would open the attorney up to malpractice, as it could get the chapter 7 case dismissed. Very interesting. Therefore, everything you advise a debtor must be very well thought out and planned, knowing that there are these type of pitfalls for the unwary practitioner!

The post Substantial Abuse, Bankruptcy Planning & Chapter 7 bankruptcy appeared first on Chicago Bankruptcy Lawyer.