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Disadvantages of Filing Bankruptcy -
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Loss of privacy results upon a bankruptcy filing. Bankruptcy
cases are public records and are viewable by the public 24/7 through
PACER, The Automatic Stay Is Limited The automatic stay may not even apply to the situation confronting the debtor. There are 28 exceptions to the automatic stay, found in Bankruptcy Code Section 362(b). Some examples are:
The discharge is limited by which Chapter was filed:
A bankruptcy discharge is meant for the "poor but honest debtor": The general rule is that an individual debtor will receive a discharge. However, there are exceptions to that rule, set forth in Bankruptcy Code Section 727(a). These are generally situations where the debtor has done something wrong which impacts his creditors as a whole, including:
While the discharge wipes out the debtor's personal liability for the underlying debt, it does not eliminate a lien that covers property, except in certain circumstances. Generally, once the bankruptcy case is over, the lien "rides through", and the creditor is free to enforce the lien after the bankruptcy case. This includes claims by car creditors, mortgage companies, and other secured creditors. Lien Stripping Has Restrictions "Lien-stripping is not available in Chapter 7, and the secured debts simply "ride through" the bankruptcy filing. In Chapters 11 and 13, lien stripping is allowed. However, it is not allowed where the debt is secured only by a lien on property that is the debtor's principal residence. Avoiding Powers Can Be Damaging If a transfer has been made in the past 90 days, or year (for insiders and relatives), to which the debtor does not object, the debtor may wish to wait until the preference or other period has expired, before filing the bankruptcy petition. Otherwise, the trustee may exercise his avoiding powers to recover the payment or other property transferred.
Filing Can Terminate Certain Contracts Many contracts, leases and other legal documents have wording in them to the effect that if one party to the contract files bankruptcy, then that is an act of default under the terms of the agreement. This permits the other party to have recourse to its legal remedies, often including termination of the agreement. This is often called an "ipso facto" clause. This can have disastrous effects on the debtor. Most such clauses are not enforceable, by express terminology in the Bankruptcy Code. They are considered to be against public policy. However, there are some instances where they are enforceable, like in the case of franchise agreements. Also, in most states, a bankruptcy filing by a partner of a general partnership, or by the partnership itself, results in a dissolution of the partnership, unless the other partners decide to the contrary. Thus, it is critical that the pre-bankruptcy strategy session include a comprehensive review of the debtor's contracts and other legal documents to review the impact of a filing on the debtor's legal rights. Can Be Time-Consuming When considering whether to file bankruptcy, and if so, what chapter, the time demands can be an important consideration. It takes a fair amount of time to put together all of the required information and documentation for a bankruptcy filing, even more so for Chapter 11, 12 and 13 reorganization/adjustment cases. The debtor is also required to attend the meeting of creditors, and possibly also court when needed. This can force the debtor to miss work, and other important demands on his time. The debtor and attorney should discuss this prior to making the decision to file. Can Be Expensive To file bankruptcy, a debtor will most likely incur attorney's fees and court costs. These can end up being quite substantial, especially in the reorganization chapters like 11 and 12. These fees and costs should be taken into account when evaluating the bankruptcy strategy. If creditors are not likely to pursue the debtor in state court, because debtor is judgment-proof and has no assets from which his debts can be paid, then maybe the debtor does not need to file bankruptcy and he can save his money. Negative Impact on Credit A debtor contemplating a bankruptcy filing will want to consider the impact of the filing on his credit report. The filing is a public record and will be reported on the public records portion of the credit report for up to 10 years, under 15 U.S.C. Section 1681c(a)(1). It will be considered derogatory. Alerting Creditors
A debtor may owe debts to certain creditors who are not pursuing
payment, because they do not want to incur the attorney's fees and costs involved.
Filing bankruptcy means that these creditors will end up being dealt with. Without
a bankruptcy filing, they may have just written off the debt and forsaken any
attempts to collect from the debtor. Attorney-Client Privilege May Be Lost
Most states have laws which protect as privileged those communications
between a client and his lawyer. In individual cases,
The issue of privilege should be analyzed carefully before
any bankruptcy filing, so that the client will have full advance knowledge
of what to expect upon a bankruptcy filing, especially when it involves
a corporation.
Written by Henry Rendler |
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