Category Archives: Divorce Attorney

The bankruptcy procedure requires you to categorize your debts or “claims” as contingent, unliquidated, or disputed. You’ll need to be familiar with these phrases in order to properly identify and categorize your debts on the various bankruptcy forms.

In a bankruptcy, You Must List All Debts or “Claims”

You describe your financial condition to the court, trustee, and creditors on your bankruptcy filings. Your financial information will be disclosed, along with your monthly budget, real estate and personal property holdings, debts or “claims” you owe, income, and recent real estate transactions.

When listing claims in your documentation, you must include the name, address, and amount owed to each creditor. Find out how to fill out bankruptcy forms.

Not Every Bankruptcy Debt Is Conditional, Unliquidated, or Contestable

Because the label is only necessary if it is unclear whether you owe the loan, the majority of debts won’t require a contingent, unliquidated, or contested label. There will almost always be no doubt that you owe the money. You won’t need to describe the claim as contingent, unliquidated, or contested if you don’t have a defense to use to avoid paying the debt.

Consider the scenario when you have a car loan that is past due. The claim would then be for the remaining sum. Other common responsibilities, like credit card debt, would follow the same rules.

Types of Creditor Claims in Bankruptcy: Secured, Unsecured & Priority explains additional claim classifications that you should be aware of.

When a Contingent, Unliquidated, or Disputed Debt Will Arise

Sometimes it’s difficult to determine how much money you owe a creditor. Each of the labels—contingent, unliquidated, and disputed—identifies a specific problem that must be fixed before the claim may be paid.

Maybe how much you owe will rely on what someone else does, or maybe it won’t. Alternatively, you and the creditor may differ on the amount you owe.

If there is an issue, you should note it when filing the claim on your bankruptcy papers under the relevant heading of contingent, unliquidated, or contested claim (the form provides checkboxes for these designations).

A contingent claim is what?

Payment of the claim is subject to a future occurrence that may or may not take place. For example, if you cosigned a secured loan (like a mortgage or auto loan), you aren’t liable for paying it until the other cosigner defaults. Your responsibility as a cosigner depends on the default.

An Unliquidated Debt Is What?

There are times when you owe money but are unsure of how much. Although the precise amount of the debt hasn’t been established, it might exist. Let’s take the example of a lawsuit you filed against someone for injuries you had in a car accident. Your attorney has accepted the case on a contingency basis; if you win, the attorney will receive a third of the recovery; if you lose, the attorney will receive nothing. The debt owed to the attorney is unpaid. The amount of the attorney’s fee won’t be known until the case is settled or won at trial.

A Disputed Debt Is What?

You will tick this box if there is a discrepancy between the amount you owe and what you owe, if anything at all. Consider a scenario in which the IRS has an involuntary tax lien on your property and claims that you owe them $10,000. On the other hand, you think you just owe $500. You should state that the claim is disputed and include the total amount of the lien rather than the amount you believe you owe (you can clarify how much you believe you owe in the notes).

In Bankruptcy, You Must List All Claims

For a variety of reasons, it’s typical for someone to desire to exclude a claim from the bankruptcy petition. You cannot succeed. All claims, including those you believe you owe and those that others think you owe, must be listed.

It’s ideal for you to do that. Even if it would typically be considered a dischargeable debt, if you don’t list a claim, it might not be eliminated or “discharged” in your situation.

Claims Payment in Bankruptcy

Following the payment of creditors, the following will take place:

Creditors will be notified by the bankruptcy trustee assigned to the case that it is a “asset case.”
In order to get a portion of the available funds, a creditor must submit a proof of claim form by a specific deadline.
The claims will be examined by the trustee, who will then pay them in accordance with bankruptcy law’s priority payment system.
But keep in mind that every circumstance is different. Consult with an experienced bankruptcy lawyer if you are unclear about what will happen to the claims in your bankruptcy case.

Almost often, hiring legal counsel to represent you in bankruptcy is a wise decision. Here are two scenarios where legal counsel is always necessary.

You’ve Got a Difficult Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

You’ll probably want a lawyer if you operate a small business, make more money than the average resident of your state, have a sizable quantity of assets, priority debts, nondischargeable debts, or creditors who can sue you for fraud. This is why.

A Chapter 7 case cannot be automatically dismissed by the filer. The bankruptcy court may reject your case or liquidate assets you believed you could keep if you make a mistake. A bankruptcy case could potentially be brought against you to decide whether or not a debt should be dismissed. If you lose, the debt will still need to be paid after filing for bankruptcy.

What Are Nondischargable Debts and Priority Debts?

A great tool for many people who are drowning in debt to get back on their feet is bankruptcy. However, it might not completely discharge your debt. In addition to being non-dischargeable, many “priority” debts also have the advantage of being paid off first if funds are available to pay creditors.

Child support, spousal support, or another domestic support duty, fines, penalties, and restitution imposed as punishment for breaking the law, some taxes, and impaired driving obligations are among the top debts you’ll still be accountable for after filing for bankruptcy.

You’ll still be liable for the following debts:

Retirement plan loans can be utilized to pay off debts that were deemed non-dischargeable in a prior bankruptcy as well as non-dischargeable tax debt (for example, if you used your credit card to pay a tax bill).
Unless you can demonstrate that completing your payments would put you in difficulty, a student loan won’t be forgiven either. The majority of people, however, fall short of the requirement. The lawsuit that is required to establish the case may also be expensive to file and defend.
Additionally, any creditor may seek the court to identify a debt that shouldn’t be dismissed in your case by filing a nondischargeability complaint.
The creditor will have to demonstrate one of several scenarios in order to prevail.
You lied about your income on a credit application or wrote a bad check, for example, to commit fraud.
Less than 90 days before you filed for bankruptcy, you charged a luxury item.
You harmed or destroyed someone else’s property on purpose.
You stole money or embezzled money.
In your bankruptcy petition, you omitted a list of all your creditors.
It’s usually not a smart idea to represent yourself if you think you might have nondischargeable debts or that a creditor would sue you.
You must submit a Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition.

Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings are preferable than Chapter 7 filings for a variety of reasons. If you want to keep your home, you might wish to apply for Chapter 13 bankruptcy to pay off mortgage arrears. Alternatively, you might choose to pay off your second mortgage, “cram down” or reduce a car loan, or repay a debt over time that won’t be discharged in bankruptcy, such back taxes or support arrears.

Even if your main reason for filing for Chapter 13 is that your income is too high to qualify under Chapter 7, most Chapter 13 cases are too complicated for an individual to file on their own.

Why Filing a Chapter 13 Case Without a Bankruptcy Attorney Is Too Difficult

You must prepare a proposed Chapter 13 repayment plan outlining how you would pay creditors over a period of three to five years in addition to filling out the bankruptcy paperwork.

Without the pricey software that most attorneys use, it is difficult to develop a plan due to the numerous bankruptcy requirements you must follow. Additionally, particular measures like paying off a car debt in full or stripping your second mortgage will necessitate submitting additional bankruptcy motions and paperwork with the court.

The vast majority of Chapter 13 cases filed without counsel are dismissed by the court due to the complexity involved. Therefore, it is a good idea to hire an experienced attorney if you intend to file a Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

We all have our own ideas about divorce. When it comes to the legal aspects of divorce, most people have significant misunderstandings. The legal process to divorce in Arizona is straightforward, but cases that go before a judge can become really complicated. If you are considering a divorce, it’s very important to realistically understand the legal process and consequences. Here is a list of common misconceptions about divorce most Arizonians have:

Does Filing a Court Petition Equal a Divorce?

When you file for a divorce in a court, you are required to file a petition. Some people believe this petition to be equal to a legal divorce. It is not. You are legally divorced when a judge says so and issues a ruling which recognizes the formal Date of Separation. From that day on, your civil status will be officially divorced and single, but not a day before. This date is very important because your income and property ownership (that you retain after the proceedings) only become non-marital property after this date is set by the court.

Can Child Custody be Arranged According to a Prenup?

This is an absolutely inaccurate idea. Prenups can set provisions for things like asset division in a divorce. However, child custody is solely up to a family court to decide. Child custody is largely a matter of public policy that ensures the well-being of a child. That requires judicial assessment of a child’s current living situation. Therefore, having provisions for child custody is highly improper in a prenup agreement. It could possibly render the whole agreement void. To make sure your prenup agreement has no chance of being voided by a court, consult with a divorce attorney in Scottsdale.

Can A Spouse be Ordered to Pay My Attorney’s Fees?

In Arizona, the laws allow for a divorce court to order one spouse to pay the legal fees of the other in whole or part. However, this is very much subject to a judge’s independent review. The aim of these laws is to eliminate any income disparity between the spouses from hindering access to similar legal representation (going to court on “a level playing field” so to speak). However, the judge will see how “reasonable” both parties are. In other words, your spouse will be ordered to pay your legal fees if only the request is evaluated as reasonable and that your positions are in fact reasonable as presented in court.

Is Alimony is Forever in Arizona?

Courts in Arizona typically set alimony for a specific period of time, such as until a child comes of age. The purpose of alimony is to provisionally support a spouse in need. But alimony is not financial life support. If the receiving spouse dies, remarries or cohabits with another, then alimony can be terminated.   Generally speaking, the longer the duration of the underlying marriage, the longer the potential duration of payout on spousal maintenance.

Creditors will Only Go After the Spouse for Debts He or She Agrees to Pay Off

Arizona is a “community property” state. That means that any debts incurred during a marriage become the presumptive responsibility of both spouses. The actual person who signed the loan agreement may not always matter. This status applies even after a divorce. Your spouse could agree to pay off a credit card loan or the home equity line of credit in the divorce agreement, but you won’t be completely off the hook. If the spouse fails to pay, the third party creditors could come after you. Any agreement in a divorce is between you and the spouse, not the creditor.

Filing Together: A Joint Petition

A bankruptcy case starts when an individual, a married couple, or a business files official bankruptcy paperwork to the court. A married couple filing together will submit a “joint petition” containing the financial information of both spouses in one set of documents.

Divorcing couples often file together because it can be more efficient. For example, filing a joint petition comes with the following benefits:

the bankruptcy will wipe out (discharge) the qualifying debt of both spouses, thereby reducing the issues to be decided in divorce court, and it costs less to file bankruptcy together as opposed to apart.

Married couples are not obligated to file together, however. If one spouse needs bankruptcy protection immediately, an individual filing might make sense. Or each spouse might find it easier to qualify for bankruptcy after the divorce due to a mutual drop in income. But when it’s feasible, many couples find that filing together streamlines the divorce process.

Bankruptcy and Divorce Costs

Bankruptcy filing fees are the same for joint and individual filings. So filing a joint bankruptcy with your spouse before a divorce can save you a lot of legal fees. Also, if you decide to hire a bankruptcy attorney, your attorney fees will likely be much lower for a joint bankruptcy than if each of you filed separately. However, you should let your bankruptcy attorney know about your upcoming divorce as there may be a conflict of interest for him or her to represent you both.

Filing for bankruptcy before a divorce can also simplify the issues regarding debt and property division and lower your divorce costs as a result.

Chapter 7  vs. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Chapter 7 bankruptcy is a liquidation bankruptcy designed to get rid of your unsecured debts such as credit card debt and medical bills. In Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you usually receive a discharge after only a few months. So it can be completed quickly before a divorce.

By contrast, a Chapter 13 bankruptcy lasts three to five years because you have to pay back some or all of your debts through a repayment plan. So if you were looking to file a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, it might be a better idea to file individually after the divorce because it takes a long time to complete.

Property Division

Wiping out your debts jointly through bankruptcy will simplify the property division process in a divorce. However, before filing a joint bankruptcy, you must make sure that your state allows you enough exemptions to protect all property you own between you and your spouse. Certain states allow you to double the exemption amounts if you file jointly. So if you own a lot of property, it may be a better idea to file a joint bankruptcy if you can double your exemptions.

If you can’t double your exemptions and you have more property than you can exempt in a joint bankruptcy, it may be more advantageous to file individually after the property has been divided in the divorce. Also, keep in mind that if you file bankruptcy during an ongoing divorce the automatic stay will put a hold on the property division process until the bankruptcy is completed.

Discharging Marital Debt

Litigating which debts should be assigned to each spouse in a divorce can be a costly and time-consuming process. Further, ordering one spouse to pay a certain debt in a divorce decree does not change the other spouse’s obligations toward that creditor.

For example, let’s say your ex-husband was ordered in the divorce to pay a joint credit card you had together. If he doesn’t pay it or files bankruptcy, then you are still on the hook for the debt, and the creditor can come after you to collect it. If you end up paying the debt, you have a right to be reimbursed by your ex-husband because he violated the divorce decree. This holds true even if he filed bankruptcy because he can discharge his obligation to pay the creditor but he cannot discharge his obligations to you under the divorce decree.

However, trying to collect from your ex will usually mean spending more money to pursue him in court. As a result, it may be in both spouses’ best interest to file bankruptcy and wipe out their combined debts before a divorce.

Income Qualification for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

If you intend to file a Chapter 7, the decision to file before or after a divorce can come down to income if you maintain a single household. If you wish to file jointly, you must include your combined income in the bankruptcy. If your joint income is too high and you don’t pass the Chapter 7 means test, you might not be able to qualify for a Chapter 7.

This can happen even if each spouse’s income individually is low enough to qualify on his or her own. This is because Chapter 7 income limits are based on household size and the limit for a household of two is not twice that of a single person household (it’s usually only slightly higher). In that case, it may be necessary to wait until each spouse has a separate household after the divorce to file bankruptcy.