Andrew J. Kontrick v. Robert A. Ryan

In a dispute over whether a party could move to set aside a default judgment as void after several years, the Court unanimously affirmed the Sixth Circuit's decision, which had denied the motion as untimely under Rule 60(c)(1).· AI-written

The Court held that the US Bankruptcy Code's waiver of sovereign immunity does not entitle a bankruptcy trustee to recover a debtor's fraudulent federal tax payments.

The Court ruled in a Chapter 11 dispute over a release extinguishing nondebtors' claims against nondebtor third parties without consent, holding that the Bankruptcy Code did not authorize it and blocking the bankruptcy plan.· AI-written

The court held that prospective parity is the appropriate remedy for the short-lived and small disparity created by the fee statute held unconstitutional in Siegel v. Fitzgerald.

The Court held that an insurer with financial responsibility for bankruptcy claims is a "party in interest" under §1109(b) that "may raise and may appear and be heard on any issue" in a Chapter 11 case.

The Court determined that Native Americans Tribes are not immune from the automatic stay of the Bankruptcy Code.

The Court held that Section 363(m) of the Bankruptcy Code, which restricts the effects of certain successful appeals of judicially authorized sales or leases of bankruptcy-estate property, is not a jurisdictional provision.

The court held that debts incurred by fraud cannot be discharged in bankruptcy, regardless of whether the debtor committed the fraud.

The court held that Congress's enactment of a significant fee increase that exempted debtors in two states violated the uniformity requirement of the Bankruptcy Clause.

The Court held that the mere retention of estate property after the filing of a bankruptcy petition does not violate 11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(3), which operates as a "stay" of "any act" to "exercise control" over the property of the estate.

In a bankruptcy case over a motion for relief from an automatic stay, the Court unanimously ruled that a bankruptcy court's unreserved grant or denial of relief is a final order that may be appealed, and it affirmed the court below.· AI-written

The court held that a court may hold a creditor in civil contempt for violating a discharge order if there is no fair ground of doubt as to whether the order barred the creditor’s conduct.

The court held that a debtor's rejection of an executory contract under Section 365 of the Bankruptcy Code has the same effect as a breach of that contract outside bankruptcy.

The court held that a debtor's statement about a single asset can be a "statement respecting the debtor’s financial condition" under the Bankruptcy Code's exceptions to discharge; therefore, debt associated with a single-asset statement that is not in writing may be discharged.

The court held that clear error is the proper standard for review of a determination that a purchaser was not a non-statutory insider for purposes of approving a cramdown plan of reorganization.

The court held that the only relevant transfer for purposes of the Bankruptcy Code's Section 546(e) safe harbor is the transfer that the trustee seeks to avoid.

The court held that bankruptcy courts may not approve structured dismissals that provide for distributions that do not follow ordinary priority rules without the consent of affected creditors.

The Court held that Chapters 9 and 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code preempted the corresponding sections of Puerto Rico's Public Corporation Debt Enforcement and Recovery Act, because states may not enact municipal bankruptcy laws and Puerto Rico is usually treated as a "state."· AI-written

The court held that the term "actual fraud" in the discharge exceptions of Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code encompasses fraudulent conveyance schemes even when those schemes do not involve a false representation.

In a bankruptcy case, the Court held that a Chapter 7 debtor could not void a junior mortgage under 11 U.S.C. § 506(d) when the senior mortgage debt exceeded the property's current market value.· AI-written

The Court unanimously held that a debtor who earns money after filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy and converts to Chapter 7 before the money is sent to creditors is permitted to keep those funds.· AI-written

The Court held that funds held in inherited Individual Retirement Accounts are not "retirement funds" within the meaning of 11 U.S.C. § 522(b)(3)(c) and therefore not exempt from the bankruptcy estate.

The Court held that, under Stern v. Marshall, when a bankruptcy court does not have subject matter jurisdiction over a proceeding, the bankruptcy court may still hear the case and issue proposed findings to be reviewed de novo by a federal district court.

The court held that the term "defalcation" in the Bankruptcy Code includes a scienter requirement involving knowledge of, or gross recklessness in respect to, the improper nature of the fiduciary behavior.

In a dispute over the Chapter 13 bankruptcy means test, the Court ruled that the car-ownership cost allowance was available only to debtors who made loan or lease payments on a vehicle, affirming the Ninth Circuit.· AI-written

The Court held that when a debtor claims an exemption of a dollar value for specific property, claiming its full anticipated value did not exempt the property from seizure if its true value was greater, and the trustee did not need to object.· AI-written

The court held that when a bankruptcy court calculates a debtor's projected disposable income, the court may account for changes in the debtor's income or expenses that are known or virtually certain at the time of confirmation.

The court held that, although a Bankruptcy Court is not supposed to discharge a person's student loan debt without finding whether they meet the "undue hardship" requirement, the Bankruptcy Court may enter a binding order without doing so.

The court held that a bankruptcy settlement that immunizes a third party from liability based on events relevant to the bankruptcy is enforceable and cannot be challenged after the Bankruptcy Court approves the settlement with those terms.

The court held that the Bankruptcy Code's section authorizing an exemption from stamp taxes can only be used in relation to a Chapter 11 plan that has been confirmed.

The court held that a creditor cannot seek priority status in a bankruptcy case to recover unpaid premiums owed for legally-required workers' compensation insurance.

The Court held that Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) qualify for certain exemptions under Title 11 of the United States Code.

In a Chapter 13 bankruptcy cramdown dispute over a loan's value, the Court, with no majority opinion, approved a 9.5 percent rate that adjusted the national average loan rate for the risk of non-payment.· AI-written

The Court ruled that debt arising from a medical malpractice judgment, attributable to negligent or reckless conduct is dischargeable under the Bankruptcy Code.

In a bankruptcy case over court-imposed reorganization plans despite creditors' objections, the Court disallowed cram-downs for primary residences.· AI-written

The United States Supreme Court held that individuals are eligible to file for relief under the reorganization provisions of chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code, even if they are not engaged in a business.

The court held that the Bankruptcy Code's Section 522(f) allows a judicial lien to be eliminated even when a state's bankruptcy policy has defined exempt property to exclude property encumbered by a judicial lien.

The court held that restitution obligations constitute "debts" within the meaning of § 101(11), and are therefore dischargeable under Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code.

The Supreme Court of the United States held that Arizona's law suspending a driver's license was unconstitutional due to its conflict with the federal Bankruptcy Act under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution.

The court held that because bankruptcy courts sit in equity, they may order the forfeiture of property without seating a jury to find facts.