Anna Nicole Smith, former Playboy Playmate of the Year, reality TV star, Guess Jeans model and weight loss promoter, arrived today at the U.S. Supreme Court, where arguments are being heard on an issue arising out of her quest for a share of her late husband’s estate.
Ms. Smith married Texas oilman J. Howard Marshall in [...]

Here is an article out of The Boston Globe which confirms a “factoid” that we already knew: that those individuals who seek bankruptcy protection are really broke and not trying to “rip off the system.” Of course the new amendments (which affect individuals primarily, but not exclusively) were passed based on the notion that [...]

A couple of sites are running today’s story about a study from the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. Not a huge surprise, but the conclusion is that last year’s changes to the Bankruptcy Code were “ineffective” in steering people away from bankruptcy. The study concludes that most people seeking bankruptcy protection aren’t doing it [...]

On February 21, 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion in favor of arbitration in Buckeye Check Cashing, Inc. v. Cardegna, et. al., 546 U.S. ____ (2006).
In this matter, Respondents Cardegna and Reuter had entered into various deferred-payment loans, or payday loans, with Buckeye Check Cashing (”Buckeye”) in which they received [...]

On February 22, the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved a severance plan for Delta executives over the objection of the Air Line Pilots Association. The airline, which filed for bankruptcy in September, wants to introduce severance packages to help reduce the attrition rate among its senior managers. The [...]

Merrill Lynch., Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley, as well as Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, have agreed to pay $180 million to settle accounting and securities fraud charges brought by the bankruptcy trustee for Boston Chicken, Inc. The trustee brought suit against the law firm and three underwriters, claiming they had violated legal [...]

On February 17, the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion regarding whether a debtor was excused from the new requirement to receive credit counseling prior to filing for bankruptcy. This case is one of the first appellate decisions regarding the new requirement.
In this case, filed last November, the [...]

A quote from The Standard’s article:
Increasingly the United States is relying on the kindness of strangers to save it from going bust. In Japan’s case, almost all of the government debt is owed to the Japanese people, not to foreigners. But US debt is increasingly in the hands of foreigners, who now hold trillions of [...]

In Hazelquist v. Guchi Moochie Tackle Company, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that an individual’s Ch. 7 discharge did not operate as an injunction stopping a plaintiff from asserting a claim for a debt incurred after the date of discharge.
On February 12, 2004, plaintiff Albert Hazelquist filed a complaint against [...]

and move it piece by piece to China and rebuild it. The plant is located in Brazil and by all reports makes excellent engines. Mini Coopers and PT Cruisers use the engines produced there. Lifan, a Chinese car manufacturer which started building motorcycles (remember Honda’s roots?) needs the engine capabilities and [...]