Can I Eliminate a Second or Third Mortgage by Filing Bankruptcy?

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If you are like many people, your home is not worth what it was a few years ago.  With the downturn of the economy, the value of your house has decreased.  Suddenly, you are “upside down” on your home and the sales price is not enough to pay off the first, second and sometimes third mortgage on your home.

Foreclosure of House | Charlotte & Greensboro Bankruptcy Lawyers

When the real estate market was strong, many people capitalized on the fact that their home was worth more than their first mortgage and obtained second and even third mortgage loans against their home.  Often this money was used to pay off credit cards or medical bills, and in some cases it was used to update or upgrade the home.  Regardless, the house is not worth what you owe on it today, and there is no way for you to sell the home without a short-sale or possible deficiency balance.

If the value of your home is less than what you owe on your first mortgage, you may be able to file Chapter 13 bankruptcy in a North Carolina bankruptcy court and “strip” the lien of the second mortgage.  In other words, if you file Chapter 13 bankruptcy you may be able to either file a lawsuit (adversary proceeding) or file a Motion to Value Realty and eliminate a great deal, if not all, of the amount owed on the second and/or third mortgage.  Obviously, the mortgage company has the right to argue the value placed on the property.  However, if you have obtained a market assessment by a licensed real estate agent or an appraisal by a licensed appraiser, it will be more difficult for the mortgage company to argue the value.

The adversary proceeding or Motion to Value Realty must be filed in addition to your Chapter 13 bankruptcy case.  For the lien of the second and/or third mortgage to be “stripped” or voided, you must have a bankruptcy court order canceling the lien on the second and/or third mortgage and you must receive a discharge in your Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

If you have questions on how you may be able to “strip” a lien on your home by filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Can I See My Own Doctor If I’m Injured at Work?

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In a workers’ compensation case you are not able to choose your own doctor. As a general rule, your employer has the right to choose a doctor to treat your injuries. The doctor chosen does not have to be your own personal doctor and is, instead, likely to be a doctor that your company regularly uses.

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Should I Stop Using Credit Cards If I’m Going to File Bankruptcy?

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Generally speaking, yes. It is not mandatory to stop using your credit cards before filing for bankruptcy but you should use them wisely and, ideally, you should stop using them. If charges to your credit cards have been made to purchase luxury items within 180 days prior to you filing the bankruptcy you would need to wait to file.

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What to Expect at the Creditors’ Meeting

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Whether you are filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you will be required to attend a creditor’s meeting (also known as a 341 Meeting of Creditors). The Court schedules the date and time of your creditors meeting after your bankruptcy has been filed and a bankruptcy Trustee has been assigned to your case.

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Will I Lose My Retirement If I File for Bankruptcy?

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Generally speaking, no. However, there are always exceptions.

Most retirement plans are ERISA qualified, which stands for Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. This law was enacted to protect your retirement accounts from risky investments by your employer or plan administrator. If the plan is ERISA qualified, then your bankruptcy Trustee cannot seize your retirement money to pay your creditors.

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Can My Employer Fire Me If I’m Injured at Work?

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No, your employer cannot fire you simply because you have been injured at work and filed a workers’ compensation claim. Any employer who uses retaliatory action such as terminating you from your job due to an injury sustained on the job could be violating a North Carolina law known as the Retaliatory Employment Discrimination Act, also known as “REDA”. If an employer violates this law by terminating you because of your injury on the job, you should contact a workers’ compensation attorney immediately. In this event, you can bring a court action against the employer and seek damages from the employer. The court may order you to be reinstated to your old position and order that you be compensated for your for lost wages, benefits, and seniority.

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Can I Sue My Employer if I’m Injured at Work?

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As an employee, you cannot sue your employer for a work related injury. If the injury has occurred within the scope of your employment, you must claim your injury through the workers’ compensation system. The workers’ compensation system was set up as a form of insurance for both you and your employer. The system is looked at as a “no fault system” which means that injuries are viewed as an unavoidable aspect of work relationships and there is no need to prove that your employer or a certain person caused your injury.

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Will I Have to go to Court for My Workers’ Compensation Case?

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Emergency & Hospital Sign | Workers' CompensationNot technically. However, you may have to go in front of the group who hears workers’ compensation claims in North Carolina called the Industrial Commission. Workers’ Compensation is a unique area of law. Unlike other areas of the law, if you have a workers’ compensation claim you do not go in front of a jury or even a traditional judge. The current workers’ compensation laws were developed to keep claims of injured workers out of the court.

One of the main reasons that the Workers’ Compensation Act keeps work injury claims out of the traditional court system is to increase efficiency in handling injured workers’ claims. Someone injured in a car accident or by a medical doctor may have to wait years until their case goes in front of a judge or jury. The government understood that someone working to provide for their family cannot go that long without a reliable income. Therefore, when someone is injured on the job in North Carolina they have their workers’ compensation case go in front of one of the Industrial Commission’s Deputy Commissioners if it does not settle beforehand at mediation. The Deputy Commissioner is similar to what most people think of as a judge in regular court.

This hearing in front of one of the Deputy Commissioners of the Industrial Commission will be very similar to a trial, though. We will present your case to the Deputy Commissioner using exhibits, witness testimony and they will eventually hear from your treating physician by way of depositions.

The Deputy Commissioner will review all of the exhibits and testimony, including the treating physician’s deposition, and make a determination on compensability.

Can I File Bankruptcy for Someone Else If I Have a Power of Attorney For Them?

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Situations often arise where a potential bankruptcy client is hospitalized, out of town or out of the country, or otherwise unable to sign the necessary paperwork or appear at the necessary court dates for a bankruptcy filing. Often, these potential bankruptcy clients have a valid Power of Attorney document allowing a loved one to sign important papers on their behalf. The question is, can a loved one use a Power of Attorney to file a bankruptcy on behalf of another person?

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Generally, most Power of Attorney documents are drafted using standard language that includes real property transactions, banking transactions, insurance transactions, etc. Most Power of Attorney documents do NOT, however, include “bankruptcy transactions.” In North Carolina, and in many other courts, the Bankruptcy Court will only accept a Power of Attorney if the Power of Attorney document specifically names “bankruptcy” as an included transaction. In other words, if the document does not say the word “bankruptcy filings and related matters” or similar language, then the Bankruptcy Court will not accept the Power of Attorney and the bankruptcy will be dismissed.

Mother and Daughter | Power of Attorney

An example of this would be the following case: An elderly couple has fallen behind on their mortgage payment. They have lived in their house for almost fifty years and have refinanced a few years ago. Due to circumstances involving hospital stays and nursing home stays, the couple has been unable to make their mortgage payment and the house is in foreclosure. In order to save their home they are considering filing for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. The couple’s daughter is the Power of Attorney for both the mother and the father. The mother’s Power of Attorney document specifically includes the words “bankruptcy filings” but the father’s Power of Attorney does not. The daughter, as the Power of Attorney for both her mother and father, files a joint bankruptcy petition on their behalf in order to save the home. It is likely in this case that the father would be dismissed from the bankruptcy because the language in his Power of Attorney document did not include the word “bankruptcy.”

If you or a loved one is considering bankruptcy and/or considering having a Power of Attorney document created, it is important to include bankruptcy in the Power of Attorney document. You will need to speak with the lawyer preparing the Power of Attorney document to ensure that the necessary language is included.

If the Power of Attorney document has already been created and does not include the proper language, there are a couple of options. First, a new Power of Attorney document could be created that includes the proper language. Second, you could speak with a bankruptcy lawyer about how the bankruptcy could be filed without a Power of Attorney. This option would require the presence and competence of the actual debtor.

Who is a Bankruptcy Trustee and What Do They Do?

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A trustee is an individual appointed by the federal government in charge of overseeing bankruptcy proceedings. Chapter 7 bankruptcy and Chapter 13 bankruptcy trustees are usually bankruptcy attorneys or accountants.

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