Debtor Audits in Bankruptcy Cases Resume Today

My email today brought me a notice that the U.S. Trustee's office is resuming debtor audits as of today. They stopped in January because Congress didn't fund it.

An audit in this context involves the U.S. Trustee's office hiring an outside accounting firm to go over the debtor's records. Previously the policy was that one in 250 cases would randomly be audited. Now the policy is one in a thousand will be audited. That's a 400% improvement, but I'm still sad to see this stuff starting again.

Minnesota Bankruptcy: The Income Limits

Since the passage of the "new law" in October of 2005, there have been rules based on level of income about who can file a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. Unless you are at or below the median income for the State of Minnesota based upon your family size, you can only file a Chapter 7 if you pass the so-called means test. The means test is a whole other topic, which I will have to deal with some other time. For now, however, here's a video I posted recently on Youtube where I discuss the median income levels for Minnesota by household size.



The numbers are subject to change every few months, but I have them posted on my site on my Chapter 7 page under the subheading of "Qualifying for Chapter 7 in Minnesota."

David J. Kelly, Attorney
Kelly Law Office
1013 Ford Rd.
Minnetonka, MN 55305
952-544-6356
http://www.mn-bankruptcy.com/
http://www.mn-dwi.com/
http://www.kelly-law.com/

Bloviating about Short Sales on Youtube

The topic of short sales is hard to understand, and also hard to explain. In this video I spoke without a script, which I think was a mistake. I was trying to be clear, but I don't think I got close to that goal. If I would have written a script first, it would have read about like what follows.

The term "short sale" can mean that:

1) The mortgage company will accept less than full payment and will release both the property and the debtors from the remaining balance of the debt; or

2)The mortgage company will accept less than full payment of the debt, will release the property from the mortgage, but will NOT release the individual debtors from the remaining unpaid balance of the debt.

I hear from lots of people who are trying to do a short sale, but don't know which one they are trying to do or which one they want to do. The first kind leaves you in the clear, but the second variety brings you into my office in need of a bankruptcy.Most short sales are of the second variety, and they are worse than just doing nothing and letting the bank foreclose. Worse yet, often the realtors and mortgage companies involved in these transactions seem to purposely keep the sellers/debtors in the dark as to exactly what kind of deal it is.

If you are doing a short sale, you better consult an accountant about the tax consequences. Under certain circumstances, the amount of the debt forgiveness can be taxable income.This video and these comments are for general information purposes only and are not intended to be legal advice. Viewing these materials does not create an attorney-client relationship. I recommend that you consult the attorney of your choice concerning the details of your case.

David J. Kelly
Kelly Law Office
952-544-6356
http://www.mn-bankruptcy.com/

Out for Blood in Dakota County

I just got off the phone with a gentleman who was arrested for DWI in Hastings, which of course is in Dakota County, Minnesota. The police had asked him to take either a blood test or urine test, but he refused. He asked for a breath test, but the police would not give him that.

I explained that I have heard that the judges in Dakota County for the most part have stopped accepting breath test results, at least when asked to throw out the evidence in a proper motion. So now the police in that county have stopped offering breath testing, at least that is what I am hearing from my contacts.

The Dakota County judges - or many of them at least - have lost faith in the reliability of the breath test, because the manufacturer of the machine has refused to produce the computer programming source code. In my opinion they are right to do this. Without that code, nobody really knows how the machine works. The law seems to be way up in the air over this, which is why there is so much variation from judge to judge and county to county.

Here in Hennepin County, where I do most of my work, however, about 90% of the judges still put their faith in that breath machine. As a result, I find myself very reluctant to jump into the fray - since there is a high probability that after laughing at me, the next emotion the judge will express will be anger. I have been telling my clients that we can try doing that if they want to, but here in this county it is probably not that good of a gamble. My fee would be high, and the odds are better at Mystic Lake.

The gentleman I just spoke with is now charged with refusing the test. This is a gross misdemeanor - more serious than the usual first offense DWI - and with this comes a one year revocation of his driver's license.

I'm just putting this out here as a warning. If arrested for DWI in Dakota County, and perhaps elsewhere now in Minnesota too, you are more likely than ever to be offered a blood test but not a breath test. My understanding is that refusing the test under those circumstances is the same as refusing a breath test when that is offered. If it happens to you, take the test. You would also be well advised to have an additional test taken at your own expense.

I am watching the development of this issue as closely as I can . Right now the State of Minnesota is suing the manufacturer, and the manufacturer has counter-sued the State. The State in this case is also the customer. My Dad used to say that the customer is always right, but I guess that manufacturer doesn't fee that way.

David J. Kelly
Kelly Law Office
952-544-6356
http://www.mn-dwi.com

Youtube Video Bankruptcy Update Part IV

Rambling in front of the video camera the other day, it was not long before I got on the subject of how unethical, illegal, fraudulent and criminal it is to attempt charging attorney fees for a bankruptcy on a credit card - with the intent of getting rid of the credit card debt in that bankruptcy. If you run up a debt intending to list it in a bankruptcy, that is fraud. It can be grounds to have a particular debt not discharged in your case; or it could be grounds to have the entire bankruptcy thrown out. Worse yet, it's fraud and could be prosecuted as a felony. Here's what I said about it on Youtube:

Walking with a friend and mentor

Yesterday I got a call from my office-mate and friend Emanuel Serstock. He's a former Minneapolis Assistant City Attorney, a former Ramsey County Assistant County Attorney, and a former Assistant Hennepin County Public Defender. We call him "Em."

Em knows that I try to go for a good long walk most days, and that I have my favorite places to do this. In particular, he knows that I like to go to the Westwood Hills Nature Center, which is only about a half mile from our office. After an apparent heart attack last fall, he is under doctor's orders to walk at least three times a week. When he called, he wanted to know if I would be walking that day and where would I be going. I said that I had been thinking in terms of a swim at my health club, but that I would be honored to walk with him if he was up for it.

An hour later he was at the office in his walking shoes, and we jumped in my Toyota Highlander. I drove the half mile or so to a back door entrance to the Westwood Hills Nature Center. After deciding whether we would take the track in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, we were heading down the trail. I had anticipated that he would have trouble keeping up with me, but the reverse was true. He's a bit taller than me, so his legs are longer. I had been a bit worried about his health, but I'm not anymore. He was robust, vigorous and hard to keep up with.

We found that the ice is finally out and the water is open on the lake. We saw a loon, who was obviously migrating to somewhere further north. We also saw a colorful adult male turkey, which Em said reminded him of certain people he knows.

Em has been a good resource and mentor, helping me with many of my criminal defense cases. Compared to how much help he has given me, I have felt for some time that I owe him something. Going on this walk was an opportunity for me to show him something he had not known about, which I hope to some extent was a down payment on my repayment of my indebtedness to him.

Fraudulent Federal Subpoena Email

This morning I received an email which purported to come from the federal court in San Diego. It appeared to be a subpoena requiring that I appear in federal court May 9th in San Diego before a grand jury.

It also contained a link which I assume would have downloaded a virus onto my computer.

I called the court in San Diego and they confirmed that it's a hoax. I have also spoken with a lawyer a the law office that is mentioned on the false document. He tells me all they have done there all morning is sit on the phone answering questions about the email. I lost a little time on it, but it's really messing them up. So in case you get it, now you know.