WE HAVE WATCHED WALL STREET, BIG BANK AND BIG BUSINESS GET BAILED OUT. WHAT ABOUT YOU? The Bankruptcy code was written for you and can be your own personal bail out. Flint BankruptcyAttorney Terry Bankert presents on Flint D ivorce and Flint Bankruptcy 810-235-1970.
Basic Bankruptcy options available.
Types of Bankruptcies. The four main types of bankruptcies are as follows:
Chapter 7—Liquidation: In a Chapter 7 the debtor turns over all non-exempt property to the Chapter 7 Trustee: this Trustee sells or liquidates the property and distributes the proceeds to creditors according to the priority scheme set forth in the bankruptcy code, and usually in a small one-time payment. The debtor will be released (discharged) from the unpaid portion of many types of debt unless a creditor objects to the debtor’s discharge, or unless a creditor objects to the dischargeability of its particular claim. The Chapter 7 Trustee is always appointed by the United States Trustee and is usually a member of a panel of Trustees.
Chapter 11—Reorganization: The purpose of Chapter 11 is to allow the debtor a breathing spell from creditors, thereby enabling the debtor to reorganize its financial affairs. This is the most expensive and complicated type of bankruptcy and can last for years. If successful, a plan of reorganization would be proposed which is subject to the vote of creditors.
Chapter 12—Family Farmer Bankruptcy: Chapter 12 can only be filed by a family farmer with regular annual income. This proceeding is similar to a Chapter 13, described below.
Chapter 13—Adjustment of Debts: Chapter 13 can only be filed by individuals with regular income (filing with or without a spouse) and with unsecured debts of less than $336,900 and secured debts of less than $1,010,650—See ll U.S.C. § 109(e). (These dollar limits are adjusted at 3-year intervals: the most recent adjustment was effective April 1, 2007.) The purpose of a Chapter 13 is for the debtor to pledge part of his or her income over a period of time (usually 3 to 5 years) to pay all or a portion of the debt. Once this portion of the debt is paid, the debtor is released (i.e. discharged) from the unpaid portion of the debts. Soon after the case is commenced, the debtor must propose a plan which fits within the strict requirements of the Bankruptcy Code. Priority debts must be paid in full. (See 11 U.S.C. §1322(a)(2).) Pursuant to §507(a)(1), a debt for a domestic support obligation (defined below) is a first priority unsecured claim
.
PERSONAL BAILOUT OR Discharge: The main reason why any individual files bankruptcy is to try to get a discharge from debts which are owing to creditors. 11 U.S.C. § 727 says that all individual debtors are eligible to receive a discharge unless he or she committed one of the “bad acts” described in 11 U.S.C. § 727.
III. WHAT IN BANKRUPTCY IS A DOMESTIC SUPPORT OBLIGATION.
The Bankruptcy Reform Act gives us a new term—“domestic support obligation”—which is defined in 11 U.S.C. § 101(14A), as follows:
(14A) The term “domestic support obligation” means a debt that accrues before, on, or after the date of the order for relief in a case under this title, including interest that accrues on that debt as provided under applicable nonbankruptcy law notwithstanding any other provision of this title, that is—
(A) owed to or recoverable by—
(i) a spouse, former spouse, or child of the debtor or such child’s parent, legal guardian, or responsible relative; or
(ii) a governmental unit;
(B) in the nature of alimony, maintenance, or support (including assistance provided by a governmental unit) of such spouse, former spouse, or child of the debtor or such child’s parent, without regard to whether such debt is expressly so designated;
(C) established or subject to establishment before, on, or after the date of the order for relief in a case under this title, by reason of applicable provisions of—
(i) a separation agreement, divorce decree, or property settlement agreement;
(ii) an order of a court of record; or
(iii) a determination made in accordance with applicable nonbankruptcy law by a governmental unit; and
(D) not assigned to a nongovernmental entity, unless that obligation is assigned voluntarily by the spouse, former spouse, child of the debtor, or such child’s parent, legal guardian, or responsible relative for the purpose of collecting the debt.
Nondischargeability of Domestic Support Obligations: 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(5) provides that a DSO cannot be discharged in Bankruptcy.
§ 523. Exceptions to discharge
(a) A discharge under section 727, 1141, 1228(a), 1228(b), or 1328(b) of this title does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt—…
(5) for a domestic support obligation;
Special Impact of Domestic Support Obligations in Chapter 13 Cases:
IV. Nondischargeability of Property Settlement
Before the Bankruptcy Reform Act, 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(15) provided that property settlement debts were nondischargeable unless the debtor lacked the ability to pay it according to the criteria described in the statute, or unless discharging the property settlement would result in a benefit to the debtor that outweighed the detriment to the non-debtor spouse, former spouse or child. The old law also required that the non-debtor spouse commence an adversary proceeding in bankruptcy court to determine the nondischargeability of the property settlement and, pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 523(c) the complaint in that adversary proceeding was required to be filed within 60 days after the first date set for the meeting of creditors pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 341. If a nondischargeability complaint was not timely filed, the property settlement was automatically discharged under 11 U.S.C. § 727. 11 U.S.C. § 523(c) often resulted in non-debtor spouses having to spend limited funds in order to “protect” their property settlements.
11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(15) was oddly written. Courts, attorneys, and litigants consistently struggled with it. The Bankruptcy Reform Act resolves the difficulty by revising § 523(a)(15) so that it reads as follows:
§ 523. Exceptions to discharge
(a) A discharge under section 727, 1141, 1228(a), 1228(b), or 1328(b) of this title does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt—…
(15) to a spouse, former spouse, or child of the debtor and not of the kind described in paragraph (5) that is incurred by the debtor in the course of a divorce or separation or in connection with a separation agreement, divorce decree or other order of a court of record or, a determination made in accordance with State or territorial law by a governmental unit;…
Thus, under the Bankruptcy Reform Act, even if a debtor’s obligation in a divorce decree does not come within the definition of “domestic support obligation” so as to be nondischargeable under § 523(a)(5), it is still nondischargeable under § 523(a)(15) if it is a property settlement debt to a spouse, former spouse or child.
In applying the Bankruptcy Reform Act, bankruptcy judges are now more likely to view any obligation in a divorce decree as being nondischargeable by a party to that divorce who later winds up in bankruptcy.
Also, the Reform Act amends 11 U.S.C. § 523(c) so that the non-debtor spouse is not required to file an adversary proceeding in order to preserve the nondischargeability of the debtor’s obligations that fall within the scope of 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(15). This is an important change in the law, designed to protect non-debtor spouses and children by eliminating the need for them to spend precious resources trying to “protect” the property settlement by commencing an adversary proceeding in the bankruptcy court.
Taken together, the Reform Act’s changes to 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(5) and (15) operate to exempt from discharge all alimony, maintenance, support, property settlements, hold-harmless obligations, etc. to a spouse, former spouse or child so long as they are incurred in the course of a divorce or separation, or in connection with the divorce decree, separation agreement or other order.
V. Are There Any Remaining Differences Between Nondischargeable Domestic Support Obligation Under 11 U.S.C. § 523(A)(5) and Nondischargeable Property Settlement Under the Reform Act’s 11 U.S.C. § 523(A)(15)? The Answer Remains “Yes”—Even Under the Bankruptcy Reform Act
A debt which is nondischargeable under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(15) (e.g., a property settlement that is not in the nature of alimony, maintenance or support) is dischargeable in a Chapter 13 under the Reform Act if the debtor makes all payments under the Chapter 13 plan. However, a domestic support obligation which is nondischargeable under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(5) is nondischargeable even under Chapter 13, even if the debtor makes all of its payments due under the plan and receives a super-discharge. See 11 U.S.C. § 1328(a).
In Chapter 13 cases, domestic support obligations get better treatment than do property settlements. For example, the failure of a Chapter 13 debtor’s failure to pay a domestic support obligation post-petition is grounds for denial of confirmation of the Chapter 13 plan (11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(8)), and if the failure occurs post-confirmation, it is a ground for dismissal or conversion of the Chapter 13 case (see 11 U.S.C. § 1307(c)(11)). Debts for property settlement are not given similar protection. Furthermore, the debtor’s plan is required to cure all domestic support obligation arrearages during the life of the Chapter 13 plan, unless the recipient agrees to a different treatment.
First Priority for Domestic Support Obligations: Another difference between domestic support obligations and property settlement debts is that 11 U.S.C. § 507 makes unsecured claims for domestic support obligations first priority, subject only to the fees and expenses incurred by a trustee in collecting them. Property settlement does not enjoy this high priority. The pertinent section of the Bankruptcy Reform Act reads as follows:
VI. Exceptions to the Automatic Stay
Bankruptcy’s automatic stay is a comprehensive injunction that stays actions against the debtor, property of the debtor and/or property of the bankruptcy estate.[1] The automatic stay is embodied in 11 U.S.C. §362(a), but there are 28 statutory exceptions to the automatic stay: those exceptions are set forth in 11 U.S.C. §362(b)(1)–(28).
The Bankruptcy Reform Act amended the exceptions to the automatic stay which pertain to family law matters. These changes in the Bankruptcy Code clarify that a broader range of family-law proceedings can continue even when one spouse files bankruptcy. Consequently, the following activities do not constitute a violation of bankruptcy’s automatic stay:
§ 362. Automatic Stay…
(b) The filing of a petition under section 301, 302, or 303 of this title, or of an application under section 5(a)(3) of the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970, does not operate as a stay—
(1) under subsection (a) of this section, of the commencement or continuation of a criminal action or proceeding against the debtor;
(2) under subsection (a)—
(A) of the commencement or continuation of a civil action or proceeding—
(i) for the establishment of paternity;
(ii) for the establishment or modification of an order for domestic support obligations;
(iii) concerning child custody or visitation;
(iv) for the dissolution of a marriage, except to the extent that such proceeding seeks to determine the division of property that is property of the estate; or
(v) regarding domestic violence;
(B) of the collection of a domestic support obligation from property that is not property of the estate;
(C) with respect to the withholding of income that is property of the estate or property of the debtor for payment of a domestic support obligation under a judicial or administrative order or a statute;
(D) of the withholding, suspension, or restriction of a driver’s license, a professional or occupational license, or a recreational license, under State law, as specified in section 466 (a) (16) of the Social Security Act;
(E) of the reporting of overdue support owed by a parent to any consumer reporting agency as specified in section 466(a)(7) of the Social Security Act;
(F) of the interception of a tax refund, as specified in sections 464 and 466(a)(3) of the Social Security Act or under an analogous State law; or
(G) of the enforcement of a medical obligation, as specified under title IV of the Social Security Act.
The highlights of this new exemption from automatic stay are:
In addition to criminal proceedings, a wide variety of civil actions can proceed against a person who files bankruptcy including civil actions regarding paternity, civil actions to establish or modify domestic support obligations, civil actions regarding custody or visitation, civil actions regarding domestic violence, and civil actions to dissolve a marriage (but actions concerning property of the debtor’s estate are stayed).
Income/wage withholding orders can still proceed, even if they target the debtor’s property or property of the estate.
Suspension of driver’s license or professional license to the extent that state law provides for such a suspension, reporting of overdue support, can proceed.
VII. Can Property Settlements in Divorce Judgments Be Challenged as Fraudulent Transfers?
In and out of bankruptcy, there are various laws that generally enable creditors to avoid (i.e. undo) transfers made or obligations incurred that have the effect of improperly putting a debtor’s assets beyond the reach of his or her creditors. Generally, transfers made (or obligations incurred) are considered to be a “fraud on creditors” when they are “actually fraudulent” (e.g. with actual intent to hinder, delay or defraud a creditor: See MCL 566.34(a)) or “constructively fraudulent” (e.g. transfers made (or obligations incurred) in exchange for less than reasonably equivalent value and by one who is either: (i) insolvent or rendered insolvent by the transfer made or obligation incurred (See MCL 566.35(1)), or (ii) engaged (or about to engage) in a business or transaction with unreasonably small assets (See MCL 566.34(b)(i)) or (iii) who intends or reasonably should have known that he or she is about to incur debt that is beyond his or her ability to pay when the debt becomes due. (See MCL 566.34(b)(ii)). Outside of bankruptcy, creditors can use MCL 566.31, et seq., which is Michigan’s version of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (“UFTA”) to avoid and recover fraudulent transfers. In bankruptcy, the debtor or trustee can use 11 USC §§ 544 and 548 to recover fraudulent transfers (11 U.S.C. § 544 “incorporates” applicable non-bankruptcy law, including UFTA).
Basic Bankruptcy options available.
Types of Bankruptcies. The four main types of bankruptcies are as follows:
Chapter 7—Liquidation: In a Chapter 7 the debtor turns over all non-exempt property to the Chapter 7 Trustee: this Trustee sells or liquidates the property and distributes the proceeds to creditors according to the priority scheme set forth in the bankruptcy code, and usually in a small one-time payment. The debtor will be released (discharged) from the unpaid portion of many types of debt unless a creditor objects to the debtor’s discharge, or unless a creditor objects to the dischargeability of its particular claim. The Chapter 7 Trustee is always appointed by the United States Trustee and is usually a member of a panel of Trustees.
Chapter 11—Reorganization: The purpose of Chapter 11 is to allow the debtor a breathing spell from creditors, thereby enabling the debtor to reorganize its financial affairs. This is the most expensive and complicated type of bankruptcy and can last for years. If successful, a plan of reorganization would be proposed which is subject to the vote of creditors.
Chapter 12—Family Farmer Bankruptcy: Chapter 12 can only be filed by a family farmer with regular annual income. This proceeding is similar to a Chapter 13, described below.
Chapter 13—Adjustment of Debts: Chapter 13 can only be filed by individuals with regular income (filing with or without a spouse) and with unsecured debts of less than $336,900 and secured debts of less than $1,010,650—See ll U.S.C. § 109(e). (These dollar limits are adjusted at 3-year intervals: the most recent adjustment was effective April 1, 2007.) The purpose of a Chapter 13 is for the debtor to pledge part of his or her income over a period of time (usually 3 to 5 years) to pay all or a portion of the debt. Once this portion of the debt is paid, the debtor is released (i.e. discharged) from the unpaid portion of the debts. Soon after the case is commenced, the debtor must propose a plan which fits within the strict requirements of the Bankruptcy Code. Priority debts must be paid in full. (See 11 U.S.C. §1322(a)(2).) Pursuant to §507(a)(1), a debt for a domestic support obligation (defined below) is a first priority unsecured claim
.
PERSONAL BAILOUT OR Discharge: The main reason why any individual files bankruptcy is to try to get a discharge from debts which are owing to creditors. 11 U.S.C. § 727 says that all individual debtors are eligible to receive a discharge unless he or she committed one of the “bad acts” described in 11 U.S.C. § 727.
III. WHAT IN BANKRUPTCY IS A DOMESTIC SUPPORT OBLIGATION.
The Bankruptcy Reform Act gives us a new term—“domestic support obligation”—which is defined in 11 U.S.C. § 101(14A), as follows:
(14A) The term “domestic support obligation” means a debt that accrues before, on, or after the date of the order for relief in a case under this title, including interest that accrues on that debt as provided under applicable nonbankruptcy law notwithstanding any other provision of this title, that is—
(A) owed to or recoverable by—
(i) a spouse, former spouse, or child of the debtor or such child’s parent, legal guardian, or responsible relative; or
(ii) a governmental unit;
(B) in the nature of alimony, maintenance, or support (including assistance provided by a governmental unit) of such spouse, former spouse, or child of the debtor or such child’s parent, without regard to whether such debt is expressly so designated;
(C) established or subject to establishment before, on, or after the date of the order for relief in a case under this title, by reason of applicable provisions of—
(i) a separation agreement, divorce decree, or property settlement agreement;
(ii) an order of a court of record; or
(iii) a determination made in accordance with applicable nonbankruptcy law by a governmental unit; and
(D) not assigned to a nongovernmental entity, unless that obligation is assigned voluntarily by the spouse, former spouse, child of the debtor, or such child’s parent, legal guardian, or responsible relative for the purpose of collecting the debt.
Nondischargeability of Domestic Support Obligations: 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(5) provides that a DSO cannot be discharged in Bankruptcy.
§ 523. Exceptions to discharge
(a) A discharge under section 727, 1141, 1228(a), 1228(b), or 1328(b) of this title does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt—…
(5) for a domestic support obligation;
Special Impact of Domestic Support Obligations in Chapter 13 Cases:
IV. Nondischargeability of Property Settlement
Before the Bankruptcy Reform Act, 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(15) provided that property settlement debts were nondischargeable unless the debtor lacked the ability to pay it according to the criteria described in the statute, or unless discharging the property settlement would result in a benefit to the debtor that outweighed the detriment to the non-debtor spouse, former spouse or child. The old law also required that the non-debtor spouse commence an adversary proceeding in bankruptcy court to determine the nondischargeability of the property settlement and, pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 523(c) the complaint in that adversary proceeding was required to be filed within 60 days after the first date set for the meeting of creditors pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 341. If a nondischargeability complaint was not timely filed, the property settlement was automatically discharged under 11 U.S.C. § 727. 11 U.S.C. § 523(c) often resulted in non-debtor spouses having to spend limited funds in order to “protect” their property settlements.
11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(15) was oddly written. Courts, attorneys, and litigants consistently struggled with it. The Bankruptcy Reform Act resolves the difficulty by revising § 523(a)(15) so that it reads as follows:
§ 523. Exceptions to discharge
(a) A discharge under section 727, 1141, 1228(a), 1228(b), or 1328(b) of this title does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt—…
(15) to a spouse, former spouse, or child of the debtor and not of the kind described in paragraph (5) that is incurred by the debtor in the course of a divorce or separation or in connection with a separation agreement, divorce decree or other order of a court of record or, a determination made in accordance with State or territorial law by a governmental unit;…
Thus, under the Bankruptcy Reform Act, even if a debtor’s obligation in a divorce decree does not come within the definition of “domestic support obligation” so as to be nondischargeable under § 523(a)(5), it is still nondischargeable under § 523(a)(15) if it is a property settlement debt to a spouse, former spouse or child.
In applying the Bankruptcy Reform Act, bankruptcy judges are now more likely to view any obligation in a divorce decree as being nondischargeable by a party to that divorce who later winds up in bankruptcy.
Also, the Reform Act amends 11 U.S.C. § 523(c) so that the non-debtor spouse is not required to file an adversary proceeding in order to preserve the nondischargeability of the debtor’s obligations that fall within the scope of 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(15). This is an important change in the law, designed to protect non-debtor spouses and children by eliminating the need for them to spend precious resources trying to “protect” the property settlement by commencing an adversary proceeding in the bankruptcy court.
Taken together, the Reform Act’s changes to 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(5) and (15) operate to exempt from discharge all alimony, maintenance, support, property settlements, hold-harmless obligations, etc. to a spouse, former spouse or child so long as they are incurred in the course of a divorce or separation, or in connection with the divorce decree, separation agreement or other order.
V. Are There Any Remaining Differences Between Nondischargeable Domestic Support Obligation Under 11 U.S.C. § 523(A)(5) and Nondischargeable Property Settlement Under the Reform Act’s 11 U.S.C. § 523(A)(15)? The Answer Remains “Yes”—Even Under the Bankruptcy Reform Act
A debt which is nondischargeable under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(15) (e.g., a property settlement that is not in the nature of alimony, maintenance or support) is dischargeable in a Chapter 13 under the Reform Act if the debtor makes all payments under the Chapter 13 plan. However, a domestic support obligation which is nondischargeable under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(5) is nondischargeable even under Chapter 13, even if the debtor makes all of its payments due under the plan and receives a super-discharge. See 11 U.S.C. § 1328(a).
In Chapter 13 cases, domestic support obligations get better treatment than do property settlements. For example, the failure of a Chapter 13 debtor’s failure to pay a domestic support obligation post-petition is grounds for denial of confirmation of the Chapter 13 plan (11 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(8)), and if the failure occurs post-confirmation, it is a ground for dismissal or conversion of the Chapter 13 case (see 11 U.S.C. § 1307(c)(11)). Debts for property settlement are not given similar protection. Furthermore, the debtor’s plan is required to cure all domestic support obligation arrearages during the life of the Chapter 13 plan, unless the recipient agrees to a different treatment.
First Priority for Domestic Support Obligations: Another difference between domestic support obligations and property settlement debts is that 11 U.S.C. § 507 makes unsecured claims for domestic support obligations first priority, subject only to the fees and expenses incurred by a trustee in collecting them. Property settlement does not enjoy this high priority. The pertinent section of the Bankruptcy Reform Act reads as follows:
VI. Exceptions to the Automatic Stay
Bankruptcy’s automatic stay is a comprehensive injunction that stays actions against the debtor, property of the debtor and/or property of the bankruptcy estate.[1] The automatic stay is embodied in 11 U.S.C. §362(a), but there are 28 statutory exceptions to the automatic stay: those exceptions are set forth in 11 U.S.C. §362(b)(1)–(28).
The Bankruptcy Reform Act amended the exceptions to the automatic stay which pertain to family law matters. These changes in the Bankruptcy Code clarify that a broader range of family-law proceedings can continue even when one spouse files bankruptcy. Consequently, the following activities do not constitute a violation of bankruptcy’s automatic stay:
§ 362. Automatic Stay…
(b) The filing of a petition under section 301, 302, or 303 of this title, or of an application under section 5(a)(3) of the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970, does not operate as a stay—
(1) under subsection (a) of this section, of the commencement or continuation of a criminal action or proceeding against the debtor;
(2) under subsection (a)—
(A) of the commencement or continuation of a civil action or proceeding—
(i) for the establishment of paternity;
(ii) for the establishment or modification of an order for domestic support obligations;
(iii) concerning child custody or visitation;
(iv) for the dissolution of a marriage, except to the extent that such proceeding seeks to determine the division of property that is property of the estate; or
(v) regarding domestic violence;
(B) of the collection of a domestic support obligation from property that is not property of the estate;
(C) with respect to the withholding of income that is property of the estate or property of the debtor for payment of a domestic support obligation under a judicial or administrative order or a statute;
(D) of the withholding, suspension, or restriction of a driver’s license, a professional or occupational license, or a recreational license, under State law, as specified in section 466 (a) (16) of the Social Security Act;
(E) of the reporting of overdue support owed by a parent to any consumer reporting agency as specified in section 466(a)(7) of the Social Security Act;
(F) of the interception of a tax refund, as specified in sections 464 and 466(a)(3) of the Social Security Act or under an analogous State law; or
(G) of the enforcement of a medical obligation, as specified under title IV of the Social Security Act.
The highlights of this new exemption from automatic stay are:
In addition to criminal proceedings, a wide variety of civil actions can proceed against a person who files bankruptcy including civil actions regarding paternity, civil actions to establish or modify domestic support obligations, civil actions regarding custody or visitation, civil actions regarding domestic violence, and civil actions to dissolve a marriage (but actions concerning property of the debtor’s estate are stayed).
Income/wage withholding orders can still proceed, even if they target the debtor’s property or property of the estate.
Suspension of driver’s license or professional license to the extent that state law provides for such a suspension, reporting of overdue support, can proceed.
VII. Can Property Settlements in Divorce Judgments Be Challenged as Fraudulent Transfers?
In and out of bankruptcy, there are various laws that generally enable creditors to avoid (i.e. undo) transfers made or obligations incurred that have the effect of improperly putting a debtor’s assets beyond the reach of his or her creditors. Generally, transfers made (or obligations incurred) are considered to be a “fraud on creditors” when they are “actually fraudulent” (e.g. with actual intent to hinder, delay or defraud a creditor: See MCL 566.34(a)) or “constructively fraudulent” (e.g. transfers made (or obligations incurred) in exchange for less than reasonably equivalent value and by one who is either: (i) insolvent or rendered insolvent by the transfer made or obligation incurred (See MCL 566.35(1)), or (ii) engaged (or about to engage) in a business or transaction with unreasonably small assets (See MCL 566.34(b)(i)) or (iii) who intends or reasonably should have known that he or she is about to incur debt that is beyond his or her ability to pay when the debt becomes due. (See MCL 566.34(b)(ii)). Outside of bankruptcy, creditors can use MCL 566.31, et seq., which is Michigan’s version of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (“UFTA”) to avoid and recover fraudulent transfers. In bankruptcy, the debtor or trustee can use 11 USC §§ 544 and 548 to recover fraudulent transfers (11 U.S.C. § 544 “incorporates” applicable non-bankruptcy law, including UFTA).
Posted by terrybankert 
BANKRUPTCY AND MICHIGAN FAMILIES 