Articles

Federal courts report bankruptcies continue to decline

Continuing a trend of recent years, bankruptcies nationwide declined for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2019, U.S. Courts reported. Overall personal bankruptcies declined slightly, though business filings increased for just the third time this decade. Indiana’s Southern District bankruptcy numbers, however, told a different tale.

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Jailed Fort Wayne attorney gets interim suspension for embezzlement convictions

A Fort Wayne attorney currently serving a six-month embezzlement sentence in federal prison has been suspended from the practice of law in Indiana effective immediately following his felony convictions. The Indiana Supreme Court issued an order of interim suspension against Randall B. Stiles, who was sentenced in March to six months behind bars for two counts of felony bankruptcy fraud and one count of misdemeanor failure to file a tax return.  

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Bedford attorney appointed judge pro tem to fill McCord vacancy

A judge pro tempore has been appointed to replace former Lawrence Circuit Judge Andrea K. McCord following her appointment to the federal judiciary as the newest bankruptcy judge in the Indiana Southern District Court. Serving in McCord’s place as judge pro tempore will be Bedford attorney Nathan G. Nikirk.

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$50M HHGregg suit attacks insiders for accepting customer deposits to very end

A lawsuit quietly wending its way through a Marion County court zings former HHGregg CEO Bob Riesbeck and three other insiders of the failed chain, alleging they allowed it to continue accepting customers’ deposits on merchandise long after its tailspin cast doubt on whether it had the financial wherewithal or inventory to fulfill the orders.

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Divided 7th Circuit: Business owner may seek discharge of back pay debt

A divided panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed an Indiana business owner to seek to discharge back pay debt in bankruptcy proceedings, rejecting the National Labor Relations Board’s argument that the debt was not dischargeable because the employees to whom the back pay was owed were “maliciously” fired.

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Indiana attorney: More senior citizens filing for bankruptcy

A northeastern Indiana attorney says a growing number of senior citizens are filing for bankruptcy protection after falling into debt, often for medical expenses. Similarly, a study by the Consumer Bankruptcy Project found the rate at which seniors file for bankruptcy has tripled from 1991 to 2016.

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Indiana consumer bankruptcies fall faster than U.S. average

Personal bankruptcy filings due to consumer debt tumbled in Indiana last year at a much faster pace than an overall national decline, according to federal bankruptcy court data released Monday. Hoosiers filed a combined 7.4 percent fewer petitions for Chapter 7, Chapter 11 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2017.

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