News

RITE AID TO FILE CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY: WHAT TO KNOW

RITE AID TO FILE CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY:  WHAT TO KNOW Rite Aid is in financial trouble, and with over 1000 federal, as well as a number of state-level lawsuits over allegations that the company contributed to the opioid crisis by oversupplying painkillers, etc., it is preparing to file a Chapter...

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Bankruptcies: They’re Increasing

Bankruptcies:  They’re Increasing Bankruptcy filings were up 17% in the first half of 2023 of 2022 numbers and the surge continues. •Chapter 11 commercial filings totaled 2,973 during the first half of 2023, which was a 68% increase compared to the first half of 2022. •Small business filings, which are...

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Foreclosures

Foreclosures The real estate industry runs in cycles with the economy.  With the tight economic times, business owners in a pinch cannot pay their lenders.  When borrowers stop paying the secured lender, the lender typically begins the foreclosure process.  Foreclosures are heating up across the country.  As of November 2022,...

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CHAPTER 7 BANKRUPTCY PRE-FILING PLANNING

CHAPTER 7 BANKRUPTCY PRE-FILING PLANNING Once a Chapter 7 bankruptcy is filed, all of the assets of the debtor that filed becomes property of the bankruptcy estate.  Immediately upon filing, a Chapter 7  the bankruptcy court appoints a bankruptcy Trustee to sell your “nonexempt” assets or those things not protected...

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Small Business Bankruptcy

Small Business Bankruptcy Faster.  Easier.  There is a Small Business Reorganization Act that now streamlines existing rules for small businesses to restructure successfully under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code.  There are requirements for what qualifies as a small business, but generally, it can be a business corporation or limited...

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Homestead Exemptions in California Protect Your Home Part I

Homestead Exemptions in California Protect Your Home Part I A homestead exemption can protect a homeowner’s principal residence from creditors against loss in the case of bankruptcy, judgment or death of a spouse.  The California Constitution (Cal. Const. Art. XX, § 1.5 ) protects a homestead:  “[t]he Legislature shall protect,...

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Letters of Intent – Real Estate and Business Transactions

Letters of Intent – Real Estate and Business Transactions Epps & Coulson, LLP is and has been counsel for buyers and sellers of real estate, operating businesses and asset buy/sale transactions, both in normal conditions, as well as in bankruptcy and receivership conditions.  Regardless of the environment in which the...

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Bankruptcy Can Fix Tax Problems

Bankruptcy Can Fix Tax Problems While many taxes cannot be eliminated in a bankruptcy, personal income taxes, can potentially be discharged if the tax payor meets the following four (4) criteria: (1) The date the tax return was due to be filed is more than 3 years before the bankruptcy...

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Landlords, Tenants, Guaranties and Bankruptcy

Landlords, Tenants, Guaranties and Bankruptcy The new case of Lariat Company, Inc. v. Wigley (In re Wigley), 15 F.4th 1208 (8th Cir. 2021) shows exactly what a landlord should do in pursuing a guarantor (and his wife) when the tenant defaults and the guarantor tries shenanigans to try to avoid...

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