Welcome To Connecticut Consumer Bankruptcy Round Table

This page will allow you to browse judge-written summaries and opinions on Connecticut bankruptcy cases, and offer insights into key decisions, case outcomes, and legal reasoning. If you don’t find the judgement in the list below, simply use the search function to find the case in question.

Judge Tancredi – Debtor’s Discharge Violation Case Against PHH Thrown Out

Case Facts Samuel Aaron Laurion, a Chapter 7 debtor, initiated an adversary proceeding against PHH Mortgage Corporation, alleging that PHH violated the discharge injunction following his bankruptcy. Laurion had previously quitclaimed his mortgaged property to a trust he controlled. He claimed PHH violated 11 U.S.C. § 524(a) through (1) its suspense account policy, (2) issuing […]

Kwok Court Lets Alter Ego Claims Proceed

Case Brief – In re Ho Wan Kwok, Adv. P. No. 24-05249 (JAM) A Chapter 11 trustee’s sweeping alter ego case against 20+ global entities survived two motions to dismiss. Learn how the court tackled personal jurisdiction over foreign shell companies, standing under Nordlicht, and the use of federal common law to pierce corporate structures […]

Court Clarifies Need for Stay Relief to Repossess Vehicle

Even after a bankruptcy discharge, secured creditors may still need court permission to repossess estate property. In In re Laurion, the Connecticut Bankruptcy Court explains why a lender had to seek stay relief to recover a vehicle, and how debtor nonpayment and lack of equity supported the court’s decision. Essential reading for lawyers navigating post-discharge […]

Attorney Novak, Counsel for Debtor J. Graham Zahoruiko

Facts Attorney Novak, counsel for debtor J. Graham Zahoruiko, sought $24,650 in fees and $485.88 in expenses. His original agreement was a $7,500 flat fee. After most work focused on fighting a creditor’s valid claim, he amended the fee request. Issues Was Attorney Novak entitled to the full $24,650 in fees beyond the agreed $7,500? […]

Connecticut Bankruptcy Court Approves Confidential Settlement in Ho Wan Kwok Case

In a recent decision by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut, the court granted a motion to compromise regarding the bankruptcy estate of Ho Wan Kwok. The motion was filed by Luc A. Despins, the Chapter 11 trustee, who sought to resolve an adversary proceeding against the law firm Wildes & Weinberg, […]