By: Darrell Castle Coming out of bankruptcy provides a fresh start for you and your finances. However, the fear of additional debt may leave a load of uncertainty on how you make major purchases following a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. A major purchase that you will likely face after a bankruptcy is a new car. It is possible for you to get a car after bankruptcy, contrary to what you may have heard. You may find after a bankruptcy, that your cash flow has improved and will allow you to purchase a car in cash. This is a great debt-free way to get a car and will not be impacted by your bankruptcy. If you choose
When you file bankruptcy, you have to list all of your debts. It’s actually against the law not to mention all of your assets and debts in your bankruptcy petition. But that doesn’t mean bankruptcy will automatically include all of those debts, or that you’ll lose all the assets you still owe money on. For example, if you come to our Memphis bankruptcy law firm and tell us you want to keep your house or car, we can do something about that. You won’t lose your house unless you want to – it’s our job to make sure of it. Chapter 13 bankruptcy is the most common way people keep their homes in a bankruptcy, but there are sometimes even
FAQ: Can I file bankruptcy for a spouse or family member who has died? ANSWER: While you can’t file bankruptcy for another person, you do have options if a deceased loved one has left behind a lot of debt. First off, a case filed prior to death can continue even after the person’s death. So if your loved one already filed bankruptcy, their debt may already be handled, and you’ll want to speak with their attorney about it. Secondly, you’re not always responsible for the debt loved ones leave after their death. In most states, you’re only responsible for joint debts, which are debts you’ve signed on to along with the deceased, meaning both names are on the paperwork. These sorts of
By: Darrell Castle If your spouse left you with debt you can’t pay, the way out of that situation will vary depending on your situation. First of all, you can’t file bankruptcy on behalf of someone else; but you can consider bankruptcy for yourself if you are unable to pay debts left behind by your loved one. When a loved one passes away, his or her estate goes through a probate process to determine who owns what. If your debt was owed jointly, there’s a good chance it will pass on to you. In that case, you could consider bankruptcy as an option for getting rid of that debt. This happens a lot when the main breadwinner in a family
Injured on the Job by Your Own Mistake No one tries to get injured on the job, but anyone can make a mistake. If you’ve been injured because of your own error, you have just as many medical bills and worries as any other injured employee. And as a result, you may be wondering, “Can I get workers’ comp if the injury was my fault?” What Injuries Does Workers’ Comp Cover? As a no-fault insurance program, workers’ compensation covers the injury no matter who caused it. In other words, even if your own accident or carelessness led to the injury, you still have a right to workers’ compensation. However, workers’ comp doesn’t cover bad behavior related to personal issues. If
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLFg-azKV1I Transcript: Can I Refinance After Filing Bankruptcy? How long after bankruptcy can you refinance? Well, that’s a tough question to answer because it depends to such a large extent on the mortgage companies and the housing market, and whether or not you have any equity in your home – things of that nature. You know, there’s no particular set time. Usually a company would want you to wait a little bit before they talk to you about refinancing. But these days the housing market is tough in this country, whether you’re in bankruptcy or whether you’re not. A lot of people are being turned down for refinancing. I suspect you probably know that already, because
When you’re injured in an on-the-job accident, your resulting medical bills and missed wages are covered through workers’ compensation, which your employer provides regardless of who was at fault. But what if the fault belongs to a third party? For example, if a machine malfunctions and injures a worker, shouldn’t the manufacturers be held accountable? A truck accident lawyer Memphis, TN residents trust might ask if a delivery truck driver is hit by someone else, shouldn’t the other driver be responsible for the medical bills? The answer to all these questions is yes: you can pursue compensation from third parties when you’ve been injured on the job. In fact, in many cases third parties don’t have the same limits as workers’
In general, you can’t sue your employer for a work-related injury; however, that’s only because the workers’ compensation system is already in place to handle this type of situation. Worker’s compensation is a form of insurance your employer is required by law to carry. If you’re injured on the job, worker’s comp will pay for your medical bills and lost wages no matter who was at fault for the injury. In return, you aren’t allowed to sue your employer for the accident. There are some exceptions to this rule. For example, your employer can’t fire you for a work injury. If you’ve been wrongfully terminated for filing a workers’ comp claim or reporting an accident, a workers’ comp attorney can
When you file for bankruptcy, you most likely will have to stop using your credit cards. If you have any credit card debt, the debt will be listed in the bankruptcy. When that happens, the card is discontinued so you don’t have a choice but to stop using it. However, if you don’t have any credit card debt (which means no outstanding balance on your card at all), you are allowed to keep the card. You don’t have to tell the credit card company you’ve filed for bankruptcy; but if they find out some other way, they are allowed to discontinue that line of credit. As bankruptcy attorneys in Memphis, we see that most people considering bankruptcy do have some
There are some jobs that, by their very nature, require you to work in dangerous situations. Construction, factory work, carpentry, moving services – these always involve a lot of risk. But employers can’t put you in a risky situation just because they’re too lazy or stubborn to make the workplace safe. For example, an employer should never make you use equipment that’s faulty or needs repair. If parts are broken, they should fix the equipment before expecting you to work with it. Employers also have to fix chemical leaks or other toxic problems that might put employees at risk. They have to fix any fire hazards. They have to provide protective gear when necessary and show that they’ve ensured your