What is a Motion to Lift the Automatic Stay? · A
creditor may mail you a copy of document with a title such as Motion
"to Lift" or "to Remove," or "for Relief
from" the Automatic Stay, or a similar title. The section of
the code dealing with the automatic (§362) will
usually be included in the title or elsewhere in the document. This
motion means that the creditor is attempting to take the property listed
in the document.
Note: The documents which you receive
will usually include a Notice describing the motion, the motion, and, in
many cases, the order which the creditor is asking the court to
enter. You have only 15 days from the mailing of the notice in
which to respond.
What can I do about it? Possible responses to
the motion depend upon the Chapter under which you have filed and the kind
of property in which the creditor holds a security interest.
Chapter 7
Chapter 13 - Real Property (Home,
Land)
Chapter 13 - Vehicles
CHAPTER 7
The stay under §362 prevents creditors from taking taking
property such as your house, car, and personal possessions. The stay
is not intended to allow you to keep secured property in Chapter 7.
You are entitled to keep secured property only if you make all of the
payments on loans secured by the property when the payments are due,
unless the creditor agrees to other arrangements. The creditor may
file the motion because of payments you missed before or after the case
was filed, or if you have failed to maintain insurance on the property or
if you have done or failed to do anything else in violation of the
contract.
If the creditor asks the court to remove the stays, as it
is asking in the motion, the court is almost certain to lift the
stays. While it is possible to respond to the motion in an attempt
to delay the creditor's action, this can be done only at additional
expense and it is ordinarily not worth that expense. As stated in
the Agreement for Legal Services, this office does not respond to these
motions unless you meet with your attorney and make arrangements for these
services.
If you want to keep the property described in the motion
and are not able to immediately make all required payments, you should
immediately contact your attorney to discuss the possibility of converting
to Chapter 13.
CHAPTER 13 - Real Property (home/land)
It is the stay under §362 which allows you to keep this
property. Once the stay has been removed, the creditor may proceed with
foreclosure. If a trustee's sale was previously scheduled, the sale
may be conducted immediately upon the removal of the stay without any
further notice to you. If the stay is lifted, you will not be able
to keep this property unless you pay all missed payments (including any
which were to be paid by your Chapter 13 Plan), all of the creditor's
attorneys' fees and costs, and all collection and foreclosure costs.
This payment would have to be made in cash before the foreclosure sale
date. If a sale date was previously scheduled, the sale date may
have been continued so that the sale can be conducted immediately upon the
removal of the stay without any further notice to you.
It may be possible to prevent the stay from being lifted by
filing a response to the creditor's motion. You have only fifteen
(15) days from the service of the notice of the motion in which to file
the response. If you wish to file a response, you must schedule an
appointment with your attorney immediately. If regular appointments
are not available, ask for an emergency office or phone appointment on a
motion to lift stays.
If you have not missed any payments to this creditor, you
should bring canceled checks or other evidence showing that you have made
each monthly payment from the time that your case was filed. If you
have missed payments, we may be able to propose a stipulation with the
creditor to allow you to make the regular payments plus an additional
amount to catch up the arrearage.
Unfortunately, the creditor's action will cause you to
incur additional fees. Since this matter was not originally
contemplated in your case, there will be additional attorney's fees.
The charge to file a response to the motion is listed in your fee
agreement. Additional charges will apply if the hourly charge for
services exceeds this amount. These fees should be paid before your
response is filed. The creditor will also expect you to pay its attorneys
fees and costs if you keep the property.
To keep the property, you must schedule an appointment
with your attorney immediately. You should schedule this appointment
right now, even if you cannot pay the response fee at this time. If you do
not talk with your attorney, a response will not be filed and you may lose
the property.
CHAPTER 13 - Vehicles
It is the stay under §362 which allows you to keep this
property. Once the stay has been removed, the creditor may proceed
to repossess and sell the property in accordance with applicable
non-bankruptcy law.
It may be possible to prevent the stay from being lifted by
filing a response to the creditor's motion. You have only fifteen
(15) days from the service of the notice of the motion in which to file
the response. If you wish to file a response, you must schedule an
appointment with your attorney immediately. If regular appointments
are not available, ask for an emergency office or phone appointment on a
motion to lift stays.
The most common reasons for motion to remove the stays to
be file on property being paid for in the plan is a default in plan
payments or a lapse in insurance. If you are behind in plan
payments, it will be necessary for you to catch up in plan payments in
order to prevent the lifting of the stay. In some cases, this may be
done by the filing of a motion to modify your plan. If your insurance has
lapsed, you must obtain comprehensive coverage on the vehicle naming the
creditor as a loss payee, and provide evidence, such as the policy cover
page, to the creditor. Even if you address the issue that caused the
creditor to file the motion, you must still file a response to the motion
if you seek to prevent the lifting of the stays.
Unfortunately, the creditor's action will cause you to
incur additional fees. Since this matter was not originally
contemplated in your case, there will be additional attorney's fees.
The charge to file a response to the motion is listed in your Agreement
for Legal Services. Additional charges will apply if the hourly
charge for services exceeds this amount. These fees should be paid
before your response is filed. The creditor will also expect you to
pay its attorneys fees and costs if you keep the property.
To keep the vehicle or other property, you must schedule
an appointment with your attorney immediately. You should schedule
this appointment right now, even if you cannot pay the response fee at
this time. If you do not talk with your attorney, a response will not be
filed and you may lose the property. |