No. You can exempt over $10,000 worth of anything. I always tell my clients let’s pretend you have $12,000 laying on your dining room table. You then list things that you own. And then you can use that $10,000 to buy things off the table. You can also exempt money in the bank by using the money... View More

Probably. But it depends on a lot of information that a bankruptcy attorney would need to know. Some example questions:

What notice did you receive of the lawsuit from which he is being garnished?

If nothing then you can file paper to get before the judge and explain why you did not... View More

No to Federal Refund. There is also no reason to file MI state taxes if you are going to get a refund. They is no penalty unless you owe and file late.

First thing. I assume these are Michigan refunds. If so stop filing. The state doesn’t care if you file when you expect a refund.

Why are you reluctant to file bankruptcy?

Yes. Debts can be renewed every 10 years. I always advise MI clients to not file MI tax returns if they are getting a refund since the state doesn’t care if there is no filing if there is a refund due.

Not sure what you mean about “they”sending you paperwork after filing. After what... View More

A discharged credit card will be reported as discharged by bankruptcy. The joint person who did not file will continue to show the credit report as before.

Need much more information. Most important - is the mortgage current? If so, then you may be able to file Ch 7 (the simple short bankruptcy). If not current you would need to either get current before you file a case or file Ch 13 bankruptcy and get caught up over either 3 or 5 years.

Depends on a lot of question too numerous to list. Just a few:

Property valuation.

Which exemptions you can use.

Your age.

Your family size.

Your sources of income and amounts.

Your expenses.

Anticipated changes in income and expenses.

Assuming you are asking for yourself and not for somebody else you should contact your attorney and find out exactly what happened. Without more information there is no way to really answer the question.

In general, cases can usually be reopened and the paperwork filed. There may be other... View More

Several thoughts.

First - if your only income is Social Security and you have no significant assets you don't need to do anything since creditors cannot garnish SS income.

Second - I have never had a client who had anything good to say about debt consolidation companies.... View More

You can certainly file the bankruptcy by yourself but I'll bet every bankruptcy attorney who sees your question will agree that it is almost always a terrible idea.

That being said you can go to this link and get the forms and some guidance on how to do it yourself:... View More

I have handled many cases like this and have had judges set aside the Default Judgment. The form you are looking for is called "Motion to Set Aside Default Judgment. Here is the link:

https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/forms/scao-approved/cia04.pdf

You would need to... View More

You should turn in returns ASAP and contact your attorney if you have one. Otherwise contact the trustee and own up to your mistake.

It will only get worse if you ignore it and your case will get dismissed if you don’t makes it up somehow.

In the Eastern District of Michigan the standard plan requires you to turn over your refund. It is not a matter of the trustee grabbing it.

The good news is you can always amend your plan to account for change of circumstances. Show expenses for any un-budgeted event such as job loss and... View More

Cannot even comment without a lot more information.

Not enough information. Is the case pre 341, post 341, pre-confirmation or post confirmation?

How much is the debt? You are going to have to deal with the debt sometime. If the debt is a garden variety judgment in a MI Court you could ask for a payment plan. Why not file the bankruptcy (if you can). In a Ch. 7 you can get back everything garnished in the 90 days before filing if it totals... View More

You can still file a bankruptcy. Bankruptcy courts are still operating electronically.

Do you have an attorney? If so talk to that person. If not you need to supply much more information.

No.