Outstanding Case Results

The examples below are representative results from cases handled by the Law Offices of Albert Goodwin, PA. Identifying details have been removed or generalized to protect client confidentiality. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every bankruptcy and debt-relief case depends on its own facts.

Chapter 7 – Full Discharge of Unsecured Debt

Coral Gables couple with approximately $148,000 in credit-card and medical debt. After successfully completing the means test, the case was filed and the discharge was entered approximately 95 days later. All unsecured debt was eliminated. The clients kept their homestead, two vehicles, and retirement accounts in full.

Chapter 13 – Saved Home From Foreclosure Sale

Miami client filed Chapter 13 the day before a scheduled foreclosure sale on a homestead with approximately $42,000 in mortgage arrears. The arrearage was cured over 60 months through the plan. The client retained the home and is current on the mortgage today.

Chapter 13 – Lien Strip of Second Mortgage

Hialeah client owed approximately $76,000 on a second mortgage that was wholly unsecured at the time of filing because the first mortgage exceeded the home's fair market value. The second mortgage was stripped and treated as unsecured debt in the Chapter 13 plan. Upon plan completion, the second mortgage lien was extinguished.

Chapter 13 – Cramdown of Vehicle Loan

Broward client owed $19,400 on a vehicle purchased more than 910 days before filing, with a fair market value of approximately $9,800. The loan principal was crammed down to the fair market value and the interest rate was reduced to the Till rate. Monthly payments fell substantially through the Chapter 13 plan.

Chapter 11 Subchapter V – Small Business Reorganization

Miami-Dade small-business client with approximately $620,000 in trade debt and an SBA loan filed Subchapter V. A consensual plan was confirmed restructuring the SBA loan and paying unsecured creditors a percentage over three years. The business remains operating.

Foreclosure Defense – Lawsuit Dismissed

Foreclosure complaint against Coral Gables homeowner dismissed after motion practice exposed defects in standing documentation. The client subsequently negotiated a loan modification without filing bankruptcy.

FDCPA Settlement – Collection Harassment

Five-figure settlement obtained for Miami client harassed by debt collector after written cease-communication request was ignored. Underlying alleged debt was also resolved.

Wage Garnishment – Stopped Same Week

Pembroke Pines client whose paycheck had just been garnished filed an emergency Chapter 7 petition within five business days of the initial consultation. The garnishment stopped immediately. Discharge entered approximately four months later, eliminating the underlying judgment.

Tax Debt – Older Income Tax Discharged in Chapter 7

Client with approximately $34,000 in federal income tax debt from tax years more than three years old, where returns were timely filed and the assessments were more than 240 days old, received a full discharge of the tax debt as part of a Chapter 7 case.

To discuss whether a similar approach might work in your case, call 786-522-1411 or email email@attorneygoodwin.com.