For individuals in the position to file for bankruptcy, there are two common options available: Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Chapter 7 works to liquidate your non-exempt assets in exchange for the discharge of your debts. This process is most common for filers without a steady income and the loss of non-exempt property does not occur in most Chapter 7 cases. However, for those with income who want to keep properties that could otherwise be liquidated in Chapter 7, Chapter 13 is a better option. Chapter 13 bankruptcy works to restructure your debts into a manageable three-to-five-year repayment plan that is based upon your monthly “net” income and your monthly reasonable and necessary living expenses. While Chapter 7 is a bankruptcy process available to individuals and businesses in Worthington, MN, alike, Chapter 13 is mostly filed by individuals. If you own a sole proprietorship or partnership business, you may be able to combine business and personal debts and use Chapter 13 bankruptcy to resolve all debts at once. If you’re in the position to file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in Worthington, MN and the surrounding area, Behm Law Group, Ltd. can help you build a strong case and get your reasonable repayment plan put into place. For Chapter 13 filers with a sole proprietorship, combining business and personal debts is relatively simple because there’s only one party filing for bankruptcy. For partnership businesses, however, that process can get a little more complicated. These complications often create situations where filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy is less than ideal for a partnership.

What to consider:

  • Your business contract: Many partnership businesses build clauses into their contracts that will dissolve the business as soon as one partner files for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. This is largely because of the potential negative results in a bankruptcy case that could befall a non-bankruptcy filing partner.
  • Potential case results: If the non-filing partner is able to repay the debts with their personal income, a creditor could request to have the case switched to a Chapter 7 on those grounds. The creditor could possibly receive more money in this case by targeting your partner’s assets, and your business would be forced to close down operations.
  • Who has to pay: If your partner files for bankruptcy, they’ll wipe out their responsibility for that business debt. This may leave you fully responsible for the debt. Additionally, if either of you guaranteed the debt, a bankruptcy case may trigger a clause that will require an immediate full payment of a loan.
  • Who will own the business: When your partner files for bankruptcy, they give up their share in the business to the bankruptcy trustee. Their ownership interest in the business becomes property of their bankruptcy estate. Technically, this will make a bankruptcy trustee your new business partner. If a trustee chooses to liquidate that asset, you could lose half of your business (or however much your partner owned). However, if the business has no “net” value in excess of the debts it owes, the trustee will likely conclude that it has no value to the bankruptcy estate. In that case, the partner filing for bankruptcy relief would likely be allowed to continue operating the business with the non-bankruptcy filing partner, as was the case before the bankruptcy was filed.

Don't Try to Navigate Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Alone

If you or your partner plan to file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in Worthington, MN or the surrounding area, Behm Law Group, Ltd. can help you decide whether or not it’s a good idea. Contact us at (507) 387-7200 or stephen@mankatobankruptcy.com today.

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