Alerts

On June 10th, 2020, effective on August 4th, 2020, Washington County in Pennsylvania will allow defendants to seek a 90-day stay in mortgage foreclosure actions.

The Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure were amended, effective July 1, 2020, to allow plaintiffs to seek a waiver of service from the defendant in order to help avoid the expense of serving the summons in Ohio Common Pleas Courts.

With the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago having approached its next phases of reopening, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has extended and reissued various Executive Orders in response to the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis.

On April 22nd, 2020, the Chief Judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania signed Misc. Order 20-3007. The Order outlines the local process for notification of forbearance agreements in active chapter 13 bankruptcy cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 17th, 2020, the Bankruptcy Judges, along with the Clerk of Court of the Western District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Court, held a conference* with attorneys practicing in that jurisdiction to discuss matters and procedures related to the outbreak of COVID-19.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker issued Executive Order 2020-25, which suspends the statutory provisions applicable to service of a garnishment summons, wage deduction summons, and citations to discover assets on consumer debtors and consumer garnishees.

Can foreclosures proceed on abandoned properties notwithstanding the various foreclosure moratoria? We are raising this issue with the courts in an attempt to convince them to allow foreclosures to proceed on abandoned properties, as an exception to the moratorium.

On March 28th, 2020, the Governor of Illinois issued Executed Order No. 2020-16 in response to the COVID-19 Disaster Proclamation. Executive Order 2020-16 deems the repossession of vehicles contrary to the interest of preserving public health.

On March 27th, 2020, President Donald J. Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act or the CARES Act. The Act contains several provisions that will impact current or future bankruptcy cases.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio's state government took numerous steps to prevent the spread of the disease, preserve human life, and promote public order. Of particular interest to creditors is Ohio House Bill 197, section 22.