Updated Dec. 3, 2020: I am in Minnesota; the guy I was talking about is in Pennsylvania. To my astonishment he called me today and asked to take down this post. He said he had just gotten out of prison. Because I have no reason to wish him ill, I have updated this entry to delete the guy's last name. He did say that if I had a client who was contemplating lying he could talk to the client and tell them how badly it turned out!

Minnesota is in the Eighth Circuit, which includes the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas. Nevertheless, cases from other circuits may be helpful in understanding the law.

Back when Congress was about to pass the "Cares Act" -- the response to the Covid 19 pandemic -- I emailed a couple of US senators asking them to exclude the proposed $1200 per person payments from being swept up in bankruptcy cases. Unfortunately, the Congress seems to have ignored my suggestion. Humpph.

These are incredibly unusual times, of course.

If you are a homeowner, there may be some help available to you. If your mortgage is owned by one of the two very large "government sponsored enterprises" you may be able to get some relief. One of these two is Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), commonly

The Minnesota Legislature recently passed a small but helpful change in the garnishment law.