The bankruptcy court granted the debtor’s motion to avoid a lien that impaired his homestead exemption under § 522 “[b]ecause the debtor is allowed to claim a homestead in his one-half interest in property, and because there is no evidence or presumption his non-filing spouse consented to a homestead in her one-half interest.” After analyzing the 2011 Nebraska bankruptcy decision of In re Pedersen and the cases cited therein, the court distinguished it from the present case because Pedersen involved a married couple filing jointly while this case involves a debtor and his non-filing spouse. The court would not presume the non-filing spouse consented to the selection of the homestead from her separate property.
Date:
Thursday, February 8, 2024
Judge:
Judge Brian S. Kruse