Most all legal proceedings include terms of art that are unfamiliar to non-attorneys. Just ask anyone who has spent a day in Court and they will tell you that the Judge and lawyers seemed to be speaking a foreign language. This is especially true in bankruptcy court where there are more than the usual amount of legal terms used on a regular basis. One of these terms is the term “exemption”. Each state has a list of exemptions that the debtor is entitled to when filing bankruptcy, and the exemptions can help determine what assets the debtor is allowed to keep.
Bankruptcy exemptions exist for your property, and help to keep it safe from a creditor’s reach while you are in your bankruptcy case. The Bankruptcy Code provides for a list of federal exemptions, and the debtor may elect to take those or use the specific state’s list of exemptions. State exemptions are usually more liberal and provide more of a benefit to the bankruptcy filer. Some of the most common types of assets that are exempt from being taken by a creditor include:
● Up to a certain value in your vehicle.
● Up to a certain value in your family residence.
● Your wedding ring.
● Personal items such as clothing and furniture.
● Livestock and other farm implements.
It can be tricky to claim what property you own that is exempt, and you have to be careful that the trustee or a creditor does not challenge your exemptions. For some pieces of property, your home for example, you have to have lived in the state in which you are filing bankruptcy for a certain amount of time prior to filing or the state exemption of your former state of residence may apply. This can make a difference when electing to take the state exemptions, because the value of certain things varies from state to state. Before deciding what to exempt and up to what value, consult with a qualified debt relief attorney. For more information, call our office.
If you have overwhelming debt, call our office for help. We will review the facts of your unique circumstances and develop a strategy that works best for you, your family, and your budget. Call a Plantation, Florida debt relief attorney today for more information.
