Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Lawsuit Tracker

Chapter 13 is the 'wage earner's' reorganization chapter of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Instead of liquidating assets, a debtor with regular income proposes a repayment plan that runs three years (below the state median income) or five years (above it) and is supervised by a Chapter 13 trustee (uscourts.gov). The automatic stay (§362) stops foreclosure and repossession at filing, and the plan can 'cure' past-due mortgage or car-loan payments while you keep making regular payments going forward. It is the path most often used when someone is above the means-test median, is behind on a home or vehicle they want to keep, or has non-exempt property they cannot protect in Chapter 7. Federal student loans are not automatically discharged in either chapter, but they can be addressed through an adversary proceeding under §523(a)(8) in a Chapter 13 case just as in Chapter 7.