US Bankruptcy Court EDCA Docket Feed

Ferguson v. Hernandez - Motion to Reset Hearing Denied Without Prejudice

United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California denied Chapter 7 Trustee Irma Edmonds' Motion to Reset Hearing on her Motion for Summary Judgment in Adversary Proceeding No. 25-01006-B. The ruling, issued February 18, 2026, leaves in place a stay entered December 31, 2025, pending the District Court's determination on Defendant Manuel Cochran Hernandez's Motion to Withdraw the Reference. The denial was without prejudice, and Defendant did not timely oppose the motion.

Cessna v. Brock: Dischargeability Ruling on Lottery Fraud

US Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of California issued a decision on February 18, 2026, in adversary proceeding 25-2021, finding that defendant James Clay Brock obtained $317,500 from plaintiff William R. Cessna through fraud related to a Spanish lottery scheme. The court held that between February 5, 2018, and July 6, 2018, defendant convinced plaintiff that he had won millions and needed to pay fees in cash to collect, making the transferred funds nondischargeable under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2).

In re Riki Trowe - Bad Faith Conversion Found, Chapter 7 Estate Expanded

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California issued a ruling on March 31, 2026 finding that debtor Riki Trowe converted from Chapter 13 to Chapter 7 in bad faith under 11 U.S.C. § 348(f)(2). The court determined that because the conversion was in bad faith, the Chapter 7 estate consists of property existing on the date of conversion rather than property existing on the petition date. The ruling expands the scope of assets available to the Chapter 7 trustee, including property acquired post-petition but pre-conversion, affecting the distribution to creditors in this Case No. 24-24267.