Lowe v. DeBerry

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The proceeds of a homestead sold after the filing of a petition for Chapter 7 bankruptcy remain exempt from the debtor's estate if they are not reinvested within the time frame required to invoke the proceeds rule of Texas homestead law. In Hawk v. Engelhart, 871 F.3d 287 (5th Cir. 2017), the Fifth Circuit held that funds withdrawn from an exempted retirement account after the filing of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy do not lose their exempt status even if the money is not redeposited in a similar account within 60 days pursuant to Texas's proceeds rule. In this case, the court saw no reason why Hawk's analysis should not apply to Texas's homestead exemption. Therefore, the homestead here was exempt because it was owned at the commencement of debtor's bankruptcy. Accordingly, the court reversed the district court's judgment and reinstated the bankruptcy court's order dismissing the adversary proceeding. View "Lowe v. DeBerry" on Justia Law