341 Meeting done!! Now what?
Hello Everyone:
The meeting for which I dreaded is now over!!
You guys were right. The meeting for me was less than 7 minutes and seemed painless!! The waiting for my turn was longer. My meeting was for 9:30 am and I got called at 10:05 am, but still not too bad.
Before I discuss my meeting, let me just give some specifics to anyone waiting for their 341.
I am from NYC and I filed pro se. The meeting was held in a separate building than the court so you're allowed to have your cell phone but it needs to be off in the 341 room.
As I was finding the building which was being renovated, I made it to the 341 room which when I entered. There was lots of chairs with some people waiting and some older man sitting in the front at a long table with some chairs. I didn't know who he was at first and he was yakking on his cell, when some man approached him for some info. The older guy yelled at him and said " Don't you see that I am talking on my phone?" He had an attitude and I prayed that this guy was not my trustee. He then said if anyone was there for any 9 am meeting and no one said anything. Then he asked about 9:30 and everyone said yes and he said that he would start on time. Still no introductions but I didn't know who he was. Then at 9:33 he called a woman who was pro-se and questioned her for about 5 minutes after swearing her in. After she was done then he got up and introduced himself in a matter that was very quick and seemed as if he memorized some type of script. He told us that we needed to be quiet because the proceedings were being electronically recorded. We should turn off beepers and cells (Too bad he didn't follow his own advice - and kept interupting people's case to talk on his phone) He also said that people needed to have their ID ready and be prepared to answer their name, address and SS which was a standard for everyone.
Here are some highlights
Some people were represented by attys but the majority of those at my session were pro-se. I only got to see 3 other pro-se's before my case and then I left.
Most cases were quick and not too many questions were raised. One guy who had an atty also had his son as a translator because all they spoke was Spanish. Their case was adjourned because the man had a domestic support obligation and the trustee said that he does not know how the new laws apply to his situation and neither did their lawyer.
Another guy represented by a lawyer who was a adjunct college professor had a nice meeting. Afterwards the trustee was asking the guy about his education and how to teach at the college level. The trustee is actually working on his thesis for his Masters in English. So they were having a sidebar of their own. The trustee wished the guy luck.
Antoher pro-se filer filed BK before and the trustee wanted specifics as to why she filed then and now. She explained that there was some sickness in the family.
Another pro se got her case adjourned and the trustee even reminded her that she was under oath. He questioned her about why he didn't get her tax return or pay advices. She said that she mailed them, but he didn't receive them. He also asked about her certificate for credit counseling and she couldn't produce that. She claimed that her grandson was living with her and the trustee asked if she takes care of him financially and she said yes. When asked where the kid's parents are, she said that the father is in jail and the mother who is her daughter went to go live with the father of her other child. The boy did not want to go so she kept him. Her answers seemed a little inconsistent, and since her papers were missing he adjourned to 6/27.
When it was my turn, I was sworn in and I gave my ID. He asked the usual about if my papers were in order and if my signature was indeed on the schedules and etc. I told him what I did for a living and how much I earned a year. He asked if I owned a home or condo and I said no. He asked if I owned a car and since I was sure how to answer, I said that I have a car that I am still making payments on. He asked what kind of car was it. I guess an 8 year old Nissan was not interesting. He was looking at my schedule where my dependents were listed. He asked how many lived in the home and I said that it was me, my 3 teenage kids and their dad. He said that you only claim 4 on your taxes, but on your BK petition you list your household size as 5 and I explained that since the kids father and I are not legally married I couldn't claim him on my taxes. The trustee said that he didn't say that I could. He asked if their father was working and I said no and he asked why and I said well he has been looking for work for 8 months. The trustee asked are you paying all the bills and I said yes that I currently am and then he started to say, well how do you do that but then changed the question, I guess to get clarification that the man I live with is the father of my children and I said that yes, they are our children. Then he said well then I am closing this case now - what ever that means exactly I am not sure, but its better than being told to come back in 5 weeks like some people. I remembered to not volunteer any info and I answered yes or no Sir. Had he finished asking me about how I manage to pay the bills, I would have mentioned my son's SSI, but it's in my papers anyway for the trustee to figure out.
Now what happens next? The trustee has 30 days and the creditors have 60 days to object. I did my pre-discharge counseling and I filed it with the court today. I am still waiting on my re-affirm agreement to be filled out correctly on my car loan. The bank didn't do it properly the first time. They forgot to date it, list the title of the person signing the paper or even stamp it. The bk court told me that I needed to file it before the discharge. I still have some time. I guess now is the waiting game!!
Glad its over!!!
sbb
The meeting for which I dreaded is now over!!
You guys were right. The meeting for me was less than 7 minutes and seemed painless!!
The waiting for my turn was longer. My meeting was for 9:30 am and I got called at 10:05 am, but still not too bad.Before I discuss my meeting, let me just give some specifics to anyone waiting for their 341.
I am from NYC and I filed pro se. The meeting was held in a separate building than the court so you're allowed to have your cell phone but it needs to be off in the 341 room.
As I was finding the building which was being renovated, I made it to the 341 room which when I entered. There was lots of chairs with some people waiting and some older man sitting in the front at a long table with some chairs. I didn't know who he was at first and he was yakking on his cell, when some man approached him for some info. The older guy yelled at him and said " Don't you see that I am talking on my phone?" He had an attitude and I prayed that this guy was not my trustee. He then said if anyone was there for any 9 am meeting and no one said anything. Then he asked about 9:30 and everyone said yes and he said that he would start on time. Still no introductions but I didn't know who he was. Then at 9:33 he called a woman who was pro-se and questioned her for about 5 minutes after swearing her in. After she was done then he got up and introduced himself in a matter that was very quick and seemed as if he memorized some type of script. He told us that we needed to be quiet because the proceedings were being electronically recorded. We should turn off beepers and cells (Too bad he didn't follow his own advice - and kept interupting people's case to talk on his phone) He also said that people needed to have their ID ready and be prepared to answer their name, address and SS which was a standard for everyone.
Here are some highlights
Some people were represented by attys but the majority of those at my session were pro-se. I only got to see 3 other pro-se's before my case and then I left.
Most cases were quick and not too many questions were raised. One guy who had an atty also had his son as a translator because all they spoke was Spanish. Their case was adjourned because the man had a domestic support obligation and the trustee said that he does not know how the new laws apply to his situation and neither did their lawyer.
Another guy represented by a lawyer who was a adjunct college professor had a nice meeting. Afterwards the trustee was asking the guy about his education and how to teach at the college level. The trustee is actually working on his thesis for his Masters in English. So they were having a sidebar of their own. The trustee wished the guy luck.
Antoher pro-se filer filed BK before and the trustee wanted specifics as to why she filed then and now. She explained that there was some sickness in the family.
Another pro se got her case adjourned and the trustee even reminded her that she was under oath. He questioned her about why he didn't get her tax return or pay advices. She said that she mailed them, but he didn't receive them. He also asked about her certificate for credit counseling and she couldn't produce that. She claimed that her grandson was living with her and the trustee asked if she takes care of him financially and she said yes. When asked where the kid's parents are, she said that the father is in jail and the mother who is her daughter went to go live with the father of her other child. The boy did not want to go so she kept him. Her answers seemed a little inconsistent, and since her papers were missing he adjourned to 6/27.
When it was my turn, I was sworn in and I gave my ID. He asked the usual about if my papers were in order and if my signature was indeed on the schedules and etc. I told him what I did for a living and how much I earned a year. He asked if I owned a home or condo and I said no. He asked if I owned a car and since I was sure how to answer, I said that I have a car that I am still making payments on. He asked what kind of car was it. I guess an 8 year old Nissan was not interesting. He was looking at my schedule where my dependents were listed. He asked how many lived in the home and I said that it was me, my 3 teenage kids and their dad. He said that you only claim 4 on your taxes, but on your BK petition you list your household size as 5 and I explained that since the kids father and I are not legally married I couldn't claim him on my taxes. The trustee said that he didn't say that I could. He asked if their father was working and I said no and he asked why and I said well he has been looking for work for 8 months. The trustee asked are you paying all the bills and I said yes that I currently am and then he started to say, well how do you do that but then changed the question, I guess to get clarification that the man I live with is the father of my children and I said that yes, they are our children. Then he said well then I am closing this case now - what ever that means exactly I am not sure, but its better than being told to come back in 5 weeks like some people. I remembered to not volunteer any info and I answered yes or no Sir. Had he finished asking me about how I manage to pay the bills, I would have mentioned my son's SSI, but it's in my papers anyway for the trustee to figure out.
Now what happens next? The trustee has 30 days and the creditors have 60 days to object. I did my pre-discharge counseling and I filed it with the court today. I am still waiting on my re-affirm agreement to be filled out correctly on my car loan. The bank didn't do it properly the first time. They forgot to date it, list the title of the person signing the paper or even stamp it. The bk court told me that I needed to file it before the discharge. I still have some time. I guess now is the waiting game!!
Glad its over!!!
sbb
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