In today’s poor economy, where home foreclosures seem to be commonplace, and where debtors have few options to stop a foreclosure, when the bank does not want to negotiate with the debtor, a chapter 13 filing may be the only way out. The bankruptcy code has set a time frame which a debtor can not file and obtain a discharge in a chapter 13 case, if they have already filed another chapter. When a debtor is forced to file a chapter 13, in order to protect their home, many trustees will simply file a motion to dismiss the case without taking into consideration the strict language of the code. The code does not in fact prohibit a debtor from filing a chapter 13, even if they are still in another 13 or 7, but rather, prohibits a discharge. As such, many trustees do not consider that a debtor may be seeking the protection of certain chapter 13 benefits outside of a discharge.
There is some, although limited case law on point, which would protected the homeowner seeking to save their home, by using the automatic stay, at least for a period of five years. In a 2008 case, the trustee contended that, because debtors were ineligible for discharges under 11 U.S.C.S.