DRL

CalAssist After a California Wildfire: Could Up to $100,000 Save Your Home? When a wildfire destroys a community, the financial damage often continues long after the flames are extinguished. Families may be displaced for months, lose employment, incur unexpected expenses, and fall behind on their mortgage payments—all while trying to rebuild their lives. Recognizing these [...]

Think Your Form 1099-R Is Wrong? Don't Assume You Have to Pay the Tax One of the most stressful letters a taxpayer can receive is a Form 1099-R reporting what appears to be a taxable retirement distribution. Many people immediately assume they owe thousands of dollars in additional taxes because "the IRS already has a [...]

Ten Bankruptcy Mistakes That Can Jeopardize a Personal Injury or Wildfire Recovery Every year, people who have filed bankruptcy are involved in automobile accidents, employment disputes, insurance disputes, wildfire losses, and other events that may produce legal claims or settlements. Most recoveries can be protected with proper planning. Problems usually arise when the bankruptcy and [...]

Wildfire Claims and Bankruptcy After Keathley Wildfire Claims and Bankruptcy After Keathley California wildfire victims often face overlapping legal and financial issues. A family may lose a home, personal property, rental housing, business income, or health while also dealing with mortgage debt, credit card debt, insurance delays, tax issues, and bankruptcy. The Supreme Court’s decision [...]

What Plaintiff Attorneys Need to Know About Bankruptcy After Keathley Plaintiff attorneys representing personal injury, employment, wildfire, insurance, and civil litigation clients should pay close attention to the Supreme Court’s decision in Keathley v. Buddy Ayers Construction, Inc. For years, defendants have used bankruptcy nondisclosure as a powerful summary judgment tool. If a plaintiff failed [...]

Supreme Court Strengthens Protections for Bankruptcy Debtors Who Accidentally Omit Lawsuits The United States Supreme Court issued a significant decision for people who have filed bankruptcy and later discover that they failed to disclose a lawsuit, personal injury claim, insurance claim, wildfire claim, employment claim, or other potential recovery. In Keathley v. Buddy Ayers Construction, [...]

Partial Payment Installment Agreements: A Middle Ground for Tax Debt When you fall behind on your taxes, the notices, penalties, and IRS pressure can escalate fast. A financial setback, medical issue, or unexpected emergency is often all it takes to get behind—and once collections start, many taxpayers feel they have nowhere to turn. Most people [...]

Innocent Spouse Relief: Protecting Yourself from a Spouse’s Tax Debt When you file a joint tax return with your spouse, you’re both saying to the IRS: We’re in this together. That means both of you are jointly and severally liable for any tax owed—even if the unpaid balance, errors, or fraud were entirely your spouse’s [...]

The Truth About IRS Passport Revocation for Unpaid Tax Debts When people think of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), they often picture audits, liens, or wage garnishments. But many are surprised to learn that the IRS can also impact your ability to travel internationally. Under a federal law passed in 2015, the IRS can ask [...]