Scott Talkov
Debtors Can Still Claim California’s Increased, Automatic Homestead, Despite California Code of Civil Procedure § 704.965 Effective January 1, 2021, the California homestead exemption increased to $300,000 to $600,000 depending upon the median sales price in the county of residence, up from a meager $75,000 to $175,000 the year before. In turn, creditors have looked … Read More
Transferring Exempt Property May Not be a Fraudulent Transfer Under California Law It is not uncommon for debtors to want to maximize the amount of property they get to keep to avoid creditor collection efforts, especially efforts to collect their personal residence. Generally, the California Uniform Voidable Transactions Act (UVTA) prohibits debtors from transferring ownership … Read More
Community Property Laws Allow Spouses to Give Away No More than Half of the Community Estate, During Life or Upon Death in a Will or Trust While many spouses have tried, the law does not allow a living or deceased spouse to give away more than half of the community property marital estate, including in … Read More
Fraudulent Misrepresentation Under California Law Experienced business fraud and real estate fraud attorneys in California are regularly called upon to determine whether a case involves actionable fraudulent misrepresentation under California law. To answer this question, it is important to review the elements, examples, cases, and defenses applicable to fraudulent misrepresentation in California courts. Elements of … Read More
Requirements for Alleging Fraud in Federal & Bankruptcy Court Because “fraud is a serious charge, easy to allege and hard to prove” (In re Doctors Hosp. of Hyde Park, Inc., 308 B.R. 311, 322 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2004)), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 9(b) imposes the requirement on plaintiffs to allege fraud with particularity … Read More
What is a “Fraudulent” Transfer in California? A judgment is merely a piece of paper signed by a court that allows a creditor to take the debtor’s assets or to force a debtor to pay the debt from their income. Some judgment debtors, realizing that judgment collection methods will allow the creditor to take their assets, … Read More
Establishing Bona Fide Purchaser Status Under California’s Notice Rules Many conflicts arise from real property purchase disputes where a buyer, seller or other party claims priority over earlier purchasers and liens (encumbrances), including judgments. The conflicted rules applied in these quiet title actions underlie the importance of hiring a qualified real estate attorney in California. … Read More
While many California homeowners have heard of bankruptcy exemptions like the homestead exemption, few understand how this powerful tool can be used to ensure that homeowners stay in their homes, despite creditors, judgments, and even bankruptcies. Below, the experienced California bankruptcy attorneys at Talkov Law provide the tips and tricks to maximize your California homestead … Read More
Public Figures Bear a Heavy Burden to Show Actual Malice for Defamation in California Many public figures have trouble understanding that they enjoy very limited protection from defamation. Instead, they are required to meet a heavy burden to establish actual malice, which can rarely be proven. “To show actual malice, plaintiffs must demonstrate [that the … Read More
Defamation Defense of Opinion Means that “Rhetorical Hyperbole, Vigorous Epithets, Lusty and Imaginative Expressions of Contempt” are Protected by the First Amendment Many politicians and others in the public eye are bothered by those who express opinions about them that they believe are false. Despite their disappointment, the First Amendment protects rhetorical hyperbole and imaginative … Read More
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