Margaret Dee McGarity

How Judge McGarity rules, drawn from 20 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

Judge McGarity no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.

Court
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
Position
bankruptcy
Status
Retired 2016
Served
1987–2016
Commissioned
1987
Signed orders read
20

How Judge McGarity decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

A Chapter 13 debtor generally need not commit savings above the amount required by the projected-disposable-income test absent evidence of manipulation or bad faith.

“debtors need not commit any more funds to payment of unsecured creditors than those required by the ‘projected disposable income’ test”

Procedural preferences

The court treated a debtor’s state of mind in fiduciary-breach litigation as a fact-intensive question poorly suited to summary judgment.

“Because this type of determination is ill-suited for summary judgment, the plaintiffs’ motions are denied for this reason, as well.”

Cautions

Silence can constitute a willful misrepresentation when the debtor knowingly conceals a material fact that enabled the transaction.

“Ms. Benton’s calculated concealment of such information constitutes a willful misrepresentation under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A).”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

Harry Kaufmann Motorcars, Inc. v. Benton (In re Benton)
14-33505 / 15-2067 · 2015-10-20
Dischargeability complaint (vehicle seller) Granted

“the debt owed by Ms. Benton to Kaufmann is found to be excepted from discharge under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A)”

In re Jodi L. Wagner
09-33103 · 2015-05-05
Summary judgment (chapter 7 trustee) Denied

“A separate order denying both parties’s motions for summary judgment will be entered”

Summary judgment (debtor) Denied
In re Christopher Trentadue
13-29917 · 2015-03-19
Objection to proof of claim (debtor) Denied

“the debtor’s objection to the claim of Attorney Julie M. Gay is overruled”

Martin v. City of Milwaukee (In re Martin)
14-31091 / 14-2508 · 2014-12-11
Motion to dismiss adversary complaint (municipality) Denied

“the debtor’s objection to the City’s motion to dismiss is sustained”

United States Trustee v. Miller (In re Miller)
12-32487 / 14-2006 · 2014-06-05
Summary judgment (United States Trustee) Denied

“material facts remain in dispute, precluding the entry of summary judgment”

In re Janice Renee Pugh
13-23483 · 2014-05-27
Motion for relief from automatic stay (tax authority) Granted

“the motion for relief from the automatic stay is granted”

In re James Matson and Kevin Mabry
13-35361 · 2014-04-29
Motion to dismiss or bifurcate joint case (creditor) Denied

“The creditor’s motion to dismiss or, in the alternative, to bifurcate the case is denied.”

In re Lawrence and Lorine Hartung
12-21920 · 2014-03-24
Motion for relief from automatic stay (judgment creditor) Denied

“the motion for relief from the automatic stay was denied, without prejudice”

In re William R. Barnes
11-27724 · 2014-03-17

The court resolved legal issues concerning a shortened plan term but required further evidence before deciding whether the proposed modification was confirmable.

Bastian v. E-Finance Call Center Support, Inc. (In re Bastian)
13-21240 / 13-2198 · 2014-02-18
Motion to dismiss adversary complaint (E-Finance Call Center Support, Inc.) Denied

“Thus, the complaint has stated a claim against E-Finance.”

Motion to dismiss adversary complaint (Joshua Mitchem) Denied

“The complaint states a claim against Joshua Mitchem.”

Summary judgment (E-Finance Call Center Support, Inc.) Denied

“The motion of E-Finance for summary judgment is denied.”

In re Christina and Bernard Uhlig
13-25360 · 2014-01-30
Objection to chapter 13 confirmation (chapter 13 trustee) Denied

“the trustee’s objection to confirmation is overruled”

Universal Restoration Services, Inc. v. Hartung (In re Hartung)
12-21920 / 12-2359 · 2014-01-17
Summary judgment (home-restoration contractor) Granted

“the plaintiff is granted partial summary judgment”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

All ten analyzed matters were terminated and their usable entry streams were empty. One additional candidate was rejected because its entry stream belonged outside the case lifespan.

A historical record

Judge McGarity no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.