Chapter 13 Trustee Thomas Gorman

Thomas Gorman is a lawyer. He’s the Chapter 13 Trustee for the Alexandria VA Division of the US Bankruptcy Court. That’s a full-time job. He was appointed in 2009.

He runs your Chapter 13 bankruptcy hearing, called the “meeting of creditors.” Creditors hardly ever attend the meeting of creditors. Gorman asks you the questions.

Here’s the Zoom info for your bankruptcy hearing with Trustee Thomas Gorman.  Meeting ID 945 047 9361, Passcode 1545657015

Here’s What to Expect on your Meeting with Chapter 13 Thomas Gorman

More than any other trustee in Alexandria VA, Gorman looks for opportunities for humor.  When these hearings are in person, he does things like make fun of the lawyer’s ties. (Sometimes I wear and ugly tie just so he can make fun of it.)  That’s harder with Zoom meetings, but if something comes up that he can turn into a joke, he does.  I think that’s a good thing. It helps everyone relax.

One thing does make him mad.  He asks everyone if you have filed bankruptcy before. If the answer is Yes, but you say No, he hits the ceiling. So you do not want to make that mistake. You don’t want the person in front of you to make that mistake, either. He stays crabby even when he’s on to the next person.

He usually does NOT ask about any unusual calculations we make. Some people’s budget will have higher average medical expenses or help for elderly parents.  Typically he will NOT ask about them during your hearing. But then…

Expect an objection in the mail in a couple weeks

When he goes back to his office, he looks over your papers very, very closely, looking for things to object to. When he was first appointed, the judge told Trustee Gorman to bring close questions into court, instead of settling them himself. That’s what he does. He finds something to object to in almost every case.

The friendly, funny Trustee Gorman who did your hearing turns mean in writing a couple weeks later.  He says he doesn’t like this, you didn’t explain that, and your lawyer made a mistake about this other thing.  He asks for your case to be dismissed.

People who read those written objections freak out. But that’s just the way it works in the Alexandria VA bankruptcy court. 

Trustee Gorman thinks it’s his job to squeeze a little more money out of everybody. Working out Gorman’s objections is just next step in the process of getting your case approved.  

Reminder: Here’s the Chapter 13 Mailing Address

There’s a bank in Memphis that handles the payments for most of the bankruptcy courts in the country. (They have different PO Boxes for the different Chapter 13 trustees.)

Here’s the payment address for Thomas Gorman, the Chapter 13 Trustee in Alexandria VA.

 

                                               Thomas Gorman, Trustee
                                               P.O. Box 1553 
                                               Memphis, TN 38101-1553

Be sure to put your case number on your check. Otherwise it could go into  the account of another person with a similar name. And don’t bounce your checks.  Make the check payable to Thomas Gorman, Trustee.