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Legal Opinion

Merritt v. Rizzo (In Re Rizzo)

United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Illinois

Decided January 27, 2006No. 19-05011PublishedCited by 7 opinions

1Opinion of the Court

MEMORANDUM OPINION

A. BENJAMIN GOLDGAR, Bankruptcy Judge.

In 2002, debtor Ernie Rizzo held a judgment against Denny Passialis and was attempting to collect it. Believing that Earl Merritt, Passialis’s uncle, was using his bank account to hide money for Passialis, Rizzo tried to serve Merritt with a non-wage garnishment at Merritt’s workplace — which happened to be a state correctional facility. In the process, Rizzo spoke with one of Merritt’s superiors by phone. Asked why he wanted to serve Merritt, Rizzo said that Merritt was involved in a “money-laundering” scheme. Merritt subsequently sued…

2Cases cited32 opinions

  1. Grogan v. GarnerSupreme Court of the United States · 1991
  2. Kawaauhau v. GeigerSupreme Court of the United States · 1998
  3. Local Loan Co. v. HuntSupreme Court of the United States · 1934
  4. In Re Nancy Shao Su in Re Louis C. Su, A/K/A Chienlu Su, Debtors. Dora Carrillo v. Louis C. SuCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 2002
  5. James P. Wheeler and Sheila N. Wheeler v. A. David LaudaniCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · 1986

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3Cited by7 opinions

  1. Ward v. West (In Re West)United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Ohio · 2010
  2. Jefferson v. Holland (In Re Holland)United States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Illinois · 2010
  3. Ocean Innovations, Inc. v. Ahern (In re Ahern)United States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Wisconsin · 2015
  4. Elise Holowicki v. Brian BelenUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Illinois · 2025
  5. Pavletich v. RoseUnited States Bankruptcy Court, N.D. Illinois · 2019

2 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.

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