U.S. Supreme Court: Debtors must wait to appeal payment plan denial

WASHINGTON (AP) — A unanimous Supreme Court says debtors in bankruptcy cannot immediately appeal a court’s order rejecting a plan to repay creditors.

The justices ruled Monday that parties in a bankruptcy case must wait until a repayment plan is confirmed before appealing to a higher court.

The case involves Louis Bullard, a Massachusetts man who filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2010. One of his biggest debts was $346,000 he owed to Blue Hills Bank. But a bankruptcy court denied his plan to pay the bank only a tiny percentage of what he owed.

A federal appeals court said the order was not final because Bullard could still propose another plan.

Writing for the court, Chief Justice John Roberts agreed that only an order confirming a payment plan is immediately appealable.