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Supreme Court Deadlock over Spousal Guaranties Will Continue to Affect Costs of Equipment Financing

By Dennis A. Dressler

This article is a follow-up to my September, 2015, review of best practices for obtaining spousal guaranties in equipment financing transactions in light of the Supreme Court's decision in Hawkins v. Community Bank of Raymore . See “Supreme Court to Focus Legal Spotlight on Spousal Guaranty Issues: Lenders Should Make Sure They Are Prepared,” http://bit.ly/1TdT54L.

Since Justice Scalia's death, for the first time the Supreme Court deadlocked in a 4-4 decision involving a claim under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) on the issue of whether spousal guarantors have the same rights and protection that their applicant spouses are given by the ECOA. The Supreme Court's deadlock leaves the circuit split on this issue between the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Sixth and Eighth Circuits intact. As a consequence, equipment lessors and lenders need to be aware of the patchwork state of the law and federal law, and the potential ramifications on their credit and collection decisions and issues of lender liability.

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