11 U.S.C. § 944
Section 944 · Effect of confirmation
Amended 1 time on record
Applied in 21 court decisions — leading case Avellino & Bienes v. M. Frenville Co. (1984)
Most recently applied in Rhita Bercy v. City of Phoenix (May 2024)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
(a) The provisions of a confirmed plan bind the debtor and any creditor, whether or not—
(1) a proof of such creditor's claim is filed or deemed filed under section 501 of this title;
(2) such claim is allowed under section 502 of this title; or
(3) such creditor has accepted the plan.
(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the debtor is discharged from all debts as of the time when—
(1) the plan is confirmed;
(2) the debtor deposits any consideration to be distributed under the plan with a disbursing agent appointed by the court; and
(3) the court has determined—
(A) that any security so deposited will constitute, after distribution, a valid legal obligation of the debtor; and
(B) that any provision made to pay or secure payment of such obligation is valid.
(c) The debtor is not discharged under subsection (b) of this section from any debt—
(1) excepted from discharge by the plan or order confirming the plan; or
(2) owed to an entity that, before confirmation of the plan, had neither notice nor actual knowledge of the case.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Historical and Revision Notes
[Section 947] Subsection (a) [enacted as section 944(a)] makes the provisions of a confirmed plan binding on the debtor and creditors. It is derived from section 95(a) of chapter 9 [section 415(a) of former title 11].
Subsections (b) and (c) [enacted as section 944(b) and (c)] provide for the discharge of a municipality. The discharge is essentially the same as that granted under section 95(b) of the Bankruptcy Act [section 415(b) of former title 11].