Opinion ID: 3011554
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: standard of review

Text: The trier of fact in this case was the Bankruptcy Court, not the District Court. Therefore [w]e are in as good a position as the district court to review the findings of the bankruptcy court, so we review the bankruptcy court's findings by the standards the district court should employ, to determine whether the district court erred in its review. Fegeley v. United States, 118 F.3d 979, 982 (3d Cir. 1997) (quoting Universal Minerals, Inc. v. C.A. Hughes & Co., 669 F.2d 98, 102 (3d Cir. 1981)). We must accept the Bankruptcy Court's findings of fact unless they are clearly erroneous, but we exercise plenary review over legal issues. Id. We therefore exercise plenary review over the Bankruptcy Court's application of our three-pronged Faish test to the facts of this case. See Brunner v. New York State Higher Educ. Servs. Corp., 831 F.2d 395, 396 (2d Cir. 1987) (noting that whether debtor suffers undue hardship under 11 U.S.C. S 523(a)(8) is a conclusion regarding the legal effect of the bankruptcy court's factual findings).