Legal Question in Bankruptcy in Ohio
trying to collect on a discharged debt
A company is trying to collect on a debt that was discharged in a bankruptcy (Chap7) 11 years ago. They say they will continue to contact me about this until I provide proof that it was discharged. This was filed in another state and I have provided them with the state and the county in which it was filed. They claim that is not enough and continue to call me. After 11 years I do not have any of the paperwork. Do I have to bear the time and expense to get this taken care of or is it finished?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: trying to collect on a discharged debt
You must prove the discharge by contacting the bankruptcy court, and getting certified copies of your petition, and the discharge order. If they continue to contact you after receiving this information, you have an action against them.
Re: trying to collect on a discharged debt
If no assets were taken from you during the bankruptcy, (called a "no asset case") then you can write a letter to the creditor citing ZIRNHELT v MADAJ wich can be found at
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=search&case=/data2/circs/6th/980211p.html
which states that the bankruptcy case does not have to re-opened to has a non-listed debt discharged. So even if you did not list them 11 years ago you do not owe them. This case is from the 6th Federal Circuit, which covers Ohio and many other states in the region.
If the Trustee in your bankruptcy did take an asset away from you 11 years ago, and you did not list the creditor, you would still owe them. The reasoning behind this is that a unlisted creditor was not allowed to participate in your bankruptcy case and therefore did not get some of the proceeds from the sale of your asset.
I hope this helps.
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