Chapter 7 Discharge
Through no fault of your own, you find yourself dealing with an unmanageable amount of debt. No matter how hard you try to make payments, there’s never enough money and it keeps going to interest, anyway. It may be a result of your employer cutting back your hours or limiting overtime wages. You may have a medical problem which caused a loss of pay or you may have taken uncompensated time off from work to care for a sick family member.
Whatever the precipitating factor, the result is the same; not enough money to timely pay the monthly household bills as they come due. Under a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, though, all of that may go away.
Discharge in a Cincinnati or Kentucky Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
If you are drowning in your financial obligations, a Chapter 7 discharge may be just the life preserver you need. Our Cincinnati Chapter 7 bankruptcy attorneys at Steiden Law Offices can help you achieve that. We will carefully review your finances and your debts, and help you determine what might be discharged. Call us today at to schedule a free consultation to go over your situation.
We have offices in Cincinnati, Florence, and Covington, and are able to help people in Hamilton, Boone, and Kenton Counties.
Benefits of Discharge in Southern Ohio Chapter 7
Often times when you have bills, medical bills, credit card bills, loans that you are unable to pay, they go into collections. These collection companies use the mail and the phones with the threat of wage garnishment, property levy or other bullying tactics to get you to pay them. When the collections process is exhausted, many times creditors hire collection lawyers in your area and they file a collection lawsuit against you. This suit ultimately results in the entry of a judgment, which allows the creditor to use certain tools to try and collect their debt with interest and in many cases, attorney’s fees and court costs.
The original debt could have doubled with these extra expenses and the civil judgment will last many years and can adversely affect your credit. These tools include a wage garnishment or bank garnishment or a sheriff’s levy on an item of personal property such as a motor vehicle that is free and clear.
The benefit of a bankruptcy is it can make all of that collection activity end. If you elect to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you can discharge or wipe out all of the debts and loan balances with all the fees, interest and costs that have accumulated. Your filing ensures that these debts will not come back to seek collection from you. The discharge you receive is both permanent and enforceable.
Northern Kentucky Procedures for Chapter 7 Discharge
When you file bankruptcy, you are required to compile the names, addresses, account numbers and balances of each of your creditors and to include them in your Petition and Schedules. They will receive notice from the Court of your filing and the Automatic Stay will go into effect. This Stay stops all actions to collect debt, to pursue civil suits, foreclose the property, conduct an eviction or recover property from the debtor without court order.
A Trustee is appointed who oversees the administration of the case and after the expiration of certain time period and events, the court will enter a Discharge. This Discharge is issued pursuant to §524 of the Bankruptcy Code. This document is furnished to you, all of your creditors and other parties in interest. The discharge voids previously entered judgments, wipes out debts and prevents further actions or collection efforts to collect on previous financial obligations. The Discharge also acts like an injunction in that it prevents creditors from calling, writing or otherwise taking any action at all to collect on a pre-petition debt.
When you have received your discharge and a creditor contacts you seeking payment, even when they propose a deal, on a discounted or negotiated basis, they are violating the terms of the discharge. The proper response would be to advise the creditor of the bankruptcy filing and if necessary, furnish them a copy of the discharge. If the creditor does not immediately stop, you should make contact with your Chapter 7 bankruptcy lawyer so they can take proper measures to seek sanctions for the violation of the discharge.
Steiden Law Offices | Covington, KY Chapter 7 Discharge
A Chapter 7 bankruptcy could discharge many of your debts and end harassment and collection attempts by creditors. Our bankruptcy lawyers at Steiden Law Offices serve clients throughout Cincinnati, Florence, Kentucky, and surrounding areas. Call us today at so we can set up a free consultation to discuss your assets and the potential relief of bankruptcy for you.
