Will My Bankruptcy Case Be Public Record?

Understandably, you may not be exactly proud of your decision, or lack thereof, to file for bankruptcy. You want to keep this incident as private as possible. However, this may not necessarily be up to you. Rather, this may be left to the judgment of the federal and Kentucky bankruptcy court systems. Without further ado, please follow along to find out whether your bankruptcy will appear on the public record and how a proficient Louisville, Kentucky consumer bankruptcy lawyer at Schwartz Bankruptcy Law Center can help you prepare for the implications of your case.

Will my bankruptcy case appear on the public record?

In short, your bankruptcy case may be made public record. This is simply because your bankruptcy case is considered a court proceeding, and all court proceedings are supposed to appear on the public record. However, you may rest easier knowing that only basic information regarding your case may be disclosed, such as your name, case number, case status, bankruptcy type, filing date, etc. In other words, information you do not want the public to know or should not be known to the public may not be revealed, such as your Social Security number, date of birth, relevant financial account numbers, relevant health records, etc.

Though you may not like to hear this, your bankruptcy case may be on the public record permanently, with no opportunity for expungement. At best, you may be able to get this record sealed so it may not be readily accessible to the general public. This may be possible if your bankruptcy case involved sensitive information such as proprietary information, trade secrets, or details about a crime.

Why would someone be interested in knowing about my bankruptcy case?

While your bankruptcy case is available on the public record, you should not worry about everyone needing or wanting to know this information, like your friends, family members, and social groups. Instead, there may only be a select few groups who may be interested in knowing about this, and for strictly legitimate reasons.

For one, credit bureaus may want to be informed of your previous bankruptcy filing to determine your credit score. This is because filing for bankruptcy is supposed to significantly drop your credit score, all while being disclosed on your credit report for years to come. Then, potential employers may seek out this information while conducting a background check against you. This is especially true if you are applying for a high-security clearance job or otherwise a job that predominantly handles money matters. Lastly, lenders may want to know this before accepting your loan application, as your bankruptcy history may make you viewed as a financial risk.

At the end of the day, if you have any lingering doubts about your bankruptcy filing, a talented Louisville, Kentucky consumer bankruptcy lawyer can help relieve them. So whenever you are ready to start, please reach out to Schwartz Bankruptcy Law Center.