• Why did I receive a Notice of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case?

• I received a Notice of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case, but the information listed for me is  wrong.  What can I do?

• Am I a creditor?

• Are creditors required to attend the meeting of creditors?

• If I do attend the meeting of creditors, may I ask the debtor questions?

• I attended the meeting of creditors; how do I obtain a copy of the digital recording? 

• I suspect a debtor engaged in fraud or is hiding assets.  Who should I notify?

• Should I file a Proof of Claim?

• How can I monitor the status of the case?

Why did I receive a Notice of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case?

When the debtor filed bankruptcy, he/she was required to list all possible creditors.  The debtor must err on the side of disclosure so you may have been listed out of an abundance of caution. You may or may not be owed any money.  If you would like additional information regarding why you were listed, please contact the debtor's attorney.

I received a Notice of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case, but the information listed for me is wrong. What can I do?

Obtain and complete a Change of Address form from the Bankruptcy Court at https://www.cacb.uscourts.gov/forms/change-mailing-address and file at the Bankruptcy Court to have your information updated.

Am I a creditor?

You are a creditor if (1) You are a person or institution to whom a debtor owes money or claims that a debtor owes you money and/or (2) you have received a notice from the court about a particular bankruptcy case whereby the debtor has listed you as someone to whom the debtor owes money or may owe money. 

Other helpful information to creditors from the Bankruptcy Court can be obtained here: https://www.cacb.uscourts.gov/creditors   

Are creditors required to attend the meeting of creditors?

No. You can also send information or question you have about the debtor(s)’ financial affairs to the Trustee.

If I do attend the meeting of creditors, may I ask the debtor questions?

Yes.  If you have questions for the debtor about his or her finances (e.g. why some asset you know about was not scheduled), then you may ask at the hearing. The amount of time will likely be limited to approximately 5-10 minutes, to ensure that other cases are called timely.  If you intend to attend a meeting and want to ask the debtor questions, please notify the Trustee’s office of your intent. Remember to provide information on the case for which you are creditor and how you are a creditor (e.g. you are owed money).

I attended the meeting of creditors. How do I obtain a copy of the digital recording? 

The U.S. Trustee's Office maintains all audio records of 341 meetings, and any request for a copy of the 341 digital recording must be made to their office.  

I suspect a debtor engaged in fraud or is hiding assets.  Who should I notify?

You may wish to contact the Trustee’s office. It will be helpful if you also provide your contact information and supporting documents (if any) regarding your assertion to help expedite the investigation. 

Should I file a Proof of Claim?

In Chapter 7 cases, the Notice of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case will inform you not to file a claim unless you receive a subsequent Notice of Possible Dividends and Deadline to File a Proof of Claim.  If you receive a Notice of Possible Dividends and Deadline to File a Proof of Claim, pay close attention to the deadline to file a claim and make sure you file such claim within the time indicated. You can obtain information and the proof of claim form at the Bankruptcy Court’s website: https://www.cacb.uscourts.gov/how-file-claim 

How can I monitor the status of the case?

The Central District of California maintains an electronic docket of cases: https://ecf.cacb.uscourts.gov/.  To access it, you must first register for a Pacer account.  Once registered, you can access the electronic docket and filed documents for a small fee.