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  • Spectacular!

    I liked your fast, friendly service. You were all knowledgeable in the area of bankruptcy. Your treatment of me as a client was spectacular! You were great at promptly responding to my questions and concerns. I loved that you provided courteous and quick responses to all my questions.
    --Donna
  • Highly Recommended!

    I have worked with Seth and he is the utmost professional in how he works with his clients. If you need an attorney you can trust I would highly recommend the Law Office of Seth Hanson.
    --David
  • Very Professional.

    Everyone was very professional and efficient. Seth, and everyone that I had contact with were very knowledgeable. I was very pleased with how we were treated by his staff. My questions were always answered promptly. I was very pleased with the service I received and would not hesitate to refer someone to your firm.
    --Anonymous
  • Non-judgmental.

    You were very open and answered all of my questions. You never made me feel like I was asking a dumb question. I was comfortable with your knowledge of the law. It was hard for me to make this decision to move forward in my life. Everyone was friendly to me and respectful. Non-judgmental. Every question I asked was answered promptly and appropriately. I would recommend you.
    --Anonymous
  • More Than Expected!

    I found the firm's representation to be more than what I expected. I was always kept in the loop, all my questions were answered (whether or not I asked more than once the same question), and I felt completely supported by the firm staff when going through this (at times) scary ordeal. Thank you again.
    --Joanna
  • Very Impressed!

    I liked that you had very friendly, caring staff. You were all very knowledgeable. Your treatment towards me was excellent and you quickly responded to all my concerns. If a friend asked of your overall impression, I would say that we were very impressed and we would recommend you to them.
    --Danielle

Avoiding Bankruptcy Fraud

During any bankruptcy, a person’s creditors will have an opportunity to object to the forgiveness of your debts. One of the most important things to make sure of before you file is that you are not committing bankruptcy fraud, which if found, can jeopardize your case. How might one run afoul of their creditors or the court during bankruptcy? 

Certain activities committed before filing or retaining a bankruptcy attorney can result in a successful objection on the grounds of fraud: 

Here are a few things to avoid before the process of filing bankruptcy: 

  • Obtaining any credit through false representations of assets or income. 
  • Falsifying any documents used to support a credit request to inflate or decrease your worth. 
  • Making purchases on credit with no intention of repaying the debt. Any substantial purchases within 90 days before filing a bankruptcy case can give grounds to creditors filing objections to discharge on these grounds. 
  • Making expensive purchases of luxury goods or taking out a large cash advance shortly before filing bankruptcy. 
  • Engaging in deceptive business practices. 
  • Knowingly endorsing a bad check. 

One can also run into trouble after they have retained an attorney with the intention of filing bankruptcy, during the actual process of filing the paperwork to declare bankruptcy or even when testifying on court date(s). 

Here are a few things to avoid during the process filing bankruptcy: 

  • Hiding any assets that belong to you in order to prevent the item(s) from being sold to pay creditors. 
  • Leaving out of your disclosures any property transfers or gifts given before filing the bankruptcy. 
  • Destroying or withholding documents requested by the court. 
  • Falsifying a document being submitted to the court. 
  • Knowingly making any false statements in the bankruptcy paperwork or to the trustee during your meeting of creditors in court. 

What happens if the court says you’ve committed bankruptcy fraud? 

If it is determined that a debtor has committed fraud in their bankruptcy, the court may: 

  • Deny the discharge of the debt. 
  • Dismiss the bankruptcy case entirely. 
  • Fine the debtor up to $250,000.00 
  • Sentence the debtor to up to 20 years in prison. 

These are clearly some very weighty consequences which must be carefully considered before proceeding with filing a case. If you have questions about the bankruptcy process reach out to your Stockton bankruptcy attorney at (209) 952-0355. 

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