Your one-stop location for bankruptcy news and information.

Depressed Debtor Denied Bankruptcy For Destroying Records

by L. Jed Berliner, Springfield & Marlborough, MA Bankruptcy Attorney on March 4, 2008 · 0 comments · Posted in Bankruptcy Cases & Legislation, Discharge of Debt

So who doesn’t get depressed when filing for bankruptcy protections?  Still, you need to be careful about holding onto your records.

In Lassman v. Keefe (In re Keefe), 380 B.R. 116 (Bankr. D. Mass. 2008), a builder incorporated his business.  He became depressed when he ran into difficult times and put all his records in a plastic bin.  He received physical threats from his customers, and his depression made him ill just by looking a the bin containing his records.   Finally, he tossed the bin into the trash.

The judge ruled that there was no malicious intent and that the destruction was benign.  However, the act was not justified and destroyed the trustee’s ability to determine what money was owed the corporation and the accuracy of any claims.  His bankruptcy discharge was denied.

Previous post:

Next post: