I'm going on 60 years old and am in poor health. I'm no longer working and live on disability income. I have no children, am single and have no assets either. I don't own a car or a house. I rent an apartment.
I filed Ch 7 bankruptcy in the 90's and it was fairly simple back then. The reason I got into debt back then was I was careless w/credit cards. I remember having unpaid medical bills too. I never thought it would happen to me again but here I am, many years later with my finances being as precarious as my health problems.
A default judgment was filed against me nearly 20 years ago while I was still working. I made the mistake of ignoring collection letters and before I knew it, my bank account got frozen and I was unable to pay rent. The only source of funds for that account was my paycheck and they knew it. I had to scramble to find someone to help with rent money and after that was done I switched to paper checks so that they wouldn't be able to stop me from surviving.
I have not heard from that judgment creditor since this happened to me. I've been out of work for many years because of numerous health issues and when they did this to me, I was in the process of going out on disability. Several years later, I was a plaintiff in a civil suit and rec'd 10k from it, but that creditor never went after it, which surprised me. This was good in a way because I used much of that money to pay for medical expenses including a power wheelchair.
Fast-forward to 2022. I had another judgment filed against me four years ago but this older one will be expiring soon unless they renew it. Like the first time around, I was careless with credit cards and racked up some bills, most of which were for credit cards but there were others inc. medical. I don't want either one hanging over my head any longer. So I want to file Ch 7 but want to know how the laws have changed over the past 30 years.
Altogether I probably owe between 10-20k but am not certain. Some of my bills are so old I can't even remember the creditors names. If I can find an affordable attorney, can I have them do a debt search?
If I can't find an affordable attorney, do legal aid attorneys handle bankruptcy cases?
I know that my income is execution-proof but that might not always be the case. If I can recover my health, I'd like to work part time if possible. I don't want these two judgments and other bills to hang over my head forever.
I would appreciate your advice. Thank you!
I filed Ch 7 bankruptcy in the 90's and it was fairly simple back then. The reason I got into debt back then was I was careless w/credit cards. I remember having unpaid medical bills too. I never thought it would happen to me again but here I am, many years later with my finances being as precarious as my health problems.
A default judgment was filed against me nearly 20 years ago while I was still working. I made the mistake of ignoring collection letters and before I knew it, my bank account got frozen and I was unable to pay rent. The only source of funds for that account was my paycheck and they knew it. I had to scramble to find someone to help with rent money and after that was done I switched to paper checks so that they wouldn't be able to stop me from surviving.
I have not heard from that judgment creditor since this happened to me. I've been out of work for many years because of numerous health issues and when they did this to me, I was in the process of going out on disability. Several years later, I was a plaintiff in a civil suit and rec'd 10k from it, but that creditor never went after it, which surprised me. This was good in a way because I used much of that money to pay for medical expenses including a power wheelchair.
Fast-forward to 2022. I had another judgment filed against me four years ago but this older one will be expiring soon unless they renew it. Like the first time around, I was careless with credit cards and racked up some bills, most of which were for credit cards but there were others inc. medical. I don't want either one hanging over my head any longer. So I want to file Ch 7 but want to know how the laws have changed over the past 30 years.
Altogether I probably owe between 10-20k but am not certain. Some of my bills are so old I can't even remember the creditors names. If I can find an affordable attorney, can I have them do a debt search?
If I can't find an affordable attorney, do legal aid attorneys handle bankruptcy cases?
I know that my income is execution-proof but that might not always be the case. If I can recover my health, I'd like to work part time if possible. I don't want these two judgments and other bills to hang over my head forever.
I would appreciate your advice. Thank you!
Bankruptcy Wizard
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