Thank you Joan B of Port Richey, Florida for your question whether Bankruptcy is a Public Record. Yes. The filing of a Bankruptcy is a Public Record. Theoretically, anyone can, if sufficiently determined, discover whether you filed Bankruptcy.
The average person would not know be able to discover this information unless they physically went to the Bankruptcy Court, and inquired whether a particular person filed Bankruptcy. If the Court was able to locate that particular person’s Bankruptcy filing, then the inquirer could then request a copy of the Bankruptcy Filer’s Petition and Schedules, along with any Motions or similar documents that were filed in the Bankruptcy Court. The Bankruptcy Court does charge a fee for this service, in terms of the cost of the copies they provide.
As a Bankruptcy Attorney, I use a system called Pacer, wherein I can look up any information filed in the Bankruptcy Court pertaining to my Clients. Pacer also charges a fee for the use of its service. Pacer, obviously, is much more convenient than physically going to the Bankruptcy Court in order to obtain information about a particular Bankruptcy filing.
Joan of Port Richey. Here is a Video that we prepared to help answer your query: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0PteVc_zQA
Weller Legal Group provides legal representation in all Bankruptcy Matters. The Bankruptcy Attorneys and Paralegals at Weller Legal are fully trained and experienced in all areas relating to Bankruptcy Law. We have Offices conveniently located in Clearwater, Port Richey, Lakeland and Brandon, to better serve you.