Will my job, my family, or my friends know that I filed bankruptcy?

No. Although a bankruptcy case is a public record, it is not that easy to find. Bankruptcy information is not published in any Mississippi newspaper that I am aware of. Yes, one of your nosey neighbors could go to the bankruptcy court and ask but that is a lot of effort and most people will not go that far. The bankruptcy court does not contact your employer and neither will your lawyer.

Now there are several situations where you may need your job, friends, or family to be contacted.

• If you owe money to your employer, your friends, or family members, then they may be one of your creditors and they will be notified of the bankruptcy.
• If you have a garnishment, then your employer will need to be notified so we can stop the garnishment.
• If you file chapter 13 the monthly payments to the court will be deducted from your pay check so your employer will be notified to withhold the payment and send in to the Trustee accordingly.

There are very strict laws that prohibit discriminating against someone for filing bankruptcy. An employer cannot fire or demote you because of the bankruptcy filing. The bankruptcy court deals harshly with those who discriminate against someone just because they filed bankruptcy.

So, unless you tell them, or your family, friends, or employer has a reason to know, they probably will never find out that you filed bankruptcy.