Because most New York bankruptcy cases are filed by debtors who are unfamiliar with the process, undoubtedly many want information about their cases’ progress. The same goes for creditors who have been informed of their debtors’ bankruptcies. Good bankruptcy attorneys naturally supply their clients with new developments as they arise, but with the rapid advances in communications technology, it’s understandable parties are interested in gathering that information on their own. Indeed, their lawyers aren’t available all the time, and they use electronic resources to monitor their clients’ cases too. Some parties will also want reassurance that their lawyers are doing their jobs.
So how can you find out about a bankruptcy case on your own? Here are two ways.
Go online. Bankruptcy lawyers are familiar with the government database Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER), which collects information on every case filed in the federal court systems. Although one would think PACER is a symbol of progress in offering government services in the digital age, it is surprisingly unpopular. PACER’s user interface is old and it charges users (often low-income Americans) to access publicly available documents.
As for its costs, PACER offers name searches, non-case-specific reports, and transcripts of court proceedings for free. Everything else costs $0.10 per page with a $3.00 cap per document. The government will waive fees for users whose quarterly usage amounts to less than $15.00. For most bankruptcy parties a few judicious PACER searches will ultimately be free.
Because of PACER’s fee system, some Web sites undercut it by offering the same documents for less. Often they will download papers from one case and then upload them for all other uses, preventing PACER from charging users multiple times to download the same document. One popular example is RECAP (the Law), but bankruptcy debtors might also be interested in Inforuptcy, which specializes in bankruptcy cases and creates a virtual market for bankruptcy asset sales.
Use the phone. Surprisingly, the government is innovating with older, telephonic technology for helping parties track their cases: the Multiple-Court Voice Case Information System (McVCIS, “mac-vee-sis”). Parties need only dial (866) 222-8029, and using the automated voice prompts, they can find out the following:
- Case number, filing date, or chapter
- Parties’ names
- Debtor’s attorney and phone number
- Name of the trustee
- Name of the bankruptcy judge
- Case status, including whether it has any assets
- Deadlines for filing proofs of claim
- Date of the 341 meeting of the creditors
- Discharge and closing dates
McVCIS is completely free, and it may benefit debtors or creditors who aren’t near a computer or need only simple information about a case.
Keeping track of a case is easier than ever, though probably not as easy as it could be. Ensuring you’re well represented in a bankruptcy proceeding is not, which is why it helps to hire an experienced New York bankruptcy lawyer.
For answers to more questions about bankruptcy, the automatic stay, effective strategies for dealing with foreclosure, and protecting your assets in bankruptcy please feel free to contact experienced Brooklyn bankruptcy lawyer Bruce Weiner for a free initial consultation.