Casey Anthony bankruptcy
The breaking CBS news story featured Arizona legal analyst and attorney Jonathan Frutkin of The Frutkin Law Firm. According to Frutkin, the bankruptcy automatically stops the three pending civil lawsuits against her. This includes a defamation lawsuit filed by Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, the real person with the same name as the fictional nanny Anthony accused of kidnapping her daughter, Caylee. It also includes suits by a Florida volunteer rescuer and a Texas firm which claims it spent more than $100,000 attempting to find Caylee after she was reported missing.
However, the automatic stay does not mean that Anthony is necessarily off scot-free. “Bankruptcy protection is designed to help the unfortunate, but honest debtor,” Frutkin said. “But Anthony will now have the advantage of a single courtroom and a single judge determine her financial liability.”
Arizona attorney Frutkin also pointed out that the legal standard to prevent discharge of a debt in bankruptcy is considerably higher. “The creditors must prove that their damages are the result of fraud or willful and malicious conduct by Ms. Anthony. The standard is much higher than simply proving mere legal liability for some debt,” according to Frutkin.
As with every Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, a bankruptcy trustee will be assigned to investigate Anthony’s assets. According to her bankruptcy filing, she has not received any income in at least three years. Assuming that she receives a discharge of her debt, any income she makes moving forward will be hers to keep.
Read more: yahoo
