Casey Anthony, the Florida woman who was found not guilty in the death of her toddler daughter, has crossed another hurdle in her bankruptcy case. EquuSearch, the company that searched for her daughter, has dropped its objection to her Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing.
EquuSearch claims to have spent more than $100,000 searching for the child who Anthony knew was already dead. Anthony has agreed to allow EquuSearch to claim $75,000 as a creditor, but it’s not expected that the company will see any of the money unless the bankruptcy trustee recovers funds from Anthony’s estate. Currently, court records indicate that Anthony has debts amounting to $792,000 and assets of less than $1,100.
The company also felt that too much time and money was going into the court case and taking away from the people who really needed the services of EquuSearch. There are those who fear that Anthony will be able to make money off the death of her child after her unsecured debts are removed, but the infamous nature of the case has left her living in hiding since the jury’s not guilty verdict. Two other creditors have complaints pending against being included in the bankruptcy filing.
Chapter 7 bankruptcy is a useful tool for those who qualify to have most unsecured debt wiped away at the time of discharge. There are occasions when creditors may object to being included in the filing. In such circumstances, an attorney may be helpful in presenting the case to the bankruptcy judge in a manner that may lead to a favorable outcome for the filer.
Source: Orlando Sentinel, “Judge approves Casey Anthony’s settlement with Texas EquuSearch“, Jeff Weiner, November 26, 2013