I'm so relieved! I worried about my 341 for weeks and dreaded it, and then it went so well I just had to share. I got there about an hour and a half early just to be sure I could find the right place with no problems and could calm my nerves. No one was there! It was lunch time - my meeting was scheduled for 1:30pm. I wasn't completely sure I was in the right room (said "Trustees...[something] lobby" on the door) until I found a list of BK cases pinned to a bulletin board and my name was on it. There was a green pamphlet to read (a sign said for all Chapter 7 debtors to read it) so I read it. After about 20 minutes a couple of other debtors showed up, then the trustee came in. We all went into the other room which was set up with rows of chairs and a desk at the front... California flags and the state seal, etc. It all seemed very informal, not very courtroom-ish at all. After a little while the trustee came in and sat down at the desk and informed us that we would begin at 1:30. It was about 1:15 then and a couple of people asked him questions which he answered amiably. He seemed very nice, not at all like the hard-a$$ I was expecting. I had also expected a judge for some reason but there wasn't one, just the trustee. I mentioned being nervous and he said "Don't be nervous..." One other woman mentioned having butterflies in her stomach and he said "Don't have butterflies..." It was like he was trying to reassure us, what a pleasant surprise!
He started officially at 1:30 and turned on the taping machine, calling us one by one... one to sit in the chairs at his left, one "on deck" to go next. I was last so it was nice to hear everyone else first. There was supposed to be someone after me but he didn't show up and his case got dismissed. The only person that got asked more than the basic questions was a guy who had acted in a commercial last summer, and his questions were about his possible residual checks as a result of potential future airings of that. Mine was really easy, after looking at my DL and SS card, he asked:
1. Did you sign your bankruptcy papers?
2. Did you pay someone to help you fill out your papers? (There was a pink form to fill out if you used a paralegal service vs. a lawyer, so I had that filled out and ready to hand him)
3. Did you list all your assets?
4. Did you list all your creditors?
5. Did you read the green pamphlet?
6. Is everything accurate and correct in the papers? (there was a wrong address for one of my creditors but I had handled that already and he said I just needed to file a form with the bk court office next door, that it wouldn't be a problem)
6. Are any creditors present? (none were, for anybody) No... Then that's all for today, thank you and good luck to you!!
And that was it...short and very sweet. I went to the other building to fill out change of address forms for myself and for the incorrect creditor address (I'm moving out of state next week) and then walked out into the warm southern California sunshine.
Best of luck to all of you filing and going to your 341s!!! May we all be debt-free in the future!
He started officially at 1:30 and turned on the taping machine, calling us one by one... one to sit in the chairs at his left, one "on deck" to go next. I was last so it was nice to hear everyone else first. There was supposed to be someone after me but he didn't show up and his case got dismissed. The only person that got asked more than the basic questions was a guy who had acted in a commercial last summer, and his questions were about his possible residual checks as a result of potential future airings of that. Mine was really easy, after looking at my DL and SS card, he asked:
1. Did you sign your bankruptcy papers?
2. Did you pay someone to help you fill out your papers? (There was a pink form to fill out if you used a paralegal service vs. a lawyer, so I had that filled out and ready to hand him)
3. Did you list all your assets?
4. Did you list all your creditors?
5. Did you read the green pamphlet?
6. Is everything accurate and correct in the papers? (there was a wrong address for one of my creditors but I had handled that already and he said I just needed to file a form with the bk court office next door, that it wouldn't be a problem)
6. Are any creditors present? (none were, for anybody) No... Then that's all for today, thank you and good luck to you!!
And that was it...short and very sweet. I went to the other building to fill out change of address forms for myself and for the incorrect creditor address (I'm moving out of state next week) and then walked out into the warm southern California sunshine.
Best of luck to all of you filing and going to your 341s!!! May we all be debt-free in the future!
Comment