A Million Dollar Mistake: Personal Injury and Bankruptcy

Under Virginia law, the bankruptcy court cannot take away a personal injury claim.  Injured in a car accident? Hurt in the hospital? Anyone in Virginia can file bankruptcy and still keep those claims.

Steven Ramsdell, one of the top bankruptcy lawyers here, is desperately trying to save a possible million dollar injury claim involving a Mr. Barnes, who “forgot” to tell the bankruptcy court about his personal injury.

Barnes filed bankruptcy in June 2020 and it was discharged in October 2020.  Two months later, Barnes sued a Loudoun County doctor for a million dollars, claiming a wrong prescription caused permanent damage to his liver.  In May 2021, the Loudoun County Circuit Court court threw Barnes put of court.

That’s How To Lose Your Personal Injury Claims In Bankruptcy

Here’s what happens when someone forgets to tell the bankruptcy court about your car accident or any other personal injury.

Injured in a car accident? Hurt in the hospital? You can file bankruptcy and still keep your rights. As long as you remember to tell the bankruptcy court.

Those rights are forfeit. Two ways.

First, because forgetting to tell the bankruptcy court about the claim means forgetting to protect that claim. So the injury claim now belongs to the bankruptcy trustee. Sometimes in law, “you snooze, you lose.”

Now, Barnes will ask the bankruptcy court to cut him some slack.  If the bankruptcy judge finds Barnes “forgot” because of “excusable neglect,” he may get a second chance to claim and protect his rights. 

Supposed a mortgage company overcharged someone and they didn’t know they were owed a refund. Forgetting to tell the bankruptcy court about that would easily be excusable neglect.

Barnes, on the other hand, sued his doctor less than three months after his bankruptcy was over.  Does that look like “excusable neglect.”  Or does it look like lying? 

Second, even if the bankruptcy judge helps him out, the state court judge can still toss out the suit for judicial estopple.  If Banes told the bankruptcy court that nobody owed him any money, how can he come into the state court and claim the doctor’s insurance owes him a million dollars?

Imagine this in the state court.  “You are telling this court, Mr. Barnes, that you are in constant pain? But you didn’t mention that pain when you met with your bankruptcy lawyer? Why should any jury believe you?”

Today, we don’t know how the Barnes case will turn out. Last week, the bankruptcy judge agreed he’d at least give Barnes a chance to explain his side.

PS  I should add that Steven Ramsdell was NOT the lawyer who first handled Barnes bankruptcy case. Barnes, of course, may be tempted to blame the problem on the first lawyer who handled his bankruptcy.  That first lawyer knew Barnes hadn’t worked for five months. Was that because of this injury? Should the bankruptcy lawyer have asked?

A lot of people will be sweating when the bankruptcy judge decides on “excusable neglect.”