Find Daviess County Bankruptcy Records

Daviess County bankruptcy records are managed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana. The county seat is Washington, where Clerk Lauren Milton runs the local clerk of courts office at 200 E Walnut St. Daviess County has about 33,000 residents spread across a largely rural area in southwestern Indiana. To search for bankruptcy case records from this county, you can use PACER or visit the federal court's online tools. The local clerk's office can help with state court files and direct you to the right place for federal bankruptcy filings.

Daviess County Clerk of Courts

The Daviess County Clerk of Courts office is at 200 E Walnut St in Washington. Lauren Milton serves as clerk. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Staff here handle state court records including civil cases, criminal matters, and family law files. For questions about local records, call (812) 254-8664.

Payment at the Daviess County clerk's office works a bit differently than some other counties. They accept cash, money orders, and bank cashier checks only. Personal checks and credit cards are not taken. If you need to request records by mail, send your request with a self-addressed stamped envelope. The Daviess County office also has specialists on staff for different types of cases. Danielle Ahlert handles small claims at (812) 254-8689, and Lindsey Upton covers family law matters. This kind of focused help makes it easier to get what you need from the Daviess County courts.

The Daviess County website has a staff directory and department contacts. You can look up office information and find the right person to talk to about your records request.

While the local clerk handles state matters, all Daviess County bankruptcy records go through the federal system. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana processes these filings.

How to Search Daviess County Bankruptcy Records

PACER is the main tool for searching Daviess County bankruptcy records. This federal system holds all case filings from the Southern District of Indiana. You can look up any debtor by name or case number. The system charges $0.10 per page with a $3.00 cap on most documents. It gives you full access to petitions, schedules, docket entries, and discharge orders for Daviess County cases.

For state court records that may connect to a bankruptcy filing in Daviess County, try mycase.IN.gov. This free database covers Indiana state courts. You can search for civil judgments, liens, and other cases filed in Daviess County. Under Indiana Code IC 5-14-3, these records are public. They can help round out the picture when you are looking into someone's financial history in Daviess County.

Note: The mycase system does not include federal bankruptcy filings, so use PACER for those Daviess County records.

Daviess County Bankruptcy Filing Process

Filing for bankruptcy in Daviess County starts with a petition to the Southern District court. Under 11 U.S.C. § 109, anyone who lives in Daviess County or has a home, business, or property here can file. You must also complete credit counseling before you file. The petition includes detailed schedules that list all debts, assets, income, and expenses. These become part of the public record once filed.

After the petition is filed, the court sends out notices to all creditors listed in the Daviess County case. An automatic stay takes effect under 11 U.S.C. § 362, which stops most debt collection. A trustee is assigned to the case. For Chapter 7 cases, the trustee looks at assets that may be sold to pay creditors. For Chapter 13 cases, the trustee oversees the repayment plan. Both types of cases create a detailed paper trail in the court records.

The meeting of creditors, sometimes called a 341 meeting, happens about 30 to 45 days after filing. Daviess County debtors attend this hearing where the trustee and creditors can ask questions. The record of this meeting and any objections filed become part of the case docket. If everything goes smoothly, a Chapter 7 discharge can come within four to six months. Chapter 13 plans run three to five years before the debtor gets a discharge.

Daviess County Bankruptcy Case Records

Bankruptcy records from Daviess County contain a lot of detail. The case file starts with the petition and schedules. These list every debt the filer owes, all property they own, their monthly income, and their regular expenses. The means test form shows whether someone qualifies for Chapter 7 based on their income compared to the Indiana median.

Under 11 U.S.C. § 107, most of these records are public. Anyone can look them up on PACER. Some personal identifiers like full Social Security numbers are redacted in the public version. The docket for a Daviess County case also shows every motion, order, and notice filed during the case. This includes any objections from creditors and the court's rulings on them.

The discharge order is the most common document people look for. It shows which debts were wiped out. Under 11 U.S.C. § 523, certain debts like child support, most tax debts, and student loans typically cannot be discharged. The Daviess County case file will show exactly what happened with each claimed debt.

Note: Some Daviess County bankruptcy records may have sealed portions if the judge found good cause to restrict public access.

Daviess County Records Resources

Several resources can help you find bankruptcy records and related files for Daviess County. The Indiana Judicial Branch public records page explains what court records are available and how to get them. The Indiana court directory lists every court in the state with contact information. For Daviess County, this includes the circuit court and any other local courts.

The Indiana State Library keeps historical records and can help with older files. The Indiana county portal links to Daviess County government pages and departments. If you need forms for the federal court, the Southern District site at insb.uscourts.gov has everything you need for bankruptcy filings and record requests.

Cities in Daviess County

Daviess County includes the city of Washington along with smaller towns like Odon, Elnora, Cannelburg, and Montgomery. None of these places have a separate city page on this site. All bankruptcy cases from Daviess County are filed in the Southern District of Indiana. The clerk's office in Washington handles local court records for the whole county.

Nearby Counties

Daviess County shares borders with several counties in southwestern Indiana. If a debtor lives near a county line, check which county their address falls in. The county determines which local clerk to contact for related state court records.