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Asked 4 months ago - Gig Harbor, WA
Flagwith L & I as one of the listed debtors, can the State pursue legal action for balance after the discharge?
Both Mr. Jenson and Ms. Sykes are correct and - if you look at the types of lawyers that they are you will see that if you are asking this question for yourself that you have two different types of attorneys you can look to in order to see if there is any other alternatives or other ways to lower exposure.
Michael Avenesian the Glendale attorney has provided the best answer.
But my biggest question, is where is your attorney in all of this? He should be consulting with you (if you have asked) and providing you with some input or at least a referral to an attorney with lots of L and I specific experience.
In my experience, there can be flow through liability for some withholding obligations like premiums for L and I coverage and some portions might not be dischargeable. However, it is not always so and I have seen it be a hit or miss proposition in the state's pursuit of obligations. If it is an L and I overpayment, I generally do not see these pursued - once years and years ago I had L and I file a nondischargeability complaint for an overpayment but that was long, long ago.
I filed just short of 400 cases last year in Western Washington, so I have seen a variety of results on this point with L and I, and it seems frequently a suprise "grab bag" of results...
Now, I am currently involved reveiwing a Chapter 7 Debtor's dispute with L and I for contractor fines - the corporation was doing work outside of the area in which it carried licensure. This is playing out to the Debtors favor so far - the citations seem issued to the corporation - not to the individual owner. The state seems to be hedging and backpeddling and not commiting to whether there is personal liability being asserted against someone who was not actually cited. So far my request for a commitment to a postion (individual liabile for fine issued to corporation liable or not and under what basis) has resulted in a mountain of paperwork (like a response to discovery even though I have conducted no discovery) and no commitment.....stay tuned is all I can say.....
So I feel that Mr. Avenesian is headed down the right road in his analysis. We probably need to know some more about what type of L and I obligations are being asserted with some more specifics. The devil is in the details on this one.....
Thanks for posting in this great forum - if you need help, give a call!
James H. MaGee, Washington Bankruptcy Attorney Offices in Tacoma, Puyallup and Bremerton 253 383 1001
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