A bankruptcy discharge provides the debtor with a fresh start. It is a court order that releases a debtor from personal liability for certain types of debts that were incurred pre-bankruptcy or pre-petition. Once a bankruptcy discharge issued, the debtor is absolved of any obligation to repay their debts. The bankruptcy discharge voids personal liability on judgments and acts as a permanent injunction against any act to collect a discharged debt as a personal liability of the debtor. The bankruptcy discharge applies only to debts.

Technically, every bankruptcy case is public information after it has been filed. This is because all case filings go to the United States Bankruptcy Court website and can be accessed through Pacer. Although the case is public information and anyone can find a bankruptcy case and the documents filed within the case, there are steps you have to take to access this information.