Richard - Yes that's a point. If you brought proceedings against a bankrupt before it was discharged here, I think it would just go into the estate, so it wouldn't do any good. You'd have to wait until after it was discharged.

                But in 2005, in order to protect the large banks, Congress made filing bankruptcy much harder. Now, unless you're really rich, or really poor, you're are apt to get pushed into a Chapter 13, which would require payments against the debts over time.