Infamous alleged child killer Casey Anthony will testify under oath at her bankruptcy meeting with the trustee on March 4, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. This testimony will break Anthony’s long silence. She did not testify at her murder trial, where she was acquitted of killing her toddler daughter Caylee.
In the vast majority of bankruptcy cases, these meetings are short, routine affairs. The trustee has cursorily reviewed the debtor’s schedules of assets and liabilities and other bankruptcy papers and simply asks the debtor to confirm that there are no assets for creditors. Creditors almost never attend.
Casey Anthony’s case will be different. Bankruptcy meetings are open to the public, so the press is expected to jam the meeting room (the proceedings have been specially transferred to a location capable of supporting the crowds). Aggrieved creditors include Zenaida Gonzalez who has the same name as the fictitious nanny Casey had invented to accuse of absconding with Caylee as one of her cover-up lies. Ms. Gonzales, who has sued Ms. Anthony for defamation, failed in her attempt to remove the case from Tampa to Orlando but is expected to attend through counsel and examine Ms. Anthony. Debtors who make enemies before filing bankruptcy frequently have a much harder time navigating the bankruptcy process.
Also expected to attend will be new lawyers for both the debtor and the trustee. In most Chapter 7 cases, the debtor files the case through a lawyer, who attends the meeting; the trustee waits to see if there are assets before hiring counsel (most lawyers won’t want to work without the belief that some cash will be available to pay them). In this case, Casey Anthony has hired an additional attorney for reasons that have yet to become apparent and the trustee has engaged counsel of his own. The trustee’s move is typically a signal that the trustee expects to discover assets in the case, contrary to the schedules Casey Anthony has already filed in the case, under oath.
At her bankruptcy meeting, Casey Anthony will swear to tell the truth and must answer questions from the trustee and any other creditor who attends. She should probably also expect to testify in a subsequent lengthy bankruptcy deposition, known as a “Rule 2004 Examination” regarding her assets, debts and right to receive a discharge. Creditors will have 60 days from this meeting to file lawsuits objecting to her discharge or to the dischargeability of her debts. It appears likely that both of these complaints will be filed.
Casey Anthony has already been convicted of lying to law enforcement authorities. If she is caught in another lie after her bankruptcy testimony she will lose her discharge. If that happens, she may question why she even bothered to file for bankruptcy in the first place.
What do you think, will Casey Anthony be able to resist lying at her meeting with the trustee? Please leave your answer in the comments section.
To view Casey Anthony’s bankruptcy schedules, click here.
