Doug Jacobs’ post answering the question “do I have to file on all of my debts”, pushes my semantics button. Doug was, in all innocence, paraphrasing clients, who imagine that bankruptcy represents a choice by the debtor of which debts he wants to discharge. Wrong!

The popular usage of “filing bankruptcy on” certain debts suggests that debtors get to pick and choose which debts are listed in their cases. Not!

People file bankruptcy; people don’t file “on debts“. A person who is a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding is expected to list all of their debts, under penalty of perjury. At the beginning of the case, the debtor does not get to pick and choose which creditors are included in the filing.

The debtor can elect to reaffirm debts that they want to repay and are willing to be legally liable for. Better, from my perspective, a debtor can voluntarily repay debts they feel morally obligated to repay, without a reaffirmation.

Words are important to lawyers; words shape and reflect how we think about the world. Make my day by getting this terminology right.