Lafayette Bankruptcy Records Search

Lafayette bankruptcy records are filed and maintained by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lafayette Division. The court is located in the John M. Shaw U.S. Courthouse at 800 Lafayette Street in downtown Lafayette. The Lafayette Division serves Lafayette Parish and surrounding south-central Louisiana parishes. Judge Hon. John W. Kolwe presides over the Lafayette Division. This page explains how to find Lafayette bankruptcy case records, what the court requires when filing, and how to get copies of case documents.

Lafayette Division of the Western District Court

The Lafayette Division is one of three active divisions of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana. It serves Lafayette Parish and several surrounding parishes in south-central Louisiana. The court also handles filings from the Lake Charles area because the Lake Charles Division has no staffed clerk's office. Judge Hon. John W. Kolwe is the presiding bankruptcy judge for the Lafayette Division.

When filing in person at the Lafayette Division, individuals must pay with a money order or cashier's check. Personal checks and credit cards are not accepted from individual filers at this location. Call (337) 262-6800 before you go to confirm current payment requirements and bring the correct amount.

How to Search Lafayette Bankruptcy Records

PACER is the standard tool for searching Lafayette bankruptcy records. It is the federal system used by all U.S. bankruptcy courts. Registration is free at pacer.uscourts.gov. Once you have an account, you can search the Western District's case management system or use the PACER Case Locator at pacer.uscourts.gov/find-a-case to search across all districts.

Searching by debtor name is the most common method. The system returns a list of matching cases with filing dates, chapter types, and judge assignments. Click any case to see the full docket, then click individual entries to open and download documents. PACER charges $0.10 per page. If your total charges in a quarter stay under $30, the fee is waived.

McVCIS is a free phone alternative for basic case info. Call 1-866-222-8029 and follow the prompts for the Western District. The system will read back the debtor name, case number, status, and trustee. No account is needed. It is available at any hour.

Lafayette Division Also Serves Lake Charles Filings

This is an important distinction for the Lafayette Division. The Western District has a Lake Charles Division, but that courthouse at 611 Broad Street in Lake Charles has no staffed bankruptcy clerk. Filers from Calcasieu Parish and surrounding southwest Louisiana parishes must submit their documents to the Lafayette Division office at 800 Lafayette Street.

This means the Lafayette Division processes a larger volume of cases than its geographic footprint alone would suggest. If you are searching for records from the Lake Charles area, you search for them in the Western District through PACER, but the physical file may be administered through the Lafayette office. For more detail, see the Lake Charles bankruptcy records page.

Bankruptcy Chapter Types Filed in Lafayette

Lafayette residents and businesses file under the same federal bankruptcy chapters as the rest of Louisiana. Chapter 7 is the most common. It is a liquidation case. A trustee reviews the debtor's assets and discharges eligible debts after reviewing the case. Most individual Chapter 7 filers in Lafayette have limited non-exempt assets. The fee to file is $338 under 28 U.S.C. § 1930.

Chapter 13 is a repayment plan bankruptcy. You keep your property and repay debts over three to five years. It requires regular income. The filing fee is $313. Chapter 13 is common in Lafayette among homeowners who need to catch up on mortgage arrears. The standing Chapter 13 trustee for the Western District reviews all plans filed in the Lafayette Division.

Chapter 11 is used by businesses and some individuals with large debts. It lets the debtor reorganize and propose a plan to repay creditors over time. Lafayette has seen Chapter 11 filings from oil and gas businesses and commercial real estate entities. The filing fee is $1,738.

Chapter 12 is available to family farmers and family fishermen. South-central Louisiana has both agricultural operations and fishing activity. Chapter 12 cases do appear in the Lafayette Division from time to time, though they are less common than Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 filings.

What Lafayette Bankruptcy Records Contain

Every Lafayette bankruptcy case file starts with the petition. The petition gives the debtor's name, address, chapter type, and filing date. Attached schedules list assets, debts, income, and expenses. The Statement of Financial Affairs discloses recent financial activity. These documents are public under 11 U.S.C. § 107.

Personal identifiers are redacted. Full Social Security numbers and complete financial account numbers are removed from public records under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9037. The rest of the file is open to any searcher. As the case progresses, creditors file proofs of claim, the trustee files reports, and the court issues orders on motions. All of this is searchable through PACER.

Getting Copies of Lafayette Bankruptcy Records

PACER is the fastest and cheapest way to get copies. Log in at pacer.uscourts.gov, find the case, and download documents at $0.10 per page. Most users spend very little per search session.

In-person copies from the Lafayette clerk's office cost $0.50 per page for plain copies and $11.00 per document for certified copies. A record search by staff costs $32.00. Visit Suite 1200 at the John M. Shaw U.S. Courthouse during business hours. Bring a money order or cashier's check if you plan to pay for anything in person. Confirm current payment options by calling (337) 262-6800 first.

Lafayette Parish Records and Bankruptcy

Lafayette Parish records, including property deeds, mortgages, and civil judgments, are kept by the Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court. These state-level records are separate from the federal bankruptcy court. But they intersect with bankruptcy cases. If a creditor holds a recorded mortgage or lien on property in Lafayette Parish, that lien has secured status in the bankruptcy. The trustee will check parish records to confirm what liens exist before making decisions about the property.

For state and parish-level records, visit the Lafayette Parish bankruptcy records page. For federal bankruptcy filings, use PACER or visit the Lafayette Division clerk's office.

Nearby Cities

These qualifying cities near Lafayette are in the Western or Eastern District of Louisiana.