If you have been following my posts over the years you know by now that the essential purpose of filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy is to receive a discharge, which means you are forgiven your debts and you thus allowing you to get a fresh start.  But what happens if a creditor tries to collect a debt after you file?  The answer is that a bankruptcy discharge is a Court Order prohibiting creditors from later attempting to collect a discharged debt.  Any creditor who violates this Court Order can be held in contempt  and is liable for damages.  Thus if you have received a discharge and a creditor comes after you for the discharged debt listed in your previous bankruptcy filing, notify them of the discharge right away and if they persist you can go after them for damages.  If you are interested in filing bankruptcy and you live in Southeast Connecticut, please call attorney Mark O. Grater in Groton, Ct at 860-449-8059 or visit his web cite at www.graterlaw.com.