The state of Virginia has, since 2003, made all its public records of bankruptcy filings available online at a single location. WebPACER does not allow unrestricted access to this data as it covers both closed and in-progress bankruptcy case information. You can only view the information for the bankruptcy cases in the state of Virginia by registering with the site and acquiring a PACER Service Center password and login. Once inside WebPACER you can search the database beginning with a name. If you only have a partial name, specifically the last name of the person whose information you are seeking then you will have to use the internal search engine.
This will deliver a table of information detailing the office filed in, the debtor’s name, case number, type of bankruptcy filed, the date of filing, chapter, and the Social Security Number. You can determine if a case is open or closed as only open cases are listed in bold letters. Asset cases are denoted by the chapter number appearing in green. The records are presented in two ways. For cases beginning in 1, 2, 3, or 4, you can access the information directly, as they are conventional paper files that allow you to access the docket and case number. An Electronic Case File toolbar is onsite for accessing cases that begin with 99. The third number, following a dash indicates which Division of the State the bankruptcy was filed in. Since anyone with a WebPACER password access can view, print, download, and store any information on the site. Since there are Federally mandated privacy issues, it is recommended that some of the more sensitive information, Social Security Numbers, names of minor children, or other distinct identifiers should be at least partially redacted.
The Court is not responsible for the redaction of personal identifiers so those filing, be they attorney, trustee, or other filing entity are required to go over the document before filing and make sure this information is protected. For a full explanation of what is required for redaction, visit http://www.privacy.uscourts.gov/ and view the Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure.
