Section 523 of the Bankruptcy Code: The fundamentals of nondischargeability in consumer bankruptcy

A practical recourse for analyzing some of the most common issues that arise when a consumer debtor seeks relief in bankruptcy is presented. The bankruptcy discharge provides a means by which an individual debtor may find relief from oppressive indebtedness and an opportunity for economic rehabilitation. Section 523 of the Bankruptcy Code can, however, operate as a barrier to the coveted discharge in consumer bankruptcy cases. The statutory standards for nondischargeability set forth in Section 523 are not in all cases free from interpretive difficulties.